How much Google Adsence pay (share) with publishers?

This is a heavily guarded secret that no one know except the people working for Google finance team. However I like Google that it is a company that promote transparency freedom to access information. You might be thinking I am contradicting myself. But this is the irony. You are on this page because you were looking for information how much Google pays to the publishers of the ad through AdSense program. Terms and conditions of the Adsense do not allow anyone to reveal this information so you would never know the real answer. However Google gives this information free of cost if you are willing to do little math.

Go to the Google Investor's relations' page or the SEC website download the annual report or the quarterly reports. These are public documents so there is nothing hidden or secret about these. I have collected following data from the reports. 

*Revenue from Network sites : Google charges the advertisers
*Traffic Acquisition Cost: Google pays to partner websites
 Note: Google has exclusive deals with some companies so they might be paid higher or lower than the average. But the calculations should give approximate idea to fulfill what you were looking for. Divide the second column by the first one and you get the answer.

You might notice that this over 73% in any quarter. There is fluctuation in cost to revenue curve but it can be assumed it is because of the differential in the payment to the partners with the exclusive deals. SEC filing does not differentiate between the small network partners and the bigger partners so one can assume that this ration would not have very wide standard deviation from the mean. 

This must give some relief that Google is one of the most generous company when comes to the partners revenue sharing. 



Report also says that they do not plan to change in the partner payment percentage in the foreseeable future so you can be sure to join them until you find someone better than them.

Google rocks!

Hypocrisy of Fairtrade

I do not know how to react to the Fairtrade sign in the supermarkets. Some of the supermarkets sell coffee and bananas that had this sign but many other products do not have. Switching to Fairtrade bananas would cost $3-4 millions extra to Sainsbury's. Chances are they would invest more money in advertising this fact on TV, radio and the print media. This is not a very big amount for such a company but they would like to take the advantage of the customers emotions. They would make them think that the store is doing good for the producers in the developing countries.

As showing the sign of Fairtrade was not enough, they would have a picture of a black woman farmer or a destitute farmer on the cover of the product so buy the product not because it is Fairtrade certify but because you feel like doing some charity. Should it be straight forward? Should they not do all the business in Fairtrade manner? Why not they store every product that is Fairtrade certified? Answer is simple. They do not want to do this. It is all show off. What they are interested in is the profit wherever it comes from.

Fairtrade is people promoted program and this was not promoted by the supermarkets. Realizing that customers know what they are doing with the producers in the developing countries they want to cover it up with a few Fairtrade products. They would be selling less than 10% products (by revenue) that would be Fairtrade certified but whole store would remind you of this.

This all seems a hypocrisy to me. If they stop paying huge bonuses to the top management then all the farmers would have better life. For example in a time of recession new chief executive of M&S,Mr Bolland, would get around £15 million in his first year. Is this quality worth every penny? I think no.

How to read eBook without Kindle?

There are millions of eBook available on the Kindle store (Apple's iBookstore will have similar enthusiasm as well when launched) but many of us do not have kindle and will not have iPad either. Question is can we still buy and read the eBooks available on Kindle or any iBook store? Answer is Yes. In this articles I will cover how to read books bought from Kindle store.

The Kindle eBook can be read from PC, blackberry and iPhone and iPad. Amazon has released software or applications for all these devices that let the user read eBook without buying the Kindle.

FAQ about Experiment to Escape the Poverty

Q: Why have you chosen this title?

Satyendra: Well. To be honest, I was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography - Experiment with truth. Though my book is not an autobiography however it is inspired by the life I have lived and seen others around me living. It is a story about any middle class Indian family. Whatever they do is to avoid poverty in their life. They want to earn more money. While doing this, they experiment in different ways. Some succeed, most of them fail. This is what my book covers, so I decided to give title "Experiment to Escape Poverty"

Q:  After Chetan Bhagat, there is a surge in the IITians to write books. Is this another book on IIT?
Satyendra: Laughs. You are right that there are many IITians or MBAs who have already written books about the campus life. Be it IITs or IIMs. But my book is not about IIT or any other campus. I cannot deny that there are some pages where my character, Sumit, is in IIT but that are only less than 40 pages out of 230 pages. However when he is in IIT campus, the book talk about him rather than his campus. You can change the campus from engineering to medical to any university campus, story would remain the same. This book is definitely not about the IIT or engineering colleges.

Q: Tell us something about the book?
Satyendra: The book is about Sumit and his father, Ramesh. The book starts with Ramesh. He has done many experiments to escape the poverty he was born in. Lack of parents support, early marriage and then family did not allow him to realize his dreams. He wants his son to go further and achieve more in life than what he had achieved. Sumit gets all the freedom and resources he could and set on the path to become engineer because this was the only thing, he was sure, that will give him a job. He was an average student in his school but with ambitions and expectations. In the coming years, he gets success. Good education, job, high salary. Everything that one expect from a successful career. But he is restless. He wanted to live where he was but with a better life. This success that he achieved with hard work has uprooted him. He is still the same guy of small town but expectations has changed. In the vicious cycle of achieving more and becoming better than peers, he is alone and broken. He is following the route that everyone does.
It is for the audience of the book to decide if this was the right path he choose or he could have done things differently.

 

Launch of Book - Experiment to Escape Poverty

Dear friends,

Thanks for your patience. The wait is almost over. The project that I was working on for almost last two years (of course not continuously and I had a few long breaks from writing) is near completion. Title of the book is "Experiment to Escape Poverty". Why this name? and What inspired me to write this book? What is inside the book? I will cover these topics in another post "FAQ about Experiment to Escape Poverty".

Here is the schedule of the book launch.

31st March, 2010 : eBook will be launch on Amazon's Kindle store. Though it is for kindle store but anyone with a Kindle, PC or a blackberry and Apple's iPod, iPad or iPhone will be able to purchase and read. Kindle is not necessary to read the eBook. Price has been set to US$ 4.99 (No doubt it is worldwide edition, not restricted to only America).

How to read eBook without Kindle?

30 April, 2010 :  Paperback edition will be launch in America. Again, it will be available on Amazon.com. Of course, anyone can buy but postage will be high. Price is again attractive, US $ 9.99

Later on paperback edition will be launch in India. Price and date will be updated after the discussion with the publishers.

The real Avatar: Mine - Story of a Sacred Mountain

Vedanta is building bauxite plants there. See what damage they have already done to the nearby village. How the company be trusted and given mountains and forest?

Youtube opens a new distribution channel

Ten years back when I was in the university, I was much in debt of my tech savvy friends who could download any movie for free from somewhere. They knew all the tricks how to download from Chinese or Russian websites. Indian websites were not known in those days. Then came the Google that helped common net man to search "Bollywood movie online" and result was remarkable. Anyone could find any movie, particularly Bollywood, easily within one week of release. Lots of websites having "desi" or "bollywood" in their name became instant hit among Indians.

People were watching more and more for free, thanks to youtube, but the movie business in India was still controlled by a few untalented families. Promotion budget became huge and multiplexes, media houses, production house all became partners. Issue based movies, called art movies, started finding it difficult to get cinema halls for their release and then the global recession came that changed everything.

Google that was working as a philanthropy work, everything free for user, had to rethink its strategy. Their investors forced them to generate money from the biggest database they have - Youtube. Though the 3 Idiots were the first to announce the release of movie on youtube but Studio 18 became the first company to release their movie "stricker" online on youtube for free for non-US people. US people are rich and they can afford to pay $5. They might have commercial reasons to release online as there is no SRK in the movie that sells overseas but it is a game changing moment. If the producers are ready to release movie online for free or for a small charge why someone would watch illegal movie copied with a hand camera in cinema hall.

But it is a new channel for the independent, small budget, producers to release movies online at least for the overseas market. Do little math, that is what I know best. If one million (10 lakhs) people watch movie online for free, producers can definitely earn over a crore rupees from advertising. Much more than what a "art" or "parallel cinema" movie would ever earn in India.

I wish good luck to the talented artists to make movies that they like and believe in rather than making rubbish that no one likes but sales.

Why so many (Indians) visit Indian High Commission?

Recently, I had to go to High Commission of India, London, to renew my passport (Yes, it has been ten years I am carrying this blue booklet. I had no idea where I would be after ten years when I got it at first place.). I was thinking it would be like any embassy in India. Lots of local people in the queue to get Visa and I would get priority treatment and the embassy would let me in as soon as I would be there. I had seen hundreds of Indians (local) people queue outside all the embassies in Delhi. However the scene was much different what I had expected but same as I was used to. Lots of Indians in the queue. I was amazed. Why on earth, so many Indians were outside Indian embassy in the chilling morning of London. There was no one to get Indian Visa.

After spending almost half an hours when I could get in the embassy, I saw there were hundreds of like me and there was only one counter for Visa. It was clear that very few people come for the Visa. Rest seven counters were for various services that the Indians required. It was as chaotic as it could be in Passport office in Delhi or Lucknow. There were not enough seats to accommodate the flux of people. If they had printed (on the entry ticket) waiting time then many people would not go inside the embassy to create crowd there. But once you are in then you know that it might take almost one to two hours before your are called.

Apart from everything I also came to know the reason of the crowd. People need four services. After coming here, in a few years, their passport expired (like mine) so they naturally have to go to get new passport. There visit does not stop there. In another couple of years they find that they are eligible for British citizenship so they need to surrender Indian passport to get British (red) passport. Then they realize how much they love India. So they need PIO or OCI cards to say that they have Indian (dual) citizenship. Many of them would rarely say (in public) that they are British except in the legal or other papers where they need to to get benefits or whatever. If you think that the process ends there, you are wrong. By that time they would have kids. Now they would come to get PIO or OCI cards for their kids.

And the process keeps going on and they keep coming every two to three years to crowd and complain "Why Indians cannot work efficiently even in London and make the whole process online?"

A response to Vir Sangvi's Islamophobia

I always read him and admire him for his open and honest opinion on diverse topics including food. He is always a delight to read. Even this time when I saw the title "The real challenge before India..." I was confident that he would bring some insight into the challenge that the Indian security and the Indian sovereignty faces in current time. But he has disappointed on many account.

First, two-third of the article was about Umar - Nigerian accused of attempting to blow up American bound plane on December 25. It was so focused on him and his attributes that it hardly seems that it was written in Indian context. It would have been a better article for Fox News in America than for Hindustan Times.

Second, when he comes to India in the end, he without justifying his arguments jumps to the conclusion that the madrasas are center of terrorism. One cannot deny that there might be a few who are involved in anti-India activities but not all. A large number of them are only to preach religious teachings and morality. One can argue that the content they teach is not good for modern society and students cannot have holistic development with limited teachings. But that is a different issue and the Education ministry talk to them about the content and regulate so that they can contribute to the primary education of the children in the country. In many parts of the country, particularly UP, Bihar and West Bengal, children goes to Madrasas irrespective of their religious background. These are considered as center of education rather center for only religious teaching and far from religious fundamentalism.


When the question of home-grown (it sounds like home-cooked mutton) terrorism comes then religion and youth on the basis of religion need not be segregated. As Vir has himself pointed out in the article there is no set profile who could be terrorist. People, individual or masses, -who Vir has called murderer and not soldiers - takes arms when they see and are convinced that there is discrimination and oppression of their society by others. They might be wrong or right depending on their exposure and how they were brain-washed. 


One third of Indian land is already affected by terrorism - Naxalism. Youths have no direction in these areas and they are ready to die believing they are doing good for their society. Why do they need religious fanatics? Dr. Manmohan Singh and P Chidambaram have already accepted, in public, that the biggest challenge Indian security has is Naxalism. More people die in Naxal affected areas in India every year in violence (and side effects, like poverty and hunger) than in any part of the world because of terrorism.


Why Vir is so apprehensive about Muslim youths only? Only he can answer. Perhaps, he is watching too much NBC and Fox News. God bless him.

Happy 60th Republic day but retirement is not in sight

Finally India has turned 60 as a republic. In many culture, especially in India, this is considered the age of retirement - when the old men and women can play with their grand children and enjoy the life. Though it does not happen in reality and a large population have to work till they die. Where this republic is heading? To rest or to work a long way.

A large number of people got involved in the freedom struggle however only a few could understand the meaning of freedom and republic. People of India, and for that matter rest of the world as well, were used to living under the rule of Monarchy. So why they revolted and what should have fascinated them to die for independence? I think the answer lies in the idea of equality and civil rights. They could understand that after the independence they would become owner of their own destiny. They must have not been looking for the right to choose their MPs and MLAs but far beyond that.  They must have be looking for freedom and not independence. This is why the Independence day (15th August) is less important than the Republic day (26th January). India as a republic gave, at least theoretically, that freedom what people wanted.

However, sadly, the freedom could not be passed to the people who desired and needed it most. Most of the people living in villages, tribes, hill men, could not see the benefit of 'freedom' even after sixty years. Three generations have passed in the same situation where they were before the historic day - 26th January 1950. They used to pay taxes and hope that the Zamindar, the DM, the sahib would safeguard their interest that rarely happened. Now, they are bitten up, killed, prisoned, by their own army, police and officers. Who should they complaint now? These are their 'own' people. They are supposed to work for them, with them and not exploit them. There are many examples - killing of innocents in Jammu and Kashmir, North East states, Naxal affected areas, suiciding farmers all over India.

With so many turmoils in the country and far from equal rights, can this nation retire at sixty? Perhaps, not. It still need to work hard to transcend benefit to all. The hope, not only the wish, that that day would come inspire us to say Happy Republic day. That would be the day when this nations would be able to take retirement and observe its children (citizen) to play, giggle and enjoy in the environment offered to them by this nation.

Shameful behaviour of IPL team owners

In my earlier post I said Pakistan cricketers were not discriminated at IPL auction. I still maintain the same belief they were not bid (though I do not like bidding for human beings, it reminds me of 'slaves trade') by any IPL team owner for the security reason. Last year, for the Government of India did not promised to provide security for the reason of National elections at the same time and the game had to be shifted to South Africa. This year the IPL owners were determined to have the games in India so they needed to get security and assurance.

When some, can be counted on fingertips, leaders are threating not to let the Pakistan players to participate in any game in India it becomes a responsibility to have them in the team. That is all right and any commercial decision will be impacted in such security scenario. They took easy route not to bid for them escape all the bureaucratic hurdles later on. But, they cannot deny the fact that they invited the players for bid. So, when they collectively, as a unanimous decision or by chance, did not bid for any of them they are supposed to send a sincere apology letter to the players and the Pakistan Cricket Board explaining their position rather than saying they owe no explanation to anyone. It is not about commercial interest but respecting fellow men who happen to be in the same sports where they are trading.

It is disgusting and shameful act not to accept the change in the situation and their inability to include Pakistan cricketers who are out performing individuals. These owners do not even consider that their behavior hurts the sentiments of the people of two countries who love to hate each other.

Pakistan players are not discriminated at IPL

Media is after the IPL teams for not bidding for any of the players from Pakistan. Initially, I was surprised and furious too on their behavior. Why on earth they did not bid for Shahid Afridi? He is not only all-rounder player but also crowd puller. Some people started suggesting that it must be the government's dictate to avoid bidding for them. But the data and the economics says it was otherwise. In the bidding process 66 players applied for the 11 available post for one year contract.

Only one in six players is picked so by random distribution, at best, only two players of Pakistan team could have been selected for the IPL. It is sad that this did not happen. They could have brought warmth to the cricket nevertheless the contract was only for one year, IPL 2010, third season. Next year, contracts for all the players would end and a fresh bidding process would start for all the teams.

At the moment, some of the Pakistani cricketers are saying they are humiliated by being invited for the bidding process and then not being bid by any one. But it should be considered as a purely commercial decision by the teams rather than a policy to discriminate them. There were another 44 players (other than 11 from Pakistan) who had to go without any contract. At present, when India-Pakistan's political, I stress the word - political, relationship are not good (personally I cannot understand, why? Why can the leaders of these two countries talk regularly? but it is out of the scope of this piece) and the players have to get visa clearance from the external ministry of the Pakistan then it is advisable to avoid those players, even if they are good, who cannot come and participate in training and games. This happened last year, external ministry of Pakistan advise players not to visit India. No team, they are commercial entities, wants to lose money on absent players.

It should be noticed that there are some players from Pakistan (Sohail Tanveer, Kamran Akmal etc.) who are regularly playing for some IPL teams. So they are there and performing.

Government of India's role can not be denied but not as a dictate not to take any player from Pakistan, rather as a body who denied responsibility and accountability for the security of the Pakistan's players in India. What happened on Sri Lankan players in Pakistan if something, or even milder, happens to Pakistan players in India then the two countries would start war. In any case it is a private game why should government bother for Shahrukh Khan and Shipa Shetty or Priety Zinta? These are the people who benefit in terms of money and fame and media coverage for the event. Government should not risk its reputation with its neighboring country for these private enterprises.

Of course if none of the player is bid at the next years IPL bidding when the new teams would be constructed then that would be a matter of concern. That would be indicate that they are being discriminated as a policy rather than commercial interest of the team owners till then we can wait for the IPL 2010 to start and we can enjoy the cricket.

Gandhi lost to British empire

Recently I was watching a documentary on Mahatma Gandhi that reminded me of his becoming Mahatma from a ordinary London educated barrister. He was a sincere and obedient subject of the British empire until 1906 when a draft law, Asiatic Law Amendment, fumed him. He could not bear the insult this new law was going to do to the people, of Asian origin, of British empire. He, as a lawyer, wanted equal rights for everyone and saw this law as a discrimination of people based on their origin. Amendment made this mandatory for every Asian living in Traansval region of South Africa to go to the office of registrar and get a identity card that would carry his (it was for male only) fingerprints. At that time only criminals were supposed to give their fingerprints to the authorities. Gandhi thought that this law would equate all the Asian people in that region to the criminals. It was a insult to him.

This was the single event that forced him to become political and he developed his fighting tool, Satyagraha (it loosely means, a resistance using truth and non-violence. Though Gandhi objected English translation of the word as "Civil disobedience or "Civil resistance". What Gandhi meant by this word was more moral power to resist the might and it is difficult to have English word for this.). He convinced thousands of Asians, mainly Indians, not to register. He started marching in Johannesburg against this law and he went to jail for this cause. This law was repealed, again applied and again repealed. Overall Gandhi won his first fight against the British empire. People resisted and, finally, they could live there without carrying fingerprints in pocket.

But the situation has changed in last 100 years. All the people coming to UK (and USA and some other countries as well but Gandhi fought against British empire so I would use UK that still, though only a fraction, represent British empire.) have to give their finger prints and immigration office would check that at the UK borders. So, in future, carrying valid visa is not enough. People will have to show fingerprints to prove they are who they say they are. You think this is humiliating. Not at all. Police plans to give digital devices to their cops on the streets so that they can catch anyone and police can confirm their fingerprints against the database on the street (other countries would use similar devices in future). The argument is that they want to control the illegal immigration and crime but this is the same argument given 100 years back and they had to repeal this similar law. And now UK would even share this data with other countries. Only difference is that this time they would have fingerprints of everyone, in the original Asiatic law in South Africa only male above the age of 8 were supposed to provide fingerprints.

After 100 years, his fight has become irrelevant and he has lost his first battle that made him Mahatma. Should we still call him Mahatma?