Affiliate Programs - Be Careful! - geek/talk: Signature-free discourse for serious web publishers

1lit · 12-02-2000, 08:31 AM

Admin review. Some of your verbiage in this post is much to harsh. Could you please refrain from this verbiage in the future. The topic is a great one but let's try and avoid a "flame war" which could occur. Please also carefully read our complete Posting Guide and Rules. Links appear at the top and bottom of every page of this BB. Don't hesitate to contact me privately via the BB Feedback form if you need clarrification. Thanks in advance for your anticipated cooperation. Steve_S/Admin

PriceRunner was a UK affiliate program launched recently which promised 25 pence per click and 50 pence per lead. They set-up an affiliate program, waited for webmasters to add their links, and then just three WEEKS later changed their terms to make it nigh impossible to earn decent commission.

If you check many of the affiliate directories such as refer-it.com they still mention the old commission rates.

Why don't you write to PriceRunner.com or TradeDoubler, who run their affiliate program, and ask them why they tricked their affiliates?

They didn't even bother to email their affiliates to let us know they were going to slash the commission rates. Shows how much respect affiliates have...

How clever to draw webmasters with a high commission rate and then slash the rates just a few weeks later when they've all added their links...

It's a state of nature out there. All vs all. In this industry affiliate managers don't care a jot about their key workers.

Awful, but true.

I still think that this affiliate game is ******* from the start though. If
you position it within the general job milieu, then it exhibits all these
features of low-paid vocations:

(1) Extremely labour intensive;
(2) Long hours;
(3) Physically and mentally exhausting;
(4) Light at the end of the tunnel - after your generation has died and gone
to heaven!

The guys making the cash out there are in skilled labour. Programmers,
technical repair people...as one would expect.

By being in the affiliate game, you place yourself at the mercy of the most
ruthless and unregulated capitalists on earth!

What do you think fellow Geek-Talkers?

------------------
Nadeem Azam
Litmania.com Inc.
www.litmania.com

[This message has been edited by Steve_S (edited 12-02-2000).]

Drastic · 12-02-2000, 09:58 AM

There are a lot of dishonest companies out there. But at the same time, there are a lot of honest companies, that you can make money with, some good money.

The bait & switch of high earnings until they get a good affiliate base is not always the sign of a dishonest company. Some make the mistake of starting with too high of a payout, and must lower it in order to continue operating. At least they are trying to stay in business and change their model so you DO get paid, instead of leaving the higher rates and NEVER paying you.

That said, many of the merchants do this with bad intentions from the start. The deal is, you have to separate the good from the bad.

What I do to help alleviate this problem is when I join a program, I wait at least 2-3 weeks, usually a month, before promoting the program. If the company seems sound and hasn't dropped the rates, THEN I give them a try. At that point, all you can do is promote them until you generate enough revenue for a check, and revert back to your other known paying advertisers until you get your check. Then you can can promote them further with a certain level of confidence in their program.

Some companies (really just a few, and not as often as of late) will actually surprise you and raise their rates.

The independent affiliate game is getting harder and harder (IMO), we just have to learn to change and adapt, and always keep our guard up.

Just my 2 pence http://geekvillage.com/ubb/smile.gif

------------------
FREEandHOT.com - The Select Guide to Free Stuff Online

[This message has been edited by Drastic (edited 12-02-2000).]

12-02-2000, 08:31 AM	#1
1lit Registered User Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: London Posts: 282	Affiliate Programs - Be Careful! Admin review. Some of your verbiage in this post is much to harsh. Could you please refrain from this verbiage in the future. The topic is a great one but let's try and avoid a "flame war" which could occur. Please also carefully read our complete Posting Guide and Rules. Links appear at the top and bottom of every page of this BB. Don't hesitate to contact me privately via the BB Feedback form if you need clarrification. Thanks in advance for your anticipated cooperation. Steve_S/Admin PriceRunner was a UK affiliate program launched recently which promised 25 pence per click and 50 pence per lead. They set-up an affiliate program, waited for webmasters to add their links, and then just three WEEKS later changed their terms to make it nigh impossible to earn decent commission. If you check many of the affiliate directories such as refer-it.com they still mention the old commission rates. Why don't you write to PriceRunner.com or TradeDoubler, who run their affiliate program, and ask them why they tricked their affiliates? They didn't even bother to email their affiliates to let us know they were going to slash the commission rates. Shows how much respect affiliates have... How clever to draw webmasters with a high commission rate and then slash the rates just a few weeks later when they've all added their links... It's a state of nature out there. All vs all. In this industry affiliate managers don't care a jot about their key workers. Awful, but true. I still think that this affiliate game is ******* from the start though. If you position it within the general job milieu, then it exhibits all these features of low-paid vocations: (1) Extremely labour intensive; (2) Long hours; (3) Physically and mentally exhausting; (4) Light at the end of the tunnel - after your generation has died and gone to heaven! The guys making the cash out there are in skilled labour. Programmers, technical repair people...as one would expect. By being in the affiliate game, you place yourself at the mercy of the most ruthless and unregulated capitalists on earth! What do you think fellow Geek-Talkers? ------------------ Nadeem Azam Litmania.com Inc. www.litmania.com [This message has been edited by Steve_S (edited 12-02-2000).]

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12-02-2000, 09:58 AM	#2
Drastic Registered User Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Upstate SC, USA Posts: 168	There are a lot of dishonest companies out there. But at the same time, there are a lot of honest companies, that you can make money with, some good money. The bait & switch of high earnings until they get a good affiliate base is not always the sign of a dishonest company. Some make the mistake of starting with too high of a payout, and must lower it in order to continue operating. At least they are trying to stay in business and change their model so you DO get paid, instead of leaving the higher rates and NEVER paying you. That said, many of the merchants do this with bad intentions from the start. The deal is, you have to separate the good from the bad. What I do to help alleviate this problem is when I join a program, I wait at least 2-3 weeks, usually a month, before promoting the program. If the company seems sound and hasn't dropped the rates, THEN I give them a try. At that point, all you can do is promote them until you generate enough revenue for a check, and revert back to your other known paying advertisers until you get your check. Then you can can promote them further with a certain level of confidence in their program. Some companies (really just a few, and not as often as of late) will actually surprise you and raise their rates. The independent affiliate game is getting harder and harder (IMO), we just have to learn to change and adapt, and always keep our guard up. Just my 2 pence http://geekvillage.com/ubb/smile.gif ------------------ FREEandHOT.com - The Select Guide to Free Stuff Online [This message has been edited by Drastic (edited 12-02-2000).]