Steve Krug has famously compared Web pages to billboards, meaning that Web visitors are task oriented, and therefore on-the-move.  They click through websites, sizing up any individual page’s content in about as much time as a driver takes to glance up at a billboard, roughly 7 seconds or so.

The difference of course, is that material in the active window is being actively and consciously engaged and evaluated by the Web visitor, who can then slow down and read material…

...continue to read "Visual Scandal, Story Appeal, and Banner Ads"

The New York Times is reporting on Amazon’s lawsuit contesting the recently enacted New York state law which requires online retail outlets to collect sales tax on items sold to the state’s residents.

Slashdot sums up the new tax law:

“…based on a novel definition of what constitutes a presence in the state: It includes any Web site based in the state that earns a referral fee for sending customers to an online retailer. Amazon has hundreds of thousands of affiliates–from big publishers…

...continue to read "Affiliates May Be a Tax Liability! Amazon Sues New York…"

Barry Schwartz reports that Google has just launched Pay-Per-Action ads.

According to Schwartz:

Google Pay Per Action will allow advertisers to create ads that cost only when a desired action is triggered. The advertiser sets the price per action; for example, an advertiser can decide to pay $5 per lead acquisition, as opposed to paying per click or per impression.

The New York Times ran an article on the subject entitled “Google Tests an Ad Idea: Pay Only for Results.”

Says Times reporter Miguel…

...continue to read "What Price Will You Pay for Action at Google?"

It’s not easy being married to a consultant and an author who travels as frequently as I do, so this Valentine’s Day I wanted to knock one out of the park. I decided to romance my lovely wife with a no-brainer: a pair of diamond earrings.

I started as any modern, connected man would; I searched on Google for “diamond earrings.” I then visited the big-brand diamond sites. After a handful of clicks, I didn’t find what I was looking for.…

...continue to read "Below the Tip of the Iceberg"