Comments on: Amazon Affiliate url?

Amazon Affiliate url?

jca — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:39:27 -0800

Metafilter's Amazon.com Affiliate code url...

I noticed Metafilter is using http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/XXXXXXXXXX/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/ url for it's Amazon.com Affiliate links. I assume MeFi is automagically rewriting the Amazon urls? I believe the preferred method of tagging Amazon.com product urls is: http://www.amazon.com/dp/XXXXXXXXXX/?tag=metafilter-20 Can anyone confirm this linking method? I'm sure the old-style ref=nosim code will continue to work (the ref=nosim variable was discontinued), but someone may want to update the rewrite script in case Amazon decides to break the old style of url for affiliate tracking. (They did retire the AWS 3.0 version of their affiliate system, breaking all those old scripts, so it's not out of the question.)

By: tellurian

tellurian — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:11:54 -0800

I found it kind of obnoxious to attach the "metafilter-20" ad code to the end of any amazon URL that shows up here

By: mathowie

mathowie — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:18:09 -0800

Amazon keeps changing their URLs, but the rewrite still works just fine. If it ever does break, we can rewrite it, but it seems to work fine for now.

By: mathowie

mathowie — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:19:37 -0800

I found it kind of obnoxious to attach the "metafilter-20" ad code to the end of any amazon URL that shows up here

Yeah, I said that for about six years when people kept asking me to add the feature, but once the servers cost several thousand a month to run, I decided to go ahead and try it out. There's a metatalk thread where I announced it and said why I changed my mind about it.

By: mrzarquon

mrzarquon — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:51:44 -0800

Does it still only rewrite the affiliate link when the url specifically has one, or all the time

By: mrzarquon

mrzarquon — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:53:37 -0800

Yup, looks like it only does it when the submitted URL already has an affiliate link attached to it.

Not that I have any say in it, but I think this is a fair source of revenue for metafilter, since it would otherwise be someone else using metafilters posts and comments to generate revenue for themselves (and in some ways would be a mutant form of self linking).

By: popechunk

popechunk — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:01:21 -0800

I would love to code up 4-5 killer pro features and let folks pay 3-4 bucks a month extra to get those features...

I bet we can think some stuff up.

By: mathowie

mathowie — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:20:23 -0800

mrzarquon, we don't do it in metatalk since it doesn't come up very often here, we only rewrite URLs in www and ask.

By: mrzarquon

mrzarquon — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:23:03 -0800

oh, i had thought it was still specifically for the links with the affiliates already included (I think that was mentioned a while back?).

eitherway, makes sense to me.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:46:05 -0800

mrz, as far as I know that's correct too—we only replace affiliates, don't add affiliate codes to unaffiliated links—but it doesn't apply to Metatalk in either case, essentially.

Though I could have that wrong, too. It's kind of a minor issue.

By: mathowie

mathowie — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:54:35 -0800

We add them to any amazon link, but only in MeFi and Ask MeFi.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:05:43 -0800

Learning!

By: turgid dahlia

turgid dahlia — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:02:36 -0800

This thread has worked out really well for everybody involved. Two thumbs up!

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:12:16 -0800

What is the simplest/easiest way for me to use the metafilter affiliate link for every amazon purchase I make whether it is linked off of mefi or not?

By: sveskemus

sveskemus — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:41:56 -0800

Yeah, I wouldn't mind paying a few bucks a month for some sort of MeFi Pro. Not that I have any specific pony requests right now, I just wouldn't mind supporting my favorite site on the entire internet. I know there's probably some sort of donate feature somewhere but you know...

By: rokusan

rokusan — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:17:35 -0800

The rewriting of links that already HAVE an affiliate link is fine with me (and indeed, very clever), as long as you don't start adding the affiliate link for plain, naked Amazon links to glue on revenue.

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:21:29 -0800

as long as you don't start adding the affiliate link for plain, naked Amazon links to glue on revenue.

Why not?

By: DarlingBri

DarlingBri — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:27:10 -0800

Yeah, I wouldn't mind paying a few bucks a month for some sort of MeFi Pro.

Ooh ooh ooh! I want this! I'd pay $5 a month for a MeFi Pro account! I don't even know what would be on it but I can think of several features I'd like to see.

By: Partial Law

Partial Law — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:34:13 -0800

as long as you don't start adding the affiliate link for plain, naked Amazon links to glue on revenue.

That's how it has worked since January, 2006.

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:45:27 -0800

Look, it's a free site, an awesome site, with massive traffic and a whole bunch of expensive servers. This place doesn't run itself, it's supporting Matt and two awesome mods.

And yes, the affiliate link gets added to every link, cuz it gets added to my links and I've never been an affiliate.

That being said, I have never really understood how people get their undies in such a frikken bunch when anybody makes the slightest maneuvers that they might somehow be financially benefited at the same time that they are offering advice (I'm thinking of the magic wand thread).

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:47:06 -0800

What is the simplest/easiest way for me to use the metafilter affiliate link for every amazon purchase I make whether it is linked off of mefi or not?

In the general case, I've seen a couple of WP plugins that do this sort of auto-rewrite on stuff; I'd be surprised if there wasn't some greasemonkey out there that you could do the same with.

By: Grither

Grither — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:59:10 -0800

Wait just one second here, so every time someone asks for info on something, and I include an amazon.com link in my response, the link gets updated to include something which helps generate more revenue for Metafilter.com?? Totally rockin'.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:08:50 -0800

"We add them to any amazon link, but only in MeFi and Ask MeFi."

I can finally start making money off my MeTa!

By: tellurian

tellurian — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:13:03 -0800

While we're here Re: MeFi Pro. I don't know if it was part of the plan for MeFi Pro and I'm not sure that I would have paid for it but thanks anyway, can I mention that when adding a contact the form says 'A variety of tools will soon be available to show you all posts, comments, questions, and answers from your contacts.' Isn't that sort of redundant now that you've given it to us (for free)?

By: mkultra

mkultra — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:21:18 -0800

rokusan: as long as you don't start adding the affiliate link for plain, naked Amazon links to glue on revenue.

Who cares? It costs you nothing. MeFi's not getting any kind of data out of it.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:27:07 -0800

I know there's probably some sort of donate feature somewhere but you know...

Donate to MetaFilter
or
Give the gift of MetaFilter

By: adamvasco

adamvasco — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:48:16 -0800

Matt: Does this work for amazon.co.uk as well? If it does not, as I suspect; could you not get a similar referral; MetaFilter not being totally N.American.

By: kate blank

kate blank — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:40:36 -0800

There is also an affiliate program for amazon.ca (although amazon.ca is so incredibly limited in scope I am not sure that would be worth pursuing).

By: tallus

tallus — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:11:32 -0800

powells.com too? They give 7.5% too. (says the man who uses Amazon as a gigantic ISBN lookup db and goes down a real bookshop).

By: KAS

KAS — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:35:34 -0800

What is the simplest/easiest way for me to use the metafilter affiliate link for every amazon purchase I make whether it is linked off of mefi or not?
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:12 AM on September 2 [1 favorite +] [!]

I'd like to do this as well. Is there any reason that's not cool to do/there's no practical way to do it?

By: kate blank

kate blank — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:56:16 -0800

It is technically possible to just make a homepage amazon.com affiliate link, I guess the only question would be where to put it for easy access (if it is indeed something Matt & Co want to pursue).

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:02:52 -0800

In the past, I've made a link to the amazon home page with my associate link, periodically posted it in a message thread, and the people who are inclined can pull the link into their bookmarks folder.

By: churl

churl — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:06:57 -0800

> I would love to code up 4-5 killer pro features and let folks pay 3-4 bucks a month extra to get those features

I would pay $5 a month for the img tag.

Or a little star next to my name.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:10:35 -0800

★churl

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:10:52 -0800

Contact me for payment info.

By: majick

majick — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:35:16 -0800

Yeah. Hook this up to Powell's. I don't really do Amazon except under dire circumstances -- the chances that any given Amazon purchase will actually be from their third party vendors is just too high for me to deal with them any more. (Yes, I'm aware it's possible to weed that junk out, but it's effort I don't have to deal with when I buy from Powell's)

By: bitter-girl.com

bitter-girl.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:03:25 -0800

I'd pay for a little star by my name! I'm just dorky like that. And given the amount of time I spend here vs. on, say, Flickr (where I have a pro account), much more worth it to me.

By: clearly

clearly — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:33:35 -0800

I think we all know the best way to donate to MetaFilter is by creating new $5 sockpuppets with really funny names. MetaFilter gets $5, you get an awesome new user name for making ironic comments, and the rest of us get to bask in all of that glorious irony.

I got dibs on Rupert Murdoch.

By: churl

churl — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:05:55 -0800

[ï(5)ï] Wolfdog

By: ryanrs

ryanrs — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:26:40 -0800

So... what characters can be in usernames? I vaguely remember the ASCII-NAZIS took away most of the Unicode chars.

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:48:20 -0800

That could be a good pro feature, you can have a unicode username if you pay enough extra to make it worth the mod's time to double check the name for mischief. I can just see it now, the digital divide between the haves and have-nots. "Your username has no special characters? You probably dont even have a summer home in real life, loser!"

By: George_Spiggott

George_Spiggott — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:07:18 -0800

"as long as you don't start adding the affiliate link for plain, naked Amazon links to glue on revenue."

Why not? If I incidentally provide some small remuneration to Mefi in a way doesn't affect the content of what I posted, why should I care? On the contrary, I'd be downright pleased about it.

Ahem.

I hereby explicitly grant matt permission to add revenue-producing referral tags to any commercial URL I ever place in a comment or thread, or modify such URL in any way necessary to produce the same result, including removing any referral tag I might have deliberately or inadvertently included, providing only that it doesn't change the actual target of the URL in such a way as to make me look like a prat.

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:53:16 -0800

as long as you don't start adding the affiliate link

Yeah, I'm with George_Spiggott on this one. I don't see why you wouldn't add the mefi affiliate link.

By: stavrogin

stavrogin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:42:55 -0800

"Or a little star next to my name." --churl

"I'd pay for a little star by my name! I'm just dorky like that." --bitter-girl.com

Those who do not read Dr. Seuss are forever doomed to repeat the mistakes of the Sneetches.

By: ersatz

ersatz — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:11:37 -0800

"Your username has no special characters? You probably dont even have a summer home in real life, loser!"

I've been working all summer double-shift, just to be able to afford an asterisk next to my username. Don't rub it in, please.

By: davar

davar — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:15:12 -0800

Would it be possible to preserve the title in the amazon link? Normally, when you go to Amazon, the link has the title in it, like:
http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220692167&sr=1-1 so when you mouse over the link, you see the title. Most of the time someone links a book, they don't mention the title, they just say something like: See this book.

By: rokusan

rokusan — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:46:57 -0800

as long as you don't start adding the affiliate link for plain, naked Amazon links to glue on revenue.

That's how it has worked since January, 2006.

Oh. Okay. Well, whatever. Seems kinda tacky, but doesn't upset me.