Comments on: Affiliate Link Disclosure

By: Greg Hoffman

Greg Hoffman — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 01:36:55 +0000

When I post affiliate links, I make it as blatant as possible. I don’t think it’s crossing the line. It is what it is, an attempt for me to monetize some of the traffic I receive. More than half of my traffic is just from SEO and they won’t subscribe because they aren’t interested in my blog overall, just that one keyword, so why not try to snag some of their money in the process. The true readers of my blog understand that when I post an affiliate link, I want money, but they stick around and continue reading because I do post interesting content on other days.

For example, here’s an affiliate link on my blog for Thompson Cigars – go buy some for father’s day.
http://www.internetmarketinggorilla.com/2007/06/fathers-day-buy-some-cigars.html

It’s the whole point of the post. I don’t try to sneak it in there. But I agree that people should expect affiliate links on a site talking about affiliate marketing or internet marketing. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t. Managers need to know how affiliates think and affiliates need to know what makes managers tick.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:54:06 +0000

Since when are bloggers given the same rights, responsibilities, and benefits as journalists?

Do you ask the people you talk to (face-to-face) for their disclosures/disclaimer? Is there any difference between a blogger profiting from telling you something and anyone you meet in the “real World”?

Marketing is marketing.
Sometimes marketing nets a profit and sometimes it is done for free (or charity). Just mentioning a brand name (in either a positive or negative context) is marketing.

Some blogs are informational, some are “hidden” advertising, and some are pure entertainment. Who’s to say all blogs aren’t (to some degree) a little bit of each of these things?

If someone is dumb enough to blindly trust a blogger without checking other sources of information… well God bless them. They need all the help they can get.

My point is… the point of this discussion is moot.

By: Dave Snyder

Dave Snyder — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:42:56 +0000

I completely agree with you, Shawn. It’s obvious when the “marketing” is the purpose for the content, and most folks are smart enough to avoid that stuff. I have no problem embedding affiliate links into content that is truly useful, and most people don’t mind if you make a few bucks off of honest information.

By: Debating Blogging Disclosure With Rand Fishkin On Net Income - ShoeMoney™

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