Running NATS v4? Want to offer your affiliates the option of the look of NATS v3?
 

The NATS "Retro v3 Skin" for NATS v4 is ready for a few people who wish to test it.

What is a NATS "Retro v3 Skin"?

It is a skin for NATS v4 which makes the affiliate area look and function like the NATS v3 affiliate interface. NATS v4 added a lot of features, a better database design, better data storage, and many other great elements to NATS. However, many affiliates felt the new default affiliate interface was too cumbersome and not simple enough. They preferred the simplicity and familiarity of the v3 affiliate skin. Some people enjoy the new skin, some don't. Adding this skin to your NATS v4 install will allow each affiliate to choose the skin they prefer. They can use the new v4 look skin or the old v3 skin. They can switch back and forth all they want.

Can I customize the look of the "Retro v3 Skin"?

Yes, the skin looks and acts like the NATS v3 affiliate area with a few alignment and padding corrections as well as a few minor additions such as listing rebills on the main stats page by default and linking to the payments page. You can easily customize the background, logo, and colors of this skin to give it your own v3 look.

I'm an affiliate and I'm not sure which skin I want to use, can I change it?

All affiliate programs will be able to offer you the choice of both skins. It is not a one time decision. You can easily and quickly switch between which skin your account is currently using. This way you can use the new skin sometimes to learn its new features or if switch back to the old skin if you know how to find something in it quickly and need to. Or, you can just always use the skin you prefer and not have one forced upon you.

Is this just a visual thing or a functionality thing also?

The "Retro v3 Skin" is more than just a visual change. It matches the functionality of v3 on things such as Ad Tools and referring URLs. It looks AND works like v3 with the added benefits of v4 working in the background.

Why have you added this? Isn't this a step backwards?

Not at all. This is a step forward. NATS runs on a very large number of affiliate programs supporting a very large number of affiliates. Everyone has their preferences. v4 allows us to offer choices to those affiliate program owners and their affiliates. Some affiliates have expressed that they are very familiar and very comfortable with the look and flow of v3 and that is what they prefer. We heard you and we listened and now we are offering you the choice to use what you prefer.

I'm an affiliate program owner using NATS v4, how do I get this new skin?

This new skin has just been completed. We are offering it to a few programs at this point for live testing purposes. If you would like to get this skin now and take part in the testing please submit a support ticket indicating so. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US and as such we have a limited support staff in the office. All requests to have this skin added will be handled as quickly as possible. Once the live testing period is complete the skin will be included as a standard part of all v4 installs and upgrades. You will just have to configure your logo, colors, etc. and choose your default. Your affiliates then can either use your default skin or choose any other you offer.

Will you be offering more skins in the future?

Yes. We intend to offer NATS program owners a number of easier to work with skins in the future. We are currently working on developing a cleaner, easier to use, new skin which takes advantage of some of the great new features in v4 without throwing so many graphs at you that you feel you're in an accounting class. This skin will have more of a web 2.0 feel and will be very easy to navigate. We don't have a set ETA on this skin yet and there will be more to follow also.

If I have questions about this, who do I ask?

If you are a NATS client your best option is always to submit a support ticket. Whether you are a client or not you are always welcome to contact me with any questions. My contact info is:

John Albright
732-385-1536 x1111
albright/toomuchmedia/com
icq: 5596373
aim: JohnA1078

P.S. if you've spoken to me about this before and would like to get it asap, please icq me as soon as you can.

Very cool stuff guys nice!

I run natsv4 and love it. Sure there's a learning curve but once you figure everything out, it runs circles around v3. Not sure why anyone would want v4 to function and look like v3.

But I guess from an affiliate standpoint having a choice would be nice.

"We intend to offer NATS program owners a number of easier to work with skins in the future"
Great Idea:thumbsup:thumbsup

Good stuff John! :pimp

Very nice dawg

Very good stuff guys! Great to see!

nice, nice -- is this available for the program owner admin as well?

No, there are too many new ways to configure things for the old stuff to work. The admin area for the most part isn't a new skin. It just a lot more buttons and some changes in how it actually functions.

You DO have a new overview coming very soon tho. We're also trying to simplify some of the forms with the required basics, and then have an advanced form if you want to get into all the details for something.

Awesome news TMM, I am also wondering about what Jay said also...

There just might be a mobile skin in the works too :)

waiting... waiting... waiting... :thumbsup

Awesome stuff. Can you please get Lonny on the stuff we have been working on?

Not sure what you're referring to. Give me a call please.

Will this fix the issue with hosted galleries using NATS v4?

Here's an example.

http://secure.ballbustinggirlsworkou...41LjEuNjYuMC4w

Notice it forwards/changes to this...

http://www.ballbustinggirlsworkout.c...41LjEuNjYuMC4w

Because the url forwards/changes I'm unable to load into my TGPX script ANY galleries and/or ANY sponsors that are using the NATS v4 system. Kinda sucks.

good stuff, thanks John !

John, this is great news. I'll be in touch!

Made a ticket.

Thanks guys, nice work.

Sounds neat. No comments :)

Bump for an answer from Nats. I'm sure it will be resolved as they are a great company and a joy to work with over the years!

Well done John.

We would be trying the new v4 soon then...

just wanted to ask what does exactly '2nd tier' mean in /internal.php?page=stats&view=referral in nats4?

Is it still possible to get a new NATS 3 install and bypass NATS 4?

Thanks for the bump...

...and a bump for these.

Great talking with you over the last week, John.

If it didn't mean a ton of changes to the skins, I know quite a few people who'd be right on this.

Dudes..its a holiday weekend..

Tight shit, John!

I love you guys for actually listening to what people want instead of just cramming shit down peoples throats like some companies.

This redirect was put in place in order to track hits sent to a hosted gallery. the /gallery/ is a stats redirect.

I would say the issue more lies with TGPX than NATS. My guess is TGPX doesn't like a redirect being there whether its because of NATS or anything else.

Have you asked them why it won't work with the redirect?

We could offer dump options for "tracking URL" and "direct URL". This would of course then not give you stats on how many hits you sent to the gallery itself should you choose the direct URL. I think in the end however the issue lies with TGPX not being able to handle a redirect.

You would have to give me a full URL for me to take a look to say for 100% sure.

Almost 100% for sure tho, its the 2nd tier of a webmaster referral program. Someone who was referred by someone who you referred.

No, not normally. If you gave me some amazingly good reason, then perhaps. But, most likely no.

Understood...and it's great that we can track hits to a particular gallery. There may be a setting in TGPX to allow the redirect. I'll have to check in to that.

It's no big secret why the TGPX script doesn't allow it in the first place. One word...cheaters. I scan through my gallery data base on a regular basis, looking for "bad" galleries. Those would be galleries that don't load at all, broken pics, thumbs or movies, redirected urls and more.

Back in the day it wasn't completely uncommon for a sponsor to offer list of galleries that we would take the time to load. Then a few weeks later the galleries are all down and the traffic is redirected to a site where we as affiliates got no credit for any sales. For those of us that take submissions it also protected us from those submitters changing a url once we accept their gallery.

In any case, it would be great to be able to get a dump with the "direct url". That way there would at least be a choice.

Thanks for getting back to me on it.

If a customer said, "I want NATS but I'm only getting it if I can get v3." Is that an amazingly good reason?

No, that's not a reason.

nice stuff :)

now this is good news!

has anyone even tried to whitelist http://join.simonscans.com/ at TGPX admin at all?
settings > manage whitelist. then click on the lil green + sign and do that

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/9664/whitelist.jpg

it worked for me.

ps i hope this update make things even greater for simonscans