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Google Adwords Reporter

Dave Collins has been managing Shareware Promotions' Google AdWords accounts for as long as the AdWords scheme has been up and running, and at the time of writing this page is handling accounts with monthly budgets in the region of $80,000. Dave will review your adwords account and provide a detailed and comprehensive 75 point checklist covering your account setup, campaigns, campaign settings, ad group structure and names, budget, targeting, number of clicks, impressions, average position, click through rates, behavioural patterns, use of reporting facilities, change history, ad texts, keywords, matching options and more.

Dave will then then write-up his findings in a clear, detailed and well-illustrated report. The report is not generated from a template or boilerplate. Nor is it a general Google AdWords report, adapted to be relevant to your account. Every single item and recommendation is created based on your account and situation.

Google Adwords Report

SQL2RSS

Convert MySQL databases to RSS feeds using a new php script - sql2rss. The new script currently supports the conversion of MySQL databases to RSS feeds.

Reality vs. Accusations

Fantastic post from Dave Collins the blog post entitled Fruit, trees and the forest

There are times when I feel as though I live in a slightly different reality.

(1) Knocking imagination on the head.

One of the companies that we work with sells Windows Automation Software. It’s a great piece of software that’s been around since 1997, but they’re always looking at new ideas. Recently they decided to post a job resume for the product itself - titled “I work 24×7 for no pay. Got a job for me?”

It’s obviously not designed to be taken too seriously, and struck me as quite an imaginative experiment.

Fruit, trees and the forest

Spy on the Competition

The old adage, "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer", is applicable not only to personal relationships but business relationships as well. While I'm not suggesting that you befriend your competitors, it is important that you are cognizant of your competitors' business ventures and methods.

Spy on the Competition

Hackathon

Computer software wizards from near and far will camp at the Silicon Valley headquarters of Internet search titan Yahoo next week for an overnight "hack-a-thon" in the spirit of innovation.

Yahoo heralded the 24-hour programming free-for-all as its first public "Hack Day" and said it was an extension of no-holds-barred software tinkering events that the company's engineers take part in internally.

The gathering was meant to inspire new twists on Yahoo services as well as reclaim "hacker" as a name for those adept at manipulating software in creative, not malicious, ways, said Yahoo network developer director Chad Dickerson.

Complete Article

New Software Piracy Number for Phillippines

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has said it is dedicating a single hotline for the reporting of software piracy in the Philippines.

The organization said the new toll-free number, 1-800-1-888-8787, will be available to all residents of the Philippines. Reports may also be filed online.

Women in Games International

Dozens of game industry women gather to talk about how to balance work and life.

Women in Games

Tucows Blog is Moving

The Tucows Blog has a new home at http://www.tucowsblog.com/.

25 Worst Websites

From unforgettable flame-outs to some of the most popular destinations around, no one is safe from our look at the world's dumbest dot-coms and silliest sites.

PC World's 25 Worst Websites

What is In Store for the AISIP Future?

I interviewed Michael Halls about his acquisition of the AISIP.The AISIP is an independent organization for software industry professionals. The group was started by Sue Piccotta just over a year ago. Michael and David Halls recently purchased the organization. They have plans and shared some details in the interview..... AISIP Interview

Amazing Weekend - Day of Giving

It is rare that I post personal thoughts in my blog posts, but I really cannot go without commenting on this weekend. I spent 3 days walking 50 miles for Multiple Sclerosis. I walked with my new hero, my youngest son, Ricky.

For me September 11th has become a day of giving, and I felt reflecting about my three days in todays blog post appropriate. Ricky and I raised $ 3,000 for MS, and we felt every step of the 50 miles. The level support we received during the walk was truly amazing. I have come to believe, that you get what you give.

While the walk was grueling, I feel richer for having endured, and seeing how my son, urged me on, when I knew how he was hurting showed me his incredible depth of character. I feel richer for it.

Sharon Housley

Tucows Buy Kiko

Tucows aquired Kiko a web based calendar. Kiko was sold as a Web 2.0 company on eBay and went for $ 258,000. Read the details.

History of ID Software

This is a very interesting piece The History of ID Software:

The theme over the course of these recent "A Short History of..." pieces, for those who have been following, is independence: the struggle to achieve it for one's self or for others, or simply its presence in places where you'd never expect to find it. It is that cooperative struggle for individuality, for the assertion of our humanity, that leads us to all grace.

The other articles on the bottom are also interesting and not terribly different from the Software Success Series.

Report Crime, Aggregate Data Could Make a Difference

I hope the ecommerce services read this, imagine the power of their aggregate data:

During a presentation at the 2006 InfraGard National Conference -- which is focused on protecting U.S. critical infrastructure -- Wendi Whitmore, a special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, urged companies that are victims of cybercrime to report the problems to law enforcement agencies. Even though many cybercriminals don't get caught, the sharing of information between law enforcement and private businesses can help both groups develop better defenses, she said.

Report Crime

Software Pirate is Jailed

A Florida man who made millions of dollars selling illegal copies of computer programs was sentenced Friday to six years in prison in one of the nation's largest software piracy cases.

Danny Ferrer, of Lakeland, Fla., pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy and copyright infringement charges after an FBI investigation of his Web site, BuysUSA.com. Ferrer also was ordered to pay more than $4.1 million in restitution to software makers Adobe Systems Inc., Autodesk, and Macromedia Inc.

Complete Article

Interesting Trademark Strategy

Ok so this women purchased a bunch of googlesomething.com domains and attempted to sell them to Google for a large sum of cash, thinking she would make millions. When the Google trademark lawyers came calling you would think, like many of those before her she would back down and turn tail. She did counter-offer the domains at a discounted rate, these offers could have been her demise, because when she actually went to court her actual defense was ingenious.

The domain poacher told the court she had been planning a dating site and the domain was intended as "Go Ogle" rather than "Google". Because she had offered to sell the domains the court ruled in Google's favor. Still her ingenuity was rather impressive!

Compelling Articles Make Great Content

Articles are excellent tools to generate web traffic and product interest. Writing articles, may sound easy enough, but it is important that you write the proper types of articles to attract interested readers. Follow these simple steps to create compelling and interesting content.

Compelling Articles Make Great Content

My Dream App

Software entrepreneur Phill Ryu has announced “My Dream App” a new competition that invites participants to submit their best ideas for a killer app. Contestants will compete for a chance to have their idea turned into a Mac shareware application and earn royalties on software sales, as well as take home prizes that include Macs and iPods.

Publishing on Amazon

So the holidays are approaching. As hard as it is to believe, now is the time developers should be gearing up for holiday sales, if they target a consumer audience.

Do something different and consider reaching a new audience, Amazon sales spike in the holidays, it is easy for customers toss something "extra" in their cart, so if you products are not listed on Amazon it is time to think about getting them listed. How? Well that is easy, Great Mind Software provide a listing and publishing service for software developers interested in listing products on Amazon.

Logo Maker Software

My graphical expertise is not quite what it could be, and on some of our smaller projects I do the graphic design in-house. In any event, I started playing around with Greenbox Logo Maker . This is one very cool piece of software. You can whip up logo in minutes! Really very versatile and well done.

SWRUS Kiev

SWRUS Kiev has been announced! The mini conference will be held the day before the ISDEF conference (scheduled for Moscow Russia).

Amazon Crossing the Line?

I wonder what the Attention Trust Organization will think of this:

The Santas on Amazon may soon know if intended gift recipients have been not only naughty or nice, but also whether they're Muslim, Gay and Unemployed.

Amazon.com filed a patent application on Aug. 10 for a process that would allow Amazon customers to use the retail Web site to gather information on other customers, including "birthday, interests, occupation, education level, income level, location, race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation."

Complete Article

I think Amazon is off their rocker! This type of information should not be made widely available to anyone.

Austin Game Conference

Austin Game Conference scheduled for September 6-7-8, 2006 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.

The Austin Game Conference is produced by The Game Initiative, the leading producer of conferences and events for game industry professionals. Game Initiative, events attracted almost 4,000 game industry professionals from around the world as speakers, attendees, sponsors and exhibitors in 2005. The Game Initiative serves the needs of companies and people involved in producing interactive entertainment software and hardware for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers and the Internet.

Developers Cope with Leopard

For the people who create Mac software, there's nothing quite as exciting as a Worldwide Developers Conference keynote that previews the features slated to appear in an upcoming OS X overhaul. And there's nothing as terrifying for those same developers as waiting to see if those new features do similar things to the software they're already selling.

Such is the nature of third-party software: meet an unfulfilled need with your software one day, watch that same need get addressed by an operating system update the next.

Article about Apple Development

Google Helps Webmasters

The Google Webmaster Central is very cool! You can determine what pages are being crawled where there is a problem or if a website is having "issues" with Google.

Add Social Bookmark Chicklets to Your Website to Increase Popularity

Notepage, Inc. has just developed a social bookmarking tool that will help web designers create bookmarking chicklets with ease. This tool allows users to enter the title, description and URL of their website and it creates bookmark chicklets that can be inserted into their website.

Social bookmarking has quickly become a popular way for frequent internet users to share their favorite websites with the public. Having a website added to a bookmark directory can increase traffic significantly. Bookmark chicklets are a newer creation that help remind those viewing a website to add it to the social bookmarking directories. It makes the bookmarking process easier for those who have found a website that is a good source of information or services. Another advantage of the tool is that the website description that goes into the bookmark is written into the script, allowing creators of the chicklet to choose how their website will be described in the directory.

The tool is easy to use for even novice web designers. It can also be used to add chicklets to blogs. Creating the chicklets is instantaneous when using this tool. It is a free service available to anyone. For more information or to use the tool visit http://www.feedforall.com/social-bookmarks.htm.

Shareware Starter Kit

I'm curious why the Shareware Starter Kit does not get more play. I would love to hear from developers that have used it and how effective it has been.

The Shareware Starter Kit (SSK) enables you to integrate important shareware management features into most .NET applications. By providing highly customizable source code for client and server components, the SSK can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

Software Marketing News

The latest issue of SMR is on line. This issue is a recap of the Shareware Industry Conference, it includes conference overview, session recaps and more.

Top Marketing Tools

When asked, "Which offers are 'very effective' for generating high-quality leads?" marketers in all three areas studied - technology services firms, and business software and hardware - put Blog and the Podcast in the top five.

Top 5 Tools For Generating Sales Leads
1. Free Trials -- Business software marketers ranked free trials extremely highly, with 54% calling trials very effective.

2. Webcast -- At 41% this was another favorite for software marketers, however technology services and related hardware firms also ranked webinars at 33% and 31% respectively.

3. White paper -- All business technology marketers rated white papers fairly evenly, giving white paper offers ratings ranging from 31-36% 'very effective.'

4. Blog -- 35% of software and ASP marketers rated their blog as very effective, as did 33% of technology services firms. However, just 19% of hardware companies felt that a corporate blog was effective. This may be because general business executives are more likely to read a blog, while IT staffers may not.

5. Podcast -- Last year the concept of a podcast was barely on the technology marketing map. By June 2006, 22% of software marketers who'd given a podcast called them 'very effective' lead generation tools. Perhaps IT professionals are more likely to be in an early adopter community that might listen to a podcast.

Review

Tips to Keeping Children Safe Online

Most developers have children so I thought they would find this article helpful.

Tips to Keeping Children Safe Online

There was once a time when you only had to worry about children when they were outside or not at home. Those times have changed. Strangers can now enter your home, without a key or coming through a door. How you may ask? These strangers enter your home using a keyboard. These strangers can befriend your children online.

Agnitum Comments on New Windows Kernel

I met the guys from Agnitum a few years ago at ISDEF. This was an interesting article in the Register.

Recently introduced security measures by Microsoft will make it more difficult to integrate third-party security tools with Windows, according to a rival personal firewall firm.

Agnitum reckons that the introduction of Kernel Patch Protection by Microsoft will force independent security software vendors to adopt the same tactics as hackers in order to get their code to work.

Complete Article

eSellerate Sold to Digital River for 25 Million

According to the quarterly Digital River conference call transcript eSellerate was purchased for 25 million dollars.

"As Joel noted, late in the second quarter, we acquired MindVision, Inc., the parent company of eSellerate, a provider of outsourced e-commerce services for $25 million in cash. There is no earn out under the agreement. The acquisition contributed approximately $270,000 of revenue to the second quarter. We expect the acquisition to be slightly dilutive to both GAAP and non-GAAP results in the third and fourth quarters but accretive in 2007."

Multi-Word Phrases in Search

Web analytics company OneStat.com released a reportthat states more than 50 percent of searchers query 2 word and 3 word phrases. Four word phrases came in third at 17.11 percent and one word phrases came in a rather surprising fourth with only 11.43 percent.

Really interesting information as many people optomize for only single keywords.

Software Conferences

ISDEF - The Independent Software Forum conference will be held in Moscow Russia on October 5 & 6th, 2006. A pre-conference event will be held in October 4th in Kiev, Ukraine.

EWSC - The European Shareware Conference will be held in Cambridge England on November 5 & 6th, 2006.

Shareware Industry Award Winners Announced

The SIA Award Winners have been announced.

Best Overall Utility
Beyond Compare by Scooter Software
TuneUp Utilities 2006 by TuneUp Software GmbH
WinRAR by WinRAR
WinZip by WinZip Computing  Winner!!

Best Application
Boxer Text Editor by Boxer Software Winner!!
TextPad by Helios Software
UltraEdit by IDM Computer Solutions, Inc.

Best Graphics Program or Utility
Adobe PhotoShop by Adobe, Inc.
Corel Paint Shop Pro by Corel Corporation
IrfanView by Irfan Skiljan Winner!!

Best Desktop Enhancement
MaxiVista by Bartels Media - Info - Download
Microangelo Toolset by Eclipsit, Inc.  Winner!!
Window Blinds by Stardock - Info - Download

Best Photo Program or Utility
ACDSee Pro Photo Manager by ACD Systems
Life Poster Maker by Lincoln Beach Software  Winner!!
Picasa by Google
PMView Pro by Blueprint Software Works

Best Application Using .Net
Guitar and Drum Trainer by Renegade Minds Winner!!
IDAutomation Barcode Label Software by IDAutomation.com, Inc.
InstallAware by InstallAware Software Corporation

Best Utility Using .Net
Doppler by Cindy De Smet and Erwin van Hunen
IDAutomation Barcode Image Generator by IDAutomation.com, Inc.
ShareAlarmPro by NsaSoft Winner!!

Best Sound Program or Utility
Audio Record Wizard by NowSmart Studio
Blaze Media Pro by Mystik Media  Winner!!
D'Accord Personal Guitarist by D'Accord Music Software
Microsoft Media Player by Microsoft Corporation

Best Vertical Market Program or Utility
Auction Sentry by Auction-Sentry.Com
Tarma ExpertInstall by Tarma Software Research Winner!!
TextFromPDF by Salty Brine Software

Best Business Application or Utility
Contact Plus Professional by Contact Plus Corporation
Personal Knowbase by Bitsmith Software
PayWindow Payroll 2006 by ZPay Payroll Systems, Inc.
Microsoft OneNote by Microsoft Corporation  Winner!!

Best Educational Program or Game
AceReader Pro by Stepware, Inc.
Google Earth by Google  Winner!!
WinFlash Educator by Open Window Software

Best Hobby or Personal Interest
Everything I Own by Mycroft Computing
Remind-Me by Beiley Software
Vacation Designer 2006 by Meliovation Winner!!

Best Internet Enhancement
FeedDemon by Bradbury Software
FTP Voyager by RhinoSoft  Winner!!
Paessler Site Inspector by Paessler AG

Best Internet Communication
GroupMail by Infacta Ltd.
Trillian by Cerulean Studios
PocoMail by Poco Systems
Yahoo Messenger by Yahoo  Winner!!

Best Web Enhancement
AI RoboForm by Siber Systems
HTML Match by Salty Brine Software
Mozilla Firefox by The Mozilla Foundation  Winner!!

Best Non-Action Game
Pretty Good Solitaire by Goodsol  Winner!!
SudokuMeister by byteplant GmbH
Sudoku Works by Oak Systems

Best Action/Arcade Game
Commando Xenidis by Magic Storm
Tomb Climber by Magic Storm
Unreal Tournament by Epic Games  Winner!!

Best Program for PDA's
Documents To Go by DataViz
Journal Bar by Omega One
Spb Diary by Spb Software House  Winner!!

The Peoples Choice Software Awards Decided

The Peoples Choice Software Awards have been announced.

The winners are:

Best Overall Utility
WinRAR by win.rar GmbH

Best Application
Acronis True Image by Acronis, Inc.

Best Graphics Program or Utility
ACDSee Pro Photo Manager by ACDSee Systems International, Inc.

Best Sound Program or Utility
Microsoft Media Player by Microsoft Corporation

Best Vertical Market Program or Utility
WindowBlinds by Stardock Corporation

Best Bussiness Application or Utility
Adobe Acrobat Reader by Adobe Systems, Inc.

Best Educational Program or Game
Google Earth by Google, Inc.

Best Hobby or Personal Interest
Roboform by Siber Systems, Inc.

Best Internet Enhancement
GetRight by Headlight Software

Best Internet Communication
Skype by Skype Limited

Best Web Enhancement
ZoneAlarm Pro by Zone Labs

Best Non-Action Game
Bejeweled 2 by Astraware Limited

Best Program for PDA’s
FlexMail 2006 by Web Information Solutions, Inc.

CNET “Most Votes”
RealPlayer by Real Networks, Inc.

Simtel “Most Votes”
Registry Mechanic by PC Tools

Tucows “Most Votes”
Spyware Doctor by PC Tools

PC World “Most Votes”
Ad-Aware SE by Lavasoft Sweden

Epsilon Award Nominations Open

We are proud to announce that nominations for the Epsilon can now be submitted", says David Boventer, Founder and Executive Director of the European Shareware Conference e.V. ,,

There are many good and hard-working programmers in the software market, using the marketing method of ShareWare that deserve extra support for what they do for all of us. So we believe that we should honor one of them each year within our annual European Shareware Conference. This honor will be
accompanied by actual material support to further the programmer`s standing on the market.

The prizes will include a statue of recognition, 300 Euro and Press coverage of their product by a professional Press service. The Epsilon Award will mean the solemn entry into our hall of fame, which means a life-long free entry to future conferences of the ESWC e.V. and other benefits by sponsors which are gradually going to be announced.

Questioning Online Credibility

Credibility online is becoming more and more of an issue. Anyone can have a blog or post to a forum and anyone can edit wiki entries. Web surfers are beginning to comprehend that just because it is in print does not necessarily mean that it is true. In fact, in today's online world, the collective truth might be the closest thing we can get to the real truth. Peer policing and social bookmarking have become common in the online world.

Take a Closer Look at Online Credibility

Developing for Vista

According to a report:

Microsoft announced that nearly 1000 global independent software vendors (ISVs) will offer a range when the new operating system will be launched early next year. Among the group of ISVs are 15 of the top 25 software companies, the Redmond-based firm said at its Worldwide Partner Conference 2006 in Boston.

A handful of the applications under development for Vista are on display at http://www.seewindowsvista.com.

SIC Photos Posted

I just posted the first round of photos from the SIC (Shareware Industry Conference) . Over the next few days I will be getting caught up and providing details of the confernece.

Interview on Microsoft Channel 9

Michael Lehman is inviting attendees at the Shareware Industry Conferece to be interviewed and posted to Channel 9.

Additional Details

Software Organization Takes Next Step

Just about a year ago Sue Pichotta created AISIP, an organization for software developers and online marketers. The organization has blossomed into a dynamic group of developers, and Sue realizing she could not bring the organization to the next level made the decision to sell the AISIP to Michael and David Halls, founders of Emetrix and FileKicker.

I've spoken with Sue regarding the sale and will be posting responses to an interview about the sale.

Digital River and Intraware Cooperate

Intraware, Inc, a leading provider of electronic software and license delivery and management solutions, announced today that it has signed a joint marketing agreement with Digital River, Inc., a global leader in e-commerce outsourcing. Through the marketing agreement, the companies are expanding their strategic business relationship to deliver integrated e-commerce services to enterprise software publishers. full article

This is interesting because I have never heard of Intraware in the space of electronic software and license delivery. I'm guessing they are aimed at enterprise delivery.

Latest Software Marketing News

Software Marketing News has been posted. The latest issue includes:
Digital River Acquisition Editorial
User Group Opportunities
Various Marketing Articles
Microsoft Announcements
Tucows Contest Announcement
Web Applications
Tech Tools
Software Awards
Search Engine News

Read SMR News

Pirates to Pay Digital River

According to TwinCities.com:

Digital River will receive $109,395 from a computer hacker who made fraudulent payments to bank accounts under his control after hacking into the company's computer server. The hacker, Larry McPhillips of College Park, Md., was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and must also pay $388,397 to Innuity Inc. of Redmond, Wash., from which he channeled similar fraudulent payments.

Great PR for The Little Software Company

Lincoln Beach Software got a great write up:

When it comes to software companies, I’m all about the little guy. What these small publishers lack in capital and personnel they more than make up with energy and innovation. They just seem to try harder.

This week’s spotlight publisher, Lincoln Beach Software, is extra special because it hails from the St. Louis suburb of Ballwin. The company boasts an impressive roster of 21 software tools, divided into two categories: Webmaster solutions and desktop solutions.

Microsoft Scores Points!

Well Microsoft just scored some major points with their announcement of their new Robotics Studio with my young son. He recently won the Grand Prize at the Middle School Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair. His project was a robotic arm that he interfaced into the parallel port of a computer and he wrote a software application in Delphi to control the arms movement.

I'll post his impressions of Microsoft's Robotics Studio in the next few days!

July 13-15, 2006 Shareware Industry Conference

Last chance to make plans to attend the Shareware Industry Conference. Rooms are filling up and the conference is shaping up great. The sessions include everything from Search Engine Optimization tips to the FBI and Online Fraud (click on the descriptions in the schedule to see the session details).

Protexis is sponsoring a welcome reception on the top floor that promises good company and great views. Digital River is hosting Thursday night and while the mechanical bull is taking the year off I'm sure they have something fun planned!

Pad Service

I found this Pad Service yet I am *really* struggling to see the value. Why pay $ 19.95 when you can do this for FREE? I must be missing something....

Microsoft Digital Locker Going Live This Summer

Microsoft has announced a summer release for
their commercial public beta. This release is only a few weeks away.

Developers interested in listing their products in the Digital Locker can use eSellerate (DR)

Tucows Acquires NetIdentity

Tucows Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Mailbank.com Inc. (doing business as NetIdentity), a privately held, profitable business owning and managing a domain name portfolio that Tucows believes is one of the Internet's largest collections of surname addresses.

Consideration for the transaction will be approximately US$18 million payable in cash, promissory notes and the issue of approximately 3,603,000 shares of common stock to the stockholders of NetIdentity. Tucows expects this acquisition to add between US$3 and $4 million in cash flow in 2007. Tucows now expects cash flow from operations to be in the range of US$7-8 million for 2006 and US$10-12 million for 2007.

Complete Article

Steve Kiene Posts a Blog Response

In the list of questions I forwarded to Brant some of those questions were for Steve Kiene. While I am still hopeful Steve will personally respond to those queries I was forwarded a copy of the following blog post:

Yes, it is true that I said I would never sell to DR. In fact, I was quite adamant when I said that. What has changed since I said that are many things. What has not changed is my loyalty to my employees or the customers of esellerate. I have always tried to provide the best environment I could for my employees- a place where they could feel at home, where they could make a different, where they had a vested interest in the success of the team, where they could make good money, and finally, a place where they could grow.

Read the Complete Post

Additional Confirmation of eSellerate Sale to Digital River

I've received a number of queries from stock holders and others in the software industry requesting confirmation of the sale. As I've done in the past, I've spoken with Digital River and provided a list of questions related to the acquisition. While the list will understandably take a few days for Digital River to respond to, they have forwarded me the following answers to basic questions:

Questions presented to Brant Pallazza of Digital River's Shareware division

Q: Did Digital River acquire eSellerate?
A: Yes.

Q: Why wasn't it announced?
A: The only announcement to date (other than this post) has been to eSellerate clients.  They are our first and foremost obligation.  The reason that no public release has been done is several reasons; First, the acquisition of eSellerate, although extremely important to DR, eSellerate and the Shareware community, is not considered to be a material event.  This determination is based on SEC guidelines relevant to acquisitions and their relevant size when compared to the acquirer.
Second, as a public company, DR's fiscal quarter ends on June 30.
Typically, we observe a self-imposed quiet period.  This means that, although we may release various information, we try not to release non-material information that might cause unnecessary confusion or questions.

Q: How much did DR pay for eSellerate?
A:  I cannot disclose the purchase price.  Additional information will be made available at our earnings call.  In the meantime, questions may be sent to our investor relations department.  A request form can be submitted from the "Contact" link at www.digitalriver.com

eSellerate Sold to Digital River

Well apparently the adage "everyone has a price" is shown to be true again. It appears that eSellerate (Mindvision and makers of install VISE) have sold to Digital River.

I don't yet know the price, and it doesn't appear that DR has made a public announcement, but I do have to say I'm surprised. Steve Kiene (the former owner of eSellerate) was pretty adamant that he would not ever sell to Digital River, it will be interesting to hear the details of the offer.

Microsoft Marketing to Schools

Microsoft on Tuesday announced it would donate a computer software package that includes advanced software-writing and Web-building technology to every public high school and college in the state.

The donation is worth roughly $800 per high school student and $2,400 per college student, according to Microsoft New England general manager Ted MacLean. It could be worth as much as $30 million, depending on participation of the state's 300,000 high school students and 125,000 college students.

Complete Article

Domain Registrar Accused of Abuse of Power

Threadwatch Reported - Dotster named in massive cybersquatting suit.

A new federal lawsuit charges that Dotster, one of the largest domain name registrars, has unlawfully participated in a massive cybersquatting campaign targeting companies such as Cingular Wireless, Disney, Ikea, Google, Neiman Marcus, Playboy and Verizon.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday by high-end retailers Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, alleges that Dotster abused its status as a registrar by "checking out" hundreds of domain names that closely resemble the correct ones--and then keeping only the ones that were visited by Web users who couldn't spell very well.

Macgamefiles.com Now Offers Free Game Hosting

Have a Mac game related file you'd like Macgamefiles.com to host? Macgamefiles.com is now offering free Mac game hosting for shareware, freeware developers.

Publicize RSS Feeds

No nonsense tips to publicizing an RSS feed.

There is little argument from webmasters and publishers that RSS brings in traffic. So once you've made the leap and created a feed, how do you tell your visitors about the feed?

Publicize RSS Feeds

PayPal Developer Interface

PayPal this weekend plans to unveil a community site that targets developers who integrate the online payment service into third-party Web sites.

PayPal plans to launch the new developer community at the EBay Developers Conference this weekend in Las Vegas, Nev., Tim Villanueva, general manager of the PayPal Platform, said Monday.

Paypal Developer Interface

Apple Closes Office in India

The software development division Apple Computer opened this April in India is already closing down. According to The Times of India, Apple told the employees in its Apple Services India Pvt Ltd. office that it was laying everyone off as a part of a pull back of its India operations.

The division, which handled software development and support, was only about a month old.

Apple spokesperson Steve Dowling commented "We have re-evaluated our plans and have decided to put our planned support center growth in other countries."

Great Licensing Reminder

Chris Thornton of Thornsoft added some great text to his recent ClipMate newsletter reminding users about his licensing policy. It was done in a tactful, gentle way and might result in some additional sales:

While ClipMate's single-user license allows you to run the same license on up to two computers, sometimes your needs grow. Our "Household Pack" allows home users to run ClipMate on up to 5 computers. We also have multi-user discounts for workgroups and businesses of any size.

Another Downside to Webware

Nick Bradbury eloquently points out another downside to Webware:

"Upon reflection, it could be argued that right now Microsoft already has the upper hand here since user data in Windows is stored on the local computer rather than on the web (where governments can access it en masse)."

Russian Software Organization

This is an organization I had not heard of - Russoft Association is the nation wide association of the most technically competent software developing companies from Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine.

I wonder if they have any relationship with ISDEF perhaps there is a potential for synergy between the two organizations.

Software Newsletter for Developers

Read the latest issue of Software Marketing News. This issue covers:

New Technology
Information on Educational Software Cooperative
European Union Update
Code Signing
What to Expect at SIC
Software Business Mag Awards
What is Fair Use
Social Networking for Business
Search Engine Optimization Tips
Websites Worth a Look
Search Engine News

Software Marketing News

PC World Announces Top 100

In 1983, PC World's founders had a brainstorm: Why not create an honor roll of terrific products in an array of categories? The winners span both print and online tools and services.

PC World's Top 100 Products for 2006

Digital River Expands Services

Interesting:

According to the company, Digital River's expanded self-service tool set delivers significant new functionality through an easy-to-use client interface. To more than 40 existing tools for managing e-commerce site content, catalogs and campaigns, the company has added:

- StoreBuilder - to provide merchants significant flexibility and control over the design of their online stores;

- Site Optimizer - to help merchants optimize e-commerce sales through A/B testing of pricing, promotional content, bundles, discounts, site flows, and more;

- Powerful new product set-up and listing tools - to make it easier and faster for merchants to set up and maintain products in their online stores;

- Merchandising Offer Preview - to provide a convenient online test environment where promotional offers easily can be checked and edited before they are launched on e-commerce sites;

- New reporting tools and reports - to provide online merchants greater visibility into how their e-commerce channel is performing and more flexibility in defining and scheduling custom reports; and

- More help desk and training support - to quickly address questions and provide in-depth user education.

DR Expands Services

Search Engine Optimization Tips

Not only do you have just a few seconds to grab the attention of the web visitor, content developers must perform well within search engine searches so they are "found"when web surfers search on related keywords or phrases. In order to perform well, a website must have traffic. Decent traffic will result if a website ranks well in search engines, that is why strong placement in search engines for critical keywords and phrases is essential.

When struggling with search engine optimization just go back to the basics. What do search engines want? Search engines want to return search results, that are relevant and useful to the searcher. Webmasters can help search engines discern what keywords or phrases their site relates to.

SEO Tips

All About Buggy Code

Eric Sink wrote an article about how buggy code ends up on software shelves:

The world's six billion people can be divided into two groups: group one, who know why every good software company ships products with known bugs; and group two, who don't. Those in group 1 tend to forget what life was like before our youthful optimism was spoiled by reality. Sometimes we encounter a person in group two, a new hire on the team or a customer, who is shocked that any software company would ship a product before every last bug is fixed.

Buggy Code

Piracy Rates Fall

The computer software industry is making modest progress in its efforts to encourage computer users in China, Russia and other developing economies to pay for their software rather than copying it illegally, according to a report published Tuesday.

The report, published by the Business Software Alliance, a trade group, said the rate of pirated software in those two countries fell four percentage points last year to 86 percent in China and to 83 percent in Russia.

Piracy Falls

Game Conference for Developers

MI6: Game Marketing Conference scheduled June 27-28, 2006 in San Francisco, California.

The conference includes special sessions specifically for Game Developers to learn about marketing to publishers! MI6 is the premier conference for marketing, promotion and
design professionals in the gaming and interactive media.

Mass Technology Awards

The 2006 Mass Technology Leadership Awards program spotlights the companies, the people, and the technologies that exemplify the best in the Massachusetts technology community. The program builds upon the traditions of both the Massachusetts Software Council and NEBATA, of recognizing outstanding achievement in innovative development and application of information technology.

The deadline is May 24, so nominate now!

US military is blocking Slashdot and SourceForge.net

Interesting Article on NewsForge:

I was told recently that Air Force bases in the San Antonio, Texas, area are blocking one or more of our sister OSTG sites, like SourceForge.net, Slashdot.org, or Freshmeat.net. After finding reports via Google of commercial mail services and liberal news sites being blocked by various components of the Department of Defense, I decided to go straight to the horse's mouth for the story. Here's what I learned.

The bottom line, courtesy of Air Force spokesperson Captain David W. Small, is that the Air Force does "block Web sites to restrict use of the Web to official business and in accordance with specific guidance in AFIs." An AFI is an Air Force Instruction, basically policy or guideline from the Air Force that must be followed.

I guess SlashDot is like pornography for geeks ;-)

OldVersion.com

Check out this article:

"Oldversion.com, the evil-twin of sites such as VersionTracker.com or BetaNews.com. Where the latter two specialize in providing the latest, greatest versions of the programs we use on our PCs, Oldversion.com focuses on -- well -- old versions."

"You won't find copyrighted programs like Word or Excel, but you will find a plethora of outdated freeware, shareware and other titles."

What the heck are they talking about?
1. Shareware is copyrighted.
2. The site is down, hmmm, do you think they were illegally giving away free copies of old versions?
3. Why would a reputable media company, Detroit News endorse illegal file sharing?

Google In Court Again

Google is being taken to task for suggesting serials and cracks for software. Will be interesting to see how this case pans out:

A Belgian company has refiled a lawsuit over search terms offered by Google's toolbar that it claims directs users to pirated software.

The suit, originally filed in February, was refiled Wednesday by ServersCheck BVBA, a small company that makes network monitoring software, over Google's "Suggest" feature, included in the latest version of its search toolbar for Web browsers. When a user types in keywords for a search, the toolbar shows a drop-down menu of guesses related to those words.

If ServersCheck is entered, Google generates suggested search terms such as "serverscheck crack," "serverscheck pro crack," and "serverscheck keygen," which lead to pirated software, said Maarten Van Laere, chief executive officer of ServersCheck.

Complete Article

CodeCall Forums

A new forum for developers is available. Discussions cover everything from development languages to software marketing.

Microsoft's Codeplex

CodePlex is not the name for a new wing of the ever-expanding Microsoft campus headquarters. Instead, it is Microsoft's newest code-repository site, aimed especially at shared- and open-source programmers. The CodePlex site opened yesterday and is worth the look if you are into coding.

Google Trends Broken Already?

From the RSS Specifications Blog:

A reader pointed out something interesting regarding Google Trends. Take a look at the following 3 trends:

Trend 1
Trend 2
Trend 3

Hmmm. All of them are for the same thing RSS, Podcasting, Wiki and Blogs. The only difference is the order of the terms. I guess something is broken.

Peoples Choice Voting Open

Encourage your customers to vote for their favorite software. People's Choice voting has started on the popular download sites.

Sentence Could Effect Security In Many Ways

Eric McCarty, a 25-year-old San Diego resident, in April was charged with hacking into the University of Southern California's computer system and accessing confidential information submitted by students applying to the school. The case, in which McCarty claims he was simply trying to warn USC of possible security flaws in its Web site, will likely be a watershed event in the area of security research, particularly if McCarty is convicted to the full extent of the law and forced to serve 10 years in a federal prison.

Read Complete Article

Software Piracy Crack Down

The UAE is to step up its crackdown on software piracy by strengthening its ties with the Business Software Alliance. The UAE is the only Arab country in the list of 20 global nations with the lowest rates of piracy. UAE authorities intend to organise more awareness campaigns to create a better understanding of the detrimental impact of software piracy and to rigorously enforce intellectual property laws and copyright laws.

AND

The SIIA is launching a campaign to target fraudsters selling software illegally on eBay.

Shareware Industry Award Nominees

The nominees of the best of the best Shareware Industry Awards has been announced. Congrats to all the winners!

SIA Nominees

The Importance of Social Networking

Associations and trade organizations are great places to meet individuals. Usually organizations have a common theme, and it is an understood implication that all members participate to improve themselves and their businesses.

Networking for Business

Software Marketing Lessons

Anne Holland posted some no nonsense lessons learned about software marketing. She met with some folks at Microsoft and attended Digital River's semi-annual Summit. #3 and #4 are of particular interest:

#3. Affiliate marketing: Only half the software marketers I met at the show had an active affiliate program. Of those, a handful ran highly sophisticated campaigns with a dedicated manager. Bear in mind the typical online sales for these software and reseller firms was $100 million a year, and you'll see how different (behind?) this space is compared to other ecommerce.

#4. Rev Share vs. CPA: Software marketers tend to like to structure marketing partnerships on a rev share basis. However, although most online media (including affiliates) like CPA deals, rev share confuses them. Can you say culture clash? Joe Raffetto, a top affiliate I met at the show, recommends that both sides modify their stances.

Software marketers should pay flat CPC or CPA for upfront traffic and then perhaps offer an additional minimal (albeit enticing) bounty for each ecommerce conversion on the back end. That way, partners are eventually trained to begin sending you the clicks that convert better.

Second Generation Fraud

I was chatting with someone recently and learned about a new generation of online fraud. Basically fraudsters are stealing credit card numbers (no big surprise there) and bidding heavily on Google Adwords. They don't care about the cost per click because they don't pay the bill. So how are they earning money?
They are profiting from affiliate programs. The traffic is legitimate traffic (and it is "free" to them). They are making real sales and affiliates are paying them.

This type of fraud is very difficult to track or combat. Many online marketers have recently remarked that they have seen keyword prices increasing and this might be why....

Sending Email and Adelphia

This month's newsletter went out late this week, not because it wasn't ready but because Adelphia didn't feel I needed to do my job ;-).

They put filtering in place so that if you send more than 100 messages in an hour, or 500 messages in a 24 hour period, they block your IP from sending ANY email.

Needless to say after troubleshooting the problem and intermittent sending capabilities we were able to trace the problem to Adelphia. Now for the customer service lesson:

1. Tell your support department, when you implement changes so that when customers call the support department doesn't tell them they are full of crap. Simple situation where the left hand should know what the right hand is doing.

2. Prior to changing the service you provide contact your customers, and up sell them. It is a much easier sell, than if you first cause them a business disruption.

3. Hire technical staff that understand the technology they are supporting. Tech staff reading from prescribed text are useless.

Software Industry News

Read the latest issue of Software Marketing News. The latest issue contains information about:

Tucows Chat
The Tipping Point and Malcolm Gladwell
The Long Tail
Google Juice
Web Awards
Advertising Opportunities
Shareware Industry Awards
Shareware Industry Conference
Statistical Information
Google Ads
Alexa, Microsoft and Google

Google Paranoia? Or A Cause for Concern?

While any of that information independent of other data, might be non-threatening or irrelevant to someone doing analysis, when combined with other data Google has access to, it can paint a very clear picture of how, not only individual companies are performing, but the aggregate data could possibly paint a picture of how entire business sectors or industries are performing.

Google Paranoia

The Internet Makes Geography Irellevant

Many software developers can relate to this article.

He owns a multimillion-dollar com-pany, but his customers have no idea what he looks like. Most have never heard his voice. He employs people around the world, but even they have never met him.

Complete Article

Google 3D Tools

Google Inc. on Thursday launched a free version of the 3D modeling software the search engine acquired last month.

Google SketchUp, which is free for personal use, includes simple tools for creating 3D models of a variety of items, including houses, sheds, decks, home additions and woodworking projects. The software comes with a plug in for Google Earth, so items can be posted on the service, which provides satellite views of geographical locations.

New MultiMedia Download Site

Chris Hoffman from Mystik Media has started a multi-media specific download site http://www.audio-video-tools.com.
It is a niche multimedia software download site.

PubCon and Google Tips

Last week I sent some time at the Boston PubCon. Malcolm Gladwell author of the Tipping Point and Blink was the keynote speaker. A handful of big names from Matt Cutts and Jeremy Zawodny filled the panels.

As a result of all I learned I'm working on a really great issue for May's Software Marketing Newsletter! If you don't currently subscribe I would encourage you to do so or simply grab the feed.

Here is one of the tips I learned. According to Matt Cutts, Google Guru, do not use underscores in urls, use hyphens. Hyphens that separate keywords in the url will be looked upon favorably by search engines. Underscores will not distinguish separate words.

Example:
BAD for SEO - http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/software_marketing.htm

GOOD for SEO - http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/software-marketing.htm

As with any optimization don't be excessive

Is Google Really Big Brother?

Anti-Google sentiment is on the rise. Web pundits have tossed around monopoly theories and privacy advocates have warned of a day of reckoning. While Google has made friends on Wallstreet, it has disappointed the technical evangelists who were once its fiercest followers. Google has grown into a big scary company and web watchers are expressing their concerns about the information Google gleans from their various services.

Is Google Big Brother?

Spyware Company Pays Restitution

An Oregon man will pay nearly $84,000 in fines and consumer restitution for using e-mail to market bogus anti-spyware software called Spyware Cleaner, Washington state officials said in announcing a settlement.

State Attorney General Rob McKenna said the penalties are the first under an anti-spyware law the Legislature passed last year.

"We will not tolerate those who try to profit by preying on consumers' fears of spyware and other malware,"

Spyware Lawsuit

Apple Is Recycling Old Macs

Apple announced an expansion of its recycling program, offering free computer take-back and recycling with the purchase of a new Macintosh system beginning in June.

US customers who buy a new Mac through the Apple Store or Apple's retail stores will receive free shipping and environmentally friendly disposal of their old computer as part of the Apple Recycling program.

Apple's free take-back program will extend Apple's existing US recycling program, which has recycled more than 90 percent of electronic equipment collected since 2001.

More on Apple

Critical Elements to a Press Release

Distributing a press release to editors and news organizations is only half the battle. Writing a press release that will be published by the media is equally important. Press releases are public relations opportunities. A well written press release, can generate exposure in publications that could be worth thousands in advertising dollars, for a fraction of the cost.

Critical Elements to a Good Press Release

Internet Taxes for US Purchasers

There's some evidence suggesting the tax-free ride on Internet purchases maybe coming to an end. Tax authorities in the United States are taking a closer look at iTunes, which are considered software downloads.

But the burden falls to the purchaser not the seller. Purchasers are going to be required to pay the little used "Use" tax.

Russian Programmers Win

A team of three students from Russia proved their brainy prowess Wednesday, winning an academic competition in which they had just five hours to solve perplexing computing puzzles such as how to connect gears of a clock when given a specific shaft speed.

Russian Programmers Win

Submit Your Software for Award Consideration

That time has come! Submit your products for the Shareware Spotlight. The Spotlight highlights programs eligible for awards. Nominees will often review the list prior to submitting their nominations. Draw attention to your program by submitting it to the spotlight.
http://www.sic.org/submit.asp

Game Developer Conference Overview

The IGDA posted an overview of the recent Game Developer Conference along with a group of photos. The robot wars look pretty cool!

Digital River Selling Toys?

Ok its at least electronics -

Digital River Inc., a provider of e-commerce outsourcing services, said Tuesday it signed an e-commerce agreement with Fisher-Price to manage the online sale and download of children's songs and stories for Fisher-Prices' new Kid Tough FP3Player.

Entire Article

Shareware Revenue

Corel has just disclosed the annual revenues of WinZip and Paint Shop Pro. Tom Warfield has an illuminating overview on his blog.

Software Marketing News

This month's software marketing news has been posted! This issue contains all sorts of information related to software awards, new technology, developer advice and a lot of other information related to online marketing.

A Message About the Shareware Industry Awards

Mike Callahan asked me to post this:

All,

As you may or may not recall, last year I standardized ALL
award-related dates. You can mark these on your calendar or put them in your PIM.  Should there ever be any changes, they will be posted here.

Voter Registration for participation in the Shareware Industry Awards voting begins on April 1st and ends on April 30th.

NOTE: Once you register you do NOT have to register again unless you do not participate for two (2) years. After 2 years of inactivity you are automatically deleted from the database. So, if you've participated in the last two years please don't register again. There will be links to the voter registarion on the SIAF Web page, and also on Tucows and Simtel in their author areas.

Software submissions on the SIAF Web site at http://www.sic.org will also begin on April 1st and will end on April 30th. Once again, this is provided as a courtesy to developers. A program does NOT have to be submitted in order to be nominated.

PLEASE make sure that "siaf.org" is allowed in any SPAM filter you may be using. Emails pertaining to voting will NOT be resent if they are blocked or lost in transit.

Nominations for the Shareware Industry Awards will begin on May 1st. In order to be considered for the awards, your product must be released by May 1st! Nominations will end at 12:00 Noon MDT on May 8th! You must nominate in order to vote. Those who have registered to vote will be notified by email when the nominations begin. Nominees will be announced by May 10th.

Those who participate are asked to look at all nominated programs prior to the commencement of voting.

Shareware Industry Awards voting will be from May 24th through 12:00 Noon Mountain Daylight Time on May 31st.

SIAF People's Choice Awards voting begins on May 1st and  and ends at 12:00 Noon Mountain Daylight Time on May. 31st.

The winners will be announced at the annual Shareware Industry Awards Banquet.

Remember that IF you are nominated you will need to fill out a form on the SIAF Web site as ALL awards will be shipped direct beginning this year.

Please make a note of these dates.
Put them in your scheduler, put them on your wall,
Put them on the ceiling, put them in the hall.
Putthem in your kitchen where everyone can see,
Put them on your elbow, or put them on your knee.
Put them up with staples, put them up with glue,
Put them up with thumb tacks, most anything will do.
Put them up securely, make sure they don't come loose,
For I won't write another note that sounds like Dr. Seuss. :-)

                   Sincerely......

                Michael E. Callahan
              aka Dr. File Finder (tm)
Shareware Industry Awards Foundation - Chairman

Chess Star Launches New Search Engine

In his speech Kasparov called the new search engine technology a modern-day "hitchhiker's guide to cyberspace" and likened Accoona's flexible AI approach to Willi Wonka's magic elevator that defies the laws of space and time.

Google Print Ads Not the Success Hoped For

According to this article Google's venture into print ads has been a failure.

In February, Google auctioned off ad space it had purchased in about two dozen magazines, from Martha Stewart Living to Road & Track. The auction -- the latest twist in a six-month experiment with buying and reselling print ads -- was open to thousands of advertisers. However, Google was forced to extend the auction by several days to lure more buyers.

CNet Reports Claria is Trying To Improve Its Image

Claria, formerly known as Gator, plans to sell its pop-up advertising business by June, as it seeks credibility among online publishers and privacy watchdogs.

Full Article

Russian Software Developer Beats Pirate in Boxing Ring

I'd like to see more pirates in the ring!

An employee of Cognitive Technologies computer company has beaten a man who was selling the company’s software illegally.

Manager of the company’s software department, Andrei Smirnov, offered to fight the dealer in a fitness center. He defeated the computer pirate 24-16 in three rounds, lasting three minutes each. The dealer’s name was not revealed, News.Ru web edition on high technologies reported on Thursday.

Complete Article

Patent Lawsuit for E-Commerce

According to Business Week:

Digital River Inc., a Web development, hosting and consulting company, said in a document filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on Wednesday that it is facing a patent infringement claim filed by DDR Holdings, a patent holding company based in Dunwoody, Ga.

The disputed patents relate to e-commerce outsourcing systems and methods.

I wonder which property or properties this relates to and am curious to know why other e-commerce companies are not affected.

Complete Article

Software Marketing Resource Advertising Opportunities

In an effort to better serve website visitors we will be removing adsense ads from the web pages. A single 468X60 box (text or graphic) will be sold on each of the directory pages.

Prices are very affordable and only a single slot will be available on each page. Ads are first come first serve!

Purchase Targeted Ad Space on SMR

Shareware Industry Conference - Register for Discount

Reminder! If you are planning on attending this year's Shareware Industry Conference register prior to April 1, 2006 to receive the discounted rate! (Only $ 129.00!)

The Shareware Industry Conference (SIC) is the premier industry event for software developers and industry professionals, with educational sessions and networking opportunities. The conferences is concluded with the Shareware Industry Awards.

Where: Denver, Colorado US
When: July 13-15, 2006
Who: All software industry professionals from Micro-ISVs to corporate project managers.

Attention of A-List Bloggers

Both Shel Israel and Robert Scoble recently blogged about how to get the attention of A-List bloggers. Shel covered PR pitching in an entire blog post.

Consider this, the whole reason developer's want the attention of the A-List bloggers is the reason that its now nearly impossible to get. With the growing popularity of blogs, its now an attractive PR vehicle, but with popularity comes competition.

So how about starting small. Gain the attention of blogs that the A-Listers read! They often provide an OPML subscription to the blogs they read, and they often write about blogs they read. Attracting the attention of a B-List blogger might be a whole lot easier, and after-all if the actual PR is newsworthy the A-Listers might pick it up.

New RSS Scripts Directory

A new RSS Scripts Directory has been launched. The RSS Scripts Directory contains helpful scripts for managing, manipulating and converting RSS feeds. The intent of the the RSS Scripts Directory is to help users fully realize the potential and functionality of the RSS specification.

NotePage's FeedForAll division has developed a collection of tools to assist publishers interested in syndication. Current scripts contained in the directory include RSS Cache, FutureRSS, and RSSmesh. The RSS Cache script module expedites the retrieval and conversion of RSS feeds into html web pages. The FutureRSS script enables webmasters to prepare content for their RSS feeds in advance, and have it automatically appear at the desired date and time. The RSSmesh script allows for multiple RSS feeds to be merged into a single RSS feed. All of the scripts dynamically manipulate the RSS feeds, so all management occurs in realtime.

Digital River Announced ICE Awards

What are the ICE Awards?
Once a year, Digital River formally recognizes its clients for their Internet Commerce Excellence - a.k.a. ICE Awards. The awards showcase small and large companies alike - savvy companies that are putting global e-commerce best practices to work in creative new ways to drive revenues and efficiencies through their online stores. If you have an e-commerce strategy or campaign that generated compelling results, you could be one of Digital River's next ICE Awards winners.

How does the program work?
Digital River's ICE Awards recognize clients in eight categories, including:

Best Product Launch Best Performing Promotion
Best Strategic E-Marketing Performance Best Performance by an Online Retailer
Best International
E-Commerce Strategy Best Network Sales Performance
Rookie-of-the-Year Highest Online Sales Growth

Judges will select up to two ICE Awards winners for many of the categories and recognize them at one of the DR Spring Global Network Sales Summits.

Microsoft Contest

Bill apparently doesn't want an apprentice according to Dan Fernandez isn't interested in creating an American Idol, so they have come up with a different type contest.

The cool thing about this contest is that it is conceptual! $ 10,000 for an IDEA!

The Made In Express Contest is a conceptual concept where others share ideas about a cool thing they would like to see built using Visual Studio Express and/or SQL Server Express.

AdSense Tips

AdSense allows website publishers to display contextually relevant advertisements on their website. If a web visitor "clicks" on an advertisement, the web publisher will earn a percentage of the advertising revenue generated as a result of the click. Many webmasters have built content websites around the Google AdSense model. In many cases the specific intent of the webmaster is to profit from Google AdSense.

Other webmasters use Google AdSense to supplement their revenue. Regardless of the webmaster's intent, the following tips will help webmasters looking to profit from AdSense.

AdSense Tips

New Security Portal

I located a new security portal that shows some promise. There is a daily security blog that contains good information and filters a lot of the less relevant security news.

Trojans Ala-Carte - Site Selling Made-To-Order Viruses Shut Down

Several Web sites selling made-to-order Trojan horses to hackers have been shut down, the two cooperating security companies who led the investigation said Wednesday.
U.S.-based RSA Security and Spain's Panda Software collaborated in the effort to identify, locate, and shutter five sites. Three were marketing la carte Trojans for launching targeted identity theft attacks against users of specific financial institutions, while two were sites where the buyers

Complete Article

Software Developers Guide to Preparing for the Worst

Douglas Reilly has posted "A Personal Perspective on the Responsibilities of a Cancer-surviving Software Developer" while the article focuses on dealing with Cancer the information can easily be applied to other illnesses.

There are a lot of small development firms that rely on a handful of key employees, and its worth looking at processes.

The article raises come great points:

- Make certain that source code is where it should be.
- Clearly document anything "strange" in the source code you deliver.
- Make certain you have a "buddy" developer who knows what you are doing.

Great Article Supporting Shareware Marketing

DailyIndia posted an article endorsing shareware marketing from CoreDownload.

Actually, shareware is an ethical solution for both vendor and buyer; the buyer is not constrained to believe product’s presentation. What he gets is the software program instead of its brilliant description and even more: he can try out all the different products of a certain kind and find which one he likes best. The vendor enjoys the direct contact with users and opportunities to develop continuously his ideas, projects and plans considering customers feedback.

1]	Crazy Puerto Rico & Japan
2]	Jason S Blog on Technology ::The Authoritative Guide::
3]	Prohlizece.info - Články
4]	BEASYnews
5]	Laptopnik.com
6]	c1blog.com, juste un blog
7]	The How To Blog
8]	Passion Vine House's Blog
9]	Bookmark News
10]	LinkaGoGo News

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