Allow or Disallow URL In Emails To Prevent Affiliates From Spamming

[akogo]

I'm trying to start an affiliate program, but wanted to prevent sign-ups from putting their affiliate link/code in emails. The idea is to use technical means to prevent spam because some people will forget the terms or agreement and do it anyway.

Is there a way in php to disallow a link within a email message and only allow it on the affiliate's website? Or when someone clicks the email link, they get nothing?

[andreasfriedrich]

Is there a way in php to disallow a link within a email message

If you have access to the source code of the emails you could check them for URLs and allow only certain ones. This would be the case e.g. if the email is entered via a html form on your website. You could parse the text before actually sending it.

If, however, your affiliate partners use their own smtp server and the email never goes through any smtp server you have controll over there is nothing you can do.

Or when someone clicks the email link, they get nothing?

If you controll the server the link points to, then you could do that.

Hope this helps.

Andreas

[shady]

You could simply check that the referer is the same as the affiliate's website. This would need some thought for handling users who block their referer, though!

[cminblues]

>>If you have access to the source code of the emails you could check them for URLs and allow only certain ones<<

Be aware also of encoded ones.. ;)
I.ex.
[1075917724...]
is the same as:
[webmasterworld.com...]

cminblues

[akogo]

What if I assigned affiliates individual ids that link to a common page -- not my homepage? This is the page affiliates must link to and their traffic must enter through for tracking. Affiliates won't get commissions if they don't link to this page or try to link to other pages on my site. This common page uses some php scripting to determine that the referrer is from an affiliate's website address registered at sign-up. If the referrer matches, then the site will be normal. If the referrer doesn't, then it will warn that access is unauthorized or such wording. The affiliate will be warned not to block his referrer or tracking is not possible and commissions can not be given to him or her in the agreement -- after all, what is the point of bulk emailing his affiliate link if it doesn't ultimately help him earn a commission from my site? I think this setup doesn't hurt the established search engine positions for my site or prevents the traffic that I already get from my own individual efforts. What do you all think of this plan?

[andreasfriedrich]

The affiliate will be warned not to block his referrer

The affiliate blocking his referrer when she is accessing your site is not the problem. It is the ordinary surfer going from an affiliate site to your site that blocks her referrer.

Andreas

[akogo]

Andreas,

"It is the ordinary surfer going from an affiliate site to your site that blocks her referrer."

I don't understand how this happens?

Thanks,

Akogo

[andreasfriedrich]

I might have this wrong, but I believe the scenario to be a follows.

1. A surfer finds your affiliate´s website.
   
2. Clicks on a link to your page.
   
3. You log that referral.
4. If the surfer buys something from you, you pay the affiliate a commission.

In msg#5 you wrote:

Affiliates won't get commissions if they don't link to this page or try to link to other pages on my site. This common page uses some php scripting to determine that the referrer is from an affiliate's website address registered at sign-up.

The problem is the step between 2 and 3. Let´s look at what is happening a bit closer. The surfer´s browser request your "common page". In the HTTP header it sends the URL of the referring page. Your script checks for the referrer and finds everything ok. If howvever, the surfer prevents his browser from adding the referrer to the HTTP header, then your script will complain about that even though your affiliate partner is not at fault (She linked to the right page after all).

As you see [i]t is the ordinary surfer going from an affiliate site to your site that blocks her referrer that will be the problem.

I hope that makes things a bit clearer.

Andreas

[akogo]

Andreas,

I think I get some of what you're trying to say.

"If howvever, the surfer prevents his browser from adding the referrer to the HTTP header"

But how would a surfer do this?

Is there some default setting or modification a surfer would use to do this? If this involves the IE or NetScape browser, can I somehow include some rule in the code to adjust for this?

I tried my idea with ssi, and it worked under the "ideal" set up... but I noticed one way a spammer can find a way around it.
Thanks,
Akogo