Affiliates and SPAM: What would you do?

[Sly_RJ]

This question is posed to the affiliates of any sponsors, basically EVERYBODY.

If you checked your email tomorrow morning and received a message from your favorite sponsor saying "Hello, I would just like to let you know that XXXXXX really does allow spam, and a large amount of our traffic comes from spam. Our TOS states otherwise, simply to please our hosting company and upstream providers. If you are interested in spamming our sites, please contact us ASAP for help setting up your operation."

What would you do? How would you react? Would you DROP your FAVORITE sponsor? Or would you look the other way and secretly ask how you can get involved?

--

Spam. Spam. Let's all bitch about spam. Heh. If you had any idea...

[Ludedude]

[Fletch XXX]

Originally posted by Sly_RJ

Spam. Spam. Let's all bitch about spam. Heh. If you had any idea...

i have an idea. Ive used emails for sponsors and caught them in the act, but have never really mentioned names.

i hint every now and then.

theres some big time spammer sponsors on this board.

[FATPad]

Add their email address to all sorts of spam lists.

Also, setup a rule that forwards all the spam you normally get to their email address.

Tell them since they like spam, you didn't think they'd mind if they got some extra.

[Sly_RJ]

Originally posted by Fletch XXX

theres some big time spammer sponsors on this board.

No way! You must be lying! XXXXX is full of stand-up employees, they would NEVER spam. Just read their TOS and you'll see what I mean. Nobody allows spam.

Don't lie to me Fletch!

[Fletch XXX]

Originally posted by Sly_RJ

Nobody allows spam.

well spam isnt allowed.

aggressive marketing IS

;)

[Pipecrew]

I know of a company that will withold your money if you "bring forth" there spamming ways. They are huge on this board but will remain nameless intill I want a dvd player or some shit. They also help setup certain ways of spamming so they dont lose there upstream or something, I've heard it from a few different people saying the same shit about this big sponsor.

[ldinternet]

Drop 'em?

No way.



I'd ask for my bullet proof linking code.

[gothweb]

Integrity means not saying one thing and doing another. I wouldn't be impressed by a sponsor who actively sought out spam, but claimed not to allow it.

[cherrylula]

once I caught a huge sponsor spamming hustler sites hahahaha...

[Mutt]

they all spam. some are more discreet about it.


though i have to admit, two majors who i have never tracked spam to - Maxcash and CE. Doesn't mean they don't but I've never picked up their scent.

[Pipecrew]

Originally posted by Mutt
they all spam. some are more discreet about it.


though i have to admit, two majors who i have never tracked spam to - Maxcash and CE. Doesn't mean they don't but I've never picked up their scent.

I just responded to your email!

[ZoiNk]

If they said it inside their MEMBERS area, behind the password protection that they did, in a FAQ or such, then I wouldn't personally mind getting an email like that. As long as they abide by the rule that each mail must have a valid remove and it must be web based removal. None of this emailing a yahoo or hotmail account where it bounces back b/c the box is full.
ZoiNk

[gothweb]

Originally posted by Mutt
they all spam. some are more discreet about it.


though i have to admit, two majors who i have never tracked spam to - Maxcash and CE. Doesn't mean they don't but I've never picked up their scent.

I assume you mean all the big ones?

[Mutt]

yes, the big ones, the medium ones, all sizes.

Pipecrew, your email hasn't shown up yet.

[Kimmykim]

does this even matter?

[gothweb]

Originally posted by Mutt
yes, the big ones, the medium ones, all sizes.

Pipecrew, your email hasn't shown up yet.

Speaking as someone who runs an affiliate program: You're wrong.

[Mutt]

Ian, i didn't mean literally every single program mass mails, more do now than don't. it was a bit of hyperbole.

did you honestly think that the 100 emails for porn you get a day were from the guys here using Send-Safe?

[ronbotx]

Originally posted by Kimmykim
does this even matter?

To those who integrity and business ethics are just words, and profits at ANY cost are the rule, then NO it doesn't matter.

It is my belief that if a sponsor or individual SPAMS, then he is more apt to "shave" or be less trustworthy in other ways.

I know of at least one sponsor (not US based) that advertises heavily on GFY whose CEO is on the Rokso list , which designates him as one of the most prolific and persistent spammers in the world.

[gothweb]

Originally posted by Mutt
Ian, i didn't mean literally every single program mass mails, more do now than don't. it was a bit of hyperbole.

did you honestly think that the 100 emails for porn you get a day were from the guys here using Send-Safe?

I imagined that was what you had in mind. However, I worry about a mindset that leads people to the idea that "everybody is doing it". Because, as you can imagine, that could well lead to even more people actually doing it.

I for one do not believe in annoying many thousands of people to make a few bucks. I think it would be bad for my reputation, and bad for our industry as a whole, and in the end simply something I find wrong.

Do I sometimes sit back, and think about how nice the money could be? Sure. Then again, I could also profit from cheating on my taxes, selling hardcore drugs, or any number of things that my conscience won't allow. It isn't worth the money.

I know there are a ton of people who spam. I further know that far more people spam than admit it. The problem there is that it leads *many* people, in and out of the industry to think it is the norm. For many people-- unfortunately-- it isn't a big step from there to "acceptable". So we end up with more people spamming, customers who think we all do it, and a general degredation of the character of our business. And, let's face it, we aren't seen as the classiest bunch as it is.

[Daymare]

Originally posted by gothweb


I imagined that was what you had in mind. However, I worry about a mindset that leads people to the idea that "everybody is doing it". Because, as you can imagine, that could well lead to even more people actually doing it.

I for one do not believe in annoying many thousands of people to make a few bucks. I think it would be bad for my reputation, and bad for our industry as a whole, and in the end simply something I find wrong.

Do I sometimes sit back, and think about how nice the money could be? Sure. Then again, I could also profit from cheating on my taxes, selling hardcore drugs, or any number of things that my conscience won't allow. It isn't worth the money.

I know there are a ton of people who spam. I further know that far more people spam than admit it. The problem there is that it leads *many* people, in and out of the industry to think it is the norm. For many people-- unfortunately-- it isn't a big step from there to "acceptable". So we end up with more people spamming, customers who think we all do it, and a general degredation of the character of our business. And, let's face it, we aren't seen as the classiest bunch as it is.

what he said

[Sly_RJ]

So many people bitching about spam, yet nobody answers my question.

Hmm...

If your favorite sponsor told you they allow and practice spam methods, would you drop them or simply look the other way?

[gothweb]

Originally posted by Sly_RJ
So many people bitching about spam, yet nobody answers my question.

Hmm...

If your favorite sponsor told you they allow and practice spam methods, would you drop them or simply look the other way?

It's a tough one.

My personal perspective...

I know that I would not want to benefit from spam. However, I did sign a contract with some people to promote me, who got a lot of their traffic from spam. It was a tough call, even with assurances that I wouldn't get that traffic.

Still, I don't know what I would do now. I don't use a lot of sponsors, so I don't have a lot of opinions. It's hard when things are only hypothetical.

As far as I know, I woudn't be benefiting from spam if I used a sponsor who was into spam. Likewise, I wouldn't be encouraging them to spam. If it was "murder", then sure, I would avoid them entirely. With spam, the line is less clear.

However, in the end I can give you an answer. If a sponsor I worked with said publically that they were opposed to something (especially something I am opposed to), and I found out it was a lie, I wouldn't trust them. So, I guess I would probably back off from a sponsor who did the stuff in your scenario. Yeah.