SocialSpark is now open to the public!

SocialSpark completed its private alpha and was released to public beta earlier this week. Too much stuff to describe here.

My review as blogger, advertiser and investor is here. Separate from earning potential, I particularly like the face-based analytics built for bloggers from the ground up.

Press release included below:
IZEA Launches SocialSpark(TM): Where Advertisers & Bloggers Meet Online
Industry's First Advertiser Social Network Launches at Ad:Tech San Francisco

IZEA Launches SocialSpark(TM): Where Advertisers & Bloggers Meet Online

SAN FRANCISCO, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- IZEA, the world's largest social marketing network, today unveiled SocialSpark(TM), a first-of-its-kind advertiser focused social network that re-invents the way online marketers identify and empower brand advocates, and the way bloggers monetize their content.

SocialSpark provides advertisers with a social media marketing hub to research and execute their marketing activities across niche blogs or large blog networks from a single dashboard. Advertisers can utilize the platform to effectively reach the highly fragmented longtail of the blogoshpere, tapping into IZEA's growing network of more than 150,000 bloggers and over 16,000 advertisers.

"Just as Google unlocked tremendous direct marketing value with AdWords, SocialSpark offers the only comprehensive solution for targeting, transacting and tracking social media marketing across a vast network of publishers," said Ted Murphy, founder of IZEA. "We've taken 'word of mouth' advertising - the kind that happens every day between people who share common interests - to a brand new level, and in a way that directly benefits both advertisers and bloggers."

With SocialSpark, advertisers can access traffic and demographic data previously unavailable to them in the blogoshpere, while simultaneously bypassing the exorbitant research and cost customarily associated with such valuable targeting. Blogs are read by millions of readers who share common interests and brand passions, and empowering bloggers represents a huge value proposition to advertisers. SocialSpark is the first network where these groups can quickly, easily and cost-effectively find each other and create value while simultaneously protecting the integrity of blog content.

"Although there has been plenty of hype around social media, the traffic and click-throughs can be hit-or-miss without visibility and tracking," added Michael Brito, Intel Social Media Marketing Manager. "With SocialSpark's open analytics platform, advertisers can see the actual traffic and demographics of blogs they sponsor or a vertical network of blogs they sponsor. Combining that visibility with the astronomical 5-10 percent click-through-rate typical of sponsored posts, positions SocialSpark as the premier dashboard for social media marketing."

Advertisers and bloggers can register for free at SocialSpark.com to create online, searchable public profiles. Advertisers are encouraged to provide information about their product or service, and bloggers can share information about themselves, their readers and their blog content. Registered users can search for complimentary matches, interact with each other, create networks, issue ratings, send messages, and ultimately capitalize on shared interests. Bloggers and advertisers can assess blog "influence" by tracking visits, pages views, and demographic information about their readership. Advertisers can monitor automated campaign CPC and CPM data as well as the buzz surrounding their brands across the blogosphere.

Along with the development of the marketplace, SocialSpark has created the gold-standard for social media marketing integrity and disclosure. With SocialSpark, there are no tone restrictions on sponsored posts; that is, payment is never conditioned on delivering a positive post or review. Likewise, all sponsored posts carry both human and machine-readable disclosure, via 100 percent in-post disclosure badges and 100 percent "no-follow" tags on any advertiser-requested links.

"SocialSpark's disclosure requirements exceed the WOMMA-approved Code of Ethics for human disclosure and the Google-approved quality guidelines for machine disclosure," said Murphy. "In fact, SocialSpark offers the industry's only audit tool for advertisers needing to manage social marketing disclosure in accordance with corporate, government, industry or search engine disclosure guidelines."

IZEA and SocialSpark can be found at ad:tech San Francisco April 15-16 at the Moscone Center in booth # 6163.

ABOUT IZEA

IZEA is a next-generation social media marketing company. Comprised of properties including SocialSpark, PayPerPost, Zookoda, Bloggers Choice Awards and RockStartup, IZEA aims to empower everyone to value and exchange content, creativity and influence. IZEA's current flagship product is SocialSpark, the world's first Social Marketing Network. IZEA is venture funded by Inflexion Partners, Village Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and DFJ Gotham Ventures. Advertisers, consumer content creators and partners are encouraged to join the social media revolution at www.IZEA.com .
Website: http://www.IZEA.com/

 

Anyone using this yet? First impressions?

 

It looks good, but I wouldn't use it on my blog. It would be like "raping" my blog.

 

I don't know if I'm going to use them on my blog.

 

hey I just wrote about this site in my blog. If you are interested then visit.
http://www.bucksfrominternet.com/2008/04/socialsparkcom-new-idea-of-marketing.html

 

seems to be a very nice website and I love how you're using phpbb forums

GO PHPBB GO

 

Shame he doesn't own it

 

Given that SocialSpark is a mashup of various platforms:
1) blog/brand social network
2) analytics
3) marketing your blog, hot topics or good causes via Sparks
4) monetizing your blog
I've seen people use various pieces of it. For example, plenty of people have registered, but their blog hasn't been approved for sponsored blogging. They still get the social networking and analytics benefit. Others are just focused on monetization and don't really leverage the social networking. For those giving it a try, I'd be interested to hear the pieces found most useful...

 

Writing 'writing sponsored content' sucks unless it is clearly labeled as such

 

do the advertisers provide images to bloggers in socialspark.

 

Sounds like SocialSpark matches your approach. They require, and provide the tools for 100% in-post disclosure and 100% no-follow. They are the only marketplace that provides 100% human and machine-readable disclosure -- including audit tools for any advertiser who wants to confirm disclosure for themselves, their managers or their brands. No need to sponsor or blog in fear of GOOG with competing companies...

 

I'm not entirely sure of your question, but I believe advertisers can point to approved images, videos etc. as material for bloggers to use to improve their posts.