The other day I happened to be browsing the search analytics for OIOpublisher (something I don’t pay nearly enough attention to) and noticed that one of the top ranked “questions” being searched was what do OIO advertiser stats looked like.
As you’d expect, it was quite difficult to find any examples (you have to go into the demo and find an active ad), so I’ve added a new tab to the demo that will show users what an advertiser sees when they are sent their weekly statistics email. Enjoy!
>> Ad stats demo link
For the first time since I started this project I find myself bogged down in “other” work (ie. things I’d rather not be doing), which has meant reduced time for active development of OIO. What it has meant is that I’ve had more time to think about the direction OIO should be taking in the future; from 3rd party addons to the subject of this article, the marketplace.
I recently read an article by Lee Ka Hoong that looked at the benefits of BuySellAds. Lee ended by saying:
I have my own direct advertisers, but why I still want to pay commission to BuySellAds by selling banner ads [is] because I don’t have to do anything and I get advertisers.
It’s a common view-point and one that OIO is unable to fully address at the moment. Yes, this website does contain a marketplace, but it’s not able to channel advertisers through properly yet.
Why aren’t advertisers being channelled effectively through the marketplace?
1.) The link-up between the OIO script and the marketplace isn’t great. The data from individual sites needs to be better accessible from the marketplace to make it useful (ie. searchable ad zone data, pricings, availablility). There is too high a proportion of dead sites or sites that no longer use OIO (resulting in less meaningful searches).
2.) No promotion. Money needs to be spent on the marketplace – I’m sure that a setup such as BuySellAds spends a lot on promotion – rather than just focusing on selling the script. Essentially, a move away from product to product + added value services.
What can be done about it?
Reason #1 is something I can / will deal with during the development of v3 of OIO. Integration of fully fledged web services will mean more available data exchange, as well as more current data.
Reason #2, as mentioned, is about money. Just as other services use the commission they take from each ad sale to promote themselves, OIO would need a way of doing a similar type of thing. Product sales won’t cut it (and ultimately I’m in favour of making the product free), so it falls back to producing a recurring revenue stream.
If publishers like Lee are willing to pay 25% commission to ensure a stream of advertisers, then it stands to reason that they would be willing to pay a flat monthly fee to help advertise the OIO marketplace (providing it was of sufficient quality, of course). One step closer to the ultimate goal of direct sales and guarenteed advertisers.
This “communal advertising fund” could then be used to push a stream of advertisers through to sites they are interested in, via the marketplace.
I think I’ll keep it in mind….
I’m pleased to announce that the first phase of the user collaboration site (initially mentioned here) is now ready for action. The purpose of this site will be to gather ideas and feedback in order to create a brand new version of the OIOpublisher ad manager; packed with more features, more customisation options and even easier to use!
>> http://v3.oiopublisher.com
As of today, you can submit your ideas for v3, based off your current experience of OIO. Just as importantly, you can rate and comment on the ideas of others. This will enable us to have an ongoing conversation about the features that are most important to the community, as well as how best to implement them. I’ve also added some suggestions I’ve received previously, to start us off.
Once that’s in full swing, the second phase will be launched, where you’ll be able to offer feedback on the first ever mock-up of OIO v3 (based on your ideas), so that we can begin to refine it. The mock-up will centre around the admin area, giving you a chance to test usability, see what features are available and how they interact with each other.
Finally, there’s the coding stage. That’s really down to me though. 
Even if you haven’t purchased OIO yourself, your ideas are more than welcome, so please get involved!
Please note that any spam or non-constructive contributions will be removed without warning.
Don’t get me wrong, I like OIO…
But I want to make it better. To do that, I’m going to need your help.
After releasing one more version in the current series (now released as v2.2), I’m going to be rolling out what I can only describe as a “blog wiki” style section of the site. It will categorise every different aspect of OIO (from the creation of ad zones to the inbuilt affiliate program), showcase the new admin interface, and include a few of my own ideas for the next major version.
But, this isn’t a documentation exercise…
I’m going to hand things over to the users and ask you to help re-design OIO from the ground up. Don’t worry, it won’t involve any web development on your part, only your imagination. You’ll be able to browse OIO by feature, leave your feedback and comment / rate other people’s ideas. As the feedback comes in, the interface will be updated to reflect your ideas, until a group consensus is reached.
And the result with be…
By focusing just on the end product (what you see, as the end user), and not the development obstacles that can sometimes stifle a web project, we can come up with a great product that fulfills your needs. It will then be my job to develop the backend code to match the feature set and interface created by your ideas.
It’s a potentially ambitious project, and won’t happen overnight (I work full time too, so there’s no ETA yet), but I am confident that this will help take OIO to the next level, producing something that everyone can have a say in.
Even if you haven’t purchased OIO, you’ll still be able to contribute to the next version by registering (its free). You’ll then be included in any email announcements.
I’ve been quite busy lately, and as such haven’t done too much with OIO in the weeks following the official release of v2.1 (other than bug fixing).
This evening I had a quick glance around for articles on “the world’s favourite ad manager” (trademarked in advance for the time it becomes true!). I was pleasantly surprised to see this review by Keller Hawthorne of fresheventure.com. All too often I see articles that were obviously written just to try and get people to purchase, but Keller went the extra mile and talked about her experiences setting up OIO; the problems as well as the successes. She has even produced a short video tutorial on how to set up affiliate ads.
Keller’s article was also informative for me, as it pointed out a couple of “could do better” areas; the layout of the control panel in particular. It will be interesting to see how the new admin design goes down with users (not yet ready to demo I’m afraid, but it has been re-designed now). I’m hoping for an equally valuable amount of constructive feedback as occurred with the affiliate program changes.
The other chord that the article struck with me was how well casual users of OIO, once they have learnt the ropes, can teach others about to make the most out of it. More often than not they do it far better than I can. I may have to explore the opportunity of “user-driven tutorials” more.
I’m hoping to get back on the development trail in mid June, including releasing the first demo of the re-designed admin area, and working towards a re-build of the core application that will allow future developments to occur far more quickly. I’ll also be starting the hunt for a marketing partner to help grow the site further.
