1 Cool File: Submit Your Blog For Free

Since the review from John Cow 2 weeks ago, I had to make many modification to the affiliate program to make it more attractive. The site main page was also modified. Those steps were done in the first week based on many feedbacks. About the second week first I continued the modifications on the site in the second week. Those are the main modifications:

• Main page/site: Some small modifications were made to lessen the main menu. I added more colors.
• Premium Featured Listings: 4 blogs or software's will have the opportunity to buy an advertisement spot in that prime real state. I also added the last post based on the RSS feed when it's a blog. For now, it's filled with 3 of my own software/blogs. I will make the space when someone buy an advertisement spot.
• Detail page: I added many search engines details like backlinks, index, whois .... I also added the last post based on the RSS feed. Tags are now available.
• Blog Tutorial: I used my own blog to show off what fields can be entered for a blog. Most are optional fields.
• Top Rated Blogs: I added a new chart for the 100 top rated blogs by readers. So, readers will be able to rate blogs based on the content(I hope). It will be reset later on to give new blogs a chance to be discovered.

This not the end of the modifications and I preferred to add functions than modified the whole look of the site for now. Think of the design side has version 1.1 for now :D What about the submit your blog for free? As some of you know, I have an affiliate program that offer 2 things: a 2 tier commission on sold packages and advantages when a blogger do paid reviews, direct or for us. Those will stay. A blogger may not afford or want to pay. So to submit a blog for free, a blogger will need to do a real short review about 1 Cool File. The suggestions in the reviews will be taken into consideration later on and help prioritize what bloggers want more. That review could also be use to showcase a blogger's work to potential advertisers. Use nofollow for the link in the review. Unlike paid submissions, the blogger won't be in the affiliate program automatically. If a blogger has a second blog, the same rules applies and the review can't be the same. A blogger may want to wait so to give a second fresh review. if a blogger don't want to do a review, the option to pay like before will still be available. Also, priority will be given to paid link. The goal of no dead blog is still in effect. Edit: The reciprocal link is optional How long will it take? Because I can't know how much time each blog will take, I may stop the free offer to clear up the backlog and restart it after. I have not set any maximum numbers of free blogs. I have my own freeware and, I too, don't want to pay for every software directories. So, I learned to wait weeks or even months before my software can be added. I expect to be in hours/days. Shareware authors make money and can afford to be listed. In the blogging world, it's a blogger that make money now or want to take a blog to the next level. Direct paid reviews I have over 2000 software's listed and new ones everyday. I'm sure that many authors would like to get their software reviewed for a small amount. This is where the direct paid reviews comes in. For this to happen, I will need bloggers that can do software reviews. Later, I will create a whole new paid reviewers category for that. Each time a software is added, an email is sent to the author. I will be able to add a link to that category. If you do software reviews, you could add the categories you can do in your longer description. MISfan.com I have this blog for news about M.I.S(MIS Info Video, Info 2 MIS, MIS specification...). If you want to be kept updated from now on about 1 Cool File, you should subscribe to the email version of the RSS feed. I will still announce things here but MISfan.com will now be the official news blog. Conclusion By doing this offer, I'm trying to strike a balance between free and paid options with a new business model. I hope this will create a buzz and bring a lot more bloggers, readers and advertisers(paid reviews). I also expect to sell more advertisement because of the increase traffic thus compensating for the direct lost of revenue. So, what are you waiting for? Start that review or pay a little to be first in line ;)