Forum Moderators: skibum
Suppose I belong to a small Facebook community and want to recommend a couple of Amazon items that I think might be of interest to other members.
If I stick my Amazon Associate code on the end of the links is this an Amazon sin?
I read their forums and see divergent opinions and experiences from people who have tried such. Some maintain since the Associate doesn't "own" facebook.com, it violates their new direct linking policy (although I'd maintain FB is not a PPC).
Trying to read the Amazon TOS didn't make it at all clear to me. Seems the TOS is a little behind the times or I didn't have my legal team assisting in interpretation.
So I'm confused.
I don't want to lose Amazon because of a few bucks commission, nor do I want to lose out on a few bucks needlessly.
I think I'll get some better feedback from WebmasterWorld readers and will take that under consideration before proceeding.
We're not talking those paid FB ads, just a "Hey group, I found this helpful, you might too" sort of thing.
Thanks!
Atun
Instead of seeking opinions here and on the Amazon Associate boards (where you will generally find more informed opinions about Amazon than you will here, by the way.There are far more active Amazon Associates on those boards than there are here.
Good point Purplescape, but it just ain't the old Amazon anymore. So far the Associate board consensus seems to be either "Yes you can" or "No you can't".
Based on experience, I'm more inclined to trust feedback here. The Amazon board has had many intelligent posters scared away by a few trolls. Most of the current posts on their board are from the same few stalwarts and the rare newcomer question.
You should contact the Amazon staff and get an official response. That's the only opinion that matters.
While I haven't spoken to the Amazon staff in a few years, I suspect like support for a lot of other internet giants, it's quality has been watered down by automation and scripted responses. I'd want that "opinion" from Amazon notarized before acting on it.
All just my gut impressions, but after making an annoying ECS upgrade to a lot of sites only to see sales sink, I'm playing it safe and giving that upgrade a chance to fix what I suspect are some serious bugs.
My personal decision is to avoid placing anything Amazon related on social media outlets unless they link to a site that I personally own and show as such in the referrer info.
Appreciate the input!
Atun
In my opinion, the reason why you've gotten conflicting opinions there is the reason why I won't even offer one: Amazon has recently been getting stricter about what's acceptable, and we've reached different conclusions about what some statements from the staff, quoted on the boards, actually mean. The problem with posting links on Facebook, apparently, is not that that's PPC advertising. You're right--of course it's not, unless you actually buy a Facebook ad. The problem is that Amazon wants you to post Associate links only on sites you control. Will the staff see your Facebook page as a site you control? Maybe, maybe not.
Which is why you have to get a response from the staff. It may just be an opinion, but at least you'd have backup if Amazon took action against you in future.
So, at this point, you haven't gotten an answer here or on the Associates boards. Why not ask the staff?
My personal solution to this is to post links to my site on Facebook, not to Amazon.
