Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

What is Boards.ie's policy on Affiliate links?

Options
  • 07-06-2011 5:37pm
    #1
    Tallon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,565 ✭✭✭✭


    Hey guys,

    Can someone confirm what boards policy is for Affiliate links etc and if it has bearing whether it's a new user vs a well established, long contributing member of the site?

    If the link is blatent "Click here so I can get money" then I understand completely that it's not adding to the site and people are just phising for traffic

    What about an offer where it answered a lot of asked questions in a forum and benefited members of the whole site?

    Also, what are members of the sites opinions on it?

    Thanks

    Tallon
    Post edited by Shield on


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Spear
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 25,313 CMod ✭✭✭✭Spear


    If you mean referral links, they're banned.


  • Options
    #3
    EKRIUQ
    Registered Users Posts: 4,386 ✭✭✭EKRIUQ


    Spear wrote: »
    If you mean referral links, they're banned.
    Thats not true there's a mod that been on boards a long time and his has a referral link in his signature for years.


  • Options
    #4
    Tallon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,565 ✭✭✭✭Tallon


    Spear wrote: »
    If you mean referral links, they're banned.

    Completely banned?


  • Options
    #5
    Spear
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 25,313 CMod ✭✭✭✭Spear


    Tallon wrote: »
    Completely banned?

    Sig rules: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1354

    Referral links in signatures are not permitted and will be removed.

    There may be some discretion allowed depending on how blatantly commerical the link may be. Only the admins can answer on whether they'll give some leeway.


  • Options
    #6
    Tallon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,565 ✭✭✭✭Tallon


    That's for a signature, I'm talking about a thread!


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    Shield
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 9,812 CMod ✭✭✭✭Shield


    Seeing as you asked for users' opinions on it, and speaking just as a boards.ie user, I would not like the idea of this being approved or being the norm on boards.

    I think if people learned that they could drop referral links into threads legitimately, the site would slowly start to get spammed by people who, on the surface of things appear to want to be giving helpful advice, but the content of the posts would be bland/common sense/common knowledge, but the poster would argue it's relevant just so they could drop in the referral links.

    Not a direction I would like to see the site going in.


  • Options
    #8
    Spear
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 25,313 CMod ✭✭✭✭Spear


    Tallon wrote: »
    That's for a signature, I'm talking about a thread!

    Is that not simply spam or self promotion, specifically for commercial gain?


  • Options
    #9
    Tallon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,565 ✭✭✭✭Tallon


    But what if it is relevant, and it is greatly benefiting the community, where by it's what people are already asking for?

    And I'm not talking about someone who just signed up to boards to post the link


  • Options
    #10
    Tallon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,565 ✭✭✭✭Tallon


    Spear wrote: »
    Is that not simply spam or self promotion, specifically for commercial gain?

    Read my previous post, and what if there is no gain for the person in question?


  • Options
    #11
    Spear
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 25,313 CMod ✭✭✭✭Spear


    Tallon wrote: »
    Read my previous post, and what if there is no gain for the person in question?

    Given the often dodgy usage of referral links, you'll need to be clear on what kind you're thinking of. Is this nothing more than quoting a name for the sake of a discount style thing?


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    Zaph
    Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 47,305 ✭✭✭✭Zaph


    As already stated, referral links are banned, and I don't see much difference between a sig containing one and a thread. Tbh I'm not really sure what sort of referral link can benefit everyone other than the person who posted it. Without more information it's impossible to give a definitive response, but if you want to PM me the details I'll have a look at it and discuss it with the rest of the admins if necessary.


  • Options
    #13
    Tallon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,565 ✭✭✭✭Tallon


    Thanks Zaph, I can't pm details as I'm on a mobile, but if you look at the latest deleted thread by me in the minecraft forum you will see what I an talking about

    Cheers


  • Options
    #14
    Tallon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,565 ✭✭✭✭Tallon


    Spear wrote: »
    Given the often dodgy usage of referral links, you'll need to be clear on what kind you're thinking of. Is this nothing more than quoting a name for the sake of a discount style thing?

    Users of the site will receive a large discount off a product, the referal link is there to track traffic volumes


  • Options
    #15
    Spear
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 25,313 CMod ✭✭✭✭Spear


    Tallon wrote: »
    Users of the site will receive a large discount off a product, the referal link is there to track traffic volumes


    From my own view, that seems innocent enough, and not the spam/profit style referred to in the rules. And I've seen other mods with such discount links.

    Edit: no point in thanking this, it's not my opinion that matters, that's for the admins.


  • Options
    #16
    Gordon
    Registered Users Posts: 35,524 ✭✭✭✭Gordon


    You'll be making something though right? I mean, you probably posted the link and a referral code that links to you, so if you get lots of people signed up, you get something back.

    I think boards has a general rule on advertising, it's not allowed, but if it benefits the community the Mod will make a judgement call. But affiliate links are simply a sure sign of spam, a big ringing bell, it's extremely obvious that it'll be a company on a marketing push to get more sales.

    The mod must have thought it was spam.


  • Options
    #17
    Tallon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,565 ✭✭✭✭Tallon


    No, I won't be making anything from it.

    I already have a deal with the company, I just wanted something to help the community since I've been getting a lot of pm's about it and there have been a few threads on it

    I understand how it may have looked for the mod, but after a few pm's I got the feeling he just didn't want the post there. Even though I had checked with fhe other mod


Advertisement