Affiliate Marketing Blog - MissyWard.com » izea

Once Again, Izea’s SocialSpark Raises The Bar on Disclosure

Missy Ward — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:47:53 +0000

Leo Steiner was the co-owner and front-man for the Carnegie Deli back in the late-70′s through the mid-80′s. He was known for doing crazy things like carving a Statue of Liberty out of chopped liver, and entertaining his patrons with comedy; all geared towards raising Carnegie Deli’s brand awareness.

Leo became very popular after his TV commercials for Arnold’s Jewish Rye Bread came out, immortalizing his famous line, “It makes a nice sandwich… a nice sandwich”.

I was reminded of Leo today, when I read about the disclosure changes that Ted Murphy of Izea implemented to Social Spark yesterday.

Ted reminds me a lot of Leo. Not only does he take pride in his businesses and does nutty things to promote his brand, but he also clearly has a passion for sandwiches.

Introducing The SocialSpark Sandwich

The SocialSpark Sandwich was used to demonstrate the new Disclosure changes that Ted implemented, which now mandates participating Bloggers to include a new Disclosure Text Message along with the previously required Disclosure Badge, as shown below.

I think it’s a great move on his part to implement the additional requirements given the need for transparency and the recent FTC changes in Disclosure requirements.

To find out more information on the new SocialSpark Disclosure Requirements, please visit http://izea.com/disclosure-socialspark-today/.

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As I’ve previously disclosed on my blog, I do sit on the Advisory Board for Izea, . That being said, the above opinions are mine.

Izea Raises the Bar; Introduces Disclosure Audits

Missy Ward — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:15:02 +0000

I just finished reading Ted Murphy’s announcement on the Izea blog regarding their new disclosure audit capability, and had a few thoughts on this that I wanted to share.

I wondered to myself whether Izea’s adversaries, would look at this strategic move as simply “window dressing” to appease sponsored conversation critics, like Andy Sernovitz. Or, would the next-gen marketers be the only people that realize what Izea is doing is nothing short of solidifying their position in this area by setting the standards bar higher and meeting it every time?

Let’s face it, if the disclosure and transparency procedures that Izea has implemented are adopted by the bloggers on their network and if compliance is strictly monitored, there is nothing that their critics can do except stomp on their sour grapes and make wine. Any other retort using the words “disclosure or transparency”, would be “so 2006.”.

I commend Izea for taking the steps necessary to be ahead of the curve and conform to the industry guidelines that have been set forth.

What say you?

(Oh, and yes.. in the interest of disclosure, like I say here, I sit on Izea’s Advisory Board in good company of other futurists.)

Look Mom, I Was on The Daily Buzz

Missy Ward — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:31:39 +0000

When Ashley of Izea asked me to do a segment on blogging with Ted Murphy, on The Daily Buzz, I immediately said yes.

Given the fact that the last time I was on TV, I was opening up a “Snake Can” on Wonderama (yeah, I know — I just totally dated myself), I figured this would be a good way for my parents to get a better understanding of what I do for a living.

Mike and Irene (my parents) definitely have a difficult time wrapping their arms around internet marketing. So, it’s been an ongoing exercise in frustration for me to explain to them that just because I didn’t become that CPA, Doctor or Lawyer that they wished for, that it’s OK.

One of the selfish reasons why I was thrilled that my business partner, Shawn Collins and I launched FeedFront Magazine last year was that I knew I could now send something to my parents that was tangible — something they could touch and feel and most importantly, show their friends.

I was right, in classic Mike and Irene fashion, they called me the day they received their very first issue. The voicemail went something like this… “Missy, we are so proud of you. We love your magazine and read it cover to cover. Even though we don’t understand half of what this stuff is saying, we can’t wait to show our friends tomorrow during breakfast. By the way, did you know you had four typos in this issue?”

So Mom and Dad — this is for you. Although The Daily Buzz is national, it’s not in New Jersey so I didn’t bother telling you about it.

Watch it and go kvell.

PS — I love you both

Below are some pictures that Ashley took of the entire experience.

TheSpew – Episode 3: Ted Murphy’s Tongue, Blogging for $$ and more

Missy Ward — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:42:48 +0000

[display_podcast]

Listen above or download to iTunes.

I (@missyward) of Affiliate Summit moderated this week with panelists:

Connie Berg (@connieberg), Head Bird in Charge of FlamingoWorld.com

Lisa Picarille (@lisap), a consultant focusing on online marketing, social media and content creation

Karen White (@KarenWhite_LV), a Marketing Strategist focusing on Performance marketing initiatives

Ted Murphy(@tedmurphy), the Founder and CEO of Izea was our special guest this week.

The topics that were discussed today were:

Bloggers are adding more affiliate marketing to their blog monetization. Why now and what are the opportunities for big-time bloggers and the little guy?

The opportunities for bloggers and advertisers with SocialSpark and PayPerPost

Why Affiliate Managers should be concentrating on recruiting bloggers and how to go about doing so the right way.

The financial effect that affiliate marketing has had on affiliates’ lives and the gamble getting into the industry. (We were too long-winded on the other topics that we decided to table this for another time).

Lisa Picarille debriefs us on Lobby Day in Sacramento

Show Notes:

Missy checks her ego and the door and makes a new rule that the weekly special guest shall always pick the opening music.

Great brands paired up with great bloggers = win-win (ex: Wal-Mart 11 Moms, Chris Brogan and Kmart)

The differences and opportunities between SocialSpark and PayPerPost

How advertisers are measuring social media campaign successes

Why more bloggers are monetizing their blogs now via affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, etc. and why is Marshall Kirkpatrick still shaking his head at it?

What’s the deal with “the Tongue“?

Missy’s going to IzeaFest at Seaworld. Is the conference for you, too?

How Advertisers, Affiliate Managers and OPM’s should approach bloggers — and how NOT to.

How a random product can create buzz via social media (ex: Xshot)

San Francisco Lobby day updates regarding California AB 178 and why Karen Garcia is a Rockstar!

Calling all Minnesota Affiliate Marketers: Connie Berg needs your help to fight #advertisingtax in your home state

Missy loves Quickertek.com ‘s External Battery for the MacBook Air, but hates the fact that they don’t have an affiliate program

On the road again…. IM Spring Break – April 2-4

Subscribe to TheSpew RSS Feed

Quaker Oatmeal Fuels it Forward

Missy Ward — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:36:52 +0000

Many of my readers know that I’ve made it a personal mission of mine to help less fortunate families and do what I can to help eradicate the wicked that is breast cancer.

Over the last two years, I’ve helped raise nearly $150,000 for March of Dimes, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Susan G. Komen For the Cure and the National Breast Cancer Foundation through my efforts with Affiliate Summit and AffiliateMarketersGiveBack.com.

I’ve also gotten behind many other efforts that share the same beliefs as me. Today, I am delighted to announce that I am supporting Quaker Oatmeal’s “Start with Substance” effort – a campaign which encourages consumers to feed their families and “fuel it forward” to those less fortunate.

From January 12th through February 28th, consumers can visit www.startwithsubstance.com and enter the UPC (barcode) from any variety of Quaker hot cereal and for every UPC entered, Quaker will donate a bowl of nutritious oatmeal to Share Our Strength – up to 1 million bowls of oatmeal! And that, my dear readers, is something I can embrace – especially given the fact that I’ve been a Quaker Oatmeal Maple and Brown Sugar girl since I was a kid

I’ve also been chosen as one of fifteen bloggers around the country to host an Inauguration Day viewing party, in which Quaker Oats will provide a hot oatmeal bar with all the tasty toppings to my guests. It’s Quaker’s way of sharing the experience with families as they watch the ceremony and embark on a fresh start with the new First Family.

I will be hosting the party at Izea’s corporate office in downtown Orlando (150 N. Orange Avenue, Suite 412) beginning at 10:00am on Inauguration Day (1/20). I can’t thank Ted Murphy enough to allow me to use their office space as we take in this historical event. It’s sure to be an amazing experience.

I am also very grateful to Quaker Oatmeal as they will be donating two cases of oatmeal as part of their “Start with Substance” campaign, to Rock for Hunger, a local community effort that I’ve grown very fond of.

If you would like to attend the Inaugural Viewing please get in touch with me at missyward@gmail.com or on Twitter at Twitter.com/MissyWard. If you’re on Facebook, you can also RSVP here: http://cli.gs/quakerrsvp.

I also encourage you all to visit www.StartWithSubstance.com to learn about Share Our Strength’s mission to end childhood hunger and share your own oatmeal tips and photos with the QuakerMan!

Win A Year’s Worth of Cereal from Ted Murphy

Missy Ward — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:41:42 +0000

Ted Murphy, CEO of Izea is at it again. He submerged himself in a bathtub full of cereal to launch a new promotion on Ted.me.

Ted’s giving away 52 boxes of cereal to a lucky winner on his blog. On top of that, if he gets 500 comments on his post, he’ll donate 52 boxes of cereal to a local food bank.

Here’s where I come in. I’ve already adopted a Central Florida family for the holidays and am also sponsoring some silent auction items at another holiday party benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. But that said, I’m always up for another good challenge that benefits my local community.

So, if Ted gets his 500 comments, I will match his 52 boxes of cereal and donate it to whatever local food bank he desires.

While I must admit that Ted’s way of going about things is a little over the top at times, to quote a tag line in a Quaker Oatmeal (my favorite) commercial… “It’s a good thing to do and a tasty way to do it!”

So hop on over and post a little comment about your favorite cereal or how goofy Ted looks. Be a sport — It’s for charity!

I Just Became an Izea Blogger Advisory Board Member

Missy Ward — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:30:13 +0000

I’m proud to announce that I’ve joined the IZEA Blogger Advisory Board that includes leading bloggers in social media, community development, marketing, advertising and affiliate marketing.

Some of the other initial board members are:

- Chris Brogan (http://www.chrisbrogan.com)
- Michael Brito (http://www.britopian.com)
- Brian Clark (http://www.copyblogger.com)
- Jim Kukral (http://www.jimkukral.com)
- Neil Patel (http://www.quicksprout.com)
- Wendy Piersall (http://www.sparkplugging.com)
- Jeremy Schoemaker (http://www.shoemoney.com)

The Advisors will be working together with the IZEA management team to guide the company in product development, outreach and further enhancement of their code of ethics.

In the interest of transparency, it is important to note that I have been granted options in IZEA to cover my time and contribution.

I’m excited to be part of this team and I look forward to sharing my knowledge and helping move IZEA forward.

Our first board meeting is December 6th, here in Orlando. I look forward to welcoming everyone to my home town.

SocialSpark.com Alpha Launches Its Affiliate Network

Missy Ward — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:12:18 +0000

Today, SocialSpark.com announced their alpha-release of their “SocialSpark Affiliate Opportunities” and a bunch of new goodies, as well.

“Affiliate Opportunities” roughly translates to “an affiliate network exclusively for bloggers“. In a nutshell, advertisers can list their campaigns and payouts and bloggers get paid for generating sales and signups.

SocialSpark is requiring an in-post disclosure on all affiliate links and 100% transparency.

They have also added a ton of premium blogs and bloggers to the SocialSpark marketplace including ChrisBrogan.com, Shoemoney.com, Sparkplugging.com and QuickSprout.com. (This blog will also be featured in the marketplace.)

As far as release updates go, the homepage has been redesigned to be sleek, streamlined and load faster. Also, when you are logged in as a blogger or advertiser, you’ll have a much more relevant and cleaner view of the available information.

I’m excited to test this all out further and will let you all know my results.

Shout out for CloudShout!

Missy Ward — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:04:15 +0000

Just back from Izea Devasaurus put on by Ted Murphy, Founder/CEO of Izea. The idea behind Devasaurus is to get the Orlando Dev Community to meet the folks at Izea, foster local innovation and get us crazy O-town folks mingling.

I got to check out their offices, which were pretty cool and their new innovation, CloudShout which is a tool that enables conversation across blogs and websites. I have to tell you, I was very impressed. While I didn’t get the Dev Mumbo Jumbo, I definitely got the idea of what they were trying to accomplish — and it rocks.

They opened up their request for blogger and dev invites today for their alpha phase and I just signed up. They also announced their “Gadget Challenge” in which they are inviting developers to create the coolest gadgets for a chance to win a $5,000 prize to be awarded at IzeaFest.

Unfortunately, I will not be attending IzeaFest this time around as I’ll be walking 60-miles in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-day as captain of Affiliate Marketers Worldwide. Maybe the lucky winner, will donate some of their winnings to the walk

There are some slides of the presentation in my pictures.

Check them out and let me know what you think about CloudShout.