Attention Developers!

Are you a developer with a cool Twitter -related idea or existing solution? If so you could win yourself a cool $5000 cash and a $2500 Sponsored Tweets promotional credit by participating in our Sponsored Tweets Holiday API Challenge.

This challenge is an open invitation for developers to integrate the API into new or existing Twitter-focused platforms. The contest is open to developers anywhere in the world. The winner of the Sponsored Tweets Holiday API Challenge will be the developer who delivers best solution based on these criteria:

1. Creativity
2. User adoption potential (or actual)
3. Revenue generation potential (or actual)

To enter your solution go here.

Thanks to Carri for taking over “Cheeky Tweets” duty while I’ve been traveling the past couple of weeks. I’m back and have collected some entertaining Tweets over the past week - enjoy!

(NOTE: There will be no “Cheeky Tweets” next week due to the Thanksgiving holidays.)

A few days ago I noticed a Tweet from Insider Corrin, announcing she’s officially earned $15,000 through our sponsored conversation platforms. This is such an awesome achievement we had to share it with everyone.

(IZEA Twitter Profile)

As an IZEA Insider Corrin is obviously a blogger who understands the value of a well-rounded social media influence, and we thought she’d have some great insight and advice to offer-up to other members of our Community.

A Quick Overview
I live on the outskirts of Chicago with two weiners – my husband and my dachshund. I work on food marketing, which means cookbooks, recipe testing, and 50 extra pounds. Everything that happens in my life is fair game for public consumption.

When did you start blogging, and why?
I started blogging back in 2002 on Xanga. It was the cool thing to do. I’ve since moved on to bigger and better things. Like you know paying $10 for my own domain name.

How do you think you reached the mark of earning $15,000?
Hard work and perseverance. No? A smart mouth and a sense of humor? That’s better.

Serious answer? I’ve grown along with IZEA. I started paid blogging at the right time and with the right company and have benefitted from IZEA being the leader in so many aspects of blogging – from owning my own domain to being transparent with sponsorships and incorporating a disclosure policy into all of my sites.

All my blogging “success” has happened with–and because of–IZEA.

How did you first learn about IZEA (then PayPerPost), and why sign-up?
I first read about PPP on Will Femia’s MSNBC blog, Clicked (http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com). At the time, I was a recent MBA graduate working as a temp in Indianapolis and the prospect of writing a blog post for $2.50 was mind boggling. I could pay for lunch by writing 100 words?! Sign. Me. Up.

I submitted my first post on July 12, 2006 and haven’t looked back since!

What is one of your most valuable assets, with regard to appealing to an Advertiser?
I has the good english skillz.

Okay, okay. I’ll toot my own horn. If I must.

I make an effort to go above and beyond the minimum requirements for an opportunity. I promote my posts on Facebook and Twitter. I include photos and personal stories. I have fun and write the same way I talk (that’s one of the biggest blogging compliments I’ve ever been given, by the way).

What have been some of your favorite Opportunities during your time with IZEA?
I will always love the old-school PPP opps – write PPP somewhere on your body with Sharpie and post a picture, play with fake snow and tell us what you think, pretend to be a Catfish and post the video on Youtube, sniff a smencil – but two of the more recent “goodwill” campaigns have been my favorite.

The Sears “Give a Gift, Grant a Wish” contest last winter was one of my favorites. I got to do a little shopping, help a family, and engage my readers in a great cause.  Here’s my post:

http://corrinrenee.com/dont-just-give-a-gift-grant-a-wish/

I also got to host a Tweet-Up to benefit the Humane Society which was so much fun and provided much needed supplies to my local shelter.  And here’s the post for that Opportunity:

http://corrinrenee.com/tweet-up-for-coffee-tea-and-dog-biscuits/

Have there been any “big” purchases you’ve made with the money you’ve earned through our marketplaces?
I bought my dog, Ollie, with PayPerPost earnings! He’s the original PayPerPost Pup and has since branched out and blogs at www.hotdoginthecity.com. He’s still waiting for an extra long IZEA t-shirt.

Wink.

Why do you enjoy taking part in sponsored conversations?
I like to think of sponsored conversations as conversation starters. The sponsor’s campaign goals provide me with a starting point and I get to run wild with it.

I’ve gotten to promote companies I love, familiarize myself with new companies and introduce them to my readers, and try different products and services before anyone else. Not to mention attend Blissdom, Blogher, Affiliate Summit, and Izeafest thanks to sponsored conversations and individual sponsors.

It sounds completely hokey, but sponsorships, in one form or another, has provided me with so many opportunities and experiences I never would have thought possible.

Are there any bloggers you enjoy following on a regular basis, that you feel has helped improve your skills as a blogger?
I read an embarrassing amount of blogs, but I do have my favorites. I follow them all because I admire them in some way. Whether it’s their photos, prose, wit, sarcasm, or ability to use swear words in ways I never imagined, I have to admire and respect a blogger in order to keep coming back for more.

http://mattbites.com/
http://thebloggess.com/
http://miss-britt.com/
http://wipingupsnot.com/
http://theredneckmommy.com/
http://www.childsplayx2.com/
http://www.avitable.com/
http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com/

And these both kill me to add to the list…

http://thepioneerwoman.com/
http://dooce.com/

I want so much to dislike them both, but I can’t. It’s their damn dogs. I’m a sucker for Charlie, Chuck, and Coco.

If you had one piece of information or advice to other Posties about how to be more successful in our marketplaces, what would it be?

I went through a phase when I took any and all opportunities available to me because OMG money! For blogging! Most of us have and will go through that phase. And it’s unfortunate because it clouds the fact that most of us started blogging because we enjoyed it. Novel idea, eh? Blogging because it’s fun and not an obligation.

So, my advice would be to make a conscious effort to be a discriminating blogger in regards to sponsored posts. Really hone in on your niche and what you’re talented at writing about and what engages your readers. You’ll feel better about your blogging and advertisers will appreciate your discretion.

Please list any and all of your blogs:

www.ohheywhatsup.com
www.brokeasaspoke.com
www.hotdoginthecity.com

We are experiencing some unforeseen issues with Tuesday’s disclosure change deploy that are causing some final payouts to fail in SocialSpark. We are aware of the issue and are actively working to resolve it. In the meantime, you may receive rejection notices asking you to update your post’s disclosure badges or links and resubmit. You may disregard these for now. I will update this post when the issue has been resolved. As long as your posts still exist and contain all of the required elements, they will be paid. Thank you for your patience as we sort out this issue.

Update (11:28 AM): This problem has been resolved and we’ve re-run AutoReject and AutoPayout. If your post is still final rejected, please look at the last rejection notice you received and correct the issue(s) listed. This may require that you copy/paste the disclosure badge over the disclosure badge code you currently have in your post.

If you’re one who pays attention to detail you might’ve noticed a gentleman hanging out on the sidelines at IZEAFest last month, drawing sketches of the event. This is a friend of event host Bob Kodzis, and his name is Thomas Thorspecken (aka, “Analog Artist”). He’s an artist who resides here in the Central Florida area, and his work is amazing. Here are a couple of the sketches from our event at SeaWorld:

(Image copyright Thomas Thorspecken.)

(Image copyright Thomas Thorspecken.)

Pretty cool, huh? So here’s a huge shout-out to Thomas. Thanks for coming to IZEAFest and helping us capture it in an a creative way.

You can check-out his other work on Flickr, read his blog, or Follow him on Twitter. (NOTE: All images are copyrighted but are available for sale.)

Also, if you’re in the Central Florida area and plan on having a huge event, party, or gathering you should consider having Thomas stop by to help create a unique memory!

Today we’re releasing some important changes in SocialSpark, specifically related to how bloggers disclose in their posts. While in-post disclosure has been required since the beginning of SocialSpark, we’re taking it a step further today, requiring both text and image disclosure. It’s just one of the extra steps we’re taking to make sure that our bloggers and advertisers are maintaining the highest standard for transparency and ethics in sponsored posts.

If you’re a SocialSpark blogger, you’ll notice some changes right away on the “Take Opportunity” page for Sponsored Posts after today’s release. Most of the changes are just cosmetic, but there is one very important difference: the section related to disclosure. You’re now provided with two required codes, one being the disclosure badge, and another the new Disclosure Message.

The disclosure message should appear at the beginning of your post, and the disclosure badge should continue to be placed at the end. SocialSpark’s auto-reject script will determine whether your post contains the disclosure message and the disclosure badge, so don’t forget one!

Your old disclosure badges will continue to look and work as they always have. These changes apply only to posts made after today’s SocialSpark release; you won’t have to update your existing posts.

Today’s SocialSpark release will go out around 2:00 PM EST today (Nov 17). There will be a few minutes of downtime as we make a few updates to our database. Stay tuned to our Twitter feed if you want instant updates about the release.

Update (2:21 PM EST): This change is now live. Enjoy!

Ted Murphy Talks to WebProNews About FTC Guidelines

Several months ago Ted responded to an article published by the AP about FTC disclosure requirements. Well he was also recently approached by Abby Johnson of WebProNews for a more detailed conversation about the proposed FTC guidelines. Here is the conversation that took place at BlogWorld Expo:

Several commented on the original post about the disclosure requirements but we’d love to hear more thoughts on these guidelines.

It’s Friday once again!  The end of the work week.  The gateway to the weekend.  And, most importantly, it’s Cheeky Tweets day!!!!

Have a great weekend!

If you have been with our community for awhile you know that we periodically send out green boxes filled with awesome stuff. It could be a T-shirt, a new CD release, a new gadget, who knows!This month we are sending out IZEA turkey hats and Jones Tofurky and Gravy Soda!

Want to improve your chances of getting a box in the future? Here are a few tips.

• Provide your mailing address in SocialSpark.
• Have a quality blog or twitter account.
• Participate in the network on a regular basis.
• If you get a box let us know you got it. We like when you share!

New Information on Twitter Advertising

Just when you thought if you ran ad on Twitter that everyone would unfollow you condemn you forever, a new Performics study says that you will be just fine.

According to the study, more than 3,000 people who use actually Twitter not only don’t mind ads, but 44% are receptive to promotions and offers with 44% (probably not all the exact same people) have recommended a product in a tweet.

According to Performics “The study found that marketers who embrace the medium and communicate relevant messages in consumers’ language and on their terms could gain customers and grow sales.” Full Disclosure:  We had nothing to do this, which does seem to be overwhelming endorsement for the Sponsored Tweets model.

For marketers, it gets even better.  34% who see an ad on a social networking site use a search engine to find more information on a product or service. The study also indicated that “consumers are willing to engage with – and buy from – brands on social networking sites.”

This should really serve as a wake up call for both content creators and marketers that have not embraced Twitter’s true potential. Scott Haiges, President of ROI Research, reinforced what we have always believed when he said “We knew that these sites are extremely popular for socializing, but the level of interest for branding and promotional marketing content is surprisingly large.”

So for everyone sitting on the sidelines, it’s time to jump into the game and give them what they are looking for!