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I was doing a Google search for Urban Dictionary and noticed that the result had a search box. This appears to be a new feature.

I had assumed that Google would send the query to Urban Dictionary’s servers but it instead did another Google search, only specific to Urban Dictionary.

I’ve known how to use Google to search a particular site by using the “site:” flag. This is a very useful feature. I use it a lot when I want to do a search across all craigslist locations, something craigslist doesn’t offer. To see what the site specific search results look like, check out this site specific search on Urban Dictionary for “Rickroll”.

I doubt publishers will like this feature. While it may be helping the user it’s also robbing the publisher of a pageview and freedom to weigh their own search results.

With the much-anticipated debut of Typekit, there is a lot of buzz in the web design community about how it is going to revolutionize web design.

Designer Jason Santa Maria wrote an interesting article on web typography, warning that we could be opening a Pandora’s box. Personally, I think the fewer decisions there are to be made, the harder it is screw up. However, more decisions, while opening the possibility of failure, also open the potential for greater achievement; we can now have fantastically beautiful websites. That are accessible.

He touches on the other issue of the stinginess of web developers as well as users. Everything on the net should be free, right? Free as in BEER. Free speech is cool too. Pay? For fonts? That’s crazy talk. I tend to be in this camp. I don’t know how many fonts I’m going to be paying for. I always take screenshots of the fonts at font stores if I ever need them for a logo :).

I read a couple of Gawker Media blogs and frequently see the weirdest ads running on their network of sites—weird in that they don’t look like advertisements. They look strange and out of place and in turn, intriguing. Clicking on the image, I’m taken to a page with more of the same imagery but with some context. It appears that Gawker fills their unsold pageviews with art from drawing, film, sculpture, digial art, painting, photography and more. Click on the ad and you’ll see the particular artist featured in the pageview. You can also see all artists.

Gawker also lets interested publishers display the rotating gallery of artwork on their own sites. I think it’s an excellent way to display art and better than selling your remnant inventory to bottom-feeding advertisers that aren’t going to pay much anyways. If you let everyone advertise on your site, how can you command a high CPM and maintain your site’s integrity?

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I had my first success at Retail Me Not tonight. A website where consumers can share online promotional codes, deals, etc. It’s definitly a good website to check before you make any purchase online.

In my case, I was ordering more contacts from 1800Contacts.com. Lo and behold, there was a promotional code for $12 off any order of $75 or greater. I typed in the code and now I’m $12 richer.

A curious reader has always been able to see any edits made to any Wikipedia page but the information has always been hidden under the history tab and behind a cryptic IP address.

The security researcher known as Virgil, has created a wikiscanner, that deciphers and organizes all IP addresses of people who edit pages, making it easier to see what pages any given organiztion has edited.

Some of the local SF corporations I tried:

• Salesforce (edits the Marina)
• Ernst & Young (edits KPMG)
• Gap Inc. (edits Gay Bar and Banana Republic)

Craigslist finally got over its minimalistic and idealistic design strategy and added some minor graphical UI elements to the famously no-frills site. Upon viewing listings in the San Francisco Bay Area, the user will notice that the sub-regions, once separated by pipes or “|” are now represented by tabs. This comes after, a week or so ago, a change where the layout for the flag links was shifted from horizontal to vertical.

I think the changes are an improvement but more so, they are significant simply because the craigslist interface changes only on rare occasions. There’s more room for improvement in other areas of the interface and I wonder if this marks a trend towards a better UI. Perhaps colors other than blue, purple, and grey?

I’ve always liked the homepage of craigslist and appreciated its quirky brand. It’s an example of a site where content is king and design takes a back seat.

I just found a list of a comprehensive list of all the online advertising networks there are in existence. Intimidating to say the least; but most of these are probably pretty tiny.

1. Chitika : Shopping mall banner advertising. (CPC)
2. Google AdSense (CPC)
3. Advertising.com : Large network. (CPA)
4. 24/7 RealMedia : Large network. (CPM)
5. Burst Media : Large network. (CPM)
6. Commission Junction : Large network. (CPA)
7. Kanoodle : Large network. (CPC); 50% payout.
8. LinkShare : Large network. (CPA)
9. ValueClick : Large network. (CPM)
10. Yahoo Publisher Network : Closed Beta (CPC)
11. MSN adCenter : Closed Beta (CPC)
12. Accelerator Media :
13. AdAgency 1 : (CPM) ; 60% payout.
14. AdDynamix : (CPM)
15. AdEngage :
16. Adgenta :
17. Adhearus :
18. AdKnowledge : (CPC)
19. AdPepper : (CPM)
20. ADServing Network : (CPM)
21. Adsmart : (CPM)
22. Adtegrity : (CPM)
23. AdZuba : (CPM)
24. AffiliateFuture : (CPA)
25. AffiliateSensor :
26. AllFeeds : (CPC); 60% payout.
27. AVNads :
28. AzoogleAds : (CPA)
29. Banner Boxes : (CPC)
30. BannerConnect : (CPM)
31. BardzoMedia : (CPM)
32. BidClix : (CPC)
33. BidVertiser : (CPC)
34. BlinkAds : (CPA)
35. BlueFN : (CPA)
36. BlueLithium : (CPM)
37. Casale Media : (CPM); 70% payout.
38. ClickAdsDirect :
39. ClickBooth : (CPA)
40. ClickShare :
41. Clicksor : (CPC); upto 85% payout.
42. ClickXchange : (CPA)
43. ContexWeb : (CPC); 50% payout.
44. CoverClicks :
45. CPX Interactive/Budsinc : (CPM)
46. DirectNetworks : (CPA)
47. Enhance Interactive :
48. Esource Media : (CPM)
49. Etype-Europe : (CPM)
50. EtypeUSA :
51. ExpoActive :
52. FastClick=ValueClick : (CPM); upto 65% payout.
53. FluxAds : (CPA)
54. HurricaneDigitalMedia : (CPM); 60/75% payout.
55. Hyperbidder : (CPC)
56. IncentaClick : (CPA)
57. Industry Brains :
58. Interclick :
59. JoeTec : (CPM)
60. Kontera : (CPC)
61. Mamma Media Solutions : (CPC); 50% payout.
62. MaxBounty : (CPA)
63. Mirago :
64. MIVA AdRevenue Xpress :
65. Nixxie :
66. Oridian : (CPA)
67. Oxado : (CPC)
68. Paypopup : (CPM)
69. PeakClick :
70. Popup Traffic : (CPM)
71. Quigo : (CPC)
72. RealCastMedia : (CPM)
73. RealTech Network : (CPM)
74. Revenue Pilot : (CPC); 60% payout.
75. RightMedia : (CPM)
76. Searchfeed : (CPC)
77. ShareAShare : (CPA)
78. TargetPoint : (CPC); at least 50% payout.
79. TextLinkAds : (CPC)
80. TMP Express : (CPA)
81. Tremor Network :
82. Tribal Fusion : (CPM)
83. Veoda : (CPC) ; 60-90% payout.
84. Vibrant Media IntelliTXT : (CPM)

(Read more from this post as to the quality of some of these networks)

If I’m not making any money from advertising, not even enough to pay for my hosting, why on earth am I tarnishing my site with ugly advertisements for unnecessary goods and services? Because I work for an ad network.

In order to design an interface for people to buy, sell, manage and optimize online advertising, I need a first-hand experience how people do it. Mainly, I run AdBrite ads, however, today I finally pasted some Google AdSense on my site. It’s the like the adage “eat your own dog food.” If I’m gonna be designing these interfaces, I damn well better use and enjoy them myself.

Want an exclusive advertising opportunity on Google Maps? All you need is a really, really, really big sign. Looking around Redwood City I saw this Excite @ Home building (who knows if they’re still located there or even in buisiness). Unfortunately it only works for the hybrid and satellite views. It’s a tactic similar to paying one of those kids to shake a sign on a street corner, but on a much larger scale.

Note to people gullible enough to try this tactic: make sure your message reads west to east.

From: http://www.aharef.info/static/htmlgraph/