Should We Encourage Affiliate Links On Steemit?
Today I stumbled across a question I haven't thought too much about
@theblindsquirl asked me about affiliate links.
I'm not sure if he saw that I had affiliate links in that post, or if he was genuinely curious.
For those of you unaware, Anytime I link to Amazon Or another site. It's often an "affiliate link." Which means If you click my link and make a purchase. I will receive commission earnings on your purchase.
- This does not hurt you in any way.
The cost of the product stays the same. You do not have to pay more for me to receive this money.
Should we allow Affiliate links on Steemit?
This can be somewhat of a hard question. We obviously don't want to see people spamming their links everywhere. But at the same time, people can provide value while including a link here and there.
The Pros of using affiliate links
Currently, We are at a one-week payout. After one week our posts can't make any more money. (We can argue all day on whether they should or not) But the point is, We WANT people to post on here!
When you have your website, You can include as many links as you want. Even though you don't get paid as Steemit pays. By posting on Steemit, You miss out on an opportunity, To grow a blog on your website. The website which you own, And you have all the control.
You can't set up an email list on steemit in the same way you can on your site; you can't set it up exactly how you want.
Things like this, scare people who want to build a business, Away from the platform.
When We allow Affiliate links, We allow people to make money BEYOND the one week. For those of you who haven't checked. Some of our Steemit posts are ranking on Google! This will drive more traffic to the platform. Just because you wrote a post a long time ago, Doesn't mean it will never be seen again. Because of theres a chance that Google is ranking it. This ranking brings traffic to Steemit, And traffic to those affiliate links.
This brings more people to Steemit but also encourages people to write great blogs with the occasional link. Because it's a source of passive income in the long run.
This will also encourage more business owners to come to the platform. Which may promote Steemit to their email lists, Which will then gradually get more and more people to join.
Yes Spam,
Spam could be an issue. But that's what our flagging button is for! If people are posting the links everywhere and are not offering value. We can flag. Eventually, they may give up.
Just because some people may abuse it, Doesn't mean we shouldn't allow it.
Affiliate links will encourage people to invest more of their time in the platform, Adding value to the Internet and bringing more people here. I think everyone should use an affiliate link, Whenever they are talking about a product or service that they like. It only makes sense.
Most people seem to link to stuff, they genuinely like. And things that they've tried. This can add even more valuable information to the platform.
Yep, It's an affiliate link.... And guess what?
@kaylinart, I've been thinking about the 'lifespan' of a steem post too. Right now, Steem highly incentivizes fast content that is somewhat bitesized or entertaining, and disappears in a week. It's pretty exciting, but it also predisposes the KIND of content that will proliferate across the network.
One of the coolest things about the internet is the amount of USEFUL information out there, in depth tutorials, DIY instructions, well documented experiences...these things tend to take a lot of work to create, but can useful for a long time. Think of StackExchange, there's a community that gets a LOT of google traffic, and helps a LOT of people get detailed solutions to whatever they're looking at. I think it's one of the coolest community systems online. Steem has the possibility of being better...but not without some work.
Stack exchange is a great example of highly targeted reference content, it excels at answering technical questions where a helpful answer actually does exist somewhere. Once somebody takes the time to Document this, that answer is then helpful to thousands and thousands of other people oftentimes over several years, if not longer.
Right now, Steem as a system disincentivizes longterm reference or tutorial content. This is a HUGE market, not to mention a hub of really competent, creative, skilled people. How can we encourage a variety of useful content beyond the "most entertaining facebook of the last 5 minutes" variety???
Amazing comment! I love your insight on this! I never thought about it like that before. I haven't really heard of stack exchange, I need to look into it !
Thanks Kaylin, here's a list of all the communities on stack exchange.
https://stackexchange.com/sites
Hey please follow me
https://steemit.com/@sharmaakash
I wonder what can be done within the Steem system to encourage this? It's a HUGE benefit to the community to encourage people to write longterm content that brings in Google Searchers. That doesn't just happen...it takes a lot of work, intent, effort. But the power of having people incentivized to write content that itself brings in new users over a long period of time would be completely insane.
I agree 100% with you. If Steemit wants to create a platform with in-depth, useful content, then the posts should be monetized long after than just a week. What happens now, is these short, bite-size blog posts are churned out so that bloggers can monetize optimally for the week.
What happens if people still upvote your posts months after they where created? What happens to that money?
I think that they should be allowed.
I have seen a couple of people get nasty over someone recommending a service in their blog but not disclosing that the link was an affiliate link. They were basically accused of being greedy. Which is pretty funny to me because Steemit kinda encourages that with the whole 'get paid to blog' bit.
I could see it possibly becoming a problem if people were putting affiliate links in comments. Like where someone is blogging about how their arthritis is acting up again, and then another person posts a link to a product that they say will help but with an affiliate link. Now of course this could be genuinely helpful advice, but it could also be abused.
Lol.. this happened to me on FB. I market a product that gets rid of wrinkles in under 2 minutes. A hairdresser posted a picture of a client with a new hairdo. The the hairdresser was bragging what a great hairdo her cleint had, but the picture of her client showed big bags under the eyes. So I mentioned to the hairdresser about my product and how she could make the lady even happier by removing those bags instantly before she sends the client home. Here I was offering GREAT advice on how to make her customers happier AND put more money in her pocket at the same time. Instead of being appreciative she took it as me calling her a failure as a beautician. Afterwards, I guess she was right. If a hairdresser can make a client look more beautiful (which is why the client is going to a hairdresser) with less than 30 seconds of work, and fails to put in the extra 30 seconds, they are doing an injustice to their client and are a failure. At the time I wasn't looking at it that way. I was just trying to help her and her clients look more beautiful.
yeah, it's hard to figure out intent when someone does this. I usually give them the benefit of the doubt, unless I investigate and see that are basically spamming everywhere.
Sorry the hairdresser got so mad at you.
@internetguy,
Perhaps the issue was not that she saw you as saying she was a failure as a beautician (even if that is what she told you), but perhaps it was that she felt like you "hit her up" to try to sell her on your product/opportunity. You probably know this, but there are a lot of sales reps who see someone mention something that the rep's product can solve... and it is like the proverbial blood in the water to a shark.
I've seen this so many times on Facebook - someone mentions that they are trying to lose weight by eating more healthily, and all the weight loss company reps come out and start commenting about how the person should try their product.
Another person might talk about migraines, and the essential oils people flood the thread to talk about their oil company. It leaves a bad taste in people's mouth and makes these direct selling and network marketing companies look bad, because their reps are just waiting on an opportunity to sell, sell, sell. I've even seen people post about weight loss and say outright that they don't want anyone commenting about their company's products and yet, there are always many reps who jump in trying to make a sale.
So maybe take that as food for thought next time. Certain industries get bombarded with sales pitches, and the haircare industry is one of those. And this applies even if you're not in direct sales or network marketing.
I understand both sides of the fence... The whole concept of affilate links though is solving problems others may have by reference to a solution but to give credit to the person who has shown the person with the problem the solution. If some one didn't refer someone to a new great platform such as this.... It may not be found... even if it was a paid referral such as an ad that paid when the product was bought or generated traffic. Great discussion and love all the answers. I myself would use a referral link- affiliate link to help others find great products and services that offer value to others.
I mentioned this in a reply recently, it's inevitable that there will be commercialisation of certain posts and it would be a disservice to the reader not to in some cases. If you were to review a product and could not provide a link it would be pointless. I am sure some will object but a landing page, offer or link to an external competition is just a normal extension to any blog.
@newsdesk, I agree - what is the point if you have a solution, or know where that person can find the solution, but you don't share it, what is the point? Great point.
I would say yes.
I use Amazon links when I reference books ( or maybe if I were doing a review of a product)
Once I used an Amazon link for a spice I used in a recipe.
If the link could be considered natural to the post, no problem at all.
And the "writers" who just spam links?
They will be scrolled past, and eventually lose interest here...maybe w/ the assistance of a downvote here and there ;>
everybody have the power for publishing whatever they want. But the philosophy of steemit is creating quality content and give a possibility of a content creator to improve itself. So if the affiliate link don't hurt the sensibility of community well, but I'm for a different approach, just create quality inside this platform and don't do the own commercial zone for grabbing some money
I see what your saying on this.
I like where your going with this. You know, everyone posts at their own risk. If someone gets flagged for spam... Well? Or should I say Oh well...
Holy word mate
my opinion
Steemit should allow cutomization of individual accounts...
and yes...allow advertising AND affiliate links
ONLY ON THAT BLOG
it should not be inflicted on anyone else
(such as resteem currently is)
I agree with that one :) That would work well.
Good point if they can implement that on resteems
I agree with you, I don't care. If it is something I don't like no one is forcing me to read it, so I move one... change the channel instead of being constantly offended. just my opinion.
Exactly! I love that mindset because you can't satisfy everyone.
My sentiments exactly.
The use of the links doesn't affect value and sometime may offer special price cuts, bonus and incentive... It's not all about being paid. The amount you would make on an affiliate link does not make you much and is more about helping other find what they may been searching for while get a percentage as advertising an ad. No one forces any link on anyone and if it is something you are looking for than you would click. if you weren't well than why would you click?
Excellent point, @accessoriesbay. Yes, people can make money with affiliate marketing, but unless they are doing it full time, the chances of making a LOT of money are not that great. The affiliate links, though, like Udemy links and so on, often do give price cuts or other incentives.
And you are absolutely right that if someone isn't interested, they likely won't click.
The only issue I would have is if the post is rife with links and very little content.
In my opinion, I think affiliate links should be encouraged coz sometimes posts can be undervalued or some users don't make much but an affiliate program keeps paying you :)
Exactly! Not all users are noticed. So affiliate links will at least give them something :)
Yeah. That's what I think.. :)
Yes! I'm in agreement. The links should be allowed to a certain extent, as long as it doesn't become spammy.
If it is used in a manner that is to help others and not just thrown around... no harm no foul. It is intended to provide great content and value to people... It has been abused and given a bad name but does not steal information or decrease value of the same thing you would bought to begin with... Just pays a little for advertising a great product or service that may not otherwise have been noticed,.
I'm not trying to come across as an ass but the white paper really (albeit) indiscreetly wants the community to take care of itself. I am ok with brain/thought flexibility, but this convo is kinda the antithesis of the steemit blogosphere. We are already generating revenue for content. Apparently, that isn't enough. We live in a (more, more more!) world. It would be kinda sad to allow it.
I have few followers, and IMHO provide awesome content ( lol) but does that mean I should start spamming? No.
It's part of the rules of engagement. Provide good content, put in the time, or go back to FB.
Just my 2 cents
Have a good one ;)
Chris
Well said Kaylinart. A steem-er after my own heart.
The community was once unkown and it had a very narrow perpective on what this platform is designed to be.
Now we have all sorts of STEEMIT wanna be cops flagging posts over people such as me... all because I do not fit into their perspective of community standards. Fuck the free-speech... you WILL abide by OUR standards.. even if those standards violate treatment in many treaty and conventions.
I have no sorrow for those who promote such values of hampered speech,.. to protect a position on personal views of social platforms.
Very CLINTON-esk if you ask me!
I think it is a platform for content makers (original). So if some one enter with your reference for example , you will support them in the beginning, irrespective of what they are doing. And few user only vote for their followers .
It shold be independent and content driven then community driven . So I think this idea is good but it do not suite the values steemit stands for.