Stay away from Fanbox

I am normally a proponent, and sometimes early adopter, of new technologies including Web Sites and Web Services. I'm also a believer in the value of personal networking. I have accounts all over the web including Face book, LinkedIn, and Plaxo Pulse. I've even signed up for some of the losers such as Friendster, Naymz, and Spaces. I never had a bad experience until I came across Fanbox (notice that I refuse to link to it).

It started with an innocent looking message from a colleague; Dawn has a question for you. When I clicked on the link, I was directed to Fanbox and presented a somewhat racy question that was apparently directed at someone with a much different demographic than me. Ironically I had been introduced to Fanbox a few days early by Sterling Brown and given Sterling's reputation I was intrigued. So I clicked on an answer to the question.

Here's a clue, if you get a message about a question, don't click on it! Answering the question kicked off a wizard inviting my contacts to Fanbox. Fanbox apparently scanned my Outlook Contact list, even though I never click a link for that purpose. It then asked if I me to send a question so I immediately clicked cancel. Later I discovered that Fanbox forwarded the question to my contacts and causing me much embarrassment.

It's really a shame because the fundamental technology of Fanbox is pretty cool. They have reproduced a workstation desktop and point-and-click user interface deployed over the web. The desktop comes with storage, email, and that mimic Microsoft Windows pretty closely. Apparently a Web-based Windows environment is a solution looking for a problem, because Fanbox has jumped on the social networking bandwagon. Outside of social networking, I did not see any real value to the site. There certainly is nothing that would persuade users of Facebook or Google Docs to jump to Fanbox.

So Fanbox has resorted to tricks to obtain members. Grabbing my contact list was akin to spyware or worm tactics. Maybe someday a company with vision will snatch up the Fanbox technology and deploy it provide some real benefit. Until then, avoid Fanbox like the plague.

Hey Google, WTF?

Last month I started displaying ads on this blog using Google Adsense. I did it as a curiosity more than anything else. After all, a low traffic blog like mine will not generate much revenue. In fact, six weeks of Adsense has earned a whopping $9.76. Imagine my surprise, then, when I received the follow notice...

It has come to our attention that invalid clicks have been generated on your Google ads, posing a financial risk to our AdWords advertisers.Please note that any activity that may artificially inflate an advertiser's costs or a publisher's earnings is strictly prohibited by our program policies.

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Please note that because we credit advertisers for any invalid activity we detect, we may adjust your account earnings for any days during which invalid clicks occurred.

If you were clicking your ads out of interest or to see who was advertising on your site, please note that clicking on your own ads for any reason is strictly prohibited by our program policies. Instead, we suggest using the AdSense preview tool as an alternative.

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Ok. I understand that advertisers will not be happy about publishers clicking away on ads for no other purpose than to inflate the click-throughs. Higher click-throughs result in higher fees. In my case, however, it's pretty obvious that I'm not stealing advertisers blind. I would think that Google, for all their sophisticated engineering power, could derive an algorithm that ignore sites with a minimum number of clicks. Less than 10 in a month in my case.

Now here's the rub; I clicked on the ads because I had a legitimate interest in the products offered. It's a compliment to Google that the ads they choose by my blog have relevance to the topics I discuss. I've even downloaded whitepapers and started conversations with sales reps. I expect that Google's fancy algorithms will never determine that.

Google's note refers me to their preview tool, but it isn't supported in my browser. In short, Google's strict policy prohibits me from viewing information that has peaked my interested. Given that I am a buyer of technology I exactly represent the target market of my advertisers.

When it's all said and done, I will continue to click on ads that interest me. If Google revokes my Adsense, then so-be-it. It's a sad testament to a company that many hold in high esteem, but frankly this web behemoth seems more and more like vintage 90s Microsoft.

Need to do a little shopping?

Ok. This has absolutely nothing to do with business or software. But everyone needs to do a little shopping every now and then. Sure Valentines Day is behind us, but birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions lurk just around the corner.

If you are like me, the "big" gifts aren't a problem. The kids, for instance, make it apparent what they want for Christmas and birthdays. My problem is the smaller gifts; items for co-workers or friends; stuff for my sister on mother's day; etc.

Anyway, here's two ideas. Kali Gift Bag and TranquiliTea. Kali has an eclectic inventory of odds and ends as reasonable prices that are perfect for little surprise gifts. You wouldn't shop for your wife at Kali, but it will be great on Secrataries Day. TranquiliTea is specifically for the tea drinker. Their inventory is unique.

Kali's is geared toward the online shopper. Their web site is pretty typical for a retailer. It's not fancy, but is easy to navigate and has pictures of the gifts. TranquiliTea is aimed at the in store experience. If suburban Detroit is not convenient then you should pick up the phone. Their service is extremely helpful and friendly.

Ok, one more confession; I don't buy a gift for my sister on Mother's Day...I wonder if Kali's Gift Bag will wrap something up for her.