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Monday, May 19, 2008

The Best Personalized Homepages

What's the first thing you see when you fire up your browser? If you said "default web page", you defnitely need this article. Everyone has a list of websites they visit routinely, and yours could be email, social networking forums, news sites, blogs, or just about anything else that fascinates you. The point is, there are sure to be some sites that you visit regularly for updated information.

Personalized homepages have been around for a while. These are pages that receive feeds and allow you to interact with your entire list of favorite sites, right from your homepage. These pages offer you various services like RSS readers, email clients, games, and a lot more in the form of widgets. Here are three of the best-known startup pages on the Internet today...

iGoogle



If you're the type who practically lives off Google, via Google Docs, Calendar, Gmail, Orkut, Reader, etc. the choice is pretty clear already. iGooogle is the most compatible startup page you will find with these applications. The design is pretty minimalist, but considering that the biggest selling point of Google is its simplicity, I can't cut any points for that. I can, however cut points for blandness.

What I like best is that the Google search bar is permanently integrated into the page header – this not only cuts down your need to look for a good Google search widget but also ensures that your cursor is always present in the search bar by default when the page loads, so you can just type away your query when at iGoogle.



You can have multiple tabs on your homepage, and classify widgets according to category or usefulness. The vast widget library covers almost everything you'll want, and configuring and personalizing widgets is very straightforward. You can add a personal touch by selecting custom headers for your page, many of which change according to the time of the day. You can even create personal widgets, without the need to know any HTML and other programming languages. It's true these widgets tend to be a bit limited in nature, but it's still a great value-add.

The biggest gripe I have with iGoogle is its loading time. Of all the personal homepages I tested, iGoogle took the longest to fire up. It also has a limitation of having only three columns of widgets per page. Considering I use a widescreen monitor at 1680x1050 resolution, I could easily make space for a couple more columns per page.

All said, the page's 'Google compatibility', vast widget library, and personalization options make it a great startup option.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Mobile Sms Advertising Make Huge Money








With the new Do




With the new

Do-Not-Disturb
registry being formed in India. A lot of advertisers will be
facing advertsing problems as they would be restricted to make cold calls to
numbers that are registered with the service.


So where does that leave the advertiser??

There are new companies that help out users to make money at a cost of an
advertisement. Here are a  few list of companies that are offering this service,
and how they fare among others.

providing advertisers a new way to promote their Products & Services and at the
same time we are Paying our users to receive and read those ads.





Mginger  & 
mGarlic


No they are not cooking websites even though they may sound like.
;-)


Mginger is probably the most popular one of the lot. I am sure all of us at some
point have received a email from Mginger. Mginger and mGarlic work in the same
way. They both give money for viewings ads on mobile phones.


How does it work?


You sign up, Specify your interests (they will send related advertisements),
refer your family and friends and get paid for it. Although you may get charged
while roaming.


How much does it pay? (both Mginger & mGarlic)

each advert that you receive you get 20p

every advert that your friend receives, you get 10p

every advert that your friend’s friend receives you get 5p.


once you accumulate Rs 300 you receive a cheque from them.

Highest earning do far has been Rs 99.40


Mginger I feel is one one of the most popular services as compared to its
competitors. They have over

7 lakh
  users in just 2 months. Mginger was the one that really kick started
these services. It may have not been the 1st but was surely the 1st to get this
kind of attention.

Mginger

signup


Mginger has also launched something known as Ad ginger which is meant for
advertisers where they (advertisers) can have targeted ads. This is probably the
only service that allows small and big advertisers to take the initial
initiative  and allows them for targeted advertising.



Click here
to read the interview of Mginger CEO.








Admad.mobi &
m-earn 


As crazy as their name may sound admad is pretty cool. Users can earn more
than Minger.


How does it work?

Its some what like Mginger. The only difference is that Admad also pays you for
every sms your friend receives. It also allows users to choose their preferences
at the sign up stage. That helps in more targeted ads. One has to either
referred or has to send a request to the website to signup

M-earn also works on the same lines. But one cannot earn as quickly as admad &
sms2india and others.


How much does it pay?

Apparently they pay more than Mginger.

A user can earn upto Rs. 5160.00


You get -

•    20 paise for each SMS you recieve.

•    15 paise for each SMS your friends recieve.

•    10 paise for each SMS their friends recieve.

•    5 paise for each SMS their friends recieve.

•    1 paisa for each SMS their friends recieve.


There are 83,721 people registered since 29th May with
admad.mobi.


One can earn faster and a higher amount from admad. There were some spamming
issues earlier which now they claim have been resolved by introducing the invite
feature.





Sms2india 


I guess it’s the closest to Mginger in terms of service  the best part of
this service is that is also allows users to signup on their email. what that
means is that users will get ads on their emails and will get paid for it. I
think its superb, atleast for users who will be getting the money. Users can
easily delete any email unlike an sms where you may just have a look. So
you can earn Rs 3441 for getting spam like emails which most of us anyways get
regularly.
  Humm very suprising that advertisers still consider this
model when there are bulk emails available for a low cost.


How does it work?

Exactly as Mginger. Add, Subscribe, invite. 


How much does it pay?

Ads you receive daily 10

Friends you refer 10

Friends each of them refers 10

Every month, you can earn: Rs. 3441.00


Click here
to sign up







Smsgupshup


a new concept by Webaroo. It allows users to send group messages form their
cell phone s for free for advertisements. There is no limit to the number of
people one can send the sms’s to. This service has to be activated form the
mobile phone. Infact all the conservations are also saved on the website which
can be retrieved at any point in time.  



How does it work?


Create a Group – signup from your mobile phone

Invite friends – add your friends to the group

Start sending messages to your group for free.


How much does it pay ?

One does not earn any money but can send group sms for free at the cost of
advertisements.

The problem out here is that the ads cannot be targeted as accurately as Mginger,
sms2india & admadmobi. Advertisers can only consider act considering the group
name eg. Cricket or the fact that most of  the people using this service must be
below the age of 30. other services provide more flexibility for advertisers.




Way2sms &
160by2.com


Using 160by2 & Way2sms, you can send free sms to any mobile number in India,


As the name suggests 160by2, you can send  a sms only upto 80
characters long.
After which  there will be an advertisement attached
which will be upto 80 characters long.  

Way2sms allows 92 characters.


Again this does not pay you anything but saves you the cost of
sending a national message.


What I really like about this service is that its simple, easy to use, easy
to follow and most of all its Free.





You Mint -


My personal favourite. It works on the same lines as Mginger sms2india, admad.
But they offer more services than the above.

The basic service includes signup invite and earn.


How much does it pay??

Much like Mginger and m-earn

You will receive 20p per SMS they send you.

You will receive 10p per SMS they send your direct referrals.

You will receive 5p per SMS they send your referrals’
referrals.


Hows it different??

Users can make their own content and sell it on the network. Make your own
wallpapers, ringtones etc that can be purchased by your friends or others on the
network. Very different and innovative. It invites users to do more than just
receive ads. Advertisers will surely like this service as there is an added
feature for users which no one else provides.


Conclusion –


Advertisers will surely look at market as this seems to be an apt solution
for the problem created by Trai.

Both users and advertisers benefit in this method. Users earn money and  get ads
at their rime and convenience and also of their choice. advertisers can send
targeted ads to their customers and also provide discounts on their phones that
will create the initial pull for them.


The problem I foresee could be that users may not take it so well, I mean you
can buy a cheap Rs2000 phone and subscribe to all the above services leave the
phone at home and earn about Rs4000 easily after some time. And if you are good
then you can even earn upto Rs 10,000 per month or may be even more.  So in your
1st month you recover your mobile money and it later acts as a regular income.
What all this does is decrease the value of the advertiser and he may not really
be even reaching out  to his potential user. But I guess for those who may be
interested in getting advertisements of their choice its great.

But from a service providers point of view, they have to give users something
more than just money. There needs to be a better hook than just money. Look at
youmint they are allowing users to interact and share and even sell their own
content with other on the network.


But surely at this point I feel advertisers will do anything and go all out
to reach their users.





Read SMS and Earn Money In India, Get Paid to Read SMS Ads

1. SMS2INDIAEarn money from SMS as well as e-mail, benefit from both in equal manner.Earn equal amount at each network level, for both SMS and e-mail.Earn from increasing your network. Up to 2 levels.Check the advertisements at your own convenience. No more bombardment of advertisements.Receive discounts/coupons/offers of your interest in your inbox.Special privilege and advantages to registered users.Receive advertisement of your preference & interest.Have a larger network and earn more.
GOOD AFFILIATE SYSTEM.


JOIN SMS2INDIA
2. MGINGER

Earn money for reading sms on your mobileGet SMS ads of only those products that you want to buyGet ads at your convenienceSave money through discount coupons and offersEarn much more money by inviting family and friendsGet 20 paisa for every ad you receiveGet 10 paisa for every ad your friends receiveGet 5 paisa for every ad your friend's friends receiveAccumulate Rs.300 & receive a chequeReally it's a new concept to earn extra income through our cell phones without spending any thing.These ads are only about your interests. Not only that, you get to decide when you want these ads.
JOIN MGINGER

3. YOUMINT

YouMint is a unique social utility that connects you with people around you. Only real people!YouMint pays you to invite friends and to receive SMS promos! It might just pay your Mobile bill


JOIN YOUMINT

4. MGARLIC
MGarlic pays you money to receive text SMS ads on your mobile.They also pay you for each SMS that your friend or friend of your friend referred to MGarlic by you receive.Member BenefitsChoose interests about which you want to receive SMS and get paid for it.You decide maximum number of SMS you want to receive in a day.Save Money by using discount coupons offered by Advertisers.


JOIN MGARLIC

5. EARNBYADS

Earn 10 paise to 2 Rupees for receiving ads.You can earn money/credits by giving referrals, considered only when the referrals register to the earnbyads.co.in.Minimum payoutis Rs.500.


JOIN EARNBYADS
6. M-EARNSo far, you always paid for using mobile services. But this scheme has changed the flow. You will now earn money for reading SMS you receive. You now have the freedom to choose; you can furnish your interests and receive offers and discount coupons from your favorite stores and brands. Get sms ads at your convenience; You decide the number of ads you like to receive per day and also the specific time of the day for receiving them. This is not just about ads or money but it is much more. Features like mind notes and coach me would change the way you have been using your mobile
This service is still in beta. But since this is going to be the next big boom, you can take the advantage of signing up right now and building up a network so that as soon as the service is rolled out of beta you start making the money.

JOIN M-EARN

7. ADMADYou can earn from 5 referral levelsGet 20 paise for each SMS you recieve.Get 15 paise for each SMS your friends receive.Get 10 paise for each SMS their friends receive.Get 5 paise for each SMS their friends receive.Get 1 paisa for each SMS their friends receive.


JOIN ADMAD

8. SMS2EARN (MIGHT BE A SCAM)

Free Signup! No Hidden Charges!!!Earn 25p per sms on receiving it on your mobileEarn 25p per referral to make them signup on our website using your urlEarn 20% commission on income of your friends whom you have referredGet ads at your convenience. You decide number of ads you like to receiveIncome without Investment! Access to Real Time Statistics


JOIN SMS2EARN

Thursday, November 15, 2007

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Saturday, November 3, 2007

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Mobile Search

Monday, October 8, 2007

Google Acquires Mobile Social Network Zingku

Google has now entered the mobile arena with the acquisition of mobile social network Zingku.

Zingku is a mobile social network that started in 2005 as a private beta in the US. This service gives users the ability to send and receive text and picture messages between friends. Users can send invitations using the standard text messaging service that is available on all mobile devices as well as on the internet.

Zingku's features include sending and receiving mobile photos and text reminders with alarms, text messaging, instant messenger and the internet. In addition, you can obtain news feeds to mobile phones via SMS.

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Sabeer Bhatia Launches Social Networking Site

After Reliance's BigAdda, Sabeer Bhatia has entered the Indian social networking rat race with the launch of ApnaCircle. A creation of Apnacircle Infotech Pvt. Ltd, ApnaCircle helps people to make new friends and professional acquaintances and thus make their social life more active, interesting and more fruitfully rewarding. ApnaCircle's social network helps maintain known relationships with scraps, uploaded photos, customized messages and establish new relations by reaching out to people they've never met before, all through ApnaCircle.


ApnaCircle is being promoted by Sabeer Bhatia, one of the co-founders of Hotmail and Yogesh Bansal, founder and CEO of ApnaCircle.