Independent distributor or affiliate?

[Marcia]

There's a company (one of a number) that only sells through distributors, who have to pay a hefty fee to become one and carry samples of stock. They each have their own site, designed as they wish, but use a company database that is assigned to a third level domain; the top part of a frames layout for that catalog section matches the rest of the distributor's site.

You'll see on the site, examplesite.com for the index page. Navigation to all the individual categories actually all leads to that same frameset: examplesite.companysite/catalog/

An entire navigation schema leads to that one catalog page, with a number of additional pages being part of actual unique site navigation - customer service, about us, and several with unique descriptive text for main product lines.

The distributor handles the order process completely start to finish, including payment processing, except for the individual manufacture of each order, which are all customized and delivered to the customer by distributors. Prices are set and not negotiable.

I can relate to editors' situation, since when I expressed that the site probably won't be accepted because of being an affiliate site, I was strongly informed that it is NOT an affiliate site, but an independent sole proprietorship as a distributor/dealer. The company does not fulfill customer orders direct.

Though I can relate, my involvement doesn't stop with an email. I've read what defines an independent business vs affiiliate setup in another thread, I'd just like to get clarification and/or confirmation, since I tend to see this as ODP would by how I understand it - as an affiliate site by definition, no matter what the dealer/company agreement says.

Is there any difference between a distributor or an affiliate in the guidelines, and if so, what would be the distinction that would qualify a site (not regional most times) as an independent business?

[rafalk]

Is there any difference between a distributor or an affiliate in the guidelines...

Not really. The business model of company is wholly irrelevant to whether or not a site would be listed - it's the content that counts. Since in this case all of the sites have the exact same content - none would be listed.

For example we recently deleted more than ten thousand MLM sites from the directory. Not that I'm suggesting that the business you've identified is a MLM scheme - but in terms of content they are rather similar. You end up with thousands of pages all offering the same products for the same prices.

Unless there is substantial other content, that is unique, such sites would not be listed.

[Beachboy]

It is really tough to get past the notion that ODP is not just a list of businesses, but is content driven. That alone can be a death sentence to some generic business ("Bob's Oil Change"). The issue is going to be where the line is drawn. What qualifies as actual content? I don't know that it's a matter of in-depth industry-related content so much as it is enough content to define and give some substance to the website in question.

In the case of an oil change franchise, the website designer would be well advised to include a picture and profile of the franchise owner, photos of his people at work, mention the sort of beverages available in the customer waiting room, that no magazine on the table will be more than two months old, a map to the business and literally anything else that can be used to *differentiate* the place from every other oil change joint in town. Does he have a celebrity client? Mention it. Does he sponsor a Little League team? Mention it.

Certainly, no oil change place need go into a history of oil or provide a picture of a supertanker bringing a zillion gallons of the stuff across the ocean. So that kind of "depth" in our example is unnecessary.

I'm not saying any of the above items ought to end up in the description (they won't), but you need to deliver more than a generic web page offering an oil change. There was a discussion elsewhere about insurance agencies. I mentioned a tap-dancing agent. I was being facetious, but wasn't far off the mark. Put something on the site to give it unique character and some depth.

[Robert Charlton]

>>we recently deleted more than ten thousand MLM sites from the directory<<

What is an MLM site?

[digitalghost]

Multi-level Marketing.

Earn thousands! From the comfort of your easy chair. Just sign up 5 people that recruit 5 people that recruit 5 people and so on...

Yep...

[Quadrille]

company ... sells through distributors, who have to pay a hefty fee

No they choose to, hoping for a fast buck. In fact, they take ALL the risk.

With affiliate sites, (eg Amazon) you pay only in your time, and may (or may not) get rich on the proceeds of Amazon's full service.

Distributors invest time and money. And for what? To have a site that may look different, and may do it's own fulfilment, but a site that is essentially (functionally) the same as every other 'independent distributor'. This is true even if the site owner has to assemble, print or otherwise process the product.

It may not be an affiliate (A Rose By Any Other Name ...) but it offers nothing new or unique to visitors. And they do not have the security of a big company fulfilling and taking their cash.

So the site has nothing to offer the visitor. Or ODP.

So ODP will not list it.