mThink

Yahoo has announced that the Yahoo! Publisher Network (YPN) will be closed down effective April 30, 2010. In a remarkable decision, Yahoo is suggesting that publishers move to Chitika, who have set up a customized process for YPN publishers. Yahoo says that all YPN publishers will be mailed final payments by May 31, 2010.

Last year Google ran no less than 17 different April Fool’s Day hoaxes. I have always loved that a company that has so much on its plate takes the time to differentiate itself and build some positive brand equity by investing humor.

Here’s the fundamental challenge for the performance marketing industry: how do we move from a short-term mindset that rewards us with a small reward today, to a long-term mindset that make us truly rich tomorrow?

Let’s look at what’s going on.

• Which is the best performance marketing network?
• Who do you love?
• What makes them great?

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Hydra Networks has announced that with immediate effect it has terminated the accounts of over 15,000 publishers. The news comes as part of a new push by Hydra to attract mainstream brand advertisers and set themselves apart from “ad networks peddling nutraceutical diet remedies, cash grant opportunities, tooth whiteners and other non-branded campaigns of low consumer value.”

After a year in which the performance marketing industry had to deal with controversies ranging from Oprah to the FTC, many of the larger, smarter networks are trying to move to higher ground. They’re seeking to attract more quality, brand advertisers, but that means selling performance marketing as a solution to Chief Marketing Officers who may have no experience of it.

As Facebook pushes to Win The Internet, its dazzling growth in usage is still to be reflected in profits, or even revenues. Accurate estimates of exactly what Facebook is bringing in are hard to come by but the best yet now comes from the Inside Facebook blog.

On Wednesday Spanish authorities announced the arrest of three alleged ringleaders behind the Mariposa botnet. Mariposa is possibly the largest botnet yet discovered and consisted of an estimated 12.7 million computers.