Way back in 2008, my blogs utilizes that services offered by Entrecard, a free blog advertising network. Members earn credits by improving their blog, publishing posts, receiving visitors, selling blogging related products and services, and more.
The network is very popular among new bloggers because it that allows members to place their 125x125 widget ad on another blog for a day. The number of days before the ad is displayed on the blog of an Entrecard member is dependent on the cost and popularity of the target site. However, as quickly as it rose to fame, it appears that its downfall was much faster.
I have already posted a brief story about the demise of Entrecard, but I thought it is worth recalling the success and failure of the network here.
In 2009, Ziprunner Inc. announced that they have acquired full control of Entrecard Inc. from the original owner, Graham Langdom. The takeover of the new management was very sudden considering that Graham and his team were still trying to develop a new system that was supposed to help increase community participation among its members.
There were no tell-tale signs whatsoever that Graham is moving towards this direction when he was taking action against the bounce rate that Entrecard is causing. Graham even posted a thread, "Entrecard gearing up for phase II", where he discussed Entrecard's plan to revitalized the declining participation of members. Then, all of a sudden BAM! Andrew Te's ZipRunner has taken control of the management.
Just like the surprise takeover in 2009, there were no serious indications last 20 September 2012 that Entrecard has stop working and will not come back any time soon or perhaps forever. The monitoring system indicated that it has stopped responding. Several endless queries here and there came back with a response from the owners that they have decided to let it stay that way and there are no hints whatsoever that they will change their mind in the next couple of months or years.
The question is, why, what happened? Nobody can give me a straight answer. There are insinuation of this and that, but they were not confirmed or back by solid evidence. Some even have this sordid theory about molestation charges, which are appear more imaginative than anything else.
One explanation, though, appear to be more credible even it was made years ago. Back in 2008, JohnChow. com identified a select group of Entrecard power-users, "who seem to wake up, and go to bed with nothing but EC on their mind" as a possible factor that could take down the system.
JohnChow.com explained that the Entrecard power-users are so keen on becoming popular within the ranks of their community that they are pushing hard in chain dropping their cards on everyone just to accumulate more credits. In doing this, they unknowingly inflate their own advertising prices and distort the market for Entrecard credits. Even e-mails were spammed to network members asking for drops, recommendations, links and whatever else there is to milk from the system in order to achieve popularity. (I consider myself one of the guilty ones here.)
Overall result: the blogs that get their cards dropped on are experiencing an increase in bounce rates, which is not good at all. And this, I think, was one of the major reasons that the owners find it impossible to generate a decent profit from Entrecard and, therefore, left with no option, but to shut it down for good.
While Entrecard never become a Facebook, Twitter or Google, it will have a special place in every blogger's heart. It was a remarkable social experiment done online that touched the lives of thousands of bloggers across the globe, time and ethnicity that had to end eventually. However, it could have ended more decently if it gave its members more time to prepare and a chance to say their good-byes formally just like what Adgitize did before it.
The network is very popular among new bloggers because it that allows members to place their 125x125 widget ad on another blog for a day. The number of days before the ad is displayed on the blog of an Entrecard member is dependent on the cost and popularity of the target site. However, as quickly as it rose to fame, it appears that its downfall was much faster.
I have already posted a brief story about the demise of Entrecard, but I thought it is worth recalling the success and failure of the network here.
In 2009, Ziprunner Inc. announced that they have acquired full control of Entrecard Inc. from the original owner, Graham Langdom. The takeover of the new management was very sudden considering that Graham and his team were still trying to develop a new system that was supposed to help increase community participation among its members.
There were no tell-tale signs whatsoever that Graham is moving towards this direction when he was taking action against the bounce rate that Entrecard is causing. Graham even posted a thread, "Entrecard gearing up for phase II", where he discussed Entrecard's plan to revitalized the declining participation of members. Then, all of a sudden BAM! Andrew Te's ZipRunner has taken control of the management.
Just like the surprise takeover in 2009, there were no serious indications last 20 September 2012 that Entrecard has stop working and will not come back any time soon or perhaps forever. The monitoring system indicated that it has stopped responding. Several endless queries here and there came back with a response from the owners that they have decided to let it stay that way and there are no hints whatsoever that they will change their mind in the next couple of months or years.
The question is, why, what happened? Nobody can give me a straight answer. There are insinuation of this and that, but they were not confirmed or back by solid evidence. Some even have this sordid theory about molestation charges, which are appear more imaginative than anything else.
One explanation, though, appear to be more credible even it was made years ago. Back in 2008, JohnChow. com identified a select group of Entrecard power-users, "who seem to wake up, and go to bed with nothing but EC on their mind" as a possible factor that could take down the system.
JohnChow.com explained that the Entrecard power-users are so keen on becoming popular within the ranks of their community that they are pushing hard in chain dropping their cards on everyone just to accumulate more credits. In doing this, they unknowingly inflate their own advertising prices and distort the market for Entrecard credits. Even e-mails were spammed to network members asking for drops, recommendations, links and whatever else there is to milk from the system in order to achieve popularity. (I consider myself one of the guilty ones here.)
Overall result: the blogs that get their cards dropped on are experiencing an increase in bounce rates, which is not good at all. And this, I think, was one of the major reasons that the owners find it impossible to generate a decent profit from Entrecard and, therefore, left with no option, but to shut it down for good.
While Entrecard never become a Facebook, Twitter or Google, it will have a special place in every blogger's heart. It was a remarkable social experiment done online that touched the lives of thousands of bloggers across the globe, time and ethnicity that had to end eventually. However, it could have ended more decently if it gave its members more time to prepare and a chance to say their good-byes formally just like what Adgitize did before it.
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