Top 10 Google AdSense Alternatives

If you make money from your website or blog, chances are you've heard of or at least used Google’s CTR-based advertising network – Google AdSense.

Google Adsense has, if we may, 2 distinctive type of publishers. Those who constantly receive monthly cheques from Google, we call them the happy publishers. The others, the not so happy publishers.

This article is catered for the latter group. Publishers tend to look for an alternative for all sorts of reason. Here’s a list of contextual ad networks similar to Google Adsense, meaning they reward you monetarily when visitors clicked on the contextual ads displayed on your website.

In short – they are the Google AdSense alternatives. We hope you find them useful.

Disclaimer: We have not used most of the ad networks here before. This is an attempt to discover and bring to your awareness more options of contextual ads publishing. We urge you to spend time carefully checking out more details (ad performances, ad size/format, payout threshold, payment method, online reviews, etc) of any particular ad network you intend to use on your website.

The Infamous 3

Chitika

Chitika is probably one of the top choice when publishers come to seek for an Adsense alternative. Chitika’s ads are search query driven, that means your visitors will not see the ads unless they are coming into the website via search engine.

The image below gives you an idea how a Chitika ad would look like:

Despite being one of the most popular AdSense alternatives, Chitika’s ad performance are still a bit on the low side for most publishers. Publishers ought to have a high quality site and apply for Chitika’s Silver level or Gold level ad program in order to see surge in terms of revenue.

Yahoo Bing Network

This new ad network is a collaboration of two of the biggest search engines on the internet, and it should not be confused with Yahoo’s existing YPN and Microsoft’s adCenter. Publishers of the Yahoo Bing Net manage their ad units via Media.net.

One of the advantages of Yahoo Bing Network compare to Google AdSense is perhaps its ability to allow publishers to customize their ad units in terms of style (size, color, shapes) so it blends better with their respective website.

The Yahoo Bing Network is currently not open for public sign up, but if you are keen enough and most of your website’s traffics are coming from United States, Canada and United Kingdom, you can request for an invitation.

Kontera

Kontera uses the in-text advertising model. In a nutshell, in text ads do not take up additional ad spaces, rather, they analyse your site’s content and turn relevant keywords or phrases into hyperlinked text ad.

Here’s how a Kontera in-text ad would look like:

Kontera is based on a CPC model, in another words publishers get paid when visitors click on the ads. The ads customizable, that means you are able to alter the color of the hyperlinks, control the density of text links or even restrict turning any specific keywords into a text ad.

Related links:

• Sign up
• Publisher’s page
• FAQ

Misc Info:

• Minimum payout: $50. Paypal, Wire or Cheque.
• Payout time: Net 30

A Few More:

If you’ve tried the above mentioned 3 and they don’t quite work out for you, here are more advertising networks you can explore.

Clicksor

Clicksor has a range of different types of ad formats. The two popular ones you may want to look into are their text ads (Google AdSense alike) and in-text ads (Kontera alike).

Clicksor’s payout term is Net 15, and you can opt for cheque or Paypal payment option as long as your earnings exceed $50.00

[Sign up] [Publisher's page]

Vibrant Media

Similar to Kontera, Vibrant Media is another ad network notable for their in-text ads. Vibrant Media has recently launched two types of ad formats for extra revenue streams, respectively the in-image ads which integrate text ads within images, and display ads which works on a Cost per-thousand Impressions (CPM) model.

[Sign up] [Publisher's page]

AdSide

AdSide’s banner ad format looks very similar to Google AdSense with one exception – it has a thumbnail on the left side of each row of ad. The following image gives you an idea how the ad looks like:

AdSide ads target heavily on United States, Canada and United Kingdom visitors. If you have an amountful of traffics coming from these mentioned locations, it may work for you.

[Sign up] [Publisher's page]

Infolinks

Infolinks is yet another in-text advertising network. They can also be considered a good alternative if the current in-text ad network is not performing well.

[Sign up] [Publisher's page]

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Top 7 Important Elements of a Good Web Design Portfolio

The best way to show clients what you can do is to show them what you’ve already done. Direct them to your online portfolio.

If you’re a new freelance web designer, creating an online portfolio is one of the very first things that you need to do. As soon as you complete a project that you can be proud of, you can start to build your portfolio.

If you’re an experienced freelance web designer hopefully you already have a portfolio. However, don’t make the mistake that many experienced freelancers make and let your portfolio sit untouched for months–or even years. Your portfolio should be a changing online document that always highlights your very best work.

While looking at the portfolios of other web designers can certainly give you some good ideas, it’s also helpful to have a checklist of elements you should include on your own portfolio. That’s what this post is for. This post lists seven vital elements that every good web design portfolio should include.

Element #1. Your Very Best Work

You may think this is obvious, but if you haven’t updated your portfolio in a while the work that you display may no longer be your best work.

Your skills have likely improved with your growing experience. Also, technology changes. What was once stunning may no longer be impressive.

Don’t let your portfolio get stale. Make a point to review it every few months. Whenever you complete a major project ask yourself whether the work you just finished should be included in your portfolio.

Element #2. Challenges You’ve Overcome

Did you just recently learn a new skill? Maybe you just solved a client’s major problem with your web design?

These achievements can certainly become selling points for your web design business, but only if prospective clients know about them. The only way they can know about your successes is if you show them.

So, when you update your portfolio remember to including challenging samples and samples of any new skills you have mastered.

Element #3. Explanatory Text

Your portfolio may indeed be visually stunning, but you can’t assume that your prospects will understand the significance of what they are seeing.

Adding some explanatory text with your web design samples can help. Explanatory text helps your prospects to understand the back story behind your portfolio samples. Explaining why each sample is important also gives you a chance to market your abilities.

For example, another web designer may realize that a particular portfolio sample uses jQuery–an important new skill you’ve recently mastered. But a potential client probably won’t know this unless you point it out.

Element #4. Your Contact Information

In an ideal world, potential clients would always access your portfolio through your website or blog. Since your website contains your contact information, they would always know how to contact you. However, on the Internet you can’t take this for granted.

While your main site should definitely link to your portfolio, you also have to assume that some potential clients will wind up on your portfolio pages without ever visiting your main site. There are many ways this could happen. A blogger could link directly to your portfolio. A client could refer another business to you and send that business a link directly to your portfolio instead of your website.

Whatever the case, every portfolio page should have a way for prospective clients to contact you. Including your social media contact information is also a plus.

Element #5. Your Logo

If you’ve branded your web design business, your logo is a critical part of that brand. It only makes sense to have your logo on every page of your portfolio along with your contact information.

However, the main focus of your portfolio is your work. While your logo needs to be there, it shouldn’t take center stage.

Element #6. Awards Received and/or Education

Your portfolio should include your most marketable recent accomplishments. Naturally, that means your best design work.

What many web designers fail to include, however, are awards they’ve received or relevant courses they’ve recently taken. Yet, a list of your accomplishments could mean the difference between hiring you and hiring your competitor.

You can list your accomplishments directly on your portfolio site. For longer lists of accomplishments or for less recent accomplishments, you may want to create a separate page for the list and link to it.

Element #7. A Brief Bio

People like to know who they are dealing with, and your web design clients are no exception. That’s why including a brief bio with your portfolio can help market your design business.

The bio you share with your portfolio shouldn’t be your complete, unabridged life story. In fact, it doesn’t need to be very long at all. Just write a few sentences explaining who you are and what make your web design unique.

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Top 10 Ways To Automatically Share Your Blog Posts To Various Social Networks

When you publish a new blog post, how do you get the word out? Do you manually go to several different social networks and share your post, or do you let a WordPress plugin or Web service do the work for you?

Sharing manually is nice because you can add a personal touch to each post, as opposed to sending out the same thing to all of your social networks. However, it’s also a time-consuming process. Some days, you just may not have the time to share your new content manually. This is why many bloggers opt for automatic sharing, which is not only easier, but more convenient.

There are many ways that you can automatically share your content on the Web, and we’ll go over 8 of those methods below.

Jetpack Publicize

Publicize is part of the popular Jetpack plugin. It’s an obvious choice for automatically sharing your posts on several social networks at once, since many blogs are already using Jetpack. You can currently share to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Yahoo. Setup is easy and done via the Sharing sub-menu under Settings. You can choose which posts to share and which social networks to share to on a post-by-post basis.

WP-AutoSharePost

This plugin automatically shares your posts to Facebook and Twitter, along with a predefined message. WP-AutoSharePost is a bit more technical than Jetpack Publicize, since you’ll have to create a Facebook app and Twitter app in order to share your posts. However, it supports Bit.ly URL shortening, which is great for tracking your links.

Additionally, the plugin grabs comments from Facebook (related to the post) and adds them to your blog comments section.

1-Click Retweet/Share/Like

1-Click is a plugin with many features, including the option to automatically share your blog posts on 30+ social networks. You can automatically share to: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Delicious, Diigo, Tumblr, Foursquare, and more. You can also customize the message to be included with your shares to Facebook and LinkedIn, on a post-by-post basis.

SocialPublish

SocialPublish shares your blog posts to Facebook and Twitter as soon as they’re published. You don’t have to create any Facebook or Twitter apps to use this plugin. Simply sign up for a SocialPublish account (it’s an actual Web service) and then connect your accounts. Like Jetpack Publicize, you can choose which social networks to share to for each post. You can also choose to add a custom message, but it’s not required.

NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster

NextScripts is by far the best plugin for auto-posting to numerous social networks. It supports 18 social networks (more coming soon), including Facebook, Instapaper, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, and more. You can even post to multiple accounts on the same social network (i.e. multiple Twitter accounts, multiple Facebook pages).

The plugin makes 100% white labeled posts, meaning the posts will look as if you posted them directly – no “shared via NextScripts.com or posted by SNAP for WordPress” messages.

MailChimp Social

Social is another plugin that only shares to Facebook and Twitter, but it goes a step further by pulling in reactions (from Facebook and Twitter) and displaying them inline with your regular comments. You can publish to multiple accounts on the same social network, and you can customize the messages associated with your posts. Social requires the use of custom apps in order to share to your accounts.

Dlvr.it

Although Dlvr.it is a Web service, as opposed to a WordPress plugin, it’s still an excellent tool to automatically distribute your blog to your favorite social networks. Dlvr.it supports Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Tumblr, and App.net. Once you sign up, simply enter your RSS feed, choose the social network you want to post to, and you’re all done. Dlvr.it also lets you post to Google+ Pages, but only if you upgrade to a Pro or Ultimate plan.

IFTTT

IFTTT is my preferred method for automatically sharing my blog posts. I use recipes for each of the blogs that I own and for the blogs that I contribute to. Each recipe involves the Feed channel (or you can use the WordPress channel) along with a social channel like Twitter, Facebook, Buffer, and HootSuite. This makes it easy to keep up with all of the blogs that I’m sharing from within a single interface.

My favorite thing about the IFTTT method is that I can send new RSS feed items (new blog posts) to Buffer and HootSuite, two services that let you schedule your posts as opposed to having them all post at the same time. This helps to cut down on noise and makes your shares look more natural.

Networked Blogs

Networked Blogs is great way to reach more readers ang gain more audience. If you want to automatically post your blog posts to Twitter and Facebook, then Networked Blogs is a great friend.

How Do You Share?

So now that I’ve gone over 10 ways to automatically share your blog posts to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, let us know which method you use. Do you choose to manually share your blog posts, or do you prefer to share them automatically via a method above or another method?

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Top 10 Techniques To Overcome The Barriers To Communication

In order to remove hindrances in the way of communication the following steps are worth consideration:

(1) Clarify Ideas before Communication:

The person sending the communication should be very clear in his mind about what he wants to say. He should know the objective of his message and, therefore, he should arrange his thoughts in a proper order.

(2) Communicate According to the Need of the Receiver:

The sender of the communication should prepare the structure of the message not according to his own level or ability but he should keep in mind the level, understanding or the environment of the receiver.

(3) Consult Others before Communication:

At the time of planning the communication, suggestions should be invited from all the persons concerned. Its main advantage will be that all those people who are consulted at the time of preparing the communication plan will contribute to the success of the communication system.

(4) Be Aware of Language, Tone and Content of Message:

The sender should take care of the fact that the message should be framed in clear and beautiful language. The tone of the message should not injure the feelings of the receiver. As far as possible the contents of the message should be brief and excessive use of technical words should be avoided.

(5) Convey Things of Help and Value to the Listener:

The subject matter of the message should be helpful to the receiver. The need and interest of the receiver should specially be kept in mind. Communication is more effective in such a situation.

(6) Ensure Proper Feedback:

The purpose of feedback is to find out whether the receiver has properly understood the meaning of the information received. In the face-to-face communication, the reaction on the face of the receiver can be understood.

But in case of written communication or some other sort of communications some proper method of feedback should be adopted by the sender.

(7) Consistency of Message:

The information sent to the receiver should not be self- contradictory. It should be in accordance with the objectives, policies, programmes and techniques of the organisation. When a new message has to be sent in place of the old one, it should always make a mention of the change otherwise it can create some doubts.

(8) Follow up Communication:

In order to make communication effective the management should regularly try to know the weaknesses of the communication system. In this context effort can be made to know whether to lay more stress upon the formal or the informal communication would be appropriate.

Similarly, suggestions can be invited in respect of the medium of communication (oral, written and gestural) to know as to which medium would be more effective and appropriate.

(9) Improve Your Body Language:

Body Language can help you in expressing yourself more accurately without speaking much in case of oral or face-to-face communication.

(10) Be a Good Listener:

It is the essence of communication that both the sender and the receiver should be good listeners. Both should listen to the each other’s point of view with attention, patience and positive attitude. A sender can receive much relevant information by being a good listener.

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Top 15 Hottest Dating Sites of 2014

Online dating is so much more than finding your better half. Whether you’re looking for friendship, a random hookup or location-based love, there’s a slew of dating apps and websites out there for every kind of single. As we start 2014, here are the most popular.

1. Grouper

Ever wanted to bring a wingman on your date? How about two? Grouper sets you up with a match, then lets both parties bring along two friends. The drinks are prepaid and Grouper tells you exactly where to meet up, so all you have to do is decide who should tag along. Who knows? Maybe all three of you will find a love connection.

2. Down Formerly

called “Bang with Friends,” this app lets you find friends on Facebook who are willing to get down tonight. At least it’s somewhat discreet. Friends won’t know who’s selected them unless the feeling is mutual. Down can be used for dating as well, but let’s be honest: This app still lives up to its former name.

3. TrintMe

Interested in a friend or a friend of a friend? TrintMe allows shy users to initiate the next step behind the veil of their smartphones. The true intentions (“trints”), which can range from “let’s talk” to “coffee” to “romance” to “hookup,” aren’t revealed unless there is a successful match. But singles can leave a hint if they’re feeling brave.

4. Hinge

Using Facebook, Hinge sends you a selection of friends-of-friends every day at noon. A simple profile photo followed by age, job and education information are all users have to go off of when they rate the potential connection on a scale of one to five. Those who mutually rate each other at a four or higher will get introduced via email. “Black Status” users are sent 100 matches per day, which means they have a large number of Facebook friends who also use Hinge.

5. Tinder

Tinder is fast, fun and kind of addicting, which is why it seems more like a “hot or not” game than a site for true love connections. Facebook profile photos of nearby singles appear randomly; users respond with an easy “like” or “nope” with the swipe of their fingers. When both people like what they see, a connection is made. Then you can "flirt" via the in-app messenger.

6. Carrot Dating

A little bribery can go a long way (for some people). Carrot Dating doesn’t want its users to settle for their second choice. Instead, it encourages them to score the date with – not wits or smarts –but gifts.

7. How About We

On this site, unique date ideas attract potential matches. Post an idea to the site (Gelato-making class? Wine tasting? Wendy’s and Anchorman 2?) and interested parties will raise their hands. Couples who’ve locked down a serous relationship can join the $10 per month couples section of the site, which offers date night deals by city.

8. At the Pool

Sometimes called the “anti-Facebook,” this app encourages people to get offline and go out in the real world. Post an update like “Who wants to go surfing this afternoon?” and like-minded individuals nearby can opt to join in on the fun.

9. Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel sends one potential friend-of-a-friend match to your inbox every day at noon. The “bagel” is based on specific profile information and preferences, such as religion, height and personal details. Matches who mutually like each other can begin the conversation via text.

10. Zoosk

It’s gonna cost about $30 a month to move forward with a match, but Zoosk “learns as you click” in order to constantly deliver relevant matches. It also lets users hook up Last.fm and Netflix accounts, which is a unique way for singles to display personality and tastes.

11. Grindr

This all-male dating app matches guys with nearby singles, similar to Tinder, with only a photo and a brief profile. Grindr calculates exactly how many feet away your next potential match is. The ultimate goal – if you’re both interested – is to end up zero feet away. Straight? Try their other location-based love app Blendr.

12. ihookup

Those interested in putting passion first can find a match based on sexual chemistry, with ihookup. Don’t expect to find a long-term relationship here, though – shocking, I know. This site is for singles who are ready to mingle but not ready to commit. And they’re not sorry about it.

13. OkCupid

It’s free, which is probably why OkCupid remains pretty high on the popularity list of traditional dating websites. Lengthy profiles and questionnaires make this one of the more thorough options of late, which means more potential for some serious matches – or some serious liars.

14. Are You Interested?

Here’s another friends-of-friends dating site that finds matches through Facebook. That means users can easily do some recon before agreeing to a date. Users can also search by shared friends or interests, then connect via a live instant messenger chat.

15. Match.com

Match.com claims it's lead to more relationships and marriages than any other dating site out there, which is probably true since it’s been around since 1995. Creating a profile, browsing singles and finding matches is free, but you’ll need to pony up a membership fee of about $35 per month to enjoy all the benefits, like emailing members.

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