Comments on: Can Affiliate Link Disclosure Go Too Far? http://www.whoisandrewwee.com/affiliate-marketing/affiliate-link-disclosure/ BizExcellerated Internet Marketing: Achieve mastery in blogging, affiliate marketing, social traffic generation at Andrew Wee Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:18:24 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Phillip Barnhart http://www.whoisandrewwee.com/affiliate-marketing/affiliate-link-disclosure/comment-page-1/#comment-505534 Phillip Barnhart Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:54:48 +0000 http://www.whoisandrewwee.com/?p=786#comment-505534 Excluding twitter for the moment, why not use an existing paradigm to deal with affiliate links - semantically as <a href="http://microformats.org/about/" rel="nofollow">microformats?</a>. Something as simple as rel="affiliate" might be sufficient. A more complex microformat might identify the advertiser or network (a la rel="license" microformat"). This way, the small percentage of people who may be concerned can download the inevitable plugin if needed, management and links to privacy and disclosure pages automated, etc. Of course, the real drivers of this may need to the actual affiliate programs - if CJ for example put this in their auto code generation tool. As for Twitter, the major URL shorteners like BudURL could simply set up a complementary domain for affiliate/sponsored links and maintain the disclosure on their site via a link preview function. Again, it would help if Twitter then autotagged the URL. A modest proposal, at least. And requires no one else's permission to start! Excluding twitter for the moment, why not use an existing paradigm to deal with affiliate links – semantically as microformats?. Something as simple as rel=”affiliate” might be sufficient. A more complex microformat might identify the advertiser or network (a la rel=”license” microformat”).

This way, the small percentage of people who may be concerned can download the inevitable plugin if needed, management and links to privacy and disclosure pages automated, etc. Of course, the real drivers of this may need to the actual affiliate programs – if CJ for example put this in their auto code generation tool.

As for Twitter, the major URL shorteners like BudURL could simply set up a complementary domain for affiliate/sponsored links and maintain the disclosure on their site via a link preview function. Again, it would help if Twitter then autotagged the URL.

A modest proposal, at least. And requires no one else’s permission to start!

]]> By: Shawn Collins http://www.whoisandrewwee.com/affiliate-marketing/affiliate-link-disclosure/comment-page-1/#comment-505516 Shawn Collins Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:43:03 +0000 http://www.whoisandrewwee.com/?p=786#comment-505516 There have been a handful of vocal folks that insist on the need for disclosure, but I haven't yet seen a single solution. I think jamming a hashtag or (aff) is intrusive and creates a bad experience for the end user. Not to mention the fact that these gestures would just confuse readers. I am very confident that none of my friends and family would know what that stuff meant, and they've been hearing me ramble on about this stuff for 15 years. There have been a handful of vocal folks that insist on the need for disclosure, but I haven’t yet seen a single solution.

I think jamming a hashtag or (aff) is intrusive and creates a bad experience for the end user.

Not to mention the fact that these gestures would just confuse readers.

I am very confident that none of my friends and family would know what that stuff meant, and they’ve been hearing me ramble on about this stuff for 15 years.

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