A Lot Has Happened since … 2009

Well hello, and where have we been?

This thing of ours started a few minutes ago, going live around February 2009 aaaaannnnnd wow. Recently our friends in the #SEO community are placing ads on adbirds.com in greater numbers, as expected. That’s a good turn of events, and a lot better than some content we had been experiencing. The site needed more of my time and a lot more marketing than I’d anticipated in the early days.

In the beginning, I was married to the idea of starting in the virtual garage and growing organically. But that was unrealistic as we learned. Print, radio, television and other online media won’t mention anything about us for free. None of the expected – even local – news media would do a local business story or as human interest. eBay had been the topic we’d hear about in the late 1990s – early 2000s in between weather and sports on local TV. The anchors would say something like; ” Did you see what’s on eBay ( or CL ) today”? It had worked for another project of mine but time changes things. I’d hoped for all that, but media companies look at us as competition for their customers’ ad dollars. Simple as that.

In 2009 we met with a newspaper owner who wanted to develop an online version of their weekly free periodical, and designed a great platform for him. He then told me he wouldn’t do business with us because of what evil Craigslist had done to print news media…. ” I hate your business model“; he said. He hadn’t said that before we spent two weeks developing his project. I suppose wasting our resources was his idea of fair game but that’s ok. We could have gone to his competitors but expenses were high and time was in short supply. In fact once that newsdude’s proprietary site went live I sought to place a banner ad on it and he declined, saying we had a conflict of interest. That’s how much they hate free online advertising.

Going forward we focused on new clients to keep the doors open as a web development company. I sold that unit to a former employee and parked the #AdBirds operations in early 2010. Fortunately my airline career was still going strong and time was on my side once again. Now retired from the aviation industry, I see ways to improve AdBirds.com and grow with a new plan.

– Randall Stephens AdBirds founder & CEO, AdBirds Design & Market Inc.

www.adbirds.com

www.twitter.com/adbirds

facebook.com/ adbirds

Advertisement

Where are we going?

The planet spins and we have a destiny. What is The Plan?

Are we going someplace together, or leaving some folks behind?

How much will humans allow themselves to be compliant with dictators – even elected dictators?

Why not civil liberty? Why not freedom to choose one’s destiny and path forward?

Why should a platform manager decide what is acceptable speech or opinion?

Why not change course for fairer seas? Why not combine platforms with better ideas?

Why not combine in partnership with a freedom-loving, like-minded company designed to:

• Serve People, Business, Charity and Ecology.

• Help local brick and mortar businesses compete with big-box and online retailers.

• With local, shortest-distance search results and our fuel calculator to save the planet.

Let’s map the future together, starting today. http://www.adbirds.com/ContactUs

“List Free, Shop Smart, Save Gas” – Arte the AdBird

Remember, Evolve, Never Quit

There’s nothing wrong with a lesson. Every successful person has failed many, many times. How many times do you think a gymnast got smashed in the privates before sticking his or her feet on the balance beam? Life is like that.

If you created an account on adbirds in 2009, chances are we upgraded it to Unlimited status late that year. Those account holders have Unlimited 365 – day ads from now on.
Soon. we will unveil a new offer to help us upgrade and grow adbirds to the potential I saw in 2009 when this version went live.

“Better than before, and better than all” is my goal for adbirds in 2020. Let’s do this thing! Watch for updates and opportunities to come. Create an account today and use it, share it, and help our environment one ad at a time. The larger adbirds gets, the more people will save on fuel shopping online and buying locally with our distance and fuel calculator for listed items

Happy New Year! from
Randall Stephens a.k.a. “Arte the adbird”

Peace!

#free #advertising #ecofriendly #local #everywhere

 

 

 

Home is the sailor, the tourist, the webpreneur, the employee

Where has time gone?  In a flash, but it seems like yesterday since we last met.  I’ve been – a busy camper,  bike touring,  working away to finish up a long career, and preparing for a bigger transition.   Where have you been?

Are you watching your local politicos, or too much national television?   Turning off the tube helps settle my soul.  We aren’t getting political here.  I have friends across the spectrum, of all stripes.  Let’s don’t be thin skinned.  Let’s look for better ideas and be open to making better things happen.  I met a cool couple after watching their videos on Youtube last Spring.  Patrick and Sarah are creating bicycle touring travelogs, documenting water awareness and conservation on a channel called “wanderlikewater“, also online at wanderlikewater.com.  They kindly came out to The Peddler Bicycle Shop in Cedar Park recently to share their experiences.  I was there in support of Bike Austin and brought my trail bike loaded for a bikepacking adventure.  Patrick and Sarah brought the bikes they have ridden across the Western USA,  down the length of Baja California,  the Big Island of Hawaii and now along the length of the Mississippi River from water source to the Gulf of Mexico.

Since last November,  I’ve taken time off to visit Moab, Utah (twice) riding the “Whole Enchilada” and Porcupine Rim, the Chihuahuan Desert BikeFest at Big Bend Natl. Park, and a few trips to Colorado.  Now it’s time to get some work done and plan for the future,  a future for adbirds and new adventures.

Stay tuned for news on our latest category and saving the planet, one free ad at a time.

– Randall

 

 

 

 

 

The Time Is Now To Fight Corruption With Free Political Advertising

Dear 2014 Political Candidates,

This letter finds me up early like yourselves no doubt getting ready for a long day, in a string of no-days-off.  We might agree running a political campaign is a lot like running a business part-time while working a day or night job.  I’ve done that too, for quite a few years.

The process has been a blessing, given that I have been able to meet so many wonderful people, and learn more than I knew before, & learn how people feel about the community.

Please know I respect and honor each and every one of you.  By now you will have been sized – up and solicited by media companies based on your campaign finance reports, and the local paper has already forecasted “front – runners” and marginalized others in their pretense of “fair journalism”.  This is one of the problems which leads to some candidates in some races selling – out to special interests and representing them, versus the citizens.  When the journal is selling ads, there is a conflict of interest. Let’s be innovative.

6- Month Free Trial:  As I’m an advertising executive running for office, I wanted to find a way to let all politicians use the 365-day, Unlimited ad service level I enjoy without being guilty of offering a corporate donation.  Since we offer affiliated organizations a method to raise funds with a special click-through link, and can set a delayed payment – here is a great opportunity to try the adbirds Unlimited service for up to six months.  Your account will not be billed until the last day of the sixth month; – and you may opt to “downgrade” to Free user or delete the account (after the election) and not be billed at all.  Anyone can use this opportunity, and to make it even more useful, if your friends in local business want to try the paid level services for six months and opt to keep their accounts active, the first payment and one third of every subsequent payment will be donated to the United Way of Austin.

The coupon is lower-case:  vote2014   Or to visit our home page and register, click here:  http://www.adbirds.com/CT/?ck=vote2014

You may use all the features, speak to your constituents using Youtube on your ads, up to ten stored images, import images into the text area from your website or facebook, or use html templates.  Since adbirds is about helping local People,  Business,  Charity and Ecology everywhere, we say,  “List Free,  Shop Smart,  Save Gas”!  with adbirds.com.

We are the Austin company challenging the world with better ideas.  Free political ads can help fight political corruption.  Good luck in your campaign, and listen for our Austin area radio ads during late October / early November.  Your ads could be in adbirds Community > Political category in just minutes – and we will share that category with everyone in the Austin area.

By the way, this offer ends Dec. 31st, 2014.

Cheers,  Arte

CMO and founding adbird;  and Candidate for President of the Free Internet!  

Create your free, value or unlimited account today!

 

Give more and grow more, from free resale to competitive edge for brick and mortar local businesses everywhere

After selling items online for some time, I decided to develop a competitive answer to what’s wrong with the industry’s number one mostly – free ad site and hired a contractor to build it, which turned out to be quite a lengthy education.  Several iterations of my dream later, we launched adbirds in early 2009, with more to learn about internet marketing.

Doing “free” -only better.

Free is a powerful word, or so I heard.  So we developed  more service for free, and named user account “stores” with 5 free ads in every category,  ten free image uploads,  video embed capability and a better text editor (Visual Designer) than most sites use even today.  Our site accepts html templates that work on eBay Motors and Craigslist.  Flyers such as VFlyer provides for CL work well with our site to produce professional looking real estate, motor vehicle or boat ads on adbirds as well.

Our mantra for the design team remains to serve for the betterment of;  People,  Business,  Charity and Ecology.  Helping consumer resellers, micro business grow,  local mom and pop retail compete with big box across town, or helping a community based organization with free upgrades,  user groups,  header links from any user account and affiliate fundraising were features we designed into the function and feel of adbirds.  I always ask; “What more can we do”?

We have recently upgraded adbirds’ user account registration system to show a Google map to any store address in the world when the user opts for a map link, and we provide that for free as well.  Any level of adbirds user can opt for map links now, which was originally provided with the idea that consumers would find local, brick and mortar businesses while free users would not need it.  Even better, the shopper can click for driving directions from Google after searching by shortest distance for any listed item.

Upgrades are for growth….

For businesses needing more than five ads, and more (75k characters of) content, we have two paid service level upgrades which are;  Value and Unlimited.  A free user can upgrade too, once the micro business grows to a $5.00 marketing budget…

– Value registration now allows up to 50 ads with the above features and 30 day run times which should help realtors and small, note lot car dealers for only $5.00 per month or $55.00 a year when paid annually.  For sale by owner?  Use a flyer template!

– Unlimited user accounts provide all the above mentioned services plus an unlimited number of ads,  365-day run times, and a spreadsheet inventory uploader to create an SEO – friendly ad for every item or service in the store within a few minutes.

Unlimited service upgrades, and our mapping / “get distance” fuel cost calculator are provided to help local shoppers find specifically what they want in a local, brick and mortar store, be it a Mom and Pop or big box retailer – by shortest driving distance.  We tell you how much you will spend on fuel to get to the store right on the ad and in the search results scroll-down on adbirds.com.

Build it, and they will come.  Make it better, and local media will write stories about it… Well, maybe not.

For some time I have worked on the chicken-or-egg matter regarding population of the adbirds website for auto, real estate, service and retail industry.  I did local radio and limited tv with little in the marketing budget – like the people we want to serve.

“Let’s provide incentives”!   We came up with an “affiliate” code system that provides payouts with a tracking link and coupon for partners who will help propagate the site.

If a company, a shut-in, or organization becomes an adbirds user and an affiliate, your tracking link could look like;

 http://www.adbirds.com/CT/?ck= aword and your coupon for personally entering an account coupon at registration as Value or Unlimited could be:   aword  (or anything you want for that matter).

A banner can carry your tracking link pointing to adbirds, and when any account is created within 30 days from that click-through (provided the user accepts a cookie), your account will be credited.  I recommend selling your clients on adbirds due to our green, family-friendly and eco friendly format and we can help with the details, plus guarantee most of our end is spent on marketing in their area.

                                      

Print media, even those with websites consider us competition.  Go figure.  I had a hard time getting any love from Austin radio or tv too, so we created user groups,  affiliate code, a Travel Incentives program with awards scaled to specific growth targets, and prize contests.   What more can we do?  “Calling all agencies, car and motorcycle dealers, real estate companies, restaurants and retailers”!

Randall Stephens, founder, adbirds.com

So you plan to buy a car, a home, new clothes, electronics, or maybe a wig

 When adbirds was in beta way back in 2009 I stated; …”adbirds is continually developed on four pillars: … to serve People, Business, Charities and the Ecology at the local level, everywhere.”…  You will remember 2009 as a tough year for most people.   We weren’t any exception and I closed the office, but not the website.  This week the adbirds development team is deploying a Google mapping system and upgrading the website several generations to better the speed, and implement new tools.  What does that mumbo mean?  We hope this means a new generation of consumers will be able to save money, time and fuel shopping at local businesses who list their wares and services with Arte the adbird.

 Back in the day…

 Our original format permitted “shortest” straight-line distance calculations with limitations to the postal, or “zip” code level for free user ads, and to the doorstep for Value and Unlimited accounts.  We gave away ads in categories our big competitors sell in, too.  Nothing comes easily when you make big plans on a limited marketing budget.  But that’s just the kind of customer we want to serve, the small business and local consumers they touch, everywhere.

 What’s new?

 Now we have an international account registration system so people, – all users, can map their items anywhere in the world, and their customers can click the green, get distance tab and shop by shortest distance – in terms of real road-distance provided by Google of course.  We can’t please everyone yet but we are trying.  Would you like to see more improvements?  Place an ad and share it to your favorite social network site such as facebook.  It’s really easy and will help us help your friends too.

“Team AdBirds” to work with community based organizations, booster clubs, charities who will help us spread the word about our free and business level online classified advertising services.

Are you with a school booster club, community outreach program, or some form of 501.c3 charity?  AdBirds wants to help!

Let’s get started now.

AdBirds has reopened the “affiliate” program in order to team up with community based organizations and charitable organizations.  Any registered user can become and “affiliate” and help their favorite charitable / community organization.  If the user is not a charity or end user of the donations, such as a publisher or on air announcer,  all they need to do is promise to make a donation to the organization from their affiliate payment.

Here’s how it works:

Charitable and community based organizations can create their free Charity account with Value level services from adbirds at no cost or obligation other than our Terms and Conditions.

The organization’s adbirds account manager can log in and apply for the affiliate program within his/her account page.

When we have the org’s info we will contact the manager or welcome his or her call.

AdBirds will work with the account manager to create a special “coupon” and tracking link which can be shared online,  on print or radio and tv.

We will email a special .pdf flier which the organization can take to local stores, which will state all the great services adbirds provides Value and Unlimited account holders along with the special coupon – usually a word, name, or initials of the organization, which when used during account creation or upgrade, credits and pays the organization with each client payment.

AdBirds will donate or pay – depending on the affiliate’s status, 33% x each credited Value or Unlimited account, on the 15th day of the month:

Value account monthly = $5.00 per month x 1/3 = $1.65 per Value account per month x total.

Value account annually = $55.00 per year x 1/3 = $18.15 per Value account per year x total.

Unlimited account monthly = $30.00/mo. x 1/3 = $10.00 per credited account x total number.

Unlimited account annually = $330.00/yr. x 1/3 = $110.00 per credited account x total number.

The client’s subscription rate will never be increased.

AdBirds will send every Value and Unlimited customer a Team Adbirds sticker and We’re with the bird! adbirds logo sticker that can be placed at the front door or point of sale so they will not be solicited further.  Note: Some organizations may offer to provide assistance with ad placement or account management.   Such additional services provided by the affiliate for the adbirds customer are not guaranteed or endorsed by adbirds!

AdBirds will also socially network their ads and perform SEO and cost-per-click services to help users find their ads via search engines, and even help with a store’s inventory upload.

online classified advertising – eco and community friendly – browse ads – post ads free

List Free,  Shop Smart,  Save Gas!

 © AdBirds Design & Market Inc. – 2040

Take A Minute

Take A Minute

Count a minute in seconds

Imagine the numbers as chairs on a carousel

Each chair is a year of live as it moves toward you, and past your moment in time

Imagine the year as it approaches and what significant thing you did that year

How soon do you wish to slow the carousel and live in that year for a bit longer?

Each minute in life is a gift

We don’t know how many chairs are on the carousel

You don’t have to accept the gift, but may choose to live in the moment

There’s always time to walk with your friend.

-Randall Stephens                  

Austin has a new event marketing service

Managing time and activities is critical for success.  At 51 I have learned to take notes and set a schedule.   The most important element of my day is making sure the client is served, gets a positive response and follow-up on the action items of yesterday.   The last week or so, I have seen the adbirds website spin when it needed to connect.  That’s just wrong!   These days we are all used to speed, and seeing a browser hunt is inexcusable when we want to see our hosted site snap to attention.

I regret to say our 4 year-old wind & sun powered, dedicated server ran out of wind.  The good news is that a new server is up and transfer request has been initiated as of 9:23 this morning.  Hostgator is a great provider, and we can expect the transfer to be completed within 25-72 hours.

If any paid subscriber experiences down time for their ads, we’ll refund the entire month. I doubt this will occur; let’s see.

~:>

Another development this week is the launch of AD&M’s* new Fission512 unit to provide a communications channel for our advertising services.   Fission512 will provide event marketing services in Austin, as well as SEO, SEM, cost per click advertising, banners, graphics and print collateral, entertainers, actors and models for events and public appearances, as well as street-level open air advertising.

Fission512 is “Austin’s Atomic Advertising”!   We’ll make sure our clients are noticed by visitors during major events, around sports venues and conventions.  Questions?
Check the schedule of events in your area or ours and contact Fission512 by AD&M*, for great advertising any time of the year.

See:  www.Fission512.com for local or web advertising services.

~:>

*AdBirds Design & Market Inc.  PO Box 170189 Austin, Tx 78717