MJ, please remove affiliate links in posts (VigLinks)

[theag]

I hate those things, it looks so cheap and spammy. Please remove them at least for INSIDERS.

Thanks!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AllenCrawley]

I don't see any of these links?

 

[theag]

depends on they keywords in the post.. they get inserted automatically

check my post https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/in...d-people-run-e-commerce-shops.html#post260598

or here:

 

[klh6686]

depends on they keywords in the post.. they get inserted automatically

check my post https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/in...d-people-run-e-commerce-shops.html#post260598

or here:
View attachment 4512

I don't see this link on your post, is it something happening in your browser?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[theag]

I don't see this link on your post, is it something happening in your browser?

Huh? Weird. Will check.

 

[theag]

Its not my browser. Its an addon. VigLink For Forums
I read in some other forums that it miraculously activated itself?! Weird stuff going on here

 

[AllenCrawley]

Okay, I swear I have never seen these links before and I'm willing to bet that those words were not linked when I first read your post. But when I clicked your link above they are now linked? Unless this is something that MJ just implemented because I would have definitely noticed.

EDIT: see my post below...

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[klh6686]

Huh? Weird. Will check.

oh jeez my bad, I use adbluck plus for chrome.

I disabled it and I can see the links now.

you might want to get adblock XD.

 

[AllenCrawley]

Yep, I just recently set adblock to allows ads on this forum so I guess thats why I see them now.

I will say that I don't have a problem with them. Some major blogs and forums use viglink and I'm all for MJ monetizing his site to it fullest potential.

 

[Esquire]

I had a similar problem on my Desktop with something called "Text Enhance." Exact same thing. Malicious Adware that infects your browsers and turns text into links to spam sites.

Took me a while to figure out how to purge this (highly annoying) feature from my browsers. Norton was useless. Had to clear the cache and disable malicious add-ons.

At first I thought it was the site ... but then I realized it was only popping up when I used my desktop.

That's what the problem is. It isn't M.J.

Your browsers are infected.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AllenCrawley]

That's what the problem is. It isn't M.J. Your browser is infected.

do you see the links? if not, do you have Adblock enable?

 

[theag]

That's what the problem is. It isn't M.J.

Your browsers are infected.

No, its a plugin for vbulletin.

 

[Eskil]

I see the link too, I think it's a forum side plugin.
By the way - how do I disable the ad banners that pop up inside posts these days, and at the top of each page? I thought INSIDERS could disable them but I didn't see a place where to do it.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[DennisD]

I don't see these links anywhere on the site. I don't have adblock and have never had adblock.

But I'd guess that if I clicked the link that activated it for everybody else I'd suddenly have it. I'll just stay away for now

 

[MJ DeMarco]

No, its a plugin for vbulletin.

Your browsers are infected.

It's a plugin that I recently activated as an experiment. It's been live for 3 days.

Relax, there is no infection on your browsers.

I thought INSIDERS could disable them but I didn't see a place where to do it.

I think your sub expired so the ads reappeared.

I hate those things, it looks so cheap and spammy. Please remove them at least for INSIDERS.

Please allow me to finish out the experiment, if I keep them you won't see them as an INSIDERS.

 

[1PercentStreet]

I don't see these links and I have no adware or adblock plus.


^oh mj posted! haha

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

I hate those things, it looks so cheap and spammy.

I disagree as long as it does not change the user experience. I wanted to test something that wouldn't be noticed for the most part and had limited, to no mouseover effects. The plugin was live for 3 days before anyone even noticed which tells me it works as being unobtrusive.

Usually a new plugin goes noticed within 3 minutes; not 3 days.

Please allow me to finish out the experiment, if I keep them you won't see them as an INSIDERS.

The "experiment" has passed and the links are probably here to stay. I will probably make a post about them later today explaining more about this decision.

However, if you are an INSIDERS, your forum experience shall remain ad-free -- you are exempt from seeing these links and they should not appear as well as any other advertising that goes on around here.

So if you are an INSIDERS (ad-free version) and see them, please let me know. (Some INSIDERS have ads active and do not mind them.)

As for the links, they simply convert common words into affiliate hyperlinks via VlG-LlNK (which I find beneficial) and unobtrusive.

For example, eBay and Amazon are great places to sell stuff! (eBay and Amazon probably will convert to links.)

 

[AllenCrawley]

The plugin was live for 3 days before anyone even noticed which tells me it works as being unobtrusive.

I find them unobtrusive as well and, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, I'm all for you monetizing your forum.

 

[liquidglass]

to the OP, personally I don't see what the problem is with the originator of the website/forum making money from it. I realize you weren't abrasive about it, but you did go to the trouble of making a thread over it.

It reminds me of the people that complain about the viacom sponsored ads on youtube. They HATE the ads, but they still want the service for free of course.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

to the OP, personally I don't see what the problem is with the originator of the website/forum making money from it. I realize you weren't abrasive about it, but you did go to the trouble of making a thread over it.

It reminds me of the people that complain about the viacom sponsored ads on youtube. They HATE the ads, but they still want the service for free of course.

It might be that the OP PAID $ to view the forum ad free ... and suddenly the links appeared. So he would indeed have a legit beef about seeing ads after explicitly paying not to see them.

 

[Hans im Glueck]

I hate those things, it looks so cheap and spammy.

I agree, they don't even make any sense and link to completely unrelated stuff.

 

[AllenCrawley]

I agree, they don't even make any sense and link to completely unrelated stuff.

Huh?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[JasonR]

I agree, they don't even make any sense and link to completely unrelated stuff.

I've never found them to link any where I've actually found useful, but MJ must be keeping them on for some reason.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I agree, they don't even make any sense and link to completely unrelated stuff.

Yea, I mean clicking on Amazon takes me to, well, Amazon. And by golly, clicking on Ebay takes me to Ebay. Yup, totally unrelated.

I've never found them to link any where I've actually found useful, but MJ must be keeping them on for some reason.

Yea, I don't make a habit of throwing dollar bills out the window?

I didn't create this board 7 years ago with the motive of "Gee, I'd like to sell advertising one day and become an affiliate marketer!" - this stuff comes into play by virtue of traffic. It'd be a fool to leave money on the table, but you know, I guess when you're *rich*, the assumption is ...



Except instead of playing with windmills, I play with money by throwing it out the window while shouting in orgasmic glee.

 

[Gsuz]

Just wondering: There are a lot of book recommendations on this forum, aren't there plugins to automatically add your affiliate-ID to each and every Amazon link. Quoting a random post:

I really like two of Lonnie Scruggs books Deals on Wheels: How to Buy, Sell & Finance Used Mobile Homes for Big Profits and Cash Flow and Taking the Mystery Out of Money. I highly recommend both, even if you have no interest or involvement with buying, selling and financing mobile homes. It's like getting a financial education from Uncle Jesse from the old Dukes of Hazzard show, he teaches concepts like the Time Value of Money and provides practical instruction on how to use an HP financial calculator.

The most interesting thing about these books is that most financial self-help books approach the subject as if you are the victim of a predatory society that is determined to get you into debt. But these books teach you instead how to adopt the mindset of the financer who lends the money using property that can be repossessed, not the hapless debtors on the other side of the transaction who only care about low monthly payments. It is a real eye-opener and Scruggs is very entertaining to read.

I think with the overall traffic this site receives, this could increase revenue quite a bit. Also it's fun to see what people are buying non related to the original item.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

Also it's fun to see what people are buying non related to the original item.

OMG yes ... I've seen some really funny stuff!!!

 

[DennisD]

I play with money by throwing it out the window while shouting in orgasmic glee.

Just gave me a really great idea for a youtube video..... :smilielol:

Also, I'll have to remember to quote you on this sometime in the future.

 

[Hans im Glueck]

By irrelevant i didn't mean general links to ebay or amazon. for example in one post on this page: https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/relationships/44697-how-get-girl-10-seconds-4.html#post261359, the words 'away 2.' link to baby clothing... what?
I've seen a bunch of those.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[theDarkness]

By irrelevant i didn't mean general links to ebay or amazon. for example in one post on this page: https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/relationships/44697-how-get-girl-10-seconds-4.html#post261359, the words 'away 2.' link to baby clothing... what?
I've seen a bunch of those.

Or 'autobiography' in "It sounds like you can write my autobiography" links to . . . car listings. :eusa_clap:

Honestly I think these links are no-value-added trash, and when first visiting a site I tend to not return if it is littered with these.