Chris Sukornyk, ongoing...

TweetBucks - Make money on every shortened link

admin — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:08:54 +0000

My new startup, Chango, just launched our first product called TweetBucks.com

Anyone who uses Twitter, probably already leverages URL shortening tools like bit.ly and tinurl.com (who’s url isn’t even that tiny). The whole point is to shrink your links so you can fit more content into your 140 character limit.

TweetBucks layers on top of these shortening services by integrating two money makers. First, we automatically scan any URL you shorten. If you link to any number of thousands of merchants we automatically include an affiliate code. Now if someone clicks your link and makes a purchase you are compensated with a commission of anywhere from 5%-50% depending upon the merchant and product. Second, we allow you to insert an ad-frame around the destination site (like this one: bit.ly/91GSB). You can earn money each time your link is clicked (anywhere from $0.5–>$1 eCPM). Let me know what you think (@sukornyk & @tweet_bucks).

Signup is Free - and we deposit $5 into your account just for signing up!

Startups fill the gap

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:19:37 +0000

It sometimes amazes me how startups form, seemingly out of thin air, to fill unoccupied niches. Twitterimage.com is a perfect example; it is a new graphic design business that specializes in creating custom Twitter backgrounds. Only a few months ago, this would not have been a viable business. Yet as more and more people hack their Twitter backgrounds, an opportunity bubbled up and a new startup was born to fill the gap. They also seem to have a pretty clear focus and strategy to get noticed (free backgrounds to people with 5,000) followers. My Twitter background needs some love, but I’m no where near 5K followers!

Youtube Video Annotations

admin — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 04:05:00 +0000

YouTube recently launched a feature that allows you to embed clickable regions within a video. Unfortunately you are prevented from linking out to external sites and can only link to other Youtube videos or search results. So while the feature might lead to interesting pick-your-plot vidoes it isn’t going to change the world.

The ability to link-out would be a huge benefit for affiliate marketers looking to drive traffic to their campaigns. If external links were allowed you could imagine a great deal of effort would be used to produce viral videos that ultimately are used to sell a product (the soap opera model). Until then, the only way to add links are to use services like LinkedTube which lets you add links to YouTube videos embedded on your site.

Checkout this demo:

How are you watching Obamapalooza?

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:37:43 +0000

I’ll be watching using this slick app by Ustream from my iPhone. I downloaded from the App store in a few minutes and was able to pick a feed. Decent video so far, we’ll see how it handles a million streams or so.

Twitter as the “first responder” breaking news source

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:40:31 +0000

So here’s my first ridiculous attempt at video blogging. I can’t seem to find the time to sit down and craft full fledged blog entries so I figure I’ll give video blogging a stab and see if I can knock out things more frequently. It’s duly noted that I should cut out my use of the word ‘like’ if I want to sound less like a teenage schoolgirl.

Twitter has been taking off for a while but I’ve had a hard time devoting time to the service. Personally I had my aha moment watching live reports from the Hudson river airplane crash. Twitter is what you want it to be and if you don’t want to devote hours a day tweeting with people then don’t. For me, Twitter is a fantastic way to get ‘first responder’ breaking news accounts.

Morten Lund - As humble as it gets

admin — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:28:57 +0000

Saw this great video over at TechCrunch UK. For any would-be entrepreneurs here is a great video by Morten Lund. He outlines how he rose to fame and fortune (Skype) only to loose it all on one big bet. What kills me is how humble and positive he is in light of his current situation. No doubt he will win it all back again.

Finding domains is hard - Bustaname.com makes it easier

admin — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:30:40 +0000

Finding a good trademark-free name is one thing (right David?), finding a good domain is another entirely. Bustaname.com makes the experience slightly more bearable. Use this one-page application by punching in words and it will mash them up and quickly display which combination is available.

Wiggle-Eyes.com - The Regsitration-Free Web App

admin — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:43:44 +0000

My good buddies, Mazdak, Terry & Stephen (Bubbleshare alums) just launched a cool new site called wiggle-eyes.com. The site is an online community for crafters who can upload their crafty ideas. So if you are looking to rug-hook a mean mouse-pad go check it out.

I wanted to point out one brilliant feature I think you are going to see much more of. Rather than force users to register with the service they have leveraged hooks into Facebook, Google, AOL, Windows Live ID and Yahoo. So to join this site you simply enter one of your existing ID’s and you are instantly logged in. For sites that want to on-board users as fast as possible, this is a great way to get them in the door and using your application quickly.

Hiring - Ruby on Rails Developer

admin — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:55:16 +0000

I remember the good old days when it was easy to find a “fringe” developer working with this thing called ROR. Needless to say, it has become quite a challenge to find top notch folks. In any event….I’m launching a new startup and am willing to pay top dollar. If you love Rails or are considering a switch to Rails give me a shout. Get in touch:

Quick thoughts on iPhone 3G

admin — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:50:45 +0000

I’ve just about been totally assimilated to all things Apple. Before you make the switch, some things to consider with the iPhone.

Pro’s
-Calendar & Contact Sync through Mobile Me is dead simple
-Browser - Finally a kick ass browser for your phone you can use
-App Store - Amazing and addictive
-Also an Ipod - Time to throw out my old iPod
Con’s
-At least in Canada the Rogers network is patchy in far-flung places. You need an edge or 3g network connection to download email (unlike with BB’s)
-No Email Search - Almost makes it impossible to use.
-No Cut-and-Paste - I’m serious.
-Non-Tactile Keyboard - If you are use to the crackberry it will be a tough switch.

Overall I’m pleased with it, but it is going to take another few releases until Apple fixes these basic problems.