Blog - Shane Gowland

Google’s dynamic remarketing is a waste of money

April 20, 2019April 20, 2019

I don’t think dynamic remarketing is a valuable use of a digital advertising budget. For those not familiar with it; dynamic remarketing is a service offered by Google Ads which allows you to use Google’s display network to show ads to your site’s previous visitors, containing specific products and services that they viewed while on

Thoughts on monetizing an established online community

April 20, 2019February 28, 2019

First, a little backstory In 2008, when I was about 15 years old, I was obsessed with The Sims games. So obsessed that I actively participated in a number of fan communities, which were typically structured as forums or primitive social networks. One of the larger fansites at the time—Insimenator—had suffered from operational issues for

Microsoft Surface Laptop – A Review

January 26, 2019

I purchased a Microsoft Surface Laptop about six months ago (this post has been sitting in drafts for a while—sorry), after my trusty 2012 model Macbook Air started having age-related issues. It wasn’t a rejection of Apple; just a change to something new. The base model Surface Laptop retails (at the time) for around AUD$1500

2018 year in review

January 26, 2019January 4, 2019

I had a lot of fun putting together the the ‘year in review’ post that I wrote last year. Even though I didn’t do quite as much in 2018 (no new software products, no international travel, no life milestones), I thought it might still be worthwhile to summarize the year for the sake of posterity.

Aussie Finch Forum Acquisition

June 16, 2018June 15, 2018

In an effort to increase the reach of Aviculture Hub, and promote the bird products available on my recently-launched pet store, I’ve acquired a forum for Australian finch enthusiasts. Aussie Finch Forum boasts 3,000 registered members, 15,000 threads, and over 160,000 posts.

I co-founded a pet store

June 16, 2018June 14, 2018

It’s called MyPetZone, and it’s an online pet store focusing on ultra-premium food and supplies for the Australian market. I’ve been working on MyPetZone—alongside a small team—for over a year, so it’s hugely exciting to finally reveal it to the world.

2017 year in review

January 3, 2018January 2, 2018

Big Fat Quiz Of The Year’s David Mitchell described 2017 as “personally adequate, internationally disastrous.” It’s an apt summation of a year in which I enjoyed personal successes and amazing experiences, set against a backdrop of global chaos and calamity.

La Spezia, Italy (in winter)

March 24, 2018January 1, 2018

Most of the Italian riviera shuts down over winter. Ferry services seize, attractions and restaurants shutter, and most of the stores only open for a few hours each day.