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May 2007
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Just Ask Lea
Top 5 Q&As of the Month
Hi I'm Lea, Conduit's Head Support and QA Engineer. In this section, I answer Conduit Publishers' most burning questions of the month. Find out what's top of community toolbar publishers' minds and ask a question of your own!
1. How does Conduit make money?
A few forum members have written in to ask how Conduit makes money. The answer is really quite simple: search monetization. Every time you or one of your users conducts a search through the toolbar's Google-powered search-box, Google earns a profit from the 'Sponsored Links' on the search results page and shares those profits with us.
This means Conduit has the same priorities as its publishers. It's in both of our best interests to improve and promote your community toolbar to maximize downloads and usage. Great Conduits are a win-win-win: for you, your users, and… well... us!
2. What is the best pixel size for toolbar icons so they are viewed properly?
The ideal size for toolbar icons is 16 pixels high, though you can go up to 20 pixels. Icons can be as wide as you like, although taking valuable toolbar real estate into consideration, it may be a good idea to make them as narrow as possible.
Get step-by-step Photoshop/Imageready guidelines for creating transparent .GIF images that will look great on your toolbar.
3. Can I remove the personal components (Weather Forecaster, Email Notifier, etc.)?
Yes. It's easy:
  1. Login to your Toolbar Control Panel
  2. Click on the 'Account' tab
  3. Click 'edit' under the 'Personal Components' section
  4. Uncheck the unwanted components
Note: Although the components will not appear by default on your users' toolbars, each user will be able to add them manually.
4. Can I add additional search engines (besides Google) to my toolbar and if so, how?
You can do it in 10 simple steps:
  1. Login to your Toolbar Control Panel
  2. Click on the 'Toolbar' tab
  3. Mouse over the Search component and click on 'Edit'
  4. Scroll down and click on 'Add another search engine'
  5. Open a new window, and:
    • Browse to the web page of the site with the desired engine
    • Search for 'MYSEARCHTERM' from the site's search box
  6. Copy the resultant URL and paste it into the field 'Paste the URL here'
  7. Enter a name for the search engine into the appropriate field
  8. You can opt to upload an icon to accompany the search engine
  9. You can choose to enter the URL to which users will be redirected when they click on 'Search' without entering a term into the new engine's search box ('Empty search URL')
  10. Hit Save and voila! Your users can search the new engine directly the Search menu
5. What is the easiest way to make a toolbar similar to the one I already have?
This is a really quick one:
  1. Login to your Toolbar Control Panel
  2. Click on the 'Account' tab
  3. Click on 'duplicate' under the 'Toolbar' section
  4. Choose a name and password for the new toolbar and click 'Duplicate'
  5. You will receive a download page URL for your new toolbar and a login prompt to edit it
Do you have a question about your toolbar?
Just Ask Lea. If it's a good one, it might even get featured in next month's newsletter. Or you may find the answer you’re looking for in the Conduit Community Forum. It's also a great place to connect with other Conduit publishers just like you, and compare notes.
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