Some developers are proposing front-ends to Amazon.com web services (e.g. a search service that includes results on your own site) on a shared revenue basis, i.e. they’ll put 20% of the search results with their affiliate ID instead of yours.
Provided it’s properly disclosed (there was a small controversy in the Amazon Associate thread where I found out about that) this is a clever idea. Smaller affiliates, as well as those who are less technically savvy or short on time, might find this handy, but won’t have to bear any upfront cost. And these services are there to let you grow incremental revenue, so they won’t be losing anything.
By the way these discussion boards are sometimes entertaining: "getting rid of Amazon and sticking with CJ is like dumping Cameron Diaz for Rosanne Barr." Yes indeed. I’m starting to get rid of my Half.com links (managed by CJ) on SciFan since they don’t bring much money, I’m only paid on new sign-ups vs. sales (which might fit their business model but not mine) and CJ is demonstrating stubborn cluelessness about the whole "scumware" issue. No, rephrase that, they’re not being clueless, they’re being stupid.
They don’t even acknowledge the problem upfront on their site. All I’ve got is the same sales copy that’s been sitting there for months. It’s actually good copy targeted by audience, except it’s tiring fast when you’re wondering exactly how much money you’re losing to hijackers while they do exactly nothing to stop fraud.
This weekend I’m going to experiment with, and most probably implement, those scripts that lock out infected users. I’m not going to sit there idly when thieves rob us out of our commissions while Sophie and I bust our asses building the best database about SF/F books out there.
In indirectly related news, Google is rumored to develop product search.
