Many of you may remember that back in August of 2011, PayPal established blocks on payments to users in India for amounts over $500. This was very frustrating for many of our users, who rely on PayPal to receive their monthly payments from Chitika. Users were forced to switch over to check, which is not everyone’s ideal option.

Luckily, PayPal must have quickly realized that this was a problem and the block was removed. We are now able to send PayPal payments for amounts over $500 to users in India again (yay!). Therefore, we wanted to remind any publishers that this may have affected: If you have not done so already, you may re-select “PayPal” as your preferred payment option.

If you need assistance in changing your preferred payment method or have questions about payments in general, you can contact me here.

Were you affected by the PayPal block in India? Feel free to vent in the comment section below!

Pay Per Call Ads

Chitika introduced Pay Per Call Ads, which enhances your local site visitors’ experience by putting them in direct contact with the advertisers. For our publishers, this means revenue from the advertisers. A real win-win situation if you ask us.

Ads for Apps

We introduced our in-app ads; these ads are integrated in the app, meaning that the look and feel of the app is not infringed upon (Why mess with what you’ve worked so hard to create?). We currently have two types of implementation: SDK and Webview. Our mobile team kicked butt getting these app ads up and running, and app developers using Chitika have experienced great results thus far!

Map Units

We recently rolled out our  new Chitika Map Units, which was huge for us. In light of other map providers beginning to charge for map usage in 2012, we decided to come out with our own maps that will actually pay you to use them! The map units are very customizable, and ad pins can be included on the maps. Interested? Of course you are! Check them out here.

Chitika + IAB

We partnered with the IAB this year in an effort to raise awareness on and support consumer privacy. Consumers are now able to “opt out” of Chitika’s search targeted ads if they wish, and publishers using Chitika ads are able to build trust with their site visitors.  This is part of our eternal effort to create “magic moments” – matching the right user up with the ad at the right time.

Chitika Insights

Chitika Insights, the independent research arm of Chitika, had a fantastic year.  Insights had a record breaking number of PR hits in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, Forbes, and many more. With coverage of the year’s hottest tech topics (i.e. the ongoing battle between iOS and Android devices, Google+, various browser updates, and more), you can be sure that Chitika Insights will have a kickass 2012.

Mobile Ads

At Chitika, we have fully recognized the importance of mobile devices and their role in online advertising – a role that will only continue to grow as time goes on. Therefore, we have spent a lot of time improving our mobile ads, making them easy to use for our publishers who aren’t familiar with mobile and may or may not have a mobile optimized version of their site. Chitika’s mobile team continues to grab the mobile bull by its horns – and you can expect great things out of them this upcoming year.

As for 2012…. Well, we have big plans (of course). What are your hopes for Chitika in 2012? What would you like to see change on our website or in the affiliate panel? Any ideas for new ad types? Let us know in the comments section below!

When questioned about the future of retail point-of-sale poaching, Venkat shared his insights on the role that connected devices and social signals will have in 2012. Expanding on the implementation of RTB (Real Time Bidding) in the world of online advertising, Venkat stated, “Promotions can now be tailored to individual consumers at the point of individual transactions. The technology already exists.” Check out this video for some more RTB wisdom and the insight into the future of SoLoMo:

The Interactive Local Media (ILM) Conference will spotlight game changers in local eCommerce. Venkat, along with other industry leaders, will be speaking on the long-term path of SoLoMo from 11:30am-12:00pm at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco.

11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Heavy Hitters: The Future of SoLoMo 
We’ll cap off the SoLoMo discussion with a look into the crystal ball. How can we triangulate current market trends to determine where we’ll be this time next year, or five years from now? What is the long-term view of how social, local and mobile media will converge? Market leaders will discuss.
David Courtney, CEO, JiWire
Steve Espinosa, Founder and CEO, AppStack
Ankit Gupta, Cofounder, Pulse
*Venkat Kolluri, CEO, Chitika

To read more on the ILM Conference and the other presentations, check out the ILM homepage and the schedule of events.

Chitika provides a profitable solution for publishers looking for alternative map providers. Users can opt to include ads within the map units, helping to further monetize traffic on their site. Chitika Maps gives you the opportunity to tap into a new revenue stream!

Our maps include a variety of features not available with other map services, including:

• Ability to monetize your map with integrated ad pins
• Unlimited Usage
• Hourly Location Updates
• Directions (coming soon!)

Chitika Maps compared with Google Maps:

To learn more about Chitika’s Map Units, click here. What do you guys think of other companies deciding to charge for map use?

At Chitika, we get shit done.

Venkat Kolluri, CEO of Chitika, recently attended the Management Information Systems conference in Dallas, Texas, where he engaged with other industry leaders on how to better prepare college students for employment in the dynamic tech industry. His attendance at this conference and quote in an article published by the University of Texas at Dallas, “Industry Leaders Urge Focus on Business Acumen,” embodies the brazen mindset that is present in each and every Chitikan.

Venkat states:

We are preparing students on the strategy side and on the planning side as far as how to write a business plan and how to strategically do project management… But what’s happening is students are coming out of school with fresh degrees under their belts, but have no clue about what it takes to get (things) done. Execution is completely missing.

Chitika is a a leader in the rapidly growing industry of online advertising. Therefore, it should be no surprise that we want the best you have to offer. Most of all, we want to know one thing:

Can you get shit done?

Let us know.

The Crystal Award is given to a TiE Charter Member for building and growing a successful company from the ground up with no external funding (Chitika grew from a $5 investment to become a multi-million dollar company in just 5 years!). Venkat was also a TiE Star at TiECON East 2011.