A Funny Little Detail Programmers Overlook

1 = singular form

Possibility of Googlers Reranking and Commenting on Google Results

Google may let users have more control on google search results?

Yahoo Mail Sucked Big Time

Yesterday, Yahoo mail really sucked big time! At least for me… and I’m wondering what went wrong? I have been using yahoo mail since time immemorial and I haven’t had so much trouble with it for a long time. I encountered those few short downtime or maybe the internet is just so slow and my page timed out while logging in. Anyhow, yesterday was different! I have two yahoo accounts, one is a .ca and the  other .com. I first logged in into the .ca inbox and everything went smooth. I decided to  check the other inbox so I logged out of the .ca to switch to the .com account and still no problem, I was able to log in. Here goes the problem, when I clicked on the INBOX button… instead of my .com inbox showing up, yahoo mail showed me the .ca account! Weird! I did the whole thing over and over again and sometimes switching to one inbox to another (I logged out before switching of course) worked and most of the time it did not. Most of the time Yahoo mail showed me the wrong INBOX. This is something yahoo must act upon. Cookies and session problem perhaps? Should I completely switch to gmail?

Google Not so Great Anymore?

Is google getting uncool these days?

Members Only Shopping, Luxury Brands, Exclusive Items and More

Have you heard of Gilt.com or Ideeli.com? These are red rope online shopping stores which offer luxury brands and exclusive items for member shoppers. You can be a member through invitation ONLY! Buy items for as low as 75% off, amazing eh? Usally, there are limited stocks of the items and they are sold for a limited time only so there’s that rush in buying. For those who love bags and accessories, Ideeli.com is just for you. Prada, Fendi, Dior, Gabana, Gucci, Lancel, Moschino, Yves Saint Laurent, Felix Rey, Lamarthe, Christian Lacroix… and so much more! You name it, they have it! When you get a pass and join, you’ll be a second-row member but you can upgrade your membership to first-row if you want to get more privileges to great buys.

I am a member of both so if you are interested, leave a comment or something and then I’ll invite you =)

Spa for Kids?

It’s a “Girl thing” literally! Nowadays, it’s not the ladies alone who get special pampering and treatment in spas. Girls as young as 6 can now enjoy the manicure and massage that we grown-ups crave for. Whoa! Is that too  much or considered spoiling the kids? I’m not really sure because I’m not a mum myself but I think it’s a good way to have those mother-and-daughter bonding sessions or maybe big-sister-kid-siter bonding moments. Some spas which offer this service…

1. Lil Angels Kids Spa (www.kidsspa.com)
2. Spahht at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa in  San Antonio Texas
3. Phantom Horse Spa in Phoenix Arizona
   

How to take a Breather at Work

Most of us don’t even take those well-deserved quick breaks at work to finish up everything before the clock hits 5. Working like this will surely build up and that’s why most of us suffer from overfatigue or stress which will only make us unproductive in the long term. It’s okay to take a breather. Here are some things you can do…

1. Get your  eyes off your computer and focus your eyes on something cold to the eye. If your desk is somewhere located near the window lucky you. Look at the trees or passersby. Observe and let the negative energy flow out your body and mind.

2. Stretch out your limbs, gently massage your neck or just close your eyes for eyes for a minute. (Don’t sleep!)

3. Get a cup of tea? Try to relax a bit

4. Think of something happy like a happy moment.

5. I do this at times but this is not applicable to everyone. Try playing some light games on the internet just to  relax your mind. A little bit of fun is not a crime =) (try www.orisinal.com) or watch a short funny video.

Those are just tips and some things I can recommend to some but you can think about other stuff which fit you. Doing these things is not the same as slacking off. They are meant to make your mind and body a little bit healthier and more productive at work.

Filipinos Love These Stuff

Pinoy stuff! Pinoy Favorites! There is one facebook app which tells “How Pinoy Are You” and it’s kind of fun actually so here’s a list I came about full of common Filipino favorites (in random).

1. Adobo – whether it’s Pork or Chicken adobo or a mix, this is a definite winner on the Filipino table

2. Sisig – a bucket of beer is not complete without this Filipino delicacy

3. Soap opera – prime time bida!

4. Jollibee – best fast food in town, mascott is really cute

5. Friendster – who doesn’t have a Friendster account? my mum doesn’t have one by my 7-year-old cousin has

uhmm.. that’s a short list and anyone who stumbles upon this post can add to it =)

Affiliate Networking Basics for the newbies

I should have written this before I got to write my first two affiliate networking articles, so let’s talk about the basics of affiliate networking and hopefully somebody will learn a thing or two from this post.

What is Affiliate Marketing? (according to Commission Junction)

Affiliate marketing is an online advertising channel in which advertisers (online merchants that sell products or services) pay publishers (independent parties that promote the products or services of an advertiser on their Web site) only for results, such as a visitor making a purchase or filling out a form, rather than paying simply to reach a particular audience. This “pay-for-performance” model is in essence the modern version of the “finders’-fee” model, where individuals who introduce new clients to a business are compensated. The difference in the case of affiliate marketing is that advertisers only pay their publishers when the new client introduction results in a sale or a lead, making it a low-risk, high-reward environment for both parties.

The Major Players

Advertiser/Merchant – vendors who submit their campaigns or offers to the affiliate network for placement by the publishers

Affiliate Network – middle man. This is the network which houses all the campaigns with advertisers and publishers alike. They will provide the loads of campaigns to the publishers and the tracking and reporting tools for the advertisers. They usually get a cut in the process, of course. One of the most successful would be Commission Junction!

Publishers/Affiliate – could be any type of website or the owner of the website who places the ads from an advertiser (available thru the affiliate network) and receives a commission for every click or lead generated

How it Works, Tracking and All

Some of you might be wondering how the affiliate networks track leads or sales? This is usually done throught cookie tracking. Through this method, when a visitor to a publisher’s website clicks on an offer/ad, there is a tracking mechanism (a tracking code in the ad link) which places a cookie in the visitor’s computer. Clicking a pay-per-lead ad will usually bring the user to a registration form. If the user decides to sign up and completes the registration process of the offer, he/she will reach the confirmation or thank you page. The thank you page contains the tracking pixel (invisible code) which will match the information saved in the cookie (publisher id, offer id, etc). When a match is made, the click is converted to a lead.

Campaign/Offer/Ad/Publisher/Affiliate link – This usually comes as codes (html or javascript) that publishers/affiliates place on their websites in the hope that some visitors will click on the ad and convert to a lead.

Tracking Pixel – this is usually an invisible 1×1 img pixel placed on the confirmation page of the of the offer registration

A Few Abbreviations

PPC – pay per click

PPL – pay per lead

CPA – cost per acquisition (example is www.cpadna.com)

Where can I buy a Clearasil soap in Manila?

This is pretty silly but I’m frustrated by not finding a single Clearasil soap or even the facial wash after going through countless SM malls, Mercury drug stores, and Watson shops in Ortigas, Makati, and wherever I go to shop. The last time I got a hold of that Clearasil soap was like 5 months ago and I really love that product what the heck! Now, I think I’m going to resort to googling it up and maybe buy online just to get a hold of one, sighs* The closes I was able to find was Clearasil’s facial cleanser which isn’t exactly what I want. If anybody knows which store I could go to… to buy loads of Clearasil soap, please do tell. =)