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Affiliate Links Are Not Allowed - Cloaked Or Otherwise

by Rod Cortez
11 replies
With the influx of new members we've been getting recently, there are some people who are trying to get around the no affiliate link rule by cloaking their link(s). I've seen an increase in this activity which prompted me to post this reminder.

We have many tech-savvy members here who not only report these, but there are also plenty of moderators who are also tech-savvy and can figure out a cloaked affiliate link with a little bit of digging.

For you newcomers to this community, the signature rules are pretty clear and they are outlined in the rules here:

http://www.warriorforum.com/main-internet-marketing-discussion-forum/741403-warrior-forum-rules.html

If you get caught doing this you're going to get some time off. If you're a repeat offender you might get a life time ban, so don't do it.

Since we're on this topic, you are also not allowed to tell people to click on your signature. If people like what you wrote they will take a look at it, there's no need to point people to it. The reasoning behind this isn't as much as it's self-promotional as it having been abused heavily in the past, so it's not allowed.

RoD
#affiliate #allowed #cloaked #links
  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    there are some people who are trying to get around the no affiliate link rule by cloaking their link(s)
    They don't bring a knife to the gun fight, they come empty handed. (;

    The self-promotional stuff has really been growing. I was starting to wonder if the rules had changed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Khondoker
    A year was needed for me to understand forum rules fully!
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  • Profile picture of the author markgaperl
    Thanks Rod for bringing this up. You are absolutely right that there has been an increase in such activities. I guess newbies are not reading the rules.

    Originally Posted by Rod Cortez View Post

    With the influx of new members we've been getting recently, there are some people who are trying to get around the no affiliate link rule by cloaking their link(s). I've seen an increase in this activity which prompted me to post this reminder.

    We have many tech-savvy members here who not only report these, but there are plenty of moderators who are also tech-savvy and can figure out a cloaked affiliate link with a little bit of digging.

    For you newcomers to this community, the signature rules are pretty clear and they are outlined in the rules here:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-internet-marketing-discussion-forum/741403-warrior-forum-rules.html

    If you get caught doing this you're going to get some time off. If you're a repeat offender you might get a life time ban, so don't do it.

    Since we're on this topic, you are also not allowed to tell people to click on your signature. If people like what you wrote they will take a look at it, there's no need to point people to it. The reasoning behind this isn't as much as it's self-promotional as it having been abused heavily in the past, so it's not allowed.

    RoD
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    • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
      Originally Posted by Brent Stangel View Post

      They don't bring a knife to the gun fight, they come empty handed. (;

      The self-promotional stuff has really been growing. I was starting to wonder if the rules had changed.
      Do you mean in general or in regards to their signatures?

      The best thing we can do as a community is to use the "report post" icon underneath everyone's names if they see someone breaking the rules. If someone is asking for feedback on their website in the Main Discussion Forum, please report it. If someone is trying to promote a service or product in their post, please report it. If someone is resorting to name-calling, trolling, etc. please report them so the moderators and take a look at it.

      Though we catch a lot of stuff, we can't catch everything. For those of you that are already doing this it has not gone unnoticed and we definitely appreciate it.

      Spikes of this kind of activity happens every now and then and right now it appears we're seeing a small increase in people trying to cloak their affiliate links.

      RoD
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      "Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out."
      - Jim Rohn
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  • Profile picture of the author m2coolgo
    Great thought Rod. We all have to play a critical part in keeping this forum clean and informative. There is tremendous value on this forum and we cannot let it get diluted.
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  • Profile picture of the author KamesG
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Along with the increase in affiliate cheating, I've noticed a lot more "PM me for info" posts that are simple teasers.

      People posting their own videos is on the rise as well.
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      • Profile picture of the author writeaway
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        Along with the increase in affiliate cheating, I've noticed a lot more "PM me for info" posts that are simple teasers.

        People posting their own videos is on the rise as well.
        Forums evolve. Problems evolve. People also had a problem with old boy networks of the past. Frankly, I think the forum is getting better now that it has professional paid mods.
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        • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
          Originally Posted by writeaway View Post

          Forums evolve. Problems evolve. People also had a problem with old boy networks of the past. Frankly, I think the forum is getting better now that it has professional paid mods.
          The volunteer moderators are still here and the new mods still have quite a bit to learn from us old timers.

          What's great about the added staff is that they are helping big time with the spam and a few other things.

          RoD
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          "Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out."
          - Jim Rohn
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Thanks for pointing out this rather easy to spot problem but the forum would definitely improve when the mods are able to do what previous mods can't-question spam. What is QS?

    1) People asking questions with keywords in the title and a link in the body of the post (SEO QS)
    2) People mentioning a branded product in a question thread (AWARENESS RAISING QS)
    3) One account asking a question regarding a niche and a tool needed for that niche and another account responding with a solution (with BRAND or link to product) (PUMP AND DUMP QS)

    There are dozens of others but these are the most common on this forum.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
      Originally Posted by writeaway View Post

      Thanks for pointing out this rather easy to spot problem but the forum would definitely improve when the mods are able to do what previous mods can't-question spam. What is QS?
      It's not easy to spot for everyone Writeaway.

      And there are people who join who don't read the rules. There are people who will message me swearing up and down they didn't know affiliate links were not allowed.

      And question spam isn't as easy to moderate as you think it is.

      RoD
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      "Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out."
      - Jim Rohn
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
    I'm glad you brought that up John. You should report those types of posts too.

    RoD
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    "Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out."
    - Jim Rohn
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