Leadpile’s Blog

The innovative iPhone was released about a year and a half ago, and some are saying that there might be something new rolling out just in time for iPhone users to renew their contracts. According to Internetnews.com Apple might have something up their sleeves. Could it be an enhancement to the current iPhone, or something brand new and able to compete with the already popular iPhone?  Time will tell, however myself and everyone at Leadpile Lead Exchange will have their eyes open for the newest “toy” from Apple.  What will they come up with next?

In recent news, South Carolina is the next state to be heading in the direction of payday lending regulations. According to the Augusta Chronicle, the South Carolina house of representatives has passed a bill preventing consumers from taking out more than one payday loan (up to $600) at a time. In addition to the number of payday loans being potentially allowed, the bill requires the industry to allow customers to go into a extended payment plan if they can’t meet that deadline (without incorporating more fees). This bill is now going to be headed to the Senate to be voted on. If this passes this is just another state that is cracking down on payday lenders. Leadpile Lead Exchange will be keeping an eye on this.

Internetnews.com is reporting that our cybercriminals most recent victims are the users on Digg.com. Digg.com is a common place for people to share stories and news going on around the world. Unfortunately, some hackers have so far posted 52 URLs for users to potentially click on and then download malware. These URLs are usually related to some sort of celebrity story, and they then get the users to click on them and eventually infest their PCs.
Lesson learned here is always know what you are clicking on, and think twice before providing your credit card information or other personal information. Leadpile Lead Exchange wants to make sure and provide any new news we have to our partners, so we can all be well informed.

To no surprise, job websites have seen an increase in traffic to their sites.  With the national unemployment rate above 7%, Americans are reaching to the internet to help find a new job.

According to DMNews, more than a half of a million jobs were lost last month, which is the most in a month in 35 years. Therefore, job websites are beefing up their ways to monetize this traffic. Some are incorporating newsletters, which contain helpful information about interviewing and other helpful tips. However, others are offering potential advice on starting a new business during these tough economic times. Leadpile Lead Exchange does not necessarily work with job websites, however we do work with lead types/services some of these consumers would be interested in obtaining. Home based business is a lead type that we are working with, which a perfect opportunity for consumers to try and be matched up with those that can help them start up that new business.

Some higher traffic job websites:

1. Snagajob.com
2. Careerbuilder.com
3. Monster.com
4. Simplyhired.com
5. Dice.com

Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com both are sites that also took advantage of the highly watched Super Bowl. This exposure is certainly going to help contribute to some increased traffic.

Leadpile Lead Exchange would like to wish Facebook a Happy 5th birthday. According to the Valley Wag website, Facebook originated on the campus of Harvard University. Eventually, the social networking site went from one university to universities all across the nation. Presently, Facebook is not just used by university students as a social networking site, it is used by more than 1.5 million people (including Leadpile Lead Exchange). HAPPY BIRTHDAY Facebook!

Every time you check out at a retail store, do you recognize the statement, “would you like to save 10% on today’s purchase?”

You are getting asked this at all your favorite retails stores, because they are looking to have you open a new store credit card.  This is something that is enticing you to potentially save some money on that current purchase.  Who doesn’t want to save money, so many consumers choose to accept the offer.  However, do you know when you answer “yes”, that is giving that company to pull your credit and potentially affecting your credit score?

Any time anyone applies for new credit it affects your credit and it also affects your overall outstanding bills you are now going to have to pay.  Are these things that you think of when making that split second decision to say, “yes I would like to save 10% with that new credit card?”  According to bankrate.com, there are some pros and cons to retail credit cards.

Pros
• Promotions, discounts and other perks.
• Helps build credit history.

Cons
• High interest rates.
• Low credit limits.
• Lowers your credit score.
• Another spending temptation.

Once consumers have these sorts of credit cards and all other types of credit cards, it creates a potential financial hardship if there is a life changing event (ie- job loss, pay reduction, loss of spouse etc) that could put a consumer in a tough situation. Debt consolidation and debt settlement companies are great services to look into if you are buried in the debt. Leadpile Lead Exchange works a lot with these lead types, and I have to say in recent months there has been a lot more activity in those verticals. This tells me that too many people said “yes I would like to save 10% on this purchase”. Think before getting that next new credit card!

Payday loans, also known as a cash advance, are a very large business in the United States.  These short term loans often are under a lot of scrutiny from lenders and government agencies.  However, it is hard to ignore the fact that I read that the payday loan industry is potentially lending 50 billion dollars.

These short-term loans are being taken out by people who need cash and possibly their bank, credit union or credit cards are not an option.  As I have pointed out before, the average person taking out a payday loan is not what it used to be, or what people generally think of as a “typical” customer. According to Indystar.com, “the average household income for Advance America customer has risen to $43,000, with 90 percent holding at least high school diplomas and half with some college. About half have credit cards.” Indystar.com also goes on to point out that nationally, the number of payday outlets has gone from zero in 1990 to about 25,000 today. However, many choose the convenience of searching online for their short term loan, and then get matched up with companies like Leadpile Lead Exchange to then connect them to that needed payday lender. The fact that this industry is potentially a 50 billion dollar industry, points out that there is definitely a need for these short term loans.

There are some new enhancements rolling out by Google. According to Reuters, Google has launched a software to track mobile users, and also new features to their Gmail email service.  This new mobile software allows cell phone users and other wireless devices to automatically share their whereabouts with family and friends.  Google recognizes there is some security issues potentially, so this is something that Google users can control who sees where they are etc.  This sounds like maybe a good idea for parents…. ?

The other news rolled out by Google are some features with the Gmail email service.  Google is always looking to continue to grow it’s Gmail email users, so implementing these new features will attract more users.  For instance, one feature will make a user solve a math problem before sending an email, giving them time to rethink and confirm they want to send the email.  Google says some people send emails accidently out of anger, frustration or just by mistake.  Another feature implemented was an alert to users who forget to upload attachments.  How many times do you mean to include an attachment and then forgot to include it?  Google realizes this and is trying to prevent that from happening.

These new features can only potentially add to the success of Leadpile Lead Exchange and other lead generation/affiliate marketing companies.  New technology only means more ability for consumers to be captured online for services and products they are looking for. 

With all the foreclosures happening around in the country, this time could be ideal for those that are looking to buy a home.  However, there are some things that really need to be looked at before doing this.  According to US News & World Report these are the things to take a look at before you consider buying a home:

1. Make sure your financial house is in order

In order to get the best interest rate possible, pull your credit prior to looking at getting a home.   Make sure everything looks positive and get the proper help in order to resolve any outstanding items.  Also, look at your overall financial portfolio and how much more you can handle on a monthly basis.  Don’t go buy a home if you are unstable in your current job.

2. Buy a home, not an investment

There is still a possibility that the housing market will continue to suffer.  Knowing this, don’t go out looking for just a cheap deal.  Get a home that you want to live in and make it a “home”.  Much of our housing economy is in this position potentially because of the number of “investment” properties that were purchased in years past.

3. Be conservative

Don’t go overboard with the future payments of the home you are looking at.  Things are still not stable in our US economy, so be a little on the conservative side with that additional “bills” you take on.

4. Get those concessions

There are a lot of homes for sale right now, therefore getting extra incentives with the home is a possibility.  It does not hurt to ask!

5. Check out foreclosures

Check out foreclosures first and see if there are any home that appeal to you.  However, working with a foreclosure home or short sale home takes some knowledge, so get with the appropriate person who knows how to handle the transaction.

The bottom line is is this is a great time to go get a home, however do your homework first, so you do not become a part of the national statistics of people loosing their homes.  Pull your credit, research home values before moving forward with anything.  It will certainly benefit you in the long run.  Leadpile Lead Exchange is currently working with the home purchase lead type.  These are people looking to buy a home and we are always looking for more companies looking to help these consumers to get that home.  

Ask.com has closed a deal with Symantec (Norton software), where ask.com will provide the consumers a toolbar with search feature, displaying Ask results. So far, no matter how inovative Ask.com tools were, they couldn’t get a major market share in the Search space. With this new deal, it will become more interesting to watch their evolution. They seem to follow the same approach as Yahoo, when they signed a deal with McAfee.
The consumers will have the search tool integrated inside their toolbar, provided by Norton in their new release due Tuesday.

Macys has announced that will cut 7,000 jobs. Well… I have been in the store few days ago, and thought the store is closed – appeared that no one is shopping anymore.

We understand that the economy is slow, but is this bad? Wallmart is cutting jobs, now Macys and Starbucks is closing another 300 stores.

Do you think people will start spending more when the tax returns will be done? Super Bowl definitely helped – lots of people in the Safeway at least.

Hats off to the Pittsburg Steelers for their win at Super Bowl 43. Great game to watch, and I am sure a great game to be at if you had that opportunity. I thought these were some interesting facts about Super Bowl 43:

* One Billion world wide audience
* 140 Million – Number of Americans that saw Super Bowl XLl
* 106 Million – Number of Americans that went out to celebrate New Year’s Eve
* 100,000+ Visitors to the Tampa Bay area
* 150,000+ Attendees to NFL Experience over two weekends
* 232 Countries and territories broadcast the Super Bowl
* 34 Languages in which the Super Bowl is broadcast

Leadpile Lead Exchange says hats off to their hometown team AZ Cardinals, and congratulations to the GREAT win for the Pittsburg Steelers! GREAT job teams!