Ok, so maybe he just caught me on a cranky day. Maybe he didn’t deserve being called out like this.
Then again, he did come to my Page. He did LIKE my Page. And he did then post a REFERRAL Link on it (heck he even LIKE’d his own spam post!)
In case you didn’t know – a Referral Link (sometimes called an Affiliate Link) is a unique link that when clicked, gives the person who ‘owns’ the link credit for anything you buy at that destination. Usually the link doesn’t add anything to what you would normally pay – it’s just a way for sites to reward referrals.
Sometimes the links are obvious. I like BlueHost and have a referral link over on the sidebar under “Sponsored Links”. It’s an image but if you clicked or hovered over it you’ll see it goes to http://www.bluehost.com/track/mikemueller
Sometimes the links are harder to spot. Here’s an Affiliate Link for a box of
Dixon Ticonderoga Wood Cased Black Core #2 Pencils, 12 Count, Yellow (13882)
Sometimes the links can be completely hidden. I can take that Bluehost link above, pop over to a link shortener and create a new link like: http://goo.gl/N7kL3
But here’s the thing…
Affiliate and Referral links are not evil. When people click on my links they get the same price (or less) than if they went to the site directly. That helps me pay the bills. Passive income is ok. My links are clearly marked on the site as Sponsored Links. I even consider DropBox as sponsored but they don’t pay actual dollars. Sign up for DropBox and I get a little extra storage space for free.
Where this dude went wrong, is that he spammed my Page. His marketing system is clear. He wants the greatest number of people to click on his link as he can. He looks for high engagement Pages, LIKE’s them (so he can post to it) and then plants his ‘seeds’. TRUE: Do that enough and you can sit back and watch the ca$h roll in! I see the same behaviour happen in tweets and blog comments. If it happens on my blog, you can bet your sweet bippy I’ll do the exact same thing. Blocked, Reported and I’ll even block the words used if need be.
To me, actions like this are disingenuous. They leave a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t like and I don’t trust people who act this way. Luckily Facebook and WordPress allow me to deal with them efficiently and effectively.
On a side note, I was THIS close to having 4,000 LIKEs on my Page!
Oh well. This Page was not built using advertising, contests or any other inducements. It was built by one thing – providing honest information and engagement. Value isn’t in the quantity, it’s in the quality.
Have a nice day Jay R! 😉
Mike Mueller
He's an avid hockey fan, rides a mountain bike, sometimes rides a road bike, has a few motorcycles (he had a really fast one, bought a cool orange one, rode a really slow one, and wants a really small one). If that isn't enough, he makes cheese and sourdough bread, loves strong beer and good red wine, and poorly plays the Mandolin.
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