Network Software (Directtrack, etc)

3wdl · 29-01-07

Hi all,

I wanted to get peoples views on Affiliate Network Software such as Directttrack and Kowabunga.

Do you have any reservations about using networks that are powered by this software? Do you think that the features built in are sufficient in comparison to other UK based networks?

There are obviously quite a few networks popping up powered by these and wondering what the general consensus is on them.

Supercod · 29-01-07

They do the job, personally not over fussed what software is running on a Network as long as they got the Merchant quality aspect right such as doing test sales and such like before going live. I do however think twice about joining an network using off the shelf packages just purely because it’s so easy to get the software so I have to be extra sure they are not fly by nights, so far a few of them have shown themselves to be that, I guess it attracts the less skilled I want one too people to have a go at running a Network. Having the software is one thing, knowing what you’re talking about is another but as is proven time and time again, a few adverts and a bunch of lies repeated over and over and even that doesn’t matter when running a Network

DGM when they started (as UK Affiliates) used 3rd party software but the pain of moving off that to the new in-house software and the way they handled that transfer was truly shocking at the time (unbeaten until the DGM Pro fiasco).

sgpratley · 29-01-07

I'd say same as Clarke, both the systems you mention are good enough for a small outfit, the difference comes with who's using it. As my next door neighbour will tell you,owning a guitar doesn't make you a musician :-)

Give them both a call, they'll both give you a thorough walk through of their systems if you're serious about it. I'm sure you've seen enough from a merchant and an affiliate perspective to find any gaping holes in each.

I think the name Ben was brought up as a good person to talk to at MyAP, I've got the name of a bloke at Directtrack who knows the system inside out for demos. IM me tomorrow when I'm in the office and I'll pass it on.

drivetowin · 29-01-07

The big pain I find with directtrack is when it goes down then as an affiliate you don't just lose one networks creative from your website, you lose creative from all of the networks running directtrack....

Keith · 29-01-07

reviews of a whole load of software solutions here http://www.affiliate-software-review...are_comparison

Of the 2 you mention my personal preference is Kowabunga listed as "My Affiliate Program" on the review site

mark.romanelli · 30-01-07

Quote:

Originally Posted by drivetowin

The big pain I find with directtrack is when it goes down then as an affiliate you don't just lose one networks creative from your website, you lose creative from all of the networks running directtrack....

Hi All,

Thought I'd chime in here to comment on the above quote...this is not entirely accurate. In the past maybe, but not for some time. We power hundreds of networks worldwide. Most of the small to mid-size networks are on shared databases and web servers to handle the traffic. For instance we may have 5 networks that use 1 database to handle their data. This is why we can offer our network service at a cost effective rate. However, for our larger networks we offer Service Level Agreements that isolates them on their own infrastructure. So if there is a huge spike in traffic, they are not affected. All networks are made aware of this option when they are getting started.

With that said, I don't want to make it seem like the small and mid-size networks that we power are not reliable. We still maintain a 99.9% + uptime across the board, and our serve capacity is built out to handle several times our normal traffic flow. In fact, at the end of last year we invested in all new equipment and moved our clients to our parent company's (Digital River) data center that is manned by our own personnel 24x7.

Just wanted to clarify. If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to email me. Thanks!

drivetowin · 30-01-07

Mark

Apologies if my post seemed over negative - it was purely based on the UK networks Afform, Ocean and PrimeQ which it always seems to be the case that if one is down they are all down - presumably from what you are saying they all share one server.

sgpratley · 31-01-07

Thanks for the post Mark. I think there area few people over this side of the pond who weren't too happy with stability late last year. Glad to know there's a way round it.

I spoke to one of the Digital River guys on the Dixie Queen who told me about the buy out. Anything else planned as a result other than infrastructure stuff ?

mark.romanelli · 31-01-07

Hey Guys

Drivetowin, no apologies necessary. Like any network, we have our occasional technical glitches. Our good UK Networks may very well be on the same infrastructure. I trust that you haven't seen any problems in quite some time.

Stephen, perfectly understandable. With the acquisition last year and all the transition to change our processes and environment up to the standards of a public company, we certainly experienced several stumbling blocks. As for the future, the great thing about being with Digital River is their global reach and capital to invest in our infrastructure. Digital River has data centers throughout the world. Thus far, DirectTrack is in our US and China data centers. We will continue to expand when/as necessary. So far our connections to the UK have not seemed to pose a problem.

By the way, we'll be at ad:tech Paris in early March...if any of your are attending, it would be great if you could stop by our booth and say 'hi'.