Forum Moderators: martinibuster
Yes, totally and utterly against the TOS. :)
to ask visitors to click on those product referrals, download, and install them.
Just a cursory look through the T&Cs brings up this:
IncentivesWeb pages may not include incentives of any kind for users to click on ads. This includes encouraging users to click on the ads or to visit the advertisers' sites as well as drawing any undue attention to the ads. For example, your site cannot contain phrases such as "click here," "support us," "visit these links," or other similar language that could apply to any ad, regardless of content. These activities are strictly prohibited in order to avoid potential inflation of advertiser costs. In addition, publishers may not bring unnatural attention to sites displaying ads or referral buttons through unsolicited mass emails or unwanted advertisements on third-party websites. Publishers are also not permitted to use deceptive or unnatural means to draw attention to or incite clicks on referral buttons.
The above specifically refers to "users to click on ads" and "use deceptive or unnatural means to draw attention to or incite clicks on referral buttons."
Vague, very vague, I would ask, it does not specifically say NOT to ask visitors to click on referral buttons and asking visitors directly would not be deceptive nor unnatural, would it?
I doubt they want you to do that however there's no harm in asking.
If they listed ten thousand "don'ts" specifically someone would think up an incentive that wasn't specifically prohibited.
If you are in any doubt, check with Google, but I think:
a) It would be accectable to provide instructions and explanations such as - "click on the referral button to download products" provided everything is made clear to the visitor, and the payment requires some subsequent action following the initial click.
b) It would not be acceptable to mislead people to send them to your page with the referral button.
i have seen many websites , saying please click links on left right up down to proceed
Yeah, and they seem to survive with impunity for years however just you try it and see how quickly you get banned!
It's like illegal parking, everyone else can get away with it but you:-(
Yeah, and they seem to survive with impunity for years however just you try it and see how quickly you get banned!
It's a simple mater of how alert the competition is.
If you break the TOS (as is being suggested above), you may 'get away with it' - or you may get reported tomorrow. For me, practically as well as ethically, I just place the code, and leave it alone.
