Click to Reveal Banned!

[ian]

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I totally see that people want to be rewarded for their hard work, and that is acceptable but I don't see that it takes more work to source a voucher (particularly now) than it does to source a content piece, or design a price comparison script, or anything else. None of those industry sectors would have got away with a "you can only see our content once you have our cookie" mentality.

A nice lead in to my post Click to Reveal ~ The Evolution

[befuddle]

Even though I don't use click to reveal I have to fill my pages with links and subtle marketing messages to get the user to click.

Without click-to-reveal you'll present the shopper with a code but they won't necessarily click any links.

They've likely got the checkout window already open in another tab

[Barry]

I was probably the first affiliate in the UK to use click to reveal and I designed it so that punters couldn't just come to my site and copy my discount code without first clicking my sponsor in return for the effort I had made in getting the code and uploading it to my site.

The mechanism was designed to make me money in return for the work I had put in.

I don't see a problem with it provided you are supplying the user with a valid code.

Ta

Baz

[gunneradt]

Looks like a very poor excuse in defence of keeping 'click to reveal'

Click to reveal is just an allowed way of cookie stuffing, especially when used in conjunction with a site layout which is designed to confuse the visitors on purpose.

Most vouchers now are available in feeds from the networks, so no need for anyone to do any steeling and no need for 'click to reveal, and if the concern is steeling exclusive codes then make only exclusive codes click to reveal.

Lee

surely exclusive codes should only mean commission to whom the exclusive code was issued

[ian]

I was probably the first affiliate in the UK to use click to reveal and I designed it so that punters couldn't just come to my site and copy my discount code without first clicking my sponsor in return for the effort I had made in getting the code and uploading it to my site.

The mechanism was designed to make me money in return for the work I had put in.

I don't see a problem with it provided you are supplying the user with a valid code.

Ta

Baz

So if someone stays on my reviews sites for more that 20 seconds, reading the reviews I worked hard to write, I can drop a cookie as a reward?

[Barry]

So if someone stays on my reviews sites for more that 20 seconds, reading the reviews I worked hard to write, I can drop a cookie as a reward?

You could indeed by writing a call to action button like:-

Thanks for reading my review now click HERE to visit 'the merchant' and buy 'the product'.


- But you right it does raise the question whether you could write a review site and have a 'click to reveal review and visit merchant' button or indeed a price comparison site that had a 'click to reveal the cheapest price and open merchants site' button?

I think both of these would be OK - just as long as your telling the user that they will be spawning a new window with the merchant in.

Ta

Baz

[Leeky]

I was probably the first affiliate in the UK to use click to reveal and I designed it so that punters couldn't just come to my site and copy my discount code without first clicking my sponsor in return for the effort I had made in getting the code and uploading it to my site.

The mechanism was designed to make me money in return for the work I had put in.

I don't see a problem with it provided you are supplying the user with a valid code.

Ta

Baz

Perhaps so back the good old days, but nowadays it requires next to no effort, and nowadays click to reveal is used as a big 'part' of cookie stuffing methods (although your site doesn't use these methods in conjuction with click to reveal).

I bet if click to reveal was banned than all those sites who get away with abusing it, get much easier to navigate as there would be no point in confusing visitors to click willy nilly to find what they want.

Lee

[Top banana]

Do you seriously think we will ever get agreement on this? There are strong reasons on both sites. Like closed group brand bidding I can see it being around for years to come.

[thebusiness]

I don't see a problem with it provided you are supplying the user with a valid code.

I don't think anyone disagrees with this but, unfortunately, it is being abused and despite much talk to the contrary, the abuse is not being adequately policed.

[thebusiness]

Do you seriously think we will ever get agreement on this? There are strong reasons on both sites. Like closed group brand bidding I can see it being around for years to come.

No, because the first network that bans it will automatically give an advantage to the other networks. It needs to be done at merchant level - like the current AW traffic light system they could have a small icon which indicates whether you can use click to reveal or not.

This would have the effect of drawing quality merchants to one specific network. For example: do you think M&S really want to pay people for revealing a code which is already on their site?

[Leeky]

Do you seriously think we will ever get agreement on this? There are strong reasons on both sites. Like closed group brand bidding I can see it being around for years to come.

No we will never get agreement on this... ever, and as long as its making the rich rich, then the rich will allow it.

Lee

[IntroSites]

Ive found "DONT CLICK HERE" very effective at increasing CTR

[Leeky]

Ive found "DONT CLICK HERE" very effective at increasing CTR

lol, yeah I can image it is :tup

If click to reveal was only used to click to reveal the code, and a seperate link was 'click to visit site' then that would be perfectly ok.. and also dismiss Hero's argument about click to reveal is only used to stop code steeling because the codes would still be protected.

Lee

[DanWBC]

the reason CTR was invented was to prevent other affiliates from scrapping the codes they had collated with effort.

Hero, I am sorry but it is not correct. Maybe only from those affiliates who don't know how to properly scrap pages. But for those who can programmatically scrap them - all the codes are within the source, whether click-to-reveal used or not. It doesn't make it a yota harder to scrap.

I am sure Click-to-reveal was created as a method of cookie stuffing and all other possible explanations were simply consequent.

[Hero]

it is being abused and despite much talk to the contrary,
the abuse is not being adequately policed.

each network has appointed specific people who are in charge of checking voucher sites. Obviously, we can only check so many sites and do spot checking on a few pages, so we need affiliates to help us out. Anything you come across and want it investigated, please do contact us; all complaints are looked into and, where necessary, actioned. For Webgains, you can contact Kier or myself.