Click-to-Call Could Change the Face of Web Advertising

After the huge success of pay-per-click online advertising, a new concept has emerged. A twist on pay-per-click that could potentially be even more powerful and profitable.

Click-to-call is a model in which a user clicks on a link, and is directly connected to the respective advertiser by phone. This gives consumers direct access to the information they need, and businesses direct access to the prospects they want.

Google is already trying to patent such a system for mobile phones, but will also likely be eager to extend it to the internet in general.

Numerous surveys have shown that companies would rather pay for direct communication with customers rather than just web clicks, and in some industries, advertisers have indicated their willingness to pay upwards of $50/click.

As I mentioned on TeleClick this morning, a free Voice over IP calling service would make it possible for users to place calls over the internet, directly from their computers, to any business in the world.

Perhaps Google will get to thinking about such a service, and the possible implications it could have to Google’s advertising business. Extending Adwords to cover click-to-call would be a profitable move for them indeed… Maybe profitable enough to pay for a free global VoIP service.

This is all just speculation of course, but definitely food for thought…

Freedom of Speech is Non-Negotiable

For the past several days, I’ve been following the worldwide uproar surrounding the publication of “blasphemous” cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet, Mohammad.

Many Muslims are insisting that the right to free speech doesn’t include the right to violate their religious beliefs and principles. They have argued, in some cases violently, that European newspapers shouldn’t be allowed to publish images that are offensive to those of the Islamic faith.

Anybody who thinks this way, however, simply doesn’t understand the whole idea of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

As an independent journalist, I strongly believe that, short of blatantly inciting violence, it is a human being’s non-negotiable right to say and write what they please. Anything less leads to a downward spiral of control and repression.

I’m not saying that I believe in insulting the beliefs of others, and as a member of the Anglican Church of Canada, I probably wouldn’t continue reading a publication that gratuitously mocked or ridiculed Christianity.

It is, however, a person’s right to express their opinion, according to their own level of common sense and intelligence. Anyone that doesn’t want to listen doesn’t have to, and that’s all there is to it.

My Websites

Here’s a quick portfolio of my existing websites, and the projects that I’m currently working on…

TeleClick.ca - By far my highest traffic site, TeleClick is a database of news articles on a variety of telecommunications topics. All the content is 100% unique, and it’s the site that takes me the most time to work on. Most of the traffic comes from Google Search, MSN Search, and Google News.

CarrierMix.com - Basic information about telephone, cable, VoIP, and cell phone carriers in the United States and Canada. Includes corporate summaries and links to specific information about products and services.

ISPReviews.ca - Service reviews and pricing information for Canada’s top cable, DSL, and dialup ISPs.

LaptopReviews.ca - This is where I post articles about a variety of laptop and notebook computers. It’s still fairly new, but is picking up search engine rankings nicely, in both Google and MSN.

PDAReviews.ca - Informational reviews of several popular Palm Pilots, Pocket PCs, and Smartphones.

CameraReviews.ca - Short but useful reviews of digital cameras made by Canon, Nikon, Kodak, and several other popular manufacturers.

HandsetReviews.com - Quick summary articles about cell phones and their features. (Includes pictures.)

PrepaidMobility.com - Small website promoting the Tracfone prepaid wireless offering.

PropertyPlex.com - Real estate blog with interesting news and commentary about the real estate industry in Canada and around the world.

Cheap-Real-Estate.net - Location based information site about various real estate markets in the United States.

ImmuneWellness.com - An informational site with details about a variety of vitamins, minerals, and nutritional supplements. This one doesn’t require much updating at all, just a bit of tweaking from time to time to keep the search engines interested.

SEOMix.com - Just a little collection of SEO tutorials with some basic tips on how to make your websites more search engine friendly. More of a “public service” than a serious money maker.

JeremyMaddock.com - Occasionally updated webmaster blog with information about internet business and legal issues… you’re looking at it.