NONE: ONLINE-ADS>> The Commonwealth Network is a Scam, after all!
ONLINE-ADS>> The Commonwealth Network is a Scam, after all!
Mark J. Welch (markwelch_at_ca-probate.com)
Tue, 24 Sep 1996 21:27:12 -0700
Six months ago, I launched my "web site banner advertising"
web page with the title "Is the Commonwealth Network a Scam?"
and gradually, the question was extended to a number of banner
ad servers. Over time, I concluded that the Commonwealth
Network was not a scam, although I was always suspicious of
the company's strategy. The main measure, in the end, was
that they did actually pay me for the impressions I generated.
In August, the Commonwealth Network announced a major
change in payment structure, with less than SIX HOURS
email notice. In September, the Commonwealth Network
announced a second major change in payment structure,
and failed to send email until more than 12 hours AFTER
the payment structure took effect. Each of those moves
substantially reduced payments, so that although I received
a check for $181 for July impressions, and traffic has
increased, I suspect that under the new royalty structure,
I would receive no payment, because royalties for my site's
35,000 to 40,000 monthly impressions would total less
than CN's $50 threshhold for writing a check.
Well, the last straw was piled on today: the Commonwealth
previously listed the ZDnet banners as "paid" ads but today it
was discovered that they moved one of the banners from
"paid" to "barter" status, without alerting web sites to this
change. This reduces pay from $.0075 to less than
$.0010 per banner display, for that ad.
I have just finished stripping Commonwealth banners off
all my pages. Note that I have received as much as $181
in royalties (for July) but under the new payment structure
I doubt I would receive even $50 per month. It is simply
not worth it.
>From message traffic, it also appears that NarrowCast is
also having problems (late payment, changing from direct
payments to 'exchange' credit). To my surprise, the only
company that has fulfilled its promises so far is IBN, but
I still doubt that company's long-term viability. (Of course,
I also predicted in 1982 that the IBM Personal Computer
would be a market failure.)
I will be adding 5 or 6 new banner ad programs to my list
this week but thus far I don't think any have shown any
significant promise. In my opinion, there is not likely to
be any significant ad revenue available to web sites with
less than 100,000 visitors per month.
My list of ad servers: http://www.ca-probate.com/comm_net.htm
My site's August stats: http://www.ca-probate.com/stats.htm
My site's current month stats: http://www.ca-probate.com/stats/stats/html
-- Mark J. Welch, Esq. (Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law)
-- http://www.ca-probate.com Pleasanton CA 510-462-8483
-- This message is not legal advice, and is not confidential.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's Online Advertising Discussion List sponsors:
"The Ad From Hell" is just one of 11 songs that poke fun at marketing.
Check out http://www.bizblues.com for an ideal gift for anyone in the biz.
It's great blues music.
-----------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>>>Announcing the 1996 CyberAtlas Web Advertising Roadmap<<<<<<<<
Need quick answers? Get a copy of the Roadmap and find your way around
click-through, banner design, and much more: http://www.cyberatlas.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
