WOW! I can’t believe it is November already. This has been one heck of a year for IZEA. We have seen tremendous growth of our network, two new product launches (Sponsored Tweets and Sponzai) and countless updates to our existing platforms.
In late 2008 we made a decision to realign our business. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone in social media we would focus on our core mission – Being the World Leader in Sponsored Conversations. Throughout 2009 we have discontinued several services that did not align with the core mission. These services were diverting valuable resources from our team and weren’t being properly maintained.
We have two remaining services that will be discontinued before the end of the year. The first is URLBrief, a URL redirection service. This platform is being handed over to the good folks at 301 Works. The links will continue to work but you will no longer be able to create new links. The second is CloudShout, a widget platform and communication service. CloudShout was never opened to the general public and remained in private Alpha. In the end it proved too resource intensive with an unclear monetization model.
While I am sad to see these initiatives discontinued I am happy about our ongoing commitment to innovation. We will continue to roll out new solutions and feature enhancements, we will just do so with our mission in mind at all times.
A few other changes will occur in the coming weeks. SocialSpark and PayPerPost v4 will be enhanced with additional disclosure education and requirements. IZEA University will launch with a full set of courses for our customers that cover everything from the FTC guidelines to how to build traffic. The original PayPerPost will get a new name and be transformed into a text link advertising platform.
All in all 2009 has been good to us and I am really looking forward to 2010. I want our customers for your conintued support, feedback and inspiration. You all are the reason I love my job.
