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Sponsored Tweets, an Izea brand to help Twitter users make a little cash while tweeting posts has tweaked their suggested prices. For those who have been in Sponsored Tweets from the beginning, may have seen a big change.

This could be based on what advertisers are willing to spend, how much clicking is actually done on links tweeted out there in Twitterville, and trying to find some way for Izea to make money too.

However, for those who have been in the game for awhile, getting paid to tweet has not really been on the up and up with bloggers and social networking enthusiasts. In fact, based on seeing two and four cent CPC opportunities pop up like crazy, and a lack on actual hard core offers, it makes me think that:

1, The advertisers were not happy with their results despite the fact their tweet may have been seen by thousands, but only clicked about a dozen times (they do run that risk)

2, Izea is not making money and needs to set prices for recession (listed a bit cheekily)

3, More advertisers are investing in the cheap CPC (even as little as $50, and splitting it to the two and four cent opportunities I mentioned) to pay for Tweets.

I get paid more from Adbrite, Text Ad Links, and Google Adsense per click than I get for a Tweet! Kind of said.

Here is a screenshot of the list of tweets in my dashboard for the CPC program. (Note: I would not even touch these or the ones I clicked to hide.)

When Sponsored Tweets began, the suggested price feature was something new for them to try out and hopefully try to follow on how much a Twitter user’s tweet is actually worth. For the most part, the price would fluctuate very little and seemed fair, maybe even a little more fair than Be A Magpie and TwtMob (other Paid to Tweet competitors.) With this tweak, some of those prices have fallen, even for celebrities. Mine has fallen too!

I still think this tweak needs extra looking in, as most of the opportunities there I cannot take because they are ridiculous, and somehow even after putting my exact interests, I am getting bad opportunities. Even some of my colleagues with a follower count and similar Klout score are not getting what they use to.

I ask – What gives Sponsored Tweets?

Do you use Sponsored Tweets? How has it worked for you? If you have used Sponsored Tweets for quite some time, what are your suggested to improve the service? Your complaints about it?

It has been a few years since Twitter first started, and in 2011, nearly half a decade after Twitter started, finally some numbers are coming into play on who is moving and shaking on Twitter. It was even exciting to see some of the bloggers that Yahoo!

Of course, this was a research put together by several people from Yahoo and Cornell University. Here is a link to the actual PDF of the study.

Of course, celebrities made a huge impacts of the 50% of the 20K elite that the research came up with, but they also covered other categories too. The information was taken from Twitter lists and some of the top info shared was based on how much was tweeted in different categories. One of them was on blogging topics.

I was really happy to see a lot of my colleagues on this list and will list them here as well.

• BoingBoing
• FamousBloggers
• problogger
• mashable
• Chrisbrogan
• virtuosoblogger
• Gizmodo
• Ileane
• dragonblogger
• bbrian017
• hishaman
• copyblogger
• engadget
• danielscocco
• BlazingMinds
• bloggersblog
• TycoonBlogger
• shoemoney
• wchingya
• extremejohn
• GrowMap
• kikolani
• smartbloggerz
• Element321
• brandonacox
• remarkablogger
• jsinkeywest
• seosmarty
• NotAProBlog
• kbloemendaal
• JimiJones
• ditesco

Congrats to these bloggers who have shown how engaging works. If you are still not getting how engaging with your followers work, even if you are a business that blogs or does not blog, you should follow the people above, join in the conversation, examine what they are doing, and start engaging based on what you have learned from them.

If you follow any of the above, why? Have you stepped up your game this year to be the next top engager in your niche on Twitter?

#SharingSundays has been going really well and it is all from your participation. For those who are first time readers or just heard about #SharingSundays for the first time, it is an event held every Sunday on the Facebook fan page of Nile Flores. You only have to post the most recent blog post you have published.

Please enjoy the #SharingSundays Roundup Recap – 2011 Volume 7:

• Ten Guaranteed Ways To Provide Value Based Content When You Just Don’t Feel Creative by Dani Nir-McGrath
• CommentLuv Secrets Leaked by Ileane Smith
• Shape Up With Shadow by JT Clough
• Dog Training and Dog Sports by JT Clough
• 3 Ways to Deal with Negative Comments by Mani Viswanathan
• How To Create A Facebook Iframe by Valerie Cuell
• How To Find Your First Facebook Wall Post With Date and Time by Sumanth Kumar
• How To Tag Your Friends in Facebook Comments by Sumanth Kumar
• Common Ecommerce SEO Concerns of Firm Websites by Navjot Singh
• Comparison – Micromax A60 Vs HTC Wildfire [Review & Detailed Comparison] by Rajan Balana

After some thought and after enjoying how much #FanPageFriday was a really useful tool, I decided to open the event to my Facebook fan page.

I adopted #FanPageFriday from my friend Kimberly Castleberry. On her own fan page, she requires her users to share the link of a fan page you like, and then you can share your own fan page link. While I highly encourage it on my own page, sharing your link is at least acceptable.

I will be putting together a recap after each Friday so those of you who visit Blondish.net can see all the great pages that were shared. In the case that you do visit and like, leave a note saying Hi.

• Amy L Harden
• Beverly Monical: “The Video And Online Marketing Mentor”
• Diamond in the Rough Radio talk Show
• Green Web Hosting
• Brandie Sievers | Home Business, Leadership Development & Success
• vADz
• Logo74
• Fitness Fashionista-Jona Stoute
• Amazing Animation
• DogTread
• Harrington Court Apartments London

#FanPageFriday is every Friday and located on the Facebook Fan Page of Nile Flores. As extra social networking goodness, please visit Kimberly Castlberry’s Facebook fan page to participate in her #FanPageFriday even and get extra exposure.

In the case you need a reminder for the even, please send me a note on Facebook at my personal FB profile. If you need to send a friend request, make sure to put a note with the request that says #FanPageFriday.

You heard it! I am holding a guest blogging contest. Because this is my first, the prize for the winner would be $100. I know there are some contests out there that are giving a lot, but my site is not here to bring in hundreds of articles that lack quality and I think $100 is a good start for a site that is not technically a “community” type site.

So, without further ado, here is the information about this contest.

When

March 10th, 2011 through April 15th, 2011
(winner would be announced April 25th, 2011)

Where

Here at Blondish.net

Who can participate?

Anyone who has a Paypal account, above 18 years old, and can deliver quality articles in English. I do not send checks, money orders, or other methods of payment, so please make sure you are in a country that allows paypal.

How it Works?

1. This guest blogger contest challenges you to bring your best in a minimum of 300 words. Subject can include:

• SEO
• Web design (even a tutorial… no video tutorials!!!)
• Graphic Design
• Blogging Tips (please make sure it has not already been covered on Blondish.net already.)
• Be a column on your opinion of Internet services for webmasters or social network users
• Social Media
• MMO (Make Money Online) articles

If you are not sure if it fits, please feel free to ask. Please note that you can only submit 1 article for the contest.

2. While I do proof guest articles, and I know not everyone is perfect… I do expect you to make sure your grammar is fairly decent.

3. No plagiarizing. I do check.

4. You are expected to come back and reply to anyone who comments.

5. While I encourage you to promote your article on Twitter and Facebook, or any other place, please note that only people who have tweeted or shared your article will only count in the final tally.

6. Your article MUST be of good quality. Articles that obviously look to not

7. It MUST be your own article.

8. No affiliate links, sneaking in a link to another site you work for, or bylines. Fill out your profile in the WordPress backend and do your linking there.

9. As a side note to filling out your profile, you MUST have a gravatar (globally recognized avatar) – sign up for free and load up your own gravatar. Make sure to use the same email address you used when signing up for an author account here at Blondish.net

10. You do have to sign up for an author account here at Blondish.net.

The process of choosing a winner will be determined on number of comments received, Facebook shares, and Twitter tweets/ retweets. A bonus 10 points would go out to authors who have signed up for my weekly newsletter (can be found in my sidebar on the right.) I have already asked Kimberly Castleberry to be a judge to make sure the tallies are fair.

Please spread the news! Happy Blogging!

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Certainly I was a bit baffled at first when I learned that people are paying for testimonials on Fiverr (just look up the search for the word testimonial at Fiverr) and even freelancer sites.

It might be a quick buck and definitely a boost to any business needing to build their reputation in a jiffy, but is this really an ethical practice? Normally testimonials are suppose to be something given by already established clients who have tried a business’s product or service. It is done with honesty, and may not always be positive.

Now I am sure that there are places out there that have made up some testimonials. That is an old frowned upon practice. If a business is paying for testimonials, is it any different?

Some of the services offered on sites like Fiverr are to put together a video testimonial. Now, after having seen a few sites use video testimonials, I was able to easily point out which were fake testimonials and which were surprisingly good at fooling me that the customer feedback was real.

Some of the things I noticed in fake video testimonials were:

• Very vague on service offered.
• Did not seem to be sure on what they were filming a testimonial for.
• Very short film – under 1 minute.

Ones that were very convincing were longer than a minute and detailed enough that clued me in that they may have really been a customer.

I am not going to write an article on how to make a video testimonial, let alone a written one, sound convincing. I do not support such a practice. I can barely stomach some of the opportunities out there to leave fake comments on blogs for money.

However, I came across this and thought I would share it with my readers and let you decide for yourselves if you think it is wrong and how you would view businesses that paid for testimonials. Would you do business with them?

If you have a business and asked for video testimonials in particular, would you pay for them? Or would you ask for volunteered testimonials?

There was a bit of delay on the previous roundup recap. While I was ill during the last half of January and first half of February, I had to deal with my son also getting sick and others.

During this time, I decided to change up slightly how to title my #SharingSundays Roundup Recap posts. Instead of the date, it will be by year and volume number. I think this will be easier because I may have a week here or there that I might not have time to do #SharingSundays.

Anyhow, I am sure it is no biggie. Without further ado, here is the roundup recap.

• Top 9 Apps to Add to Your Facebook Fan Page by Danielle Renee’ Stewart
• 6 Time Management Tips For Mompreneurs by Amberly Mauszycki
• Is falling in Love once-a-lifetime feeling? by Sandeep Shantharam
• Niche Market Websites: Gateway or Authority? by Rick LaPoint
• The Power of Facebook Groups by Kim Jensen
• What’s your online reputation worth? by Catarina Alexon
• Mom Blogger Baiscs: Creating Dynamic Post with Zemanta by Danielle Renee’ Stewart
• 
  Intense Websites’ Blog: .CO Domain Sale for $11.95 has been Extended until Feb. 19th by Derek Moore
• 6 Universal Principles Of Social Influence by Janet Callaway
• Small Business Internet Marketing » Would Your Customer be Your Valentine? by Julie Sahud Weishaar
• What is Valentine’s Day Really About? by Keyuri Joshi
• Are You Struggling With Writing Your Next Blog Post? by Sherryl Perry
• 45 Of The Best Social Media Icons for Designers and Bloggers by PixlD Inc
• Reiki by Rhonda Kuykendall-Jabari
• LAUGH at YOURSELF OFTEN by Nancy Shields
• Have You Stepped Up As A Leader? by Dani Nir-McGrath
• Visualize Your Compelling Desire by Val Wilcox
• How Can Clearing Out The Clutter Help You In Your Home Business? by Forever Courageous Woman
• Free Facebook for Business Training – The Latest Fan Page Changes! by Kimberly Castleberry
• How to Grow an attitude of Gratitude by Bronwyn Clee
• Bassinets Recalled by Burlington Basket Company Due to Fall Hazard by Tupper Lorrie
• How Facebook Stays On Top by Ileane Smith
• 5 Ways to Make Money as an Affiliate Marketer by Navjot Singh
• 20 Cute Baby Photography That Can Change Your Mood by Kevin Subba
• The First Nokia Windows Phone Concept Leaked by Amit Kadam
• Create Custom Message Alerts In Google Analytics by Suresh Peters
• 5 Reasons for Redesigning your Blog by Mani Viswanathan
• Skinny Dreaming: Healthy Cooking With Kids by Rebecca Fyfe
• 
  Princess Parade: Feminine & Strong by Rebecca Fyfe

Wow! That was a lot! Thank you to everyone who participated. There were a couple that the links given either did not work or the site was very spammy. I do check links!!!

Please remember that #SharingSundays is every Sunday at the Facebook fan page of Nile Flores. You only have to take a moment to share your most recent blog posts. As a side note, if you need a to be reminded, I try to put out a weekly Facebook Event reminder for #SharingSundays. If you want to participate and need a reminder, please send me a friend request (my Facebook profile is blondishnet) and PLEASE put a note with it that you need a #SharingSundays reminder.

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Why am I even surprised? I got an email from Yahoo! saying that they were discontinuing MyBlogLog. After all the other services they have killed or merged, I am not going to be surprised if Yahoo! Pulse will eventually meet a similar fate. You would think after a company such as Yahoo! having brought us Yahoo! Chat, Yahoo! Clubs (now Yahoo! Groups- from their merging Yahoo! Clubs with eGroups), Yahoo! Geocities, and more, they would have found the perfect tool to try to stay up above Twitter and Facebook.

BUT – that is not the case.

Here is the letter I received. I am sure many of you have also received it:

Dear MyBlogLog Customer,

You have been identified as a customer of Yahoo! MyBlogLog. We will officially discontinue Yahoo! MyBlogLog effective May 24, 2011. Your agreement with Yahoo!, to the extent that it applies to the Yahoo! MyBlogLog, will terminate on May 24, 2011.

After May 24, 2011 your credit card will no longer be charged for premium services on MyBlogLog. We will refund you the unused portion of your subscription, if any. The refund will appear as a credit via the billing method we have on file for you. To make sure that your billing information is correct and up to date, visit https://billing.yahoo.com.

Questions?
If you have questions about these changes, please visit the Yahoo! MyBlogLog help pages.

We thank you for being a customer on Yahoo! MyBlogLog.

Sincerely,

The Yahoo! My BlogLog Team

On the MyBlogLog Site, they have an important notice up:

MyBlogLog will no longer be in service from 24 May 2011. We recommend Yahoo! Pulse as a service for you to see all your social updates from your favorite networks in one place.

With Yahoo! Pulse, you can create your own identity on Yahoo! and you can easily connect and engage with the people, content, and applications that matter to you, wherever you are on Yahoo!.
If you have questions about these changes, please visit the Yahoo! MyBlogLog help pages.

Thank you for being part of MyBlogLog.

While I admit I was not a hardcore user or even much of a MyBlogLog user, for those who still love Yahoo! services, it had its uses. I could plug in my RSS feed from my blog, and in case anyone wanted to send questions through the MyBlogLog service, the door was open. I also could list my other social network handles so others could connect with me at their favorite places to hang out online.

My issue is that Yahoo! never takes the time to actually keep a good thing going. It is parted out and put into another failure. And then the cycle continues.

Did you use MyBlogLog? What are your thoughts on this? What could they have done to make MyBlogLog better, rather than discontinue the service?