WordPress.com

1. mcsavage
   Member
   Jun 30, 2009, 10:50 PM

   I have been reading the forums extensively especially the questions that involve advertising and adding links in the sidebar.I get that no advertising is allowed and i have read the FAQ but ive found no concrete explanation of the 1 affiliate link per blog.Many of the questions are answered by raincoaster who seems pretty clued up but i still dont understand properly.I have a link and did a trial run by inserting the HTML into the text widget..it worked perfectly..i consequently removed it in fear of having my blog suspended.How will i know whether it falls under the 1 affiliate link per blog category.Ive read that the link has to be discreet..define that also please..(the link i have is 138 by 110 in size)

   The blog I need help with is mcsavage.wordpress.com.

2. mcsavage
   Member
   Jun 30, 2009, 10:57 PM

   my apologies that i havnt linked my name to my blog..i have now..

3. thesacredpath
   Staff
   Jun 30, 2009, 11:05 PM

   You need to contact staff directly on this and explain things in detail to them. They are the only real authority on this: http://support.wordpress.com/contact/ .

4. artlessonsforkids
   Member
   Jul 1, 2009, 12:03 AM

   Hi mcsavage--would love to know what you find out about the 1 affiliate link per blog info--I was wondering the same. Thanks.

5. tellyworth
   Staff
   Jul 1, 2009, 5:07 AM

   Here's the gist of it:

   If your blog is a real blog, and you have something like an Amazon affiliate/wishlist link in your sidebar, Paypal donation button or similar, that's fine. "Real blog" is the key, we're pretty flexible on the details. Write to support if you want to make sure.

   If you spend your days reading "how to get rich on the internet by tricking people into clicking on stuff" e-books, and want to include an affiliate link to further your career as a smarmy purveyor of schemes for the gullible, WordPress.com is not the place for you.

   (I don't mean to suggest that description applies to anyone posting on this thread - it's just that whenever we say "oh xyz is fine", we get a rash of smug hucksters who seem to think we've somehow legitimized their 27 Instant Forex Weight Loss Secrets Revealed!!! pseudo-blogs).

6. mcsavage
   Member
   Jul 1, 2009, 5:57 AM

   Thanx for those who have already responded especially the staff response from tellyworthy."Real Blog" made me laugh!I started this blog because wordpress came highly recommended and one of the key reasons for doing so was that i wouldnt be bombarded by advertising..especially the in-your-face variety..but i was under the impression that links were allowed(i havnt put a single link in my side bar) and just recently discovered the 1 affiliate link per blog allowance but im finding it to be a grey area.I would like to think that i have a "real blog" even though most of my articles involve social commentary.I understand the reasons for not allowing advertising but then i see ads on certain blogs...i get they may be VIP but sometimes they are not and the explantion is that wordpress does occassionaly run ads(to pay the bills) ,BUT you can purchase the No Ads upgrade.Is that not akin to a guy coming to my bar and asking for money every month to NOT beat me up?On a similar track ive questioned the SocialVibe widget i have on my blog..its for charity right? so why do users have to watch a video of the advertising sponsor just so they can donate money for my cause.How much do they contribute(to the charity) and how much goes to wordpress?Im digressing so i'll revert back to my original question.

   So..where to from here: do i just put my link in the sidebar and wait for them to approve (or not) or speak to support. I do not intend to trick people nor "further my career as a smarmy purveyor of schemes for the gullible"!

7. thesacredpath
   Staff
   Jul 1, 2009, 6:04 AM

   http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/1-affiliate-link-per-blogclarification-please?replies=6#post-354627

8. thesacredpath
   Staff
   Jul 1, 2009, 6:05 AM

   Really, contact them. They are fair and they don't bite.

9. baseclef
   Member
   Jul 1, 2009, 9:16 AM

   Tellyworth, I wish everyone shared your outlook! I was told outright by staff that ads are not allowed. Even affiliate banners apparently.

10. mark
    Staff
    Jul 1, 2009, 9:26 AM

    Affiliate banners are NOT allowed.
    Ads are not allowed.

    Tellyworth did not say either were.

    Please contact Support with absolute specifics not vague details.

11. raincoaster
    Member
    Jul 1, 2009, 10:01 AM

    baseclef, tellyworth was talking about sidebar links, not banner ads. Different.

12. baseclef
    Member
    Jul 1, 2009, 10:03 AM

    I did contact support with absolute specifics and I did receive an absolute response. They said no ads whatsoever. That's pretty clear to me.

    But Tellyworth did say "If your blog is a real blog, and you have something like an Amazon affiliate/wishlist link in your sidebar...that's fine".

    And numerous similar topics on the forums suggest this. Am I missing something? I read the ToS and I don't believe I'm violating them by having a link to emusic on my blog. Does it boil down to whether or not you make money off the links?

13. raincoaster
    Member
    Jul 1, 2009, 10:10 AM

    It does not. Display advertising and Amazon wishlists are two different things.

14. mcsavage
    Member
    Jul 2, 2009, 8:10 PM

    Ok..i am well and truly confused now..maybe its because im new and am not understanding the terminology.Like i said ,i have yet to place a link(as i understand it) in my sidebar but maybe i used the word incorrectly..If you look at my blog i have added the SocialVibe widget..would that be classified as a link or banner or both? As i stated before..my initial question was not about about whether advertising was allowed or not but about the 1 affiliate link per blog and hence i needed the clarification.If i am indeed allowed one affiliate link then where am i allowed to place this link and in what form? Can i add it to the Links widget,can i place it in a Text widget,can i place within an actual blog post( article?) and if so how many times?Forgive me if i come across as a beginner but it would help if the people who answer could bear in mind that i am, and not assume that i know what they mean when they refer the difference between sidebar links,banners or the definition of a "real blog".I am certainly not trying to abuse the system or trick people..on the contrary..this is why am using the forum prior to making a decision that may be construed as an infringement of the rules.

15. mcsavage
    Member
    Jul 2, 2009, 8:12 PM

    Ps. i am sending this thread to support and will let you know what the outcome is..thanks for the help so far.

16. raincoaster
    Member
    Jul 2, 2009, 8:24 PM

    Fair enough; sorry if I came off as gruff, I did indeed assume you were just somebody trying to sneak a big paid banner past on a technicality.

    A banner ad is a large bar that goes the width of your blog, or even the width of your entire header, and somebody pays you to display it. An ad is an image or text that somebody pays you to put on your blog. An affiliate link is a link where, if someone clicks through it and buys something on the destination site, you get a piece of how much they spend. It can be on an image or on text.

    The SocialVibe widget is completely exempt from this discussion because it has obviously been preapproved by staff.

    An Amazon wishlist is just a link to a list of stuff you want which people can buy for you on Amazon. You don't get any money from Amazon for just displaying the wishlist.

    Staff have said, for instance, if you review books it's perfectly fine to have an affiliate link to the book on Amazon, provided the review is meaningful and not just an excuse for putting the link on your blog.

    Does that clarify?

17. mcsavage
    Member
    Jul 2, 2009, 8:38 PM

    Thanks raincoaster, that does indeed clarify and simultaneously eliminate some things.Going on your definitions ,my intention was not to put a banner nor an ad.It would definately be an affiliate link in the form of an image.Now that i know what it is,im back to square one as to the subject of allowing 1 affiliate link per blog?Re: the SocialVibe widget ,i was merely trying to establish the difference between a link and a banner/ad.As for the Amazon wishlist i am laughing.Do people really put up a list in the hope that other people can buy it for you or did i understand that poorly as well?!

18. raincoaster
    Member
    Jul 2, 2009, 8:45 PM

    They do. It's like a wedding registry or something, only people look at it for birthdays and Christmas and so on too.

    As for the one per blog, will you need the staff clarification on the sidebar affiliate thing. They seem to be okay with a text link in blog posts, no more than one in each. Dunno about the sidebar.

19. mcsavage
    Member
    Jul 2, 2009, 8:50 PM

    ha..meant that as a rhetorical question..didnt expect for you to answer..i see you're a busy man and clearly need to answer more revelant issues..but thanks so much for help..will post the response from support asap.

20. raincoaster
    Member
    Jul 2, 2009, 8:55 PM

    No, I'm actually a woman, and I'm on vacation. Don't worry, EVERYONE thinks I'm a bitter old gay man at first. But I've reached the limit of the advice I can give you; it's all up to staff now.

21. tellyworth
    Staff
    Jul 2, 2009, 11:51 PM

    There's some confusion over the definition of "affiliate link", so let me expand on that.

    An affiliate or referral link to a reputable site like Amazon.com, your favorite camera store, craft store or similar, where you make a commission or get a discount for referring sales - these are generally fine in the context referred to above (i.e. real blog, original content, discreet and appropriate link). But no banner ads or spamming please, and no blogs that consist of nothing but "buy now" links.

    "Affiliate links" as in clickbank, usercash, megabuxcashmillionstrafficpro, affiliate/network marketing programs (including those masquerading as fitness/forex/weight loss/cosmetics/etc), paid/sponsored posts, text link ads, lead generation affiliate programs, paid links to porn, drugs, casinos, payday loans, and whatever other potemkin "legitimate product" the Get Rich Quick crowd are selling this week = no no no.

    This is stated on our Types Of Blogs page, albeit briefly:

    http://en.wordpress.com/types-of-blogs/

    Again, "real blog" is the key. If you have a real blog with real content and link to something we don't allow, we'll warn you with an alert in your dashboard and ask you to remove it. That's ok, we're not going to punish you for it or yell at you or take your blog away. We like real blogs and do our best to keep them around even when they inadvertently break the rules.

    And to clarify "real blog", we mean blogs written by and for humans. Copy-pasting a bunch of content from ezinearticles or amazon reviews does not a real blog make.

    I'll defer to Mark on any of the specifics if he'd like to chime in.

22. mark
    Staff
    Jul 3, 2009, 12:23 AM

    The problem with writing exact details here is that everyone think they have a 'real blog'.
    Every day I get people saying they wrote every word, that there is a social need, it's only a couple of links to the store and after all, aren't penis extenders genuinely useful?
    Or it's an acaiberry diet, or steroids, or FREE CASH!!, googlesecrets, mlm schemes, wallpaper downloads, herbal-weightloss-libido-increasing-make-money or some other crap. These people genuinely believe they have an absolute right to ads, affiliate links, to blog here and lower the tone. So they read a thread like this, see a link or two is good and start using them. Which is not how it's done as we say.

    The best thing you can do is create the blog as you intend it to be and then ask. That means we see the real deal and you get a proper answer. Yes it's subjective but it cannot be any other way. I do try to keep things even.

    Really - just ask through Support. But do have something to show - it makes things so much easier.

    In the end though we are doing this because we want people to want to blog here.

23. justjennifer
    Member
    Jul 16, 2009, 5:41 AM

    Wow, thank you tellyworth and mark for probably one of the most informative threads on this topic I've seen yet.

    Bookmarked, faved, added tags and will refer the umpteen number of people a week who ask this same question again and again.

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