While I haven't been as involved in tracking the price of credits, the maximum price is a little over four thousand per day. Some of the blogs that I have on the site have been increasing in value without any additional promotion, so this may be a sign that things are beginning to stabilize.
As you may recall, the paid ads were removed from the system a short time ago and specials on purchasing credits from the site have also gone down (you get more for the same price).
It is still unclear how the new owners will really monetize the site, as the affiliate promotions and ads on the front page/blog likely aren't allowing the site to break even from hosting costs yet.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
No More Paid Ads
Paid ads will soon be a thing of the past, as the new owners are now honoring what users say about the service. This was to become the main source of revenue for Entrecard, although it was meant with a lot of backlash by the long-time members.
During the time that paid ads will be phased out, you will not be able to purchase new paid ads and any ads already purchased will continue to run. From this point forward, you may only use credits to purchase "ads."
Additionally, the cashout service will be dissolved, with the remaining funds used for cashout. Any credits not used for cashout will be returned to your account.
It is still too early to say the direction that the new company wants to take the service, as there are now no ways for the service to monetize. Other than the few hundred dollars the blog may make per month, no long-term plan has been exposed.
Additionally, the homepage has been reverted back to an introduction/ads format, with a stronger focus on attracting new members.
During the time that paid ads will be phased out, you will not be able to purchase new paid ads and any ads already purchased will continue to run. From this point forward, you may only use credits to purchase "ads."
Additionally, the cashout service will be dissolved, with the remaining funds used for cashout. Any credits not used for cashout will be returned to your account.
It is still too early to say the direction that the new company wants to take the service, as there are now no ways for the service to monetize. Other than the few hundred dollars the blog may make per month, no long-term plan has been exposed.
Additionally, the homepage has been reverted back to an introduction/ads format, with a stronger focus on attracting new members.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Entrecard Has Been Acquired by ZipRunner Inc.
On July 16th, it was announced that Entrecard was acquired by ZipRunner Inc., an investment company that has been working with online businesses for a number of years. Entrecard, which was started nearly two years ago, has seen a number of challenges develop as its user base has grown drastically and a revenue program had to be introduced.
Much of the old staff will still be working at Entrecard, advising the new owners on the direction that the site should take and ironing out all the details. However, the difference is now in the extra support and funding that can be channeled through the site.
The CEO of ZipRunner posted the following on the blog:
In order to turn the profit and make some income on their purchase, they are likely going to invite more advertisers into the system, and this won't please its current members, but changes will certainly have to be made.
I'll be posting any new updates here.
Much of the old staff will still be working at Entrecard, advising the new owners on the direction that the site should take and ironing out all the details. However, the difference is now in the extra support and funding that can be channeled through the site.
The CEO of ZipRunner posted the following on the blog:
Furthermore, ZipRunner is prepared to take Entrecard to the next level. We have carefully read blog comments and the help desk to gain a better understanding of users’ concerns. We value our Entrecard users and we intend to address your comments and to provide you with the best blogging service possible.Personally, I don't know the exact direction that the site will go in after this acquisition. Most likely they'll put enough funding into the site to keep it open and possibly turn a profit.
In order to turn the profit and make some income on their purchase, they are likely going to invite more advertisers into the system, and this won't please its current members, but changes will certainly have to be made.
I'll be posting any new updates here.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Phase II for Entrecard
Entrecard is preparing to go into what they coin as Phase II. A "general" account will be introduced, making it easier for people without blogs to purchase items from the Marketplace. Not only this, but it would limit the number of credits being created out of thin air, as is currently taking place.
Incentivized offers, better known as affiliate offers, will allow members to receive more credits for helping the site. I don't know whether the earnings will go back to the fund for paying out to reduce the number of credits, but at the very least, they may be going to the monthly hosting fees.
At this time, the cashout rate will remain the same ($1 for every 1,000 credits). Since closing the doors for third-party advertisers, they haven't been able to raise enough funding to increase this amount. Even at the current rate, they are having a hard time paying all the members.
The network that used to be ideal for bloggers that were looking to increase their traffic and new readers is turning more into a "cash-producing" site, as the focus is less on getting new bloggers and more on helping the bloggers earn credits, which aren't really great for anything other than purchasing products, which may be appealing to some, but not the entire community.
Incentivized offers, better known as affiliate offers, will allow members to receive more credits for helping the site. I don't know whether the earnings will go back to the fund for paying out to reduce the number of credits, but at the very least, they may be going to the monthly hosting fees.
At this time, the cashout rate will remain the same ($1 for every 1,000 credits). Since closing the doors for third-party advertisers, they haven't been able to raise enough funding to increase this amount. Even at the current rate, they are having a hard time paying all the members.
The network that used to be ideal for bloggers that were looking to increase their traffic and new readers is turning more into a "cash-producing" site, as the focus is less on getting new bloggers and more on helping the bloggers earn credits, which aren't really great for anything other than purchasing products, which may be appealing to some, but not the entire community.
Friday, June 19, 2009
No News, New Traffic Figures
On the Entrecard front, nothing new has occurred over the past few months, and there is really no reason to post here unless there is. There has since been a mass exodus of the program, as people don't see any real benefits to using it anymore. No new, large blogs have entered the network and advertising sales aren't at the level they should be for long-term prosperity.
A new monetization model, sponsored/affiliated offers have been introduced, although nearly all of the profit goes into running the site, and not back to the members as originally intended. We'll see what happens next.
In terms of traffic, I am simply stating facts, and do not want to imply the direction that Entrecard is going, but through this, there is clear evidence that it is going down.
Between May and June, as well as previous months (June data isn't in until the second week of July), traffic unique visitors dropped by more than 8% and total visits dropped by about 21.5%, and when you have totals between 1.5 and 3 million, this is fairly significant – more than 100,000 per month. However, it is still ranked fairly well compared to all sites, at 1,262, but at one point, it was within the top 1,000 sites worldwide.
A new monetization model, sponsored/affiliated offers have been introduced, although nearly all of the profit goes into running the site, and not back to the members as originally intended. We'll see what happens next.
In terms of traffic, I am simply stating facts, and do not want to imply the direction that Entrecard is going, but through this, there is clear evidence that it is going down.
Between May and June, as well as previous months (June data isn't in until the second week of July), traffic unique visitors dropped by more than 8% and total visits dropped by about 21.5%, and when you have totals between 1.5 and 3 million, this is fairly significant – more than 100,000 per month. However, it is still ranked fairly well compared to all sites, at 1,262, but at one point, it was within the top 1,000 sites worldwide.
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