Our blog | Blogads

Archive for January, 2012

Romney vs. Obama: Who’s a better singer? [POLL]

by Nick Faber
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Piers Morgan had a little fun last night after Mitt Romney sang “America the Beautiful” at a campaign event in The Villages, Florida. On the heels of the President’s abbreviated rendition of “Let’s Stay Together,” we have to wonder if Romney is throwing down some sort of musical gauntlet. While Romney may not have the dulcet tones of our President, he at least committed to an entire verse.

Will the presidential campaign start looking more like American Idol this year? Life imitating art, man!

So we ask you, who would you text to vote for in Presidential Idol? (Vote in the poll below the videos.) (more…)

Advertising Glossary: Ad units, Ad Zones and Adstrips

by Nick Faber
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Welcome back to Digital Ad Academy, where no advertising term or concept is too mundane or obscure for our careful examination. Today we’re looking at ad units, and zones and adstrips. Though use of  these terms varies from amongst different online ad providers and networks, they are the most common words used to describe ads and their placement. If you understand what they mean, then it will be easier to get the quality ad impressions you expect as an advertiser — or set the prices you desire as a publisher.
(more…)

[REPORT] Which book publishers are doing social media best?

by Megan Mitzel
Monday, January 30th, 2012

 

Book publishers vary widely in their use of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest, according to research Blogads assembled in advance of its February 15 Social Media Week panel, “Innovative ways to build community around books.”

Many publishers have adopted Twitter and Facebook, with Randomhouse dominating the former and Scholastic big on the latter. Only a small handful of publishers have started using the other growing social platforms of the moment, with three publishers Pinterest, the photo curation service popular with women, and five using Tumblr.


(more…)

Featured Blogger: Jim Romenesko of JimRomenesko.com

by Paige Wilcox
Monday, January 30th, 2012

For those looking for thoughtful reporting of news in the media, then Jim Romenesko’s self-titled site is one not to be missed. Romenesko is a well-respected and highly influential thought leader in journalism and media circles. College Media Matters recently said that “Romenesko is fast becoming a social media machine,” so join Romenesko’s Twitter and Facebook following in addition to making JimRomenesko.com one of your must-read sites.

When and why did you start professionally writing?

I started working at the Milwaukee Journal after graduating from the Marquette University College of Journalism. From there, I went to Milwaukee Magazine, where I was senior editor. I’ve specialized in crime reporting, technology reporting and media coverage at various publications and websites.

How would you describe the content of JimRomenesko.com?

The site covers what’s important and interesting in the media world, from my perspective. I try to make it of interest to both journalists and media consumers who don’t work in the news business.

What do your family and friends think of your blogging?

They think it’s the perfect line of work for me! They know I’ve always been interested in the Internet — I first went online in 1989 — and that I was blog pioneer, starting my own site long before the word “blog” came into being.

What blogs do you read?

I have dozens of them in my RSS feed and bookmarks folder — everything from Gawker to Slate to Gizmodo.

How much time daily do you spend writing for the site?

I am generally at my computer by 7 a.m. and try to shut it off at 5 p.m. I then switch to casual browsing on my iPad. If I see something that *has* to be tweeted or posted, I turn my computer back on and go to work.

How much do you correspond one-on-one with readers?

I get emails, Facebook messages or Twitter DMs daily. Sometimes they’re sending tips, and other times it’s just a compliment or criticism.

What joys did you not expect when you started blogging?

I never guessed that I’d attract such a large following; I remember (in the late 1990s) when I was happy to get 100 visitors a day. I now have over 41,000 Twitter followers.

What pains?

It’s my fault, but I’m rarely able to turn off the computer and take a vacation. I don’t feel I can let my sites go dark for an extended period of time.

What’s something your readers don’t know about you?

I was a family newspaper publisher at age 8, and still have those “newspapers” in my archives. I lost a tooth while producing one of those papers, and there’s blood on the paper as evidence of it. (“Actual tooth blood,” the story states, with an arrow to the stain.)

What’s been one of your favorite stories/topics to cover so far?

The  Jayson Blair/NYT saga was very interesting because it toppled Times editors and, quite frankly, put my site on the map in media circles. Here’s how the Los Angeles Times described my role in that scandal.

 

ADVERTISERS: For the next week, use Discount CodeBlogads50” to receive 50% off a rectangle, sidebar or square button ad on JimRomenesko.com!

We’re looking for interns!

by Nick Faber
Thursday, January 26th, 2012

We’re looking for some dog-loving social media fanatics to join us in our new office in Downtown Durham, NC. We currently seek two interns to help us with account management and social media strategy.

Check out the Blogads Careers page for more info and to learn how to apply.

Donald Hughes at the State of the Union Tweetup #WHTweetup

by Nick Faber
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Blogads.com’s Political Strategist, Donald Hughes, was in Washington, DC last night for the first State of the Union Tweetup hosted by the White House. Here are some of the highlights from his day… Storified! (more…)

Mr. Hughes Goes to Washington

by Nick Faber
Monday, January 23rd, 2012

From Bull City to the Capital City

In 2002, George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address was the first to be broadcast live on the Internet. Tomorrow night, President Obama’s White House will be marking another SOTU first with a live Tweetup.

Followers of the @WhiteHouse on Twitter were invited to apply for a chance to visit the White House and join a live online discussion of the State of the Union, followed by an in-person panel with Administration officials. We’re excited to announce that our own Political Advertising Strategist, Donald Hughes, was one of the Twitter users chosen to participate.

Donald often finds himself at the intersection of politics, technology and current events, so it’s no surprise to us that he was picked for this historic event. In the Tweetup application, which asked Twitterers to express their interest in 140 characters or less, he called Twitter the “Woodstock for Millennials.” Like Woodstock, he explained, Twitter is a venue for freedom of expression, where people can share everything about who they are and what they’re interested in.

In addition to their own questions and commentary, the Tweetup participants will also be able to ask questions on behalf of their own followers. So be sure to follow Donald at @DonaldHughes for live updates, photos and an opportunity to participate in the  White House Tweeteup (#WHTweetup) tomorrow night.

Meet our newest team members!

by Nick Faber
Thursday, January 19th, 2012

This new year has already brought some awesome news for Blogads. We’re in a new city, working in a new office and we’ve welcomed two new team members into new positions.

Meet Justin Weber and Zach Strom.

Justin joins us as an assistant project manager, with a speciality in quantitative research. When he’s not decoding trends on the Internet, you can find him writing about music, as well as performing it. He has degrees in Journalism and Mass Communication from UNC-Chapel Hill (MA) and Colorado State University (BA) and is well-acquainted with the Durham New Media scene, having interned at Durham-based ad agency McKinney.

Zach Strom is our newest sales strategist. He’s a graduate of UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and comes to Blogads as a veteran of the Triangle tech scene, having worked for the Council of Entrepreneurial Development (CED) at the nearby American Tobacco Campus. Zach’s also an athlete and sports enthusiast, and has coached kids at a local sports camp and worked ESPN’s X Games in Los Angeles.

Welcome, gentlemen!

Internet Blackout: Sites go dark to protest SOPA

by Nick Faber
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

In protest of the upcoming vote on the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act, the following web sites are unavailable for you to use. Instead, they are using today to show users what censorship really looks like, and ultimately, to encourage people to take action.

Wikipedia

(more…)

Nuclear Aftershocks skins on political blogs

by Nick Faber
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Seeing little green men on your favorite political blogs today? No need to adjust your monitor for this takeover. Frontline is advertising their new special, “Nuclear Aftershocks,” on Daily Kos, Power Line and Wonkette with fully clickable skins and embedded promo videos. This gorgeous execution should make other advertisers a little green with envy. (more…)


Our Tweets

More...

Community