SkimKit, our new editorial research tool, launched.

The free desktop application is now available exclusively to Skimlinks publishers, and is ready for download within our publisher interface.

SkimKit is set to revolutionise the linking process for content creators; by allowing you to search for affiliate-enabled products, with one click access to deeplinks, and image URLs. It works a bit like a search-engine product search; except every item in the SkimKit can earn you commissions if you decide to feature it in your content.

There are a bunch of other cools features in SkimKit too: like the merchant search, which lets you browse the entire Skimlinks’ network of merchants, or search for specific brands, and My Starred List, which allows you bookmark products to export directly into your CMS or XML.

SkimKit is also home to Skimlinks’ own brand URL shortener, which trims down your product links, and monetises them too. That means you can still earn commissions anywhere you can’t  use Skimlinks; like on Twitter, Facebook, or within emails and newsletters.

The team here at Skimlinks has put a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears into SkimKit, and we hope you love it as much as we do!

Remember, you have to be a Skimlinks publisher to get your own SkimKit, so if you’re not already with us, apply to join us today!

Call it what you will; ’socmed’, ‘invaluable tool’ or ‘waste of time’, the impact is undeniable; Social media has quite literally changed the world, and trying to ignore this revolution is futile. Futile I tell you!

The beast itself is a beautiful thing. Social media is allowing brands to engage with users, closer and quicker than ever before, it makes real life connections even stronger with a personal…but not too personal, instant new form of communication, and your average Joe can become a Twilebrity overnight if he can string together some valuable musings  in 140 characters or less.

The only backlash of the rise of social media is the side effect that comes with all new marketing/communication phenomenons; self-proclaimed ‘experts’. Those looking to get their head around the medium are hit from all sides by those looking to make a quick buck off the back of a new trend and selling their ‘expertise’ to anyone that’s buying.

If you’re about to throw yourself in the social media ring, you’ll figure out pretty quickly that the majority of people and events claiming to help you along your way will, in fact, lead you down the garden path.

Choose wisely.

Here’s my checklist to help you decide whether you should attend a social media event.

The speakers

Do a bit of research before you part with any attendance fees. Check out the listed speakers, and don’t just take the event organiser’s word for it; look up their names and credentials and explore whether their experience is relevant to what you are trying to achieve within social media.

Big names pull in attendees, but they don’t always add value to an event. Check out their LinkedIn profile, or their Twitter stream, and look at what they’ve really achieved when you strip away the shiny brand name they work for.

The sponsors

There is nothing worse than having irrelevant sponsors’ material shoved down your throat at an event. Are the sponsors relevant; or did the organisers bring on any man and his dog willing to pay the sponsorship costs?

Check up on the sponsors. Look into the companies behind the logos to help you decide whether the sponsors are going to help you; or just annoy you when you’re trying to learn.

The agenda

Check out the titles of the sessions and speaker presentations. Yep, they’ll all probably sound the same. By the looks of things, they’ll be examining, evaluating, adapting, measuring and analysing the life out of social media, its state, potential and future.

Look a little deeper; is the presentation or session going to provide you with any real value?

It’s easy for speakers to rattle off social media metrics and trends, but at the end of the day, you want real action points to take away with you, and ultimately, implement into your own use of social media. Cut through the buzzwords and be brutal. Will you really get anything out of it?

The audience

Is there are public guest list? Can you search attendees through a event hashtag on Twitter? Does the event have a Meetup page, Facebook fan or event page?

If you can get an insight into who’s already going, you can get a better idea whether you should be there or not. There’ll be quite a few of the ’social media experts’ I mentioned earlier, but ideally, you’re looking for people in a  similar situation to you; you’ll find it better for learning.

However, networking is networking – you can always find great new contacts at events like these, so be on the look out for people you want to link in with. Just a word of warning; if you’re completely new to the space, don’t waste people’s time asking questions about the basics. If you’ve got a question, Google it. Topical discussions, or even just a ‘how about this weather’ will get a better response.

So, the Social Media World Forum is coming up next month, and, in-keeping with the checklist, I thought I’d give it a once-over.

Based on the points below, I’ve decided to attend; but check it out for yourself before you sign up!

• Yes, there are big names attending, but I’m actually interested in what they have to say. For example; Kristin Wadge of Metrica is an expert in PR evalution and measurement, a subject I’m interested in, I can see from her Twitter stream that she is a seasoned speaker. That’s a good start. See the list of speakers here.
• One of the silver sponsors; yiid looks like a great concept. As someone who uses multiple social media tools, their offering looks like just the thing I’ve been waiting for. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have to offer at the event, and also, Social Media UK is the event’s main networking partner – I’ve been to one of their events before, and thought it was great. Good sign.
• I spotted a session on the second day; Social Network Advertising and Monetisation, a subject I think will be one of the biggest talking points in social media this year. I’d love to engage with the panel on this one.
• A quick Twitter search of the event name has given me an insight into who’s already going; as well as an idea of how much buzz this event is creating. I can see lots of new, interesting faces I’ve never met at social media events before, so the networking opportunities look to be well worth it! Search #SMWF.

The Smarta 100 is a collection of the most exciting, promising and disruptive new businesses in Britain, and the 2010 list has just been announced today.

Skimlinks has been named as one of the 100, as selected by judges Deborah Meaden, of Dragons’ Den, Bebo co-founder Michael Birch, Smarta CEO Shaa Waasmund, plumbing magnate Charlie Mullins, and Coffee Republic co-founder Sahar Hasemi.

You can see the full list of winners here, and congratulations to all the other worthy winners!

Skimlinks has just been shortlisted for the 2010 MediaGuardian Innovation Awards!

We’re up for the Business Model and Startup category, after a ‘lively and hard fought’ judging process, and the full shortlist is available here.

The awards ceremony will be held on March 25th.

But this time…he won’t be alone. He’ll be joined by digi-people from 39 other UK-based companies thanks to Chinwag, UK Trade & Investment and their ‘Digital Mission’.

Digital Mission gives UK digital companies an opportunity to expand their business or seek investment in the US, with a range of activities for attendees; masterclasses, networking, marketing support and so much more.

Skimlinks was selected by the Digital Mission advisory board to make the most of the opportunity during SXSW Interactive Festival – five days of presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology.

The entire list of companies attending Digital Mission SXSWi ‘10 can be found here, and you can follow all the Digital Mission news in real time on Twitter here.

This week, our very own @DigiJoe will be opening our new US office – the headquarters for our stateside takeover in 2010.

Situated in Palo Alto, just outside of San Francisco, the office will be filled with our shiny new States Skimteam (currently being finalized), while we simultaneously expand our London office back in the UK.

Although Skimlinks is agnostic of geography – you can sign-up, install and manage your account wherever you are – we have such a strong customer base in the US that we thought it a natural progression to set up an office with local account managers that our US customers can contact at local times.

We’re aiming for our physical presence to grow our US numbers further, and build on the amazing success we’ve seen over the past year.

The coming months will also see the launch of a series of free, new revenue-maximization tools for our publishers, so watch this space.

2010 is shaping up to be huge for Skimlinks!

Want to be a part of the Skimlinks revolution? Check out our jobs page here.

You’ll see our faces across the pond a lot in 2010 (exciting news following this post!) and we’re kicking it off by attending the fantastic Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas (our fourth time in Vegas in 12 months!)

I’ll be there meeting old friends, and new. We’re also supporting Affiliate Summit’s chosen charity National Breast Cancer Foundation by sponsoring a place at the charity poker tournament and a player at the charity ten pin bowling. (you can enter to win the place by sending an @ reply on Twitter to @skimlinks saying why you should get the free ticket to the poker or bowling)

If you’d like to meet up with me, please get in contact either via email joe @ skimlinksdotcom or Twitter – I’d love to say hello!

Joe (@digijoe)

Skimlinks won the award for the Best Pitch at the CEO workshop; an event organised by serial entrepreneur and investor Sherry Coutu and Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman.

The pair invited a group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors to Cambridge, and selected 50 CEOs to attend (from the 150 that applied) with a select few chosen to present their technology business in a three minute pitch.

The entrepreneurs and investors; including Twitter CEO and Founder Biz Stone, and Reid Hoffman himself, then voted for the best pitch, and Skimlinks came out on top.

The event also featured masterclasses, workshops, debates and networking, with a focus on new and distruptive ideas within technology.

We are delighted to have been named as one of four finalists in the Innovation in Affiliate Marketing Award, alongside eBay Partner Network, VAC Media and Webgains iSense Site Seeker.

The final round of judging will commence this week, with winners announced next week.

Congratulations, and good luck to all our fellow finalists.