Shareasale on Toolbars - Roundtable Discussion

[Linda Buquet]

Toolbars are a very touchy issue in our industry because some toolbars overwrite the honest, deserving affiliate's link or replace their cookie and take the commission that was rightfully theirs. Yet toolbars in themselves are not 'bad'. They are a tool. Like a hammer - it can be used to build a house and that's it's purpose, but you can also use it to kill someone.

So the issue is how to allow and control "good" toolbars and keep out the "bad." OR due to the potential for misuse do you prohibit toolbars altogether in our industry - or in other words - ban the use of hammers, even though they have the potential to do good?

One of the inherent problems with toolbars, is that since they are software that is installed on the users computer or browser, settings can be changed on the fly. So a compliant toolbar, could be quietly changed over the Holidays for instance and start stealing commission.

Toolbars are a very heated industry topic and I applaud Brian Littleton from Shareasale for taking the issue head on and creating a roundtable discussion about the topic. Details below.

ShareASale and Toolbars / Call for Participation on Guidelines

"ShareASale has traditionally allowed no software related affiliates to participate on our network due to interference and potential interference with site based affiliates. We plan to modify this policy, with the help of the community, to make sure that we are allowing for legitimate customer service concerns - while also protecting site based affiliates and their clickstreams/commissions.

…I’d like to establish what I feel are some of the main concerns and then we will open the entire discussion to anyone who would like to get involved and share their ideas.

We will host a “Toolbar Roundtable” (possibly more than one) - with the first session coming on Tuesday February 3rd at 3pm Central." More...

[Linda Buquet]

Anyone here planning to attend?

[Linda Buquet]

Also see this post.

Toolbars Adware Parasites and Policy

[TriciaMeyer]

I attended this meeting and honestly I'm just as confused as I was to start with. What I did get out of it is that there are varying types of toolbars, some that impact affiliate marketing and some don't. The majority of the people speaking on the call seemed to be against all toolbars or at least those that impact affiliate marketing.

My fear is that the people speaking on that call may not be representative of the whole industry. For example, how many merchants are currently working with the "big" toolbar affiliates? LOTS. And almost all of them have been educated (or at least had the chance to be educated) about the toolbars.

Unfortunately, it is the affiliates who are just starting out who are hurt most by the toolbars. The brand new affiliates who are so excited to get approved by "x big box merchant" that they are jumping up and down to put their links on their sites...only to not end up making any money. For those of us who have been in it quite a while and have had the time to get truly educated, we know how to choose more wisely which merchants to promote.

I'll be interested to see how things fall out over the next several weeks now that the initial wave of frenzy has died down and people are truly trying to get to a point of agreement.

[7 Days Ron]

I participated as well and have to agree with Tricia. I'm not sure how helpful it was to Brian, the comments he received, but as an attendee I found it very educational. His presentations regarding the various types of toolbars really helped me to see it visually.

[Linda Buquet]

I was on the call too and have not had a chance to weigh in. I got interrupted on the call a lot too so missed parts of it.

Have to hand it to Brian for bringing this out in the open and trying to educate people, as well as trying to get their input on a topic that I'm afraid there is just no Win/Win solution to.

It used to be so black and white to me. No toolbars. Easy. Now there are all these shades of gray and the lines seems to be blurred. I hope innocent affiliates don't get hurt in the process. I hope a fair resolution can be found.

[JudiM]

I think the way phone apps and Firefox extensions, etc. have come along and made it "cool" to create downloads for our gadgets is as much a part of the future as mobile web viewing. I'm glad Brian is willing to lead the discussion about the who, what, when, where and how so the rest of us can at least be heard.

We're in an industry that's ever-changing, and while I don't like the idea of customer poaching at all, I'm glad I'm in the group of people who are aware and discussing the ethics. I don't think we have any choice as business people except to stay involved in the conversation and find ways to combat thievery and unethical affiliates at every turn.

I'm confident that if Brian draws a line, he will enforce it. I plan to stay involved so I know where the line gets drawn. I have been so disgusted at the brickbats, pitchforks and flaming torches elsewhere that I have to force myself to go skim for new information.

[TrishaLyn]

I definitely learned more about the Toolbar issue by being on the call, but that was really my only goal. I have no vested interest as I don't think our program is currently working with many toolbars (we're on CJ anyway...).

It was worth my time to listen to and, as others have said, I really have to give Brian credit for taking the bull by the horns and braving the haters.

[Linda Buquet]

For anyone that missed it, Brian put out the SAS Proposed Toolbar Policy.

Anyone have a chance to read it yet?
What do you think?

[TriciaMeyer]

Originally Posted by Linda Buquet

For anyone that missed it, Brian put out the SAS Proposed Toolbar Policy.

Anyone have a chance to read it yet?
What do you think?

My biggest question now really comes down to the merchants. Many merchants are coming out and saying that they are "anti-toolbar" or "won't work with toolbars." But what I am seeing and what I am hearing are different. Two different scenarios:

1) Merchants won't work with an affiliate who uses a toolbar on the principle that they do not want to be associates with those affiliates in any way, shape, or form. Therefore, they will not allow that affiliate into their program at all.

2) Merchants won't allow their links to show up in the toolbars but will still work with the affiliates and will allow their links to be on the affiliate sites.

What I am seeing is the second one. They have no problem working with the affiliate as long as their cookies are not being overwritten. But they don't care that the very same affiliate is screwing over their fellow affiliates through LS, CJ, and Google. That just doesn't seem like a consistent message. Surely I am missing something?