Archive for the ‘reviews’ Category
For Fans of R&B
Written by John Erianne on December 5, 2008 – 5:53 pm -If you like R&B and Hip-Hop, you might want to check out Singersroom.com, a website that XXL magazine calls, “one of the Internet’s top music sources.” This multi-media online magazine is dedicated to rhythm and blues, pop and hip-hop music and urban culture.
Singersroom features music, videos, interviews, news and editorials on fashion & lifestyle trends. In addition, the ezine offers support to both signed and unsigned music artists and songwriters.
Some of the content currently available on the website is an interview with songwriter Cri$tyle, new videos by Ne-Yo, Leonna Lewis and Robin Thicke and a lot of songs available for play. They also feature a blog called Hip Hop Noise.
Abundatrade.com
Written by John Erianne on November 25, 2008 – 10:40 am -From time to time, I’m asked to evaluate a website and offer my opinion about it. Well, abundatrade.com is a relatively new website offering a new spin on an old idea. This outfit will take your used cds, DVDs, video games and books in trade for new merchandise. This conservationist “waste-not, want-not” philosophy has potential in this economic downturn with this renewed focus on a “green economy”.
However, although Abundatrade does have at least one brick ‘n’ mortar location in town the company is based in, the website is the primary facilitator for this barter and trade service — and the website is kind of a mess. Let’s start with the name. Although the name of the company is somewhat of an improvement over the impossibly silly and forgettable name the company started with, Adundatrade sounds too much like one of those online stock trading websites (think “Ameritrade” or “Etrade”). This company needs a name that not only spells-out the purpose of the website, but embodies the core philosophy behind it. I was thinking maybe, “Green Trader” or something along those lines ( greentrader.com is taken, although probably for sale for the right price). The point being, the name needs to be both elegantly functional and memorable. The website also has some major usability issues. Navigating through the site is much more complicated than it has to be and I suspect will inspire a “why bother” attitude in many visitors. A more user-friendly interface with better organized information is a must because all the advertising in the world won’t help if the website is not up to snuff. Visitors will just click on the site, decide it’s not worth the trouble and click away somewhere else no matter how good or smart your service.
New Money-Making Opportunity for Bloggers
Written by John Erianne on November 19, 2008 – 12:20 pm -If you are a blogger involved in the paid posting community or have been thinking about getting on the paid posting bandwagon (and in this economy, what blogger hasn’t considered ways to make some extra coin from his blog?), I just discovered a new blog marketing company offering to pay bloggers for in-post blog advertising. snapbomb.com will pay you to write about products, services and other websites.
There are many companies like snapbomb out there nowadays and, to be fair, there are pros and cons for bloggers who sign-up to use their blogs to create buzz for other websites. Although, the paid posting community is growing, there remains a stigma attached among blogging purists who see paid posting as an ethically-challenged enterprise. What I like about snapbomb is that they do not absolutely require that you write about whatever topic assigned to you in a positive way. You can express your own honest opinion and, thus, keep your ethical standards intact. I also liked that the application process is quicker and more efficient than some other blog marketing companies (I recall one company made me wait a whole month and then rejected me without giving me a reason — but, hey, I’m a professional writer so I’m used to rejection).
Once your blog is approved, information is gathered via a tracking code you install on your blog. After 24 hours, your blog will then be assigned a dollar value and you will start to received posting assignments you are free to accept or reject at your leisure. If you accept an assignment you will have 24 hours to complete it.
