State of the Company [comic]

LINKSPANK contest leaders are: jasonbice15, KidBaby, JO3L, maffu, HatemAmin, klr ... and you?

The LINKSPANK contest leaders are: jasonbice15, KidBaby, JO3L, maffu, HatemAmin, klr. That's in random order. You can check the scores at www.linkspank.com/contest.

The contest takes some steady spanking, that's it. Your friends don't even have to join for you to win points (though you get more points if they join). Just fill your address book, get the spank button, and get going.

You can do it buddy

If you lack motivation, check this spank:

Motivation Monday - 5 Balance Quotes

5 Reasons why Linkspank's iPhone app is the Best Ever

Apple has listed Linkspank's iPhone app on its directory of sweet iPhone apps and we are happy to announce the super-official launch of iSpank or Linkspank for iPhone.

The iPhone, Linkspank's iPhone app, and you, all have "sleek form factors"

So, this seems like a good time to present the top 5 Reasons why Linkspank's iPhone app is the Best Ever:


5. You can use it immediately. If you're not a spanker, you can enter as a guest. And if you are a spanker, you can log in with a password or get a login link emailed to you.

4. It's always new. Friends aren't spankers yet? Doesn't matter. You'll still find new, mind-blowing stuff on Linkspank. Scroll down the page to see dozens of other sources and categories to surf as well.

3. It's iPhone optimized. No flash on the iPhone = sad. iPhone optimized = happy. You can browse YouTube videos in a special category on the home page. You can even browse profiles, edit your own profile, and add new spanks....

2. Copy and Paste Problem is Solved. It's "pretty hard" to copy a web link on your iPhone, isn't it? Now, you can get the Spank Button on your desktop and sync it to your iPhone. Your world will change - you can share any page instantly and save it for yourself by clicking the Spank Button in your bookmarks.

1. Be Smart, Win Prizes. Linkspank is a smarter way to share your brilliant discoveries. Some very very modest spanking will win you a gift certificate on iTunes - and there are bigger prizes too ;-). Check the contest page.

Win Big (or Small) in the Ridiculous iStuff Giveaway

The Ridiculous iStuff Giveaway is running at www.linkspank.com/contest.

 

What you can win and how:

- iPhone 3G: via raffle or high score -

- iPod Touch: via raffle or high score -

- iTunes/Amazon gift certificate: recruit a couple friends -

 

Even your boss could do it.

 

www.linkspank.com/contest

An eloquent video explaining some points:

Inbox Management Feature: Mark all as Read / Delete All

In response to your requests, we've added a mini-feature that should help with Inbox management for those who occasionally get buried under spanks.

Look for these buttons at the bottom of your Inbox:
The first button will remove the "NEW" tag from all of the spanks and messages on that page. The second one will send all of the spanks and messages on that page to the trash.

Your feedback and suggestions improve everyone's spanking experience.

Unleash the Tidal Spank

Let us hereby declare the public launch of Linkspank: we exist, and the world should know about it. Word was leaked by Mashable last night; we'll have many exciting launch-type events and communications coming up.

What does it really mean that we are "launched"? Well, for one thing it means the contest has begun. You'll see that there is lots of stuff to win, and different ways to do it. More details on that in the coming days.

Get spanking, winning, laughing, crying, whatever.

Do you know about our Sexy Map Feature?

During the calm before the storm that will be our next contest, we thought we'd point out a sexy, relatively secret feature of Linkspank: the maps.

At any spank, you can click "menu" and then "map for this link":

In the menu: see where it says, "map for this link"?

If you're interested in the history of a link, you can click it and go to a map:

Sexy

Suggestion: hover your mouse over "Watch this Link Spread" and then click "From the First Person".

It's a "young" feature and we hope later to make it easier to use and add the ability to do more with it.

What do you think? Damn sexy?

What does the Facebook app do exactly?

Our facebook app has some new added features and awesomeness. Here's what you can do with it:

* Join the spank in one click, using your facebook info (first name, last name, location, and your friends' names)

* Log in to linkspank via facebook. So, you don't have to remember or know your linkspank login (or even have one). We don't see your facebook login - facebook takes care of logging you in.

* Spank your facebook friends. You can send spanks to your facebook friends. They appear in your address book in Linkspank. When you spank 'em, they get a notification. Then they can click through to get to their Linkspank inbox.

* Some other little stuff - your Linkspank Wall of recently spanked links can be displayed on your facebook app and so forth.

The fastest way of sharing any link, with facebook friends, emails, and/or spankers - is and forever will be to use the QuickSpank button.

The linkspank app "loads" your facebook friends. This process is nothing more than what any facebook app does when you invite your friends to add the application, or you choose who to give a beer to or dropkick or do whatever you're doing with the app - we're just pulling up your friends' names and pics so you can select them.

By the way, we don't try to get your friends' contact information, like their emails or anything of the sort (this is not allowed by facebook although some other sites have tried it recently).

Happy Spanking!

New Feature: Save Groups of Recipients with a private nickname

We are testing a small but much-requested feature: now, when you are spanking some contacts, you can save them under a single name -- for example, "My Best Friends" -- and then spanks those contacts in the future with the click of a little button.

See those black buttons? Ultra-fast spank nicknames,
that you can save as you spank by checking that little box under the recipients
and picking a name

It's just another way that we try to make Linkspank not only ridiculously fun, but also ridiculously convenient. Spank your friends faster than ever - by email address, facebook, or at a spanky profile.

We are testing and improving this feature, so let us know what you think. After all, this feature was your idea.

A Memo from Elaine

Just released are four instructional videos as part of our new "Dear Elaine" series. We'll be incorporating them into the New Spanker Orientation process.

By the way, you can find Elaine, our host of Linkspank TV, at www.linkspank.com/elaine. She likes having lots of Spank Friends so her profile and add her!

How to Spank


How to Spank ALL your friends


How to Win Stuff


How to Win a Wii

Spank your Facebook Friends

You've poked them. Now it's time to spank them.

Your life gets cluttered easily, and that includes your Facebook. Linkspank is helping to increase the fun AND reduce the clutter. It sounds impossible...but it is the truth.

You can now spank any of your Facebook friends, and they can join the spank automatically in one click.

Once you've added the Linkspank application in facebook, you can start typing their names and spank them immediately. (They also appear in your Address Book.)

Start typing a friend's name and you can spank them in facebook

If you have previously added the Linkspank app, try logging into Linkspank via facebook and this should make sure your Facebook contacts are imported.

Your facebook spankees receive your spanks as a notification:

Your spankees can pick up the Spank with minimal effort.

Give it a whirl and let us know what you think. With the stuff managed in Linkspank accounts, and with no need to create a new profile, your conscience can be clear as you spank the crap out of your friends.

Is your Quality Rating Insane?

During the contest, some people reported insane behavior in their quality rating. Specifically, their quality rating shot up, giving them a massive score.

This was not an error. It happened for two reasons. First, remember (due to recent changes) you now have a separate Quality Rating for each Contest. That quality rating isn't based on your whole lifetime of spanking, so it can change more easily than the lifetime quality rating can.

In particular, it's possible for your quality rating to go up or down when a bunch of people visit linkspank and read or don't read your spanks to them.

Second, the quality rating is VERY influential in calculating your score. It is designed this way to make sure that people's inboxes don't get clogged with an excess of unread spanks.

We change our algorithms from time to time. It's part of our mission to build the ultimate, most efficient procrastination machine ever. We don't change our algorithms during any contest though (that would hardly be fair).

For general info, see how to keep a high quality rating.

Tips: How to End a Contest

The current contest is almost over. Here are some tips on how to maximize your points (and chances of winning something) as a contest draws to a close.

Send a few Spanks on the last day. Sending a few Spanks before the contest is out can get you some extra points. How many spanks is the right amount? For most people, 3 spanks seems to be the magic number. Just make 'em good ones. :-)

Remember that your quality rating will "settle" over the next few days. People who forget this send an avalanche of spanks at the end of the contest. You totally have the right to do this, but your quality rating will almost certainly suffer, and hence your points as well.

Get friends to Join the Spank. You may have sluggy friends who haven't tried out the Spank yet. Explaining to these people that there is a deadline for their being a friend with you will motivate them... and can get you lots of extra points.

Hope that's helpful. Not that the Spank is just about contests. Tomorrow we'll share plans for new stuff coming soon on Linkspank.

Is that Nintendo Wii for today, or tomorrow?

Dear Linkspankers, another Nintendo Wii has been won through the Spankathon. That brings the total number of Wii winners so far to 2. Both of these glorious individuals will be actually receiving their Wiis in the next week or so.

Someone got their Wii in one week... will you?

Which brings us to an interesting factoid: we currently have a third, unclaimed, Wii in our office. What does this mean? It means that

if you are the next spanker to complete a pledge, you will receive your Wii pretty much immediately.

There are a couple days of red tape, but no ordering, waiting, or acting like a desperate parent shopping during the Christmas season for you!

A Linkspank Christmas - 100+ Christmas Specials

Thanks to this link for 100+ complete Christmas specials:

(enjoy and happy holidays!)

Hannukah Harry saves Christmas and Easter!
A Rugrats Chanukah
Sesame Street Christmas Special 1978
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street 1978
A Muppet Family Christmas
The Simpsons Christmas Stories
Christmas with Mr. Bill
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In 1968 Holiday Special
MST3K: Santa Claus
Frank Sinatra/Bing Crosby Holiday Special
The Nanny Christmas Special
The Nanny CARTOON Christmas Special
The Nick & Jessica Christmas Special
An Amos and Andy Christmas
A Very Special ALF Christmas
Six South Park Christmas episodes
SCTV Dusty Towne Sexy Holiday Special
Blackadder's Christmas Carol
A Beverly Hillbillies Christmas
Justice League Christmas Special
Life with Louie Christmas Special
Merry Christmas Mr. Bean
A very Frasier Christmas
Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire
Star Wars Holiday Special
A Perfect Strangers Christmas
Boy Meets World: A Very Topanga Christmas
Pinky & The Brain Christmas Special
Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas
A He Man and She Ra Christmas
A Very Elimidate Christmas
Davy & Goliath Christmas Lost & Found
Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special
Welcome Back Kotter: A Sweathog Christmas
Mary Tyler Moore Show: Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid
A Robot Chicken Christmas
Bugs Bunny Christmas Carol
Rankin Bass Pinnochio's Christmas
A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Christmas
Family Guy Christmas Special
Rankin Bas Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Rankin Bass Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
A Gumby Christmas Carol and Santa Witch
A Growing Pains Christmas
A Garfield Christmas
Rankin Bass Night Before Christmas
Animaniacs Christmas Special
Dennis Leary Merry F$#@in' Christmas
The Doris Day Show: A Two Family Christmas
The Doris Day Show: Christmas Time in the City
Rankin Bass Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Back For Christmas
A Growing Up Gotti Christmas
Rocko's Modern Christmas
A Very Smurfy Christmas
Tis the Season to be Smurfy
Eight is Enough: Yes Nicholas, there is a Santa Claus
A Lou Grant Christmas
A Scarecrow & Mrs. King Christmas
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in The FBI: Dark Christmas
A Wonder Years Christmas
I Love Lucy Christmas
The Ray Bolger Show Christmas (1953)
A Will & Grace Christmas
A Barney Miller Christmas
Rankin Bass Year Without A Santa Claus
Santa guest stars on Gilligan's Island
Alice: A Semi-Merry Christmas
Alice: Mel's Christmas Carol
Bless This House Christmas starring Andrew Dice Clay
Just Shoot Me: Jesus, It's Christmas
A Hangin' With Mr. Cooper Christmas
The Extras Christmas Special
Kirk: The Christmas Show (Cameron, not James T.)
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Batman: Christmas with the Joker (animated)
Yogi Bear's First Christmas
Yogi's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper
News Radio: X-Mas Story
American Dad: Most Adequate Christmas Ever
Casper's First Christmas
A Cabbage Patch Kids Christmas
A Flintstone Christmas
Christmas Comes to Pac(man) Land
A How I Met Your Mother Holiday
A Scooby Doo Christmas
Casper's First Christmas
Wanda Sykes in A Wanda at Large Christmas
Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Krueger's Christmas
A Cosmic Christmas
Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales
Boondocks Christmas

Bonus fun:
Night Before Christmas (1903)
Max Fleischer's Rudolph cartoon (1948)
Scrooge (1934)
A Christmas Story
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

How to Steal the Hawaii Contest Real Quick-Like

We're teetering at 1000 users. In celebration of hitting our first milestone (without formally launching or doing any PR), the person who recruits the 1000th user gets Thousand User Bonus: 100 points.

Also - we're still missing a Continent (Antarctica), so whoever recruits the first spanker located in Antarctica wins the Operation: Antarctica Bonus: 150 points.

Winning one or both of these prizes could get your ass to Hawaii real fast.

Hawaii - 80 degrees F in January

Happy Spanksgiving! (with holiday logo)

This image was submitted by one of our spankers. An amazing job! We were hip to the "spanksgiving" pun last year (wow that was a while ago!) but this is a great logo - done without our font and the turkey is a stroke of GENIUS. Thanks, anonymous spanker.

We're thankful for you, you're thankful for us... you get the picture. Hopefully your stomach doesn't feel like this.

Sneak Peek of the Toolbar for Level 3+ Spankers

If you're a spanker of Level 3 or higher, we'd love to give you a sneak preview of our Linkspank Toolbar.

A very small preview of the toolbar

Currently, the Toolbar is available only for Firefox or Safari - not Internet Explorer. The Internet Explorer version is coming soon!

The Toolbar is still being perfected, but we think you're going to love it. Also, as a tester of the Toolbar, you can provide feedback to get the features that you want!

Curious to learn more? Then sign up for the Toolbar.

Linkspank's facebook application

Linkspank’s facebook application is now available at apps.facebook.com/linkspank.



With this app, you have the option share your linkspank wall on your facebook profile. This way, your unenlightened facebook friends will still have a chance at enjoying the beautiful spanks that you have imparted to the world.



You also have the option to show your Spankathon progress. Unenlightened facebook friends who click on your link and create a profile will move you closer to winning your Wii or other Spankathon prize. (They will also boost your contest points toward Hawaii.)



Lastly, you can invite your facebook contests to join the spank as your friend (once again, giving you credit also). This is a great way to invite facebook friends whose email addresses may not be in your address book.

Give it a shot and let us know what you think.

Seeking CTO

This is a quite rough description - but we are primarily networking to find candidates so hopefully this will get the ball rolling.

Seeking: Bad-Arse who thinks this kind of vortex is a fun place to be

Linkspank CTO.

Linkspank is starting to scale and we're looking to fill a supremely important position - CTO.

This individual lives and breathes Apache and MySQL, and has full command of PHP and Javascript. This is primarily an admin type position, but you should be able to code PHP and Javascript and be willing to do that as a big part of the job!

Key Responsibilities:

+ Continuity - providing 24 x 7 continuity to the Linkspank site.

+ Security - of apache.

+ Database - MySQL quality and scale, future db ring, integration of code with server and db setup.

+ Server Scale and quality - involving integration of apache and mysql.

+ Development of code and site appearance.

This is a job for DOERS. You must be non-jaded and eager to actually do stuff like program, roll up your sleeves, do stuff because for a while there will be no one to delegate to!

This position is located in Cambridge, MA. The position is not starting immediately. In fact, start date is uncertain, probably sometime early 2008.

Thanks to everyone who's interested. Pass it along and you can contact us at www.linkspank.com/jobs