What does hard coding mean?

[yellowmellow]

I've been viewing this thread:

Affiliate Window Code of conduct

and still don't understand what hard coding means. I searched on the internet for the phrase and all I get is the following Wikipedia article:

Hard coding - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

which might as well be written in another language as far as I'm concerned.

The only affiliate programs I've used to date are Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and a program that a site set up for themselves, and none of them use this "hard coding" term.

Can someone explain it (and its implications) to me in plain English please?

Thanks in advance.

[accelerator]

Originally Posted by yellowmellow The only affiliate programs I've used to date are Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and a program that a site set up for themselves, and none of them use this "hard coding" term. Can someone explain it (and its implications) to me in plain English please? Thanks in advance.

When something is "hard coded" it is static and unchanging on your website, e.g. some plain text that you wrote, or an image that you are hosting - it won't change ever.

The opposite is "dynamic coding", which means you place a snippet of code on your website and this dynamically updates the content displayed to the user when appropriate.

If you hard code an offer banner by using your own image and static text, and then the offer gets changed, your site will be out of date, and that may contravene advertising guidelines. That's why a lot of banners from affiliate networks are displayed "dynamically", i.e. via script code.

If you hard code stuff your offer information will go out of date and this is bad for everyone.

Hope that helps

Rgds

[yellowmellow]

So if I put a link to a product category page onto my blog, and represent it by a picture of a product (resized by me to fit in the relevant area of my blog) and that picture is one that I think will particularly engage with my readers (provided that was permitted by the company I'm linking to), I'm contravening Affiliate Window's T&C?!

Also I'll be contravening the T&C if I highlight relevant text in my blog and link it to a product or product category - for example if I write and link from the following texts:

"Check out this funky little number from [name of company]" or

"We looked far and wide to bring you these super quality [product]s. These beautiful [more description of product] from [company] will [description of benefit]. Choose from a variety of colours and styles. Just click here or on the photo above, browse and choose."

?!

Originally Posted by accelerator If you hard code stuff your offer information will go out of date and this is bad for everyone.

I don't give any information that will date - I haven't up till now given a product price on my blog. But if I describe something as "quality" then the link is likely to be to a site that sells higher priced goods, and if I describe something as "budget" the link will be to a site that markets lower priced goods.

I haven't used offer banners up till now because I don't think it would fit in with my blog's brand image, and I don't think the readers of my blog would click on such banners, although if I saw one that would look great on my blog then that would be a different matter.

I'm only just signing up to Affliliate Windows today, so rest assured I haven't yet broken the T&C, but I'm now wondering if signing up to them will be a waste of my time and money!

I'd be grateful for feedback on each of my paras above.

[8601cam]

Hi yellowmellow and thanks accelerator for your prior post,

Just to clarify the revised T&C's state:

3.10 The Affiliate recognises that hard coding any banner, button or Link may
impact on the future accuracy of those Links. The Affiliate understands that
any breach of this clause 3.10 could:
3.10.1 lead to Visitors receiving inaccurate information with the reputation of the
Service consequently being brought into disrepute;
3.10.2 entitle DWL to terminate the Agreement pursuant to clause 10.3;
3.10.3 lead to a Visitor seeking redress directly from the Affiliate.

OK, taking into account the scenario you outlined

Originally Posted by yellowmellow for example if I write and link from the following texts: "Check out this funky little number from [name of company]" or "We looked far and wide to bring you these super quality [product]s. These beautiful [more description of product] from [company] will [description of benefit]. Choose from a variety of colours and styles. Just click here or on the photo above, browse and choose."

Essentially the links you would be inserting for [name of company], [products], etc would be affiliate text links or deeplinks from the AWin interface and are therefore not hard coded but via our network. You would obviously need to do this or you would be sending traffic to whomever without any tracking and therefore no potential for reward.

Regarding the image, this would be considered hard coding but as long as you are not trying to deliberately mislead visitors and look to maintain your site then it is very unlikely this would be considered contravening our T&C's. We're not puritanical, the terms are there to protect all parties however a degree of flexibility and maturity has to used when assessing when and where flagrant contraventions are occuring.

I trust this helps make you feel comfortable about working with AWin, our track record should speak volumes for the emphasis and value we put on our affiliate partners.

Kind Regards

Mark

[yellowmellow]

Thank you Mark for your clarification.

accelerator:
thank you for a really clear and concise explanation of what hard coding means - it's very rare to get such a great response on the net within seconds of a question being asked!

Originally Posted by 8601cam I trust this helps make you feel comfortable about working with AWin, our track record should speak volumes for the emphasis and value we put on our affiliate partners.

AW did indeed come highly recommended to me.

Can you please help me with this one Mark (or anyone else who might represent AW):

In the T&C:
"7.3 DWL reserves the right to charge a monthly administrative fee if in any six
month period, the Affiliate does not earn a CPA or CPC and the Affiliate does
not log into or access its section on the Service Website."

Does this mean that if an Affiliate does *neither* of the above (neither earn a CPA nor log in) then they are liable to be charged a fee, or does it mean that the fee could be charged if the Affiliate does log in but doesn't earn CPA/CPC?

[8601cam]

It refers to them jointly earning nothing and not logging in over a 6 month period.

In truth we have never enforced a monthly fee on afiliates for these or any other reasons, hence the comment 'DWL reserves the right'. It's precautionary for accounts that have laid totally inactive for extended periods of time.

Kind Regards

Mark

[yellowmellow]

Thanks Mark!

I'm really glad I found this forum - it's brilliant!

[Dean Murr]

Hard coding also could mean when a coder is coding, really hard.