Is submitting your aff. id into tinyurl safe?

[positivecarry]

I am currently reading through all the great cloaking threads on the forum, but I am looking for a quick fix(that is free) while I am deciding how to handle my links in the long term. I tried the html mouseover that someone suggested, but that doesn't really hide your link from potential high jacking.


I understand that most feel tiny url is a little spamalicious and that certain programs will block their links. But, I am just wondering if it is relatively safe to feed your aff id into tiny url to get out a tiny url. And does tiny url prevent or deter hijacking, or does it just make the link shorter? Any thoughts appreicated, thanks.

[Linda Buquet]

As far as I know it's safe I've never heard anyone complain it isn't.

Thing is parasites can only hijack and steal from you if the merchant allow parasites in the program. So just work with parasite-free programs. If you are working with CB then I think getting links hijacked is more of an issue. But I dont recommend newbies work with CB anyway.

I'm going to throw some numbers out there. I don't know if they are right,
no one does but I think it's worth considering.

I'll guess that MAYBE 1 out of 1,000 links even get highjacked.
(probably not even that much unless you're working with some CPA networks or CB.)

I'll guess that 1 out of 5 PEOPLE won't click a tinyurl.

So don't really think it even makes sense to consider cloaking that way.
Just IMHO.

[positivecarry]

Thanks for the response.Good points. My concern is that while a program may consider themselves to be parasite free, they have to find the parasite first to stop them. How do they know that a parasite has stolen your aff. id, someone would have to find this out and then stop them. You know more about this than I do, but it seems as though an aff. program/manager would have to notice this somehow, or I would have to see the high jacking taking place and then report the problem to my aff manager. And then they would have to stop it. All the while my commissions are going to high jackers. I don't know maybe there is something I am missing, not too seasoned with this stuff.

[Linda Buquet]

"they have to find the parasite first to stop them."

Astute AMs for the most part know who the parasites are. Shareasale does not let them in at all. CJ flags any affiliate that uses a download app, toolbar or BHO to make it easier for managers to screen anyone that could be a potential problem. Good managers know what to look for and it's not like finding a needle in a haystack. There are traffic patterns that give clues, cashback sites and rebate sites are frequently the problem, so it's not like an affiliate has to report it for the manager to find one.

Hard to explain and lots of variations, but it's not as random
and subtle as it sounds like you may be thinking.