I wrote a review about the Project Black Mask. Although I summarily denounced the basic tactics espoused by its authors, I commended the work on its keyword research and generation section.
Although most of the comments posted about my review were supportive, I got an earful from a few who took great exception to the fact that I linked to Project Black Mask with my affiliate link.
Ooops! I did it again!
Some suggested that despite my warnings, readers may have be persuaded by the sales letter to buy the product for the wrong reasons – and that I was wrong to facilitate their purchase through my link.
Another – apparently without access to Dictionary.com – accused me of ‘profiteering' which is defined as ‘To make excessive profits on goods in short supply.'
Ya right.
Trust me on this – I turned far more people away from that product and saved my visitors considerably more money than I earned from that review.
THAT was my intention.
As to affiliate linking… here's what I think about that…
- As online content publishers and affiliate marketers, our primary responsibility is to evaluate products and give our readers our honest opinions about those products.
- We don't control our readers. It's the their responsibility as consumers to do enough research to make informed and appropriate buying decisions.
- We're affiliate marketers, not cops. If you provide an honest evaluation and your visitor purchases a product to use it for a purpose that you recommend against – once again, that's their responsibility.
Here's an analogy.
Let's suppose that you run a garden variety grocery store.
You're a smart person who knows that sugar in excessive quantities is an evil and addictive substance that depresses the immune system, causes chromium and copper deficiencies and contributes to obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, hyperactivity in children and a long list of other ailments.
So what do you do?
Well, you could sell the grocery store and open a health food store. And if you're that staunch in your beliefs, you better make sure that none of the products you stock contains fructose or sucrose, either. Actually, it would probably be better to get rid of all the starches entirely.
Hmm… that would leave you with not a lot to sell and a very tiny market base, so now you're looking for a job.
OK, so, let's stick with running the grocery store.
You could leave half your shelves bare by refusing to sell white sugar, kiddie cereals, cakes, ice cream, desserts, pop, candies and other treats. But would you really make granny drive all the way across town just to get a bag of sugar for her homemade jam? What about the person whose idea of a sweet treat is having a little bowl of Hagen Daz once a week? (That would be me.) In other words, do you deprive everyone for the sake of a few – who are going to seek and find their sugar fix whether or not you sell the product?
Or, do you take a moderate approach and trust that your customers have a brain, know the risks, and that it's up to them to use a product wisely?
The answer seems simple enough, doesn't it?
If you care about your customers, you could offer them alternate product selections. And if you really want to add value, you could put up a rack of health brochures near the store's entrance to inform them about good nutritional habits and disease prevention. Better yet, you could hold a baking demonstration to show people how to use Splenda as a sugar substitute.
There are so many possibilities – but NOT selling the product is not one of them.
If you're in business to do business, you don't choose NOT to sell (or link to) a product that you honestly think has some value just because some people will refuse to heed your warnings – or don't think exactly as you do.
From my perspective, the vast majority of my audience is comprised of discerning, responsible individuals who appreciate my candor about doing business on the Internet.
For the few odd souls lurking about that are looking for the quick (non-existent) fix, well, they'll read into things as they choose and find it anywhere they can – so it might as well be here.
And maybe, if they're lucky, they'll listen the next time around. 🙂
Comments, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!
Cheers,
Yes exactly Rosalind.. I was another who didnt like the project mask and I find it funny that most people who complain about people giving them affiliate links are the same people who want a year later to have others click on their links..
We are in the business of referral..
Keep up the good work..
This is one of the more master posts responding to negative commentary I have EVER seen, wicked job Ros (Even though I commented in the negatory) Nothing like a healthy debate to get the blood pumpin !!! Again wicked A$$ job. Many blogger dont know how to properly respond to negative comments, maybe they should come here and see how its done
This is the rude part of computation, when you deal with people. Anytime you make decision, you’ll have people saying that white was wrong because black was better, and others who say the contrary. That’s the only rule. You cannot satisfy everybody. Tastes and favorite colors make a whole world.
So, I think that what is important is that you made a decision and that you find it’s correct according your values and principles. Somebody can find it’s unethic, but again, according his values and principles, not YOURS. That what will also make his website different than yours.
In this case, I would not have put my affiliate link, but I respect your choice.
Hey Ros,
Personally, I don’t see a thing wrong with your including your aff id in the link. You gave an honest, balanced review.
You respected your readers enough to warn them of the product’s downfalls but felt the section on keyword research was good enough to put your name behind and make a commission from.
…I’m not sure about the (uneeded) justification so much lol.
Certainly caveat emptor should be a watchwords for anyone looking into money making online but if you honestly believed this product wasn’t giving /any/ benefit to your readers, you shouldn’t (and wouldn’t) have included a link. I’m sure I’ve seen you say many times, “make sure the product you recommend is a quality one that you would feel happy using yourself…” [para]
As you made it clear you thought there /was/ some value in it, you linked to it!
To those with a problem with Ros getting commissions, wake up! Balanced reviews are affiliate marketing 101!
Safe journeys,
Mark
Hi Rosalind,
I always admire when people stand up a face up to what they are doing. You are no exception and I really like the fact that you allow people to know about a product(good or bad). The fact is what may be bad for you might just be the exact thing someone else is looking for and therefore it’s good for them. There are limits when doing business both online and offline, you should always add an affiliate link to your review or recommendations (good or bad), the exception being links to sites or business opportunities that are illegal by all definitions. In business like everything else we are exposed to in life everyday, people need to make a choice for themselves. Where would be be if we had someone telling us that something is not good for us just because that individual said so.
What you did was in my honest opinion was perfectly fine. You were honest in saying that it was not a product you recommended but that it was something we had to decide was right or wrong. You gave us your feedback and we had to decide what path to take.
Anyone else telling you that you were profiting from the opportunity doesn’t really grasp the idea behind your review, site and what business is all about.
Just like Shawn Casey commented . . . ” If you’re going to run a business. You run it to make a profit…legally, morally and ethically. The people who fail to recognize this are running a hobby. They just have not figured it out yet and they’re not going to see much in the way of profits.”
Keeping doing what you always do best . . . Tell People what you feel and believe in. Let the rest of us decide what to do next.
Cheers,
Alex Ribeiro
Actually adding a link to your review anyway probably shows you trust you customers and lets them see the product themselves instead of just your words, as wise as they are. 😉
Hi Ros, Great response. I don’t think you were encouraging people to buy Black Mask Project at all. You always make it quite clear that you wouldn’t touch black hat SEO. I was pleased that you alerted me of it’s availability. Sometimes I like to read some of the black SEO stuff just to keep myself up to date with what others are doing on the Internet.
Personally, it’s not for me. I lurked in one of the black hat seo forums recently, and did not find anything of value there. It’s all so very spammy isn’t it? I know how frustrating it is to search for some decent info, and have to fight my way through heaps of rubbishy sites just to get something good, so I would hate to be one of those who actually contributed to all the spam. But, I suppose for some, it’s a way of making easy money, in the short term. Perhaps if I was suddenly in dire need of some fast cash I would use it.
So let’s see… love the product, use your link. Hate it, you’re unethical to use your affiliate link. Sounds ever so (un)reasonable.
I think it’s just another sign of how much even people in the industry feel mixed about affiliate marketing. They’re so used to the sleeze who recommend everything wholeheartedly that they consider using an affiliate link wrong if you don’t really approve of the product. That it makes sense to earn if anyone sees something they like despite your disapproval is one of the annoyances.
I find nothing wrong with what you did at all! You had bought the product yourself and you gave an honest review. Isn’t that what we all want, honesty? If someone buys it after reading your review, you should get the commission. I congratulate you on any commissions you did earn from your honest review. You earned it!
Sue
Hi Ros,
As another online publisher, I knew when you wrote your review you had to make a choice of using your affiliate link or not – not an easy decision!
I know it’s a hard call because whatever you decide, someone will blast you for it.
Don’t use it and people say you’re not letting them make up their own minds.
Do use it and people say you’re trying to make a profit – no matter what.
I think you made the right choice! Let people know what’s inside and then make up their own minds. We’re all adults. If they still want the product after reading your review, you were the affiliate who sent them to the product and should make the commission. There’s nothing unethical or unacceptable about listing the negatives when providing a link. At least that’s what many of my readers have told me.
Thanks again for your previous post.
To Your Success,
Susan
I think You are right people should not think this way. the fact is some people would jump off a bridge if told by the right person. They should use Your info and info they collect to make up their mind for them selves.
Here’s how I deal with stuff my readers will be harmed by. . .
Over the past few days I’ve been contacted by a number of people asking me to join the latest eBay fad. All the people who contacted me told me The Exponent Trading Company was a chance to make some good money off my list. None of them could explain how it would benefit my readers, just how I could profit from telling you about it. I looked at this “opportunity” and I’m saying NO THANK YOU.
I wrote the FIRST book on eBay consignment five years ago, and can stand head to head with anyone when it comes to eBay or consignment selling.While I could easily make some serious money by telling my students to belly up to the bar, I don’t think it’s in their best interest.
I feel so strongly about this that I not only wrote a long newsletter detailing my misgivings, but I decided to give away my eBay Consignment Manual. By giving my book away, I’ll lose sales, but I’ll also be showing you I really do care about your success.
You can read my article and get my now free book telling you how to do eBay consignment at:
Just Say NO To The Exponent Trading Company
Lets see if anyone who is promoting this “opportunity” will match me and start giving away their products in order to make a point.
Terry Gibbs
I appreciated your honesty on your black mask review. I also figured linking it with your affiliate link is a given seeing how that’s your job. I mean that’s one of the tactics affiliates learn right,, how to persuade people to buy through calling out a bad product but then highlighting one positive thing so people click to find out for themselves… Am I wrong?
Hi Ros,
I just can’t help but comment when you strike such a pose.
It’s the plain & simple “no b.s.” way you talk to your readers
that I love so much.
I wish I had something to add, but
you wouldn’t be able to hear me over the cheering audience. LOL
Keep giving it to us straight Ros!
It makes you special to us in this sea of marketing info.
VERY refreshing.
Thanks!
Brad.
P.S.
Could you do a post on how to use the uri function,
and how to track back from our own blogs?
I’ve looked.
And I’m usually good at finding what I look for.
But this one is eluding me.
And I’d LOVE to spread your candor around the web! 😉
You have a point there!
Regards,
Ton
Hey Rosalind,
Thanks for the commentary about reviews. I was wondering about this issue and I tend to agree with you, however interested in other comments.
I find it interesting that I get the most feedback back when I give an honest and negative view about a product and make it somewhat controversial. I want to always give my honest opinion and tell people if I think a golf training aid is junk. I list everything with an affiliate link as well.
Are you using Podcasts for your reviews? I’m finding it’s excellent.
Cheers
Colin Goehring
I read your review and because of your review I bought and I thought it was some valuable material as you said regarding the keyword section. Now will I use and do these black hat methods no but as the saying goes take the good and leave the rest. There is some very good information in this material. And I won’t be asking for a refund. And lets face we’ve all bought white hat material that wasn’t so good. So thank you Rosalind because of you I bought. And now I need to get the upgrade to your book I bought it when it first came out years ago. Don’t know where receipt is so I’ll just buy it again. Another good investment. Thanks again. Keep sharing your opinion matters.
I find it strange that people could accuse you of any wrong doing by using your affiliate link. There is no justification for that kind of reaction.
You’ve made your position about project black mask known. It’s left to people to take it up or not.
What? Take responsibility for your own actions? What a novel concept! You must not live in the States… 🙂
In all seriousness, your comments are thought-provoking. You have a good point: it’s imperative that we give honest, unbiased reviews, but in the end, it’s up to the customer / consumer to make the choice. So I see no reason why you should not include an affiliate link.
And from the definition you gave, it’s almost impossible to “profiteer” in this business. Besides, does the affiliate ever set the price or quantity?
Time to rethink how I do business… Thanks for this post.
Best regards,
Tom
Hi Rosalind,
great response. What do some people really think? You’re writing a review because of too much spare time left? 😉
Keep up your great attitude please!
cheers
Dougi
Hi Rosalind,
I read your previous post on Project Black Mask too and I was also aware that you put your affiliate link. You already sort of warn us that the ebook is not really a fantastic buy. So of course, a person in the right state of mind would not buy it.
As you said, it is really up to buyer’s decision.
Smoking is not good for health too. Far worse than sugar. Why don’t people accuse 7-Eleven for selling harmful products too?
It’s all about people’s personal choice. You are right!
A defensive post trying to conceal the fact you did the wrong thing: link to a product using an affiliate link that you don’t actually recommend. No long winded explanation is going to get around the fact that doing this is simply wrong, unethical, and an unacceptable business practice.
Ros,
As always, you’ve got a sweet way with words. I’d have been a lot more pointed.
If you’re going to run a business. You run it to make a profit…legally, morally and ethically. The people who fail to recognize this are running a hobby. They just have not figured it out yet and they’re not going to see much in the way of profits.
Keep on telling people the way it really is!
Shawn