We continue our series of Web VIP interviews with Paris Karahalios, one of the co-founders of the Shareware Industry Awards Foundation.

Paris Karahalios is one of the first software vendors to sell its products using shareware as a marketing method. He has an active implication in software organizations and he is the author of the As-Easy-As, a spreadsheet software product succesfully sold all around the world. He also acted as an advisor and resource person for the creation of the European Software Conference. In recognition of his efforts, he was given in 2004 the Shareware Industry Lifetime Achievement award.

From the interview with Paris Karahalios:

"The perception of shareware has indeed changed, significantly. 15 years ago, although still only a small percentage of users would register and pay for software distributed through shareware, most knew what shareware really meant, and were making a conscious decision to register/pay for a specific software product, or not. Fifteen years ago, a good percentage of PC users were still "hackers" of sorts, and they were aware of the "sharing-but-having-to-pay" concept.

The new "internet culture" has changed all that. Most users, nowadays, expect to be able to download "your" program from the internet and use it for free. Why not, they can do that with so many other programs! What this means, is that the developer/vendor has to become more creative in convincing trial users to pay for the product. It's a challenge, but not impossible. "

Read the full interview

Who’s afraid of frauds? Well, everybody, you’d say and indeed, with fraudsters’ imagination and malevolent skills turning so savvy, simply having a card or an online shop puts us at risk.

According to eMarketer research, merchant losses from online payment fraud amounted to $2.6 billion in 2004. While that is only 1.8% of total sales, the threat of online crime has consumers frightened - and some are taking their business elsewhere.

I am only going to talk about one: 3D Secure. Pretty common in Europe, less known in the Americas, it is the standard introduced by Visa and MasterCard to allow authentication of cardholders in online epayment transactions. It was adopted and is offered with the service name Verified by Visa, MasterCard SecureCode, and recently J/Secure (by JCB).

Here is the guideline.

At the SIC 2007 I gave a presentation together with Dave Collins on "Tracking Web Activity ". Dave Collins started his presentation with questions related to the usage of analytics tools, and I was surprised to see that the majority in the room did not measure their online actions and results, some of the main reasons being:

• Lack of time
• Too complicated
• Lack of tools

A List Apart

Just from my first impression when visiting A List Apart, I felt like bookmarking it. If you wonder what makes it so special, well, it’s a properly organized resource for web developers that explore different themes like design, development and web content showing a special interest in web standards and best practice. Even if you are an active presence on this site or you are just spending time reading what others have written, A List Apart is a must when you start dealing with websites.

47Hats

Bob Walsh doesn’t cease to take us aback and the latest thing he could be “charged” for is 47hats.com, a blog launched with the slogan: “Helping microISVs succeed” in which he gathers information and resources about the microISV, “the future of the global software industry, and the future of the billion-person Internet we are all connected to now”. It’s a cool place to hang out because here, Bob Walsh provides useful advice from his earned experience in a more relaxed manner: he enjoys blogging and being part of the microISV community. So, this blog is definitely a place worth visiting.

4th E-Commerce Convention

The latest trends in e-commerce will be debated at the 4Th E-Commerce Convention, moderated by Binh Minh, which will take place this year in Paris on 11th, 12th and 13th of September. There will be six main themes to be discussed: e-merchandising, e-marketing, customer relations/loyalty programs, solutions and services for e-commerce, logistics/transportation, innovations/ e-commerce field.

Virus Bulletin

VB2007 will take place on September 19-21, 2007 in Vienna. Virus Bulletin is a magazine about the prevention, detection and removal of malware and spam. The magazine holds an annual conference which is the premier technical event of the anti-virus industry. Security companies and corporations meet to discuss the latest malware threats and papers presented, in a technical and corporate capacity, regarding industry developments.

If you are in the security industry, you should also check this anti-malware event calendar.

Founded by Missy Ward and Shawn Collins in 2003 for the purpose of providing educational sessions on the latest industry issues and fostering a productive networking environment for affiliate marketers. Affiliate Summit London 2007 is taking place on September 28, 2007 at the Olympia Conference Centre. The conference provides networking opportunities for affiliates, merchants, and networks alike.

I bet you will find at least one new idea from the articles below.

Top 50 Free Blog Directories

"In order to promote your business, gain more exposure and increase targeted traffic, Avangate created a list with blog directories where you can submit free your blog. Check this list and start increasing your online credibility..." [Read more]

Benefits of Optimizing for Long Tail Search

"Taking into account that the existence of the Internet has reduced considerably the need for physical stores, it is possible nowadays to reach markets that otherwise would be intangible. Therefore, it is good that the long search tail be not neglected. The keyword long tail must be also exploited. There's a gold mine out there waiting to be prospected..." [Read more]

Video Marketing Tips

"Marketing videos can be used when a company decides to promote, a bit more aggressively (in the good way), one or more of its products/services. They can help reach the prospects better, on a well-trodden path, that of visual advertising, laid before them by television..." [Read more]

Tips on Writing a Good FAQ

"FAQs are organized "collections" of valuable information that usually comes from questions (and their corresponding answers) for the most common issues raised by users, on various topics. An article about why and what should you write about in a FAQ plus a few tips for writing it..." [Read more]

What is Electronic Software Distribution?

"According to Wikipedia, Electronic Software Distribution (ESD) is a solution devised by software producers, meant to allow users to download software products over the Internet (i.e. electronically). ESD – what it implies and where do electronic software distribution and e-commerce meet?..." [Read more]

Unleash the Affiliate Performance Metrics

"Most of the affiliates miss to understand the importance of metrics and how the metrics could explain their level of success in affiliate marketing. Understanding metrics won't increase your sales, but it's the single most important thing in finding out what improvements you might need..." [Read more]