There’s still a full week for you to contribute your winning tip and vote for the one you liked best – remember, every 2 weeks five lucky winners will take home valuable Amazon gift certificates, including the $75 first place prize!

So far, the answers submitted by our publishers were so good, we thought we’d share some of the advice we’ve been receiving up until now for creating a successful blog:

1. Develop a sense of community – Kendall Mesker points out that people are more likely to tell their friends about your site if they’re personally invested in it. Ask users for their opinions and always make sure they feel as though their input counts. One trick Kendall uses is he always ends his posts with a question – as a way to generate comments and make a site more sticky.
   
   
2. Stir the pot a little – Tony Greene has found that by cutting against the grain and by trying to be a bit controversial, he’s captured the attention of his frequent visitors.  Bringing opposing viewpoints is another effective way to generate comments and increase your readers’ involvement, but just make sure you’re being constructive and not just saying things for their “shock value”, as your genuine opinions are the key to keeping them coming back.
   
   
3. Promote through Social Media – Several publishers, such as Arafat Tehsin and Niki Deli championed the importance of social media in growing your site.  They suggest marketing your blog by submitting your content to social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Digg or StumbleUpon.  Showing off your site on social networking is a great way to raise your site’s profile among your existing contacts and expose an entirely new audience to what you’re doing. Arafat makes another great networking point, which is make sure to comment on other people’s blogs. Showing an interest in others is a reliable way to get them to show an interest in you.
   
   
4. Create a SEO game plan – Several publishers such as JR Lang and Ajay Singh stressed the need to actively do SEO. Make sure you know the basics, how to submit your site to search engines, how to pick your keywords, the importance of your “about” page, backlinks, CommentLuv, etc. Quality content is what will keep your visitors, but if your site isn’t optimized for search engines, your audience won’t get a chance to form that first opinion.
   
   
5. Write about topics that inspire you – As Jeremy Huggins explained, if your blog is about things you are not passionate about, people will see right through it. Avoid the temptation to write about the latest hot topic and focus on niches in which you have the most to share. Unique information or a distinct point of view is what will distinguish you from other sites and keep your readers coming back for more.

Find these tips helpful? Visit our Facebook page to see additional tips by Kontera publishers, and vote for your favorite tip by “Liking” the comment. And while you’re at it, add your own answer.

Remember to act quickly – new questions are going to be put to the vote of our publishers on September 15^th- so you’ve got one more week to take part in the first round of Kontera Show&Tell-Showoff-Showdown!

To gauge the real opportunity that the projected 2011 growth in ad dollars holds for the Kontera network, the important information to note is that, according to BA, the big driver behind this growth is targeted Display advertising – expected to grow almost 60% in 2011.

The last bit of information you should be aware of, is that the 2011 growth in targeted Display ads will happen alongside a continued 14% decrease in the familiar run-of-site Display ads – namely banners - which will continue to lose spending, as this early online ad format has been out-performed by new solutions.

Kontera In-Text Advertising solutions are one of the main technologies fueling the latest developments in the online advertising world. Kontera is uniquely positioned to benefit from the trends we’re already seeing, with our key offering going hand-in-hand with Advertisers’ online media preferences and end-users consumption patterns:

1. High Relevance Placement: Majority of web users experience “banner blindness”. Their attention is focused on the content of the page they are reading, ignoring its surroundings. According to comScore, consumers are exposed to 1,775 online ads each month, with banners getting as low as 0.1% CTR.
   
   Unlike Banners or other ad formats that feature the brand’s message in the margins, Kontera In-Text ads put the advertiser’s message in the Center of Attention and the Center of Interest of the users interacting with the webpage. Furthermore, the ad only appears when the user actively triggers it.
   
   

   

   Unlike traditional banner ads, where the advertiser has no idea if consumers actually looked at the banner or not, Kontera In-text ads provide meaningful views by engaged consumers that advertisers can actually quantify.

2. Fusing the Science of Search with the Art of Display: Kontera In-Text advertising is, in a sense, the next phase in the evolution of the digital ad offering. In the online media mix you have Search marketing and Display ads, such as banners and rich-media.
   In-Text advertising is offers the best of both worlds – fusing both the relevancy and user-intent of Search and taking them to the next level, alongside the branding potential of Display ads.
   
   
3. Topical Targeting Ensures Relevance and Far Greater Reach: Kontera’s exclusive Topical Targeting capabilities help advertisers reach relevant, qualified and engaged audience – at scale! The beauty of semantic Topical Targeting is that the advertiser is not limited to target only in endemic content, but the Kontera In-Text technology will ensure relevance, even in site content that is non-endemic.
   
   This allows Kontera to deliver far greater reach and relevance for the advertiser, within a brand safe environment, and ensuring the right ad is served along with the right content at the right point in time. Publishers enjoy premium ads displayed on their websites, within relevant content pages, and end-user receive a highly targeted advertising message that echoes their interests.

So… the bottom line:
Targeted Display Advertising – that’s relevant to end-users and performs for advertisers – check!

With an In-Text advertising technology that delivers results, and with the continued growth in online advertising budgets, specifically for new – and accountable – targeted Display ad formats, the next months are going to be record-breaking for Kontera’s advertisers and publishers partners worldwide!

We’re giving our Publishers a forum to show off that swagger on the wall of our Facebook page, where twice a month you can win a $75 gift certificate and other cool prizes!

Here’s how it works:

• Every other week we’re going to ask you two questions on Kontera’s Facebook wall.
  1. One question that’s industry related- about the world of blogging, Kontera, and web monetization.
  2. The other question will tackle an even more serious topic: YOU. We want to learn a little more about your interests, like what’s your favorite scary movie or what horribly annoying pop song is currently infecting your head .
• You can leave your answers as a comment on our Facebook wall – and put it to the vote of the Kontera Fans.
• The publisher whose comment receives the most “Likes” from their fellow Publishers and Facebook friends will be awarded the first place prize of a $75 Amazon Gift Certificate.
• Additionally, two runner-ups will get a $50 gift certificate each, and the next two runner-ups will receive a $25 voucher each.

So basically, every couple of weeks five happy winners will enjoy some online spending money – just for sharing their opinion! It’s fun, it’s easy, and best of all… it’s virtually impossible to give a wrong answer.

So what are you waiting for..
Find out this week’s questions – Start now »

* While all comments are welcome, and everyone can vote for the best answer (by “Liking” the comment), only current Kontera Publishers are eligible for the prizes. If the winner with the most “Like”s is not a current publisher in good standing with Kontera, the winning will be passed on to the next runner up.

Kontera’s Summer Blowout promotion has gotten such an enthusiastic response from our affiliates, that we’ve decided to extend the promotion through the month of September. The terms remain exactly the same, except for the new end date:

• Kontera affiliates will earn a $25 bonus, for every publisher they refer to Kontera by September 30^th , that generates at least 25,000 U.S. page views during their first 30 days on the network.
• That’s on top of your usual  10% monthly Affiliate commission.

Simply keep on referring those quality publisher to sign up to Kontera using your dedicated Affiliate URL. Eligible Affiliates get the bonus automatically added to their account.

And now you have an extra full month to earn some more spending money!

You can learn more about the Kontera Affiliate Summer Promotion.
If you’re not yet an affiliate, you can apply to become one.

Many of the NFL keywords generating ad clicks so far have been related to Fantasy Football, such as NFL Fantasy, Fantasy Football, and NFL draft 2010. Also extremely effective has been the video game Madden NFL and the term Monday Night Football, referring to the number one rated cable franchise.

Among players and coaches, the names triggering the most ad clicks, corresponds pretty directly to the headlines of on ESPN. Brett Favre, with his Hamleteque indecision over whether or not to retire has been the most clicked keyword player, followed by suspended Ben Roethlisberger, holdout Darrelle Revis, nose tackle Albert Haynesworth, and Peyton Manning.

Mike Shanahan of the retooled Washington Redskins generated the most In-Text ad clicks among coaches, followed by the divisive Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, and Dallas coach Wade Phillips.

Looking at the numbers,  there’s no question that football is more popular than ever this year, with Footbal related content is a sure touchdown for our publishers!

As the NFL will be taking up the next five months of our collective lives, NFL phrases are projected to remain among the Kontera network’s top performing keywords, benefitting relevant publishers and delivering insatiable football fans even more of their favorite sport.

Earlier this month in Los Angeles, Kontera participated in the annual ThinkLA! Interactive Golf Romp. In true LA fashion the Interactive Golf Romp is more about socializing with friends, colleagues and associates, and less about golf.

This year the Interactive Golf Romp was held at the Executive Course of the Manhattan Beach Marriot. Eighteen foursomes enjoyed a 4pm shotgun start and embarked on 9 holes of the worst golf ever played.

At the Kontera sponsored 4^th hole, golfers were treated to fabulous Kontera swag like water bottles and the extremely popular bottle openers.

Our fearless server Manny kept the party lively by drenching each and every golfer with mass quantities of Bud and Bud Light.

The Interactive Golf Romp concluded with a heavily attended mixer where schmoozing was at an all time high. Attended by a wide range on industry types from partners at RPA, to planners at OMD, to brand managers at Sketchers, the Interactive Golf Romp was a great way for Kontera to mix, mingle, and spread the good in-text word in LA.

While we might not have dominated the Golf Links, Kontera still tops the In-Text leaderboard, and a fun afternoon was had by all; conversing with our Ad Agency and Marketing friends about the virtues of In-Text, against the most scenic of backdrops.

That’s why when Kontera teamed up with Ford to build an ad unit to educate consumers about the benefits of the 2011 Ford Super Duty, Kontera’s expert development and design teams created yet another In-Text industry milestone: the first In-Text multi-video ad!

This Expandable ad unit features a video carousel, presenting three 2-3 minute long video clips of the 2011 Super Duty in action.  End users interacting with the ad choose the video they wish to see, which is being played maximized to the full size of the expanded ad unit.

The innovative ad unit also offered a 15 second teaser video displayed before the ad expands to its full width, and provided multiple calls to action, linking to different Ford landing pages, from “Price & Build” to “Incentives & Offers”, and “Request a Quote”.

Providing a fully immersive, multi-video experience, Kontera has once again expanded the limits of what an In-Text ad can be. Thanks to our exclusive Topical Targeting capabilities, Kontera can predict user intent and match it to advertisers preferences; delivering advertisers a qualified and engaged In-Text audience at scale.

With Kontera superior contextual technology and innovative Ad units, The Ford Super Duty multi-video campaign has proven extremely successful in delivering Brand Awareness lift, Message Recall and a considerable increase in relevant consumers’ Purchase Consideration.

A recent comScore study also found similarly impressive results when measuring the impact of Kontera In-Text ads for other Brand engagement campaigns. In this comprehensive study, Kontera In-Text ads were found to deliver Brand Lift 5X the norm!

To learn more about the impact of Kontera In-Text advertising on key brand measures and on brand-related consumer behaviors, as well as on end-users’  attitudes to In-Text ads- visit our comScore Research Results page.

Everyone had a chance to submit a proposal for a project, and to vote for their favorite partner organization. After some passionate debates, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy was selected as the lucky winner for our first “Kontera Serve” initiative.

On the afternoon of August 11^th, 34 of our San Francisco employees headed to Ocean Beach, the largest urban beach in California, for a clean-up expedition.

The weather forecast proved once again that it’s not an exact science, and just because it’s August, doesn’t mean we should expect it to be warm and sunny (supporting Mark Twain, who once asserted: “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”). Yet, our fearless crew was up for the challenge!

Armed with gloves, jackets, hats, tongs and a contagious positive energy, we thoroughly combed about a mile of the beach – as far as the eye could see, and collected more than 30 bags of trash!

After three hours, we gathered for a well deserved break, accompanied with food and drinks – a great opportunity to hang out with some old friends, and to bond with more recently hired colleagues. We all enjoyed the opportunity to come together as a team, and the rewarding feeling of having accomplished something positive!

Check out the video below to see us in action.

A special congratulation to the winners of our trash collection contest: Cory, MariCate and Brian for the largest amount of trash collected, and Lauren, Aliza and Ammiel for the most unexpected piece of trash found (if you’re wondering: an old Russian VHS tape, of “Fire in the Snow”).

This piece of information ties in to another “fun fact”: Nearly 65 million users ‘Like’ something through Facebook every single day.

Clearly, people like to ‘Like’, and thousands of publishers already reap the benefits – sharing their news and content via the popular social network site.

The reason the ‘Like’ button has been so effective for so many website owners isn’t exactly a secret. With one mouse click, a link to your latest post or article will instantly appear in the News Feed of your friends’ Facebook accounts. It’s a great way to grow traffic and create a buzz around your website: For every additional person that hits the ‘Like’ button on one of your website pages (including yourself ); an exponential amount of their friends will see what you’ve been raving about.

With over 500 million active users each month (and counting!), and with each user having, on average, 130 friends – there’s a vast audience for the right content to go viral.

As a publisher, you’re naturally interested in increasing your website traffic. If you haven’t already done so, you might want to consider adding the ‘Like’ functionality to your website or blog. If you’d like to get the Facebook ‘Like’ plugin for Wordpress, you can do so here, or for Blogger here. And if you’d like to learn more about implementation in general, here’s the Facebook Like Button Page.

Also, don’t forget to ‘Like’ this post. As you can see below, Kontera most definitely practices what it preaches

Another popular tool you could use to maximize Kontera results on your website sits comfortably right in your Publisher Center. Yes, we’re talking about the Keyword Report and URL Report found under the “Reports” tab in your Admin console. When was the last time you used them?

With these two reports you can gain more granular visibility and better insight into how your content is performing with Kontera In-Text ads.

• The Keyword Report displays the top keyword phrases that our In-Text Engine selected to highlight on your pages – and the percentage of clicks that these keywords received.
• The URL Report shows which pages from within your site are generating the most clicks.

By examining these two reports, you can figure out which topics of interest and keywords are working best for you on the Kontera network. Best of all, this high-performing content is around topics that:

1. You already enjoy writing about
2. Your readers already enjoy reading, and interacting with the In-Text ads displayed within this content.

You can use this insight to decide which topics to expand on in the future – balancing content guidelines and end-users preferences with site monetization.

The Key is Balance. So Don’t Forget:

1. Our algorithm is always evolving- “learning” your content, and highlighting new keyword phrases to match your users’ intent with the current ad inventory and advertisers preferences. So don’t get too “stuck up” on a certain topic or overuse a certain keyword. We wouldn’t want to bore your readers…
2. And Keep Writing, Writing, Writing… In a time when the internet can deliver every bell and whistle imaginable, there’s still nothing more important than providing quality content.  That’s the only way to attract new visitors and retain them.

Search engines put a high premium on sites that can consistently deliver new content, making it essential for Publishers who want to be successful to constantly update their sites. Additionally, Kontera In-Text technology requires Content-rich sites for us to analyze and display ads on. So the more pages you have with quality text, the more places you’ll have Kontera ads on – so that your revenue grows as you become a more prolific writer!