Affiliate Content - Acceptable Usage?

[Lee]

I wondering what everyone thought was 'acceptable' in terms of utilizing content provided to you by a program.

We all know that using it on galleries, free sites, blogs etc is considered (by most) fine but what other ways are there to use affiliate content and more importantly, are these methods considered Kosher by the programs offering the content?

For example, using affiliate content inside a paysites members area, in a design, etc, what are some of the other ways to use this content given to us by programs to use and when is the 'line' crossed when using it?

Regards,

Lee

[Xstr8guy]

Anytime sponsor content is used to promote a different sponsor than the one who provided it, the line has been crossed. Sponsor content must be used exclusively to promote the single sponsor who provided the content. A thumb gallery, freesite, AVS gallery should only have banners/links to the sponsor.

For example, if a freesite is promoting several sponsors, each sponsor should be on a separate page with only links to that sponsor.

Use of sponsor content in designs would only be acceptable if the design was used to exclusively promote that single sponsor. I don't want to see our content used on TGP template to promote another sponsor.

And I don't think I would be too happy to see our content in someone else's members area. Jasun has mentioned that Fratmen has an affiliate that does this and is very successful. So we might be willing to give it a try. But I would have to know up front what the spnsor's intentions were before they did it.

[basschick]

sponsor content is for promoting a particular site/program. if you use it for any other purpose, you're probably violating the terms. if you use them inside a paysite where guaranteed credit card users are, and you use the content in galleries with links to the sponsor site and no links to other sponsor sites, seems fair to me.

on a gallery, if all the content is from one program, there should be no links to other programs. same with a free or avs site if all the content is from one sponsor. to me, one sponsor provides the content - then only that sponsor should be advertised. not only is that fair, but i've seen it on terms and conditions for use of content.

[chubbs]

I have recently started upselling a few different paysites in the members area of one of my paysites using just text links. If I were to somehow use their content whether its a preview thumb on my movie pages, or an entire page in my members area dedicated to upselling that site, I have no doubt my upsells would increase. Just a matter of contacting the program owners and finding out if this violates their terms. If it does, I am sure some, if not all will understand what I am doing and give me the okay. At the end of the day I am just trying to send some quality credit card using traffic to their site that's not going to burn up their b/w looking at the sample content as they already saw it on my site.

Hope this helps. --Chubbs

[Lee]

I have to say, im not concerned if affiliates want to use my FHGs/Free Sites inside their members area as 'extra' content as this type of traffic is typically accustomed to pulling their credit card out and paying for porn

Regards,

Lee

[Trixie]

We love having affiliates who are also paysite owners post a guest gallery in their members areas every so often.

I accept and don't have a problem with people using some of our content on pages that promote other sites in addition to ours. With blogs, review sites, etc. it's pretty unrealistic to expect someone not to. And then there are people who build galleries on free hosts that have big old ads to other sites and products . . . I don't really begrudge them that either so long as the content is credited to us and clearly advertises our site(s).

What really annoys me though are affiliates who put ALL of our promo content (or any sponsor's promos) on one page. The people who do that almost always are pushing a few select sponsors in a sidebar or top banners harder than the sites whose content they are giving away en masse. When "affiliates" basically make a free site or page that competes with your paysite or duplicates hoards of your content, it's really not acceptable usage particularly when a lot of these people are obviously not even trying to sell your site, but are trying to divert your traffic by sucking people in via search engines using your/the sponsor's brand and model names and then making their money somewhere else.

Case in point, one affiliate who made a blog using Delia's name as the subdomain and *every single entry* is a ripoff of our text and a link to a free hosted Delia gallery while the sidebar is consumed with ads to competing sites. Not only are they stealing our brand and traffic with the subdomain and misleading people into thinking it's something Delia made, but they're giving away all of her galleries in one spot and then prominently peddling competing sites in the sidebar.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about (girl, not gay):

http://www.lanasbigboobs.com/models/...son/index.html

Over 100 galleries given away in one spot. What the fuck?

[Fister]

...Here's an example of what I'm talking about (girl, not gay):

http://www.lanasbigboobs.com/models/...son/index.html

Over 100 galleries given away in one spot. What the fuck?

To top it off, in this example, when you click on the featured galleries, the traffic trade skim is over 50%! I can see why a sponsor objects to sponsor content being used like this.

[Jasun]

Use the photo content I give you to do just about anything.. but don't remove the FRATMEN.TV tag on it.

That's pretty much all I ask.

As far as video goes... ask me.

[Trixie]

To top it off, in this example, when you click on the featured galleries, the traffic trade skim is over 50%! I can see why a sponsor objects to sponsor content being used like this.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeit -- I didn't even realize that part of it. That is another thing we have to deal with constantly with TGPs is having people click on OUR thumbnails and then be directed to some other site. It's insane, yet affiliates seem to find it perfectly acceptable. I've sort of resigned myself to it figuring that surfers who frequent tgp's know what's up.

The sad part of it is I'm too lazy to close that affiliate's account and explain the reason why to them. In the end I feel like my time is spent in better places and the potential costs of having that kind of overexposure probably aren't totally horrible. Then again, I'm not one of those with over 100 galleries up there.

Since our sites feature us, not bought content or random strangers we've shot, I think there's a more personal sting / slap in the face when people misuse our promo content. I try not to take it personally, but it does make you feel people are stealing your soul sometimes to make a buck that you don't even see.

[Jasun]

I"m honeslty not really much of a fan of TGP affilaites anyway... I find that it doens't convert for shit, wastes my time and just dilutes the Fratmen name.

TGPs are where you find all the "borderline" scams that you've heard of.