ScottKalbach.com

AvantLink.com Product Ad Widget public BETA

Just a quick post to mention that we rolled out the public beta of our new AvantLink affiliate network tool, the Product Ad Widget.

This tool will serve as the next generation of our Product Display Builder tool. It provides a completely redesigned configuration interface as well as a lot of new functionality that affiliates have requested over the last six months.

We think this ad tool is pretty awesome and we’re hoping that affiliates and merchants will feel the same way about it.

Scott Kalbach

One of the great wealth destroyers of all time

The title of this post if from a comment Jim Cramer of Mad Money recently made about Obama’s budget being one of the great wealth destroyers of all time.

I’m not a supporter of Obama’s agenda. Personally I think it’s mostly aimed at greater dependence on the government and as a result is stripping away our liberties, freedoms and free market capitalist system. The current administrations policies are the complete opposite of what history shows us would really stimulate the economy.

What’s interesting to me about Jim Cramer’s comments is that they are coming from a financial guy who’s been a life long Democrat and a big supporter of Obama.

Actually, Cramer claims he still supports most of Obama’s agenda but he thinks it’s radical to try to get this agenda through in the current economic climate.

But these are issues that we have no time for now, on the verge of a second Great Depression. This is an agenda that must be held back for better times. It is an agenda that at this moment is radical vs. what is called for. I am proud to have voted for the Obama who I thought understood the need to get us on the right path, and create jobs and wealth before taxing it and making moves that hurt job creation — certainly ones that will outweigh the meager number of jobs he’s creating.

Most important, I believe his agenda is crushing nest eggs around the nation in loud ways, like the decline in the averages, and in soft but dangerous ways, like in the annuities that can’t be paid and the insurance benefits that will be challenging to deliver on.

So I will fight the fight against that agenda. I will stand up for what I believe and for what I have always believed: Every person has a right to be rich in this country and I want to help them get there. And when they get there, if times are good, we can have them give back or pay higher taxes. Until they get there, I don’t want them shackled or scared or paralyzed. That’s what I see now.

– [Jim Cramer response to White House - full article]

The full article is definitely worth a read.

Free Integration for Internet Retailer Top 500 Merchant’s

AvantLink.com is currently offering merchant’s on the Internet Retailer Top 500 list a free integration into our Cost Per Sale affiliate network. Normally this is a $1000.00 fee.

Since AvantLink doesn’t charge monthly minimums or any other nickel and dime charges for that matter, this is a zero risk way to start or expand your affiliate marketing channel and get into the best affiliate network in the space.

More information can be found here…

Snowbasin – one of the last great secret resorts

In Utah we’re blessed with The Greatest Snow on Earth. Many of our resorts average 500 inches a year of low density, light, dry powder.

From our house we’re within an hours drive of 9 world class ski resorts. So why do I consistently choose to make the hour drive north to Snowbasin every chance I get? Well, in a nutshell the terrain is in the same ball park as the Little Cottonwood Canyon resorts (Snowbird, Alta), they average about the same amount of snow (500 inches), the facilities are unbelievable and you rarely have to wait in line to get on a lift. This is the plush locals resort.

I recently went to Snowbasin on a Monday with a couple co-workers and it was literally like backcountry skiing with lift access. We were getting fresh powder lines all day long. Of course I probably shouldn’t be posting this on my blog if I want it to stay a secret. Sorry Snowbasin locals. I couldn’t help myself.

Anyway, I headed up to Snowbasin with the family this weekend to get some runs in with my wife and five year old, Lance. In addition to plenty of insane steeps, they have some really nice long green and blue runs that are perfect for beginners who want to strengthen their skills. It’s pretty amazing how fast kids can pick something up. I saw a noticeable improvement in Lance’s skills with each run we took.

Here are a few pictures from our day.

AvantLink Product Ad Widget Sneak Peek

The last couple of weeks we’ve been doing some internal BETA testing on a new AvantLink affiliate network tool that we’re calling the Product Ad Widget (PAW). We’re still working on some last minute tweaks, but we should have a public BETA available this next week.

The Product Ad Widget is the next generation of the Product Display Builder and will eventually replace that tool. The sign-up/configuration interface for this tool makes heavy use of the Yahoo User Interface (YUI) which allows us to provide a fully ajax driven dynamic interface with some pretty cutting edge functionality.

The Product Ad Widget has three widget display options.

1. Product Display – This is the default html widget that can be integrated using JavaScript or using the server side language of your choice.
2. Content Match Ad Widget: This widget provides the same options as above, but products are returned based on a keyword analysis of the content on the calling website page.
3. Flash Widget: This is a carousel type flash widget that also has an integrated product search option.

Now for the sneak peek. Lets take a look at some screenshots. Click the images below to view a full size version.

1. In this first screenshot I did a search for “denali jacket mens” across all the merchants and then added five products in a one-off fashion to my selected products. I could have also clicked “Add all products” if I wanted all the results.

2. This screenshot shows the customize and preview options available for the default widget type. You can choose from a couple pre-designed templates and customize from there, select a no template wrapper style widget for a whole page style product display or design your own widget html.

3. Previewing our current widget configuration results by clicking the “Preview Widget” button.

4. Clicking on the “Save & Get Source” tab saves the widget configuration and presents you with the integration source code. In this case we provide a simple one line of JavaScript option as well as presenting some sample PHP and ASP code for those that would prefer to call the widget with server side code.

Below is the actual widget we created along with an example of a Flash carousel style widget.

Flash carousel style widget:

Change you can believe in?

Apparently the Democrats have taken the Bush administrations terrible financial bailout idea as a green light to indulge in their wildest government spending fantasies. Talk about fear mongering. They keep telling us this is the worst financial crisis since the great depression. So they had to rush through and pass a one trillion dollar bailout that our kids and grandkids will be paying off. If it was really as dire a situation as they are claiming, would the following insanely expensive pork earmarks be in this bill?

• $1 billion for Amtrak.
• $2 billion to help subsidize child care.
• $400 million for research into global warming.
• $2.4 billion for projects to demonstrate how carbon greenhouse gas can be safely removed from the atmosphere.
• $650 million for coupons to help consumers convert their TV sets from analog to digital, part of the digital TV conversion.
• $600 million to buy a new fleet of cars for federal employees and government departments.
• $75 million to fund programs to help people quit smoking.
• $21 million to re-sod the National Mall, which suffered heavy use during the Inauguration.
• $335 million for treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
• $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts.
• $44 million to renovate the headquarters building of the Agriculture Department.
• $20 billion over five years for an expanded food stamp program.

And the list goes on… Porkulus list courtesy of Newsmax.com

So what exciting “changes” can we look forward to next? Well there’s the auto industry bailout, socialized health care, and probably an economic stimulus 2.0 when 1.0 doesn’t work. Debt, debt and more debt.

My Blog

Welcome to my blog. This blog will be my outlet for discussing my interests including the projects and businesses I’m involved with as well as my hobbies and the occasional political rant.

Here’s a little information about me.

First, the most important stuff. I have been happily married to my beautiful wife Jennifer for 10 years and have two wonderful sons, Lance and Nicholas. We live in Utah and fully enjoy the exceptional quality of life this state has to offer.

I am the CEO and Founder of AvantLink.com. AvantLink is a true performance based affiliate network that specializes in providing a full suite of ad tools for merchants and affiliates that you won’t find in most other networks. We focus on quality affiliates and merchants which gives us the ability to offer a high level of support and be a real partner for innovation.

I’m an avid mountain biker, hiker and snowboarder. When I’m not in the trenches building my business I’m usually out engaging in one of these activities with friends and/or family.

Scott Kalbach

skalbach -at- avantlink.com