Posted on November 11, 2007 by Katy

So, let’s talk about SocialSpark. Formally known as Argus what I can say above all is this new social networking for new media is going to change everything. Your idea of advertising, the sponsored post world as we know it, and how we connect with advertisers.

While the preview of the new program at PostieCon was short, it was packed full of information that I feel like I’m reabsorbing with the notes I took on it. Seriously, I tried to type as fast as they were talking so that I had great points to go with this post.

It’s very possible that at this point, you’ve read several posts about SocialSpark and I’ll link to some at the bottom of my post.

SocialSpark is a networking platform for advertisers and bloggers, creating profiles with real time states about your blog and ROI stats that provide better information to the advertiser for each blogger that may be advertising their company. What this means? Less reliance upon Google’s PageRank and Alexa’s Ranking system. You know we’re all in love with this!

Say you login to SocialSpark and you find an opp you’d like to take. In real time, you can check out other blog posts from other posties who have taken this opp. This will give you an idea of the buzz around that specific opp and how to format your posts different from other posties to put a more wide range of ideas out there about the advertiser.

Submitting a completed opp will be different too with new instant checks by copying and pasting your blog post into the system. Cool, right?

And check this out – here’s the two main HUGE changes to the current system:

All links required by the advertiser MUST be accompanied by the NO FOLLOW tag. Yep, that’s right, those sponsored links are now required to be no follow.

In addition, we’re going to get a lot less flack now for disclosing because every single post is required to have the disclosure IN the post. Having a site-wide disclosure policy will no longer be enough.

And check this out, you can now communicate with the advertiser.

Say you found an opp you’d really like to take, you know it’s perfect for your blog subject or something going on in your life. Yet you don’t meet the requirements for the opp, sucks right because you totally have the perfect thing to say about this advertiser!

Now you’ll be able to communicate with the advertiser directly and say “Hey you know, my blog is perfect for your company, I talk about your products all the time and I feel like I can really be good for this opportunity.”

The advertiser can then adjust the post requirements to let you in or allow you to take the opp manually. Awesome, right?

There’s so much, it’s hard to keep it all straight!

Here’s something I found fun…

In addition to taking sponsored posts, you can now post your own advertising opportunity for other bloggers to take for free. You won’t get paid and neither will they… here’s an example.

Mindy and I want to promote our new company blog 2 Girls & Organized Chaos. We decided we’d give our readers the chance to make their own blog post about 2 Girls & Organized Chaos and in return, we’d give them a free WordPress theme from Kiss My Code.

This kind of thing I would be able to post on SocialSpark. Imagine those possibilities for Mindy and I’s business blog!?!

The last thing I’ll touch on is this…

Advertisers will now be able to sponsor blogs (without the post). Someone visits your blog and when your blog loads, they’ll see a brief advertisement (like a commercial). They can watch it or by pass it. Once they get to your blog a small toolbar will be placed on the very bottom of your site. It will not change anything your visitor experiences on your blog and it requires no change to your blog design.

The better thing, this “commercial” will only be shown once per week to your visitors! And this blog sponsorship is per day for the ultimate in premium advertising for your blog!

Let me just say, this system is amazing. The “official” date for launch is January 8, 2008 and I cannot wait.

What I’ve heard too is that SocialSpark will be in addition to PayPerPost and not instead of PayPerPost. That’s just another leg up for us bloggers looking to monetize our blogs.

This is the next generation of advertising. I know, who needs another social network right? We do but we need it done right and now it will be, with SocialSpark!

After the presentation at PostieCon about SocialSpark I ran into Ted Murphy (IZEA CEO) and told him I only had 3 words for him: Fan-F***ing-Tastic! He laughed and walked away.

Here’s some other blogs buzzing about SocialSpark: Colleen, Techie, Lisa, Jim Kukral, and Karen.