Clickbooth's Blog/Review Guidelines

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allenb

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Oct 25, 2008
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Whoa, just got an email from Clickbooth with a link to their new blog/review page guidelines (Clickbooth Publisher Affiliate Network and CPA Network):

Blog/Review Guidelines

Blog/Review sites guidelines
Clickbooth does not allow Fake blogs, FLOGS or fake review sites as a marketing method, publishers taking part in these activities will have their accounts terminated immediately. All Blog and Review webistes must comply with the following:
  • Each such Publisher Website must contain distinct and legitimate content, substance and material.
  • Each such Publisher Website must not contain information that is misleading or deceiving
  • The Content appearing on each such Publisher Website must be entirely an accurate representation that is truthful and verifiable.
  • Any testimonials appearing on such Publisher Websites must be accurate, truthful, verifiable and from individuals that have given their permission for such testimonials to be used by the Publisher in the manner so used on the applicable Publisher Websites.
  • Where You have paid an individual for the use of his/her testimonial, that fact must be disclosed, prominently, on the applicable Publisher Website immediately below or adjacent to the subject testimonial.
  • Blog created solely to advertise one or two specific products are not allowed
  • You Cannot use the word “Free,” or “Complimentary” or other similar terms in connection with marketing any Advertiser products/services does not state such language without the prior express written consent of Clickbooth.
  • Must post a privacy policy on any and all website(s), landing page(s), confirmation page(s) and/or other web page(s) upon which you collect consumer information in connection with a Search Marketing Program. The privacy policy must comply with all federal and state privacy laws and meet the test of reasonable commercial best practices applicable to privacy policies. Your data protection, use and privacy practices must adhere to Your applicable privacy policy, in both letter and in spirit, in all respects and with no exceptions. The privacy policy must be available for viewing via a clickable link. Such link must include the term “privacy” or “privacy policy.
  • Website cannot: (1) utilize any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other similar intellectual property right of any third party without their prior written consent; (2) otherwise violate or breach any duty toward, or rights of, any person or entity including, without limitation, rights of privacy and publicity; or (3) must not result in any consumer fraud, product liability or breach of contract to which You are a party.
  • Each such Publisher Website must contain a clearly worded disclaimer disclosing the fact that the proprietor of the Website has a commercial relationship whereby it receives compensation for referrals that result in sales of the product(s) featured on the Website.
  • Review websites must disclose review process and steps taken to ensure a fair review
  • Each such Publisher Website Must have disclaimers for images that do not represent the consumer that is portrayed
  • Each such Publisher Website Must have disclaimer for use of celebrity or trademarked logos
  • Each such Publisher Website Must have disclaimers for substantiated claims
  • Links to products must have an asterisk leading to a disclaimer that discloses affiliations and compensation
  • Each such Publisher Website Must disclose fact that products were tested
  • IP address of user comments must be retained and verified for authenticity.
  • Any search engine copy used to drive users to website must be accurate and cannot mislead or deceive users
  • Each such Publisher must otherwise comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, as well as the terms and conditions of the Clickbooth Publisher Agreement and any and all additional Clickbooth Acceptable Use Policies, and other applicable agreements, operating rules and/or documents.

Clickbooth will ensure Blog and Review websites comply with these guidelines by reserving the right to review each such Publisher Website randomly for compliance. At Clickbooth's request publisher must provide copy of Driver License or other form of Government ID of consumer depicted on website as well as confirm or authenticate facts stated on website. Publisher must respond satisfactorily within 5 business days of an audit or account will be terminated.
 


Could see this coming.

You had to know the networks being hit with the backlash from the Aci et al sites/offers would start doing something like that. For ever one letter an affiliate got from Oprah or whoever, you know the owner of the offer got dozens.
 
Way over reaction :

Blog created solely to advertise one or two specific products are not allowed

Must post a privacy policy on any and all website(s), landing page(s), confirmation page(s) and/or other web page(s) upon which you collect consumer information in connection with a Search Marketing Program.

Review websites must disclose review process and steps taken to ensure a fair review

Links to products must have an asterisk leading to a disclaimer that discloses affiliations and compensation

Very few legitimate blogs would pass those.
 
RIP all Affiliate Marketing industry is officially over. Pack your bags. Clickbooth there goes 99.9% of there revenue haha suckers. Just another fucking excuse for CPA networks not to pay there affiliates I hope people jump ship on Clickbooth. Cloaking does jack shit have you ever heard of http snooper so simple to find your affiliate code
 
RIP all Affiliate Marketing industry is officially over. Pack your bags. Clickbooth there goes 99.9% of there revenue haha suckers. Just another fucking excuse for CPA networks not to pay there affiliates I hope people jump ship on Clickbooth. Cloaking does jack shit have you ever heard of http snooper so simple to find your affiliate code

In this one instance, I don't think it is a case of trying to not pay the affiliates or take leads. I would bet that this is their try at avoiding all the legal trouble heading their way.
 
It's hypocritical to require that sort of compliance when a network has offers where the advertisers don't follow the rules, namely the following:

Website cannot: (1) utilize any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other similar intellectual property right of any third party without their prior written consent; (2) otherwise violate or breach any duty toward, or rights of, any person or entity including, without limitation, rights of privacy and publicity; or (3) must not result in any consumer fraud, product liability or breach of contract to which You are a party.

  • Each such Publisher Website Must have disclaimers for images that do not represent the consumer that is portrayed
  • Each such Publisher Website Must have disclaimer for use of celebrity or trademarked logos
  • Each such Publisher Website Must have disclaimers for substantiated claims
A number of their "featured" merchants violate those rules. I have to think that a network truly concerned with the way offers are positioned to consumers would look at merchants, too...
 
It's hypocritical to require that sort of compliance when a network has offers where the advertisers don't follow the rules, namely the following:

Website cannot: (1) utilize any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other similar intellectual property right of any third party without their prior written consent; (2) otherwise violate or breach any duty toward, or rights of, any person or entity including, without limitation, rights of privacy and publicity; or (3) must not result in any consumer fraud, product liability or breach of contract to which You are a party.

  • Each such Publisher Website Must have disclaimers for images that do not represent the consumer that is portrayed
  • Each such Publisher Website Must have disclaimer for use of celebrity or trademarked logos
  • Each such Publisher Website Must have disclaimers for substantiated claims
A number of their "featured" merchants violate those rules. I have to think that a network truly concerned with the way offers are positioned to consumers would look at merchants, too...
My thoughts exactly. I don't trust clickbooth for shit. As much as they may want us to think they're changing or whatever - I don't buy it.
 
They definitly shot themselves in the foot here. You can find their offers lots of other places, don't need these small potatos.
 
So funny I think every product clickbooth has in there network breaks every new rule they just place so Clickbooth is going to end up with 0 publishers and 0 advertisers. Hell there RezV offers use 60 minutes images and video "without" written permission by CBS parent company and what about the testimonals on the advertisers page do those meet the guideline? What a fucking joke
 
Clickbooth prohibits unfair or deceptive advertising in any medium.

I'd say advertising weightloss products to overweight people is pretty unfair

Must have dedicated staff to check blogs/websites for complaints and resolve any complaints found thereon by contacting the consumer.

Where can I submit violations? I recently complained about AT&T on a blog, and it's been over 72hrs and no follow up from AT&T?

Your Publisher Websites must contain distinct and legitimate content, substance and material, not simply a list of links or advertisements. Further, the applicable Publisher Website(s) must serve a purpose substantially or completely separate and distinct from merely being designed to earn money solely from Clickbooth's Advertisers or third party advertisers

That should definitely help out with all these capitalist affiliates. Nice to see that someone else besides Google values user experience.

Without limiting any of the foregoing, all Search Marketing Content transmitted by You in connection with a Search Marketing Program must be consistent across that Search Marketing Program: from the Creative to the corresponding landing page(s), confirmation page(s) and/or other web pages that are linked to such Creative so as not to be misleading. Company shall determine, in its sole discretion, the Consistency of Disclosures associated with any Search Marketing Programs.

Good, I never got split testing anyway.

All keywords purchased by You in connection with an Search Marketing Program must: (i) Have some nexus to its corresponding Search Marketing Content so as not to be misleading. (ii) As applicable, meet the additional criteria specified by the applicable Advertiser.

Again, someone is finally tackling the issues that have been plaguing performance marketing for a while now, and it makes sense: Someone looking for grants or college grants obviously wants information on grants, but why should you be allowed to advertise grants for college student if they are searching for student loans or fannie mae? Clearly they aren't interested in it. This would make search marketing so much easier and straight forward.

The Term “FREE” or similar verbiage may not be used on any creative or landing pages to describe the product or service offered if there is any current or future charge for the product or service.

Must have a dedicated staff or out-sourced referral staff to resolve any consumer questions, complaints, refunds or cancellation. This service must not have more than a ten minute hold or wait time for the consumer.

Clickbooth definitely deserves some respect for making this decision, not many companies turn away their core group, but that only shows how serious they are about the user experience. I can't even begin to imagine how much lost revenue this means for them, having to terminate all these affiliates and trying to get the advertisers to change all of their offer pages, and getting rid of those flavor of the month offers like Acai and RezV or whatever else Oprah is promoting that month, because they usually have a load of issues with their support.

I'm definitely looking forward to the new and improved clickbooth, I think by implementing all these changes they are leveling the playing field a lot, plus with less shady affiliates bidding on unrelated keywords or using commercial landing pages, that gives people a chance that aren't that creative or have actual jobs and don't need this cpa thing to feed themselves. Ultimately I don't think it's a bad thing to remove all those scam artists creating pages just to make money, as they say: if you build it, they will come.

I'll definitely sign up with Clickbooth once these policies are implemented and all those free trial offers are gone. I just think they should find a name that better shows their values, something like Christian Affiliate Network maybe?
 
@Gopher - hillarious - I was reading that thinking jebus that is BS - then I got to the punchline - hahah

Cloak of magic protect us all.
 
Again cloaking wont do jackshit http snooper can easily find where your traffic is coming from. $100 dollars I can find any cloaked link landing page location. So i can see it now advertiser will contact Clickbooth saying one of your publishers has an image or quote from CBS or any other news outlet without premission. And wont pay for those leads since it breaks the Clickbooth Guidelines. This is very dangerous one slip up on not meeting the guidelines say goodbye to your MONEY!
 
agreed.

How much of this is ass covering by the nw? will they really enforce a policy that is going to cost them mega bucks in rev...

Anyway im growing quite attached to my magic fucking cloak so Im keeping it
 
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