SocialSpark - A New Community for Bloggers

I recently signed up for SocialSpark, a new social networking site where bloggers and advertisers can get together to maximize blog profitability. So far I am enjoying the site quite a bit. Within minutes of signing up I had 5 friend requests. I thought that was pretty impressive.

SocialSpark offers a variety of methods that help you make money. Among the chocies are a sponsored post, a blog sponsorship, or a spark. From what I can tell, a spark is a free post in exchange for a post on someone else's site. It encourages collaboration among friends. A blog sponsorship is a per day agreement with an advertiser. Here is a sample of available sponsorships.

I haven't signed up for a sponsorship yet, but I plan to in the near future.

Some opportunities are only available for blogs with higher page ranks, but there are many opportunities available for the beginners. As Google has been stomping bloggers who advertise, SocialSpark doesn't look at Google page ranks for the higher-end opportunities. They use a tool called RealRank. This is a data-based method that gives you a more accurate picture of who is visiting your site and how valuable your site really is.

SocialSpark opportunities range from $5 - around $40, from what I have seen so far. I don't think there is a cap on how much a post can be worth, though. Here is a screenshot from the opportunities page.

On the right of the image you will see two small rectangles, either green or red in color. This helps you know if the opportunity is open, and lets you know if you qualify for the post. I think is is a pretty nice feature. It saves you time when you want to look for a post you are actually eligible for, and you don't have to click through a bunch of non-qualified posts.

Another tool for narrowing down your available opportunities is by using the search tool. This helps you narrow your search by the price you are looking for as well. I have used this tool a lot, and am happy with it.

SocialSpark cares about blogger integrity, and they have an extensive code of ethics. Here are some of the basics:

• 100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
• 100% Transparency
• 100% Real Opinions
• 100% Search Engine Friendly

You can read more about their code of ethics by visiting http://socialspark.com/code_of_ethics.

So far I have been very pleased with SocialSpark. I have found a couple of friends who I am in touch with, and have been introduced to many new opportunities. I think this is a great place to find advertisers for your blog and intend to use this site frequently. I highly recommend this site to you.

Curious Kid

"Uncle, what was cut from the movie?", my nephew asks. I had told him 5 minutes before that we were going to watch the original theatrical release of Return of the Jedi. When he asked what I meant his mom told him it means things have been cut from it. He seemed to be satisfied and we went about watching the movie.

"Who is that guy with the things on his head?", he asks next. I answer, "Bib Fortuna. He's a Twileck. Those things are Leku." I think this is the end of the questions, but I am wrong. "Where is he from?" "Ryloth." "What language does he speak?" "I forget. I think there are two languages on Ryloth though. I will have to check." "Where does he sleep?" "In his bedroom in Jabba's palace." "Where is his bedroom?" "They don't show it in the movie, so I don't know." All the while I am struggling to remember the book "Tales From Jabba's Palace", which I read years ago. The questions didn't stop there.

"Why is that guy pushing Leia towards Jabba the Hut?" "She got caught trying to rescue Han. Now she is in trouble." "Why is she in trouble?" "Because Jabba is a bad guy." "'Cause he didn't listen to his mommy and daddy." "That's right." "Who is Jabba's daddy?" "Zorba the Hut." "Who is Jabba's mommy?" "I don't know." "Who are his brothers and sisters?" "I don't know. I will have to check." By this time I had the attention of everybody in the vicinity. This included my wife, parents, and sister.

"Who is that guy with the green face?" "A Gammorean." "What does he speak?" "I think it is called Gammorean. I don't remember if it is something else." "Why is he in the pit with Luke?" "He fell in when Jabba pushed the button." The questions continued to get more entertaining the longer we talked, but I think I covered the gist pretty well. His mom tried to get the video camera out, but I don't think she caught much of the conversation.

Later we were outside playing on the playground at my parents' house. We talked about a few things, and then Star Wars came up again. "I like Anakin because he wins all his fights." "He doesn't win all his fights. He lost to Obi-Wan." "But he killed him in 'A New Hope'." "He didn't win that one. Obi-Wan knew he would become more powerful if he let Vader kill him." "Oh." A few minutes go by when he brings it up again. "I liked it when Vader killed Obi-Wan. I like it when Anakin wins." I don't know about you, but this 4 year old is pretty entertaining to me.

I look forward to answering this set of questions from my son when he is old enough. My son will know that Obi-Wan is the best Jedi though. :)

The Terrible Twos...

The terrible twos are officially upon us. We thought they had come and gone a long time ago, but we have found the past was a preview of things to come. My wife and I can't wait for this phase to pass.

My son has taken to defying us every chance he gets. He will fight and scream and cry at the drop of a hat. It has been quite challenging for my wife to deal with, especially since she is having her own problems with her pregnancy hormones. ;) I am doing my best keeping the peace as the two of them exert themselves in their own ways.

Looking at my son you only see a very cute, innocent-looking little boy. There is no warning before he strikes. He can swing from cute and sweet to pretty darned bratty in an instant. Not that we love him any less for it... He just tries his best to exhaust us.

On the one hand, it is good to see him going through his life stages, but this is getting out of hand. Hopefully the end is near. To think that this is only a preview of his teenage years is quite sobering.