The Times paywalls go up...

[Frankeh]

The sarcasm is strong in this one.

It sounds like you own an eCommerce website to me (You mention products, I'm going to make it a camera shop for the examples)..
If this is the case then you should probably look into offering an affiliate system yourself, the returns are much better than PPC or PPM advertising as it's all cost per action.

This is essentially the method.

Affiliate signs up to your affiliate program and you offer them an incentive. Most affiliate based advertising works on a "Cost per action" basis. You pay out when your specified action takes place. Most people specify this action to be a sale.

So anyway, the affiliate signs up to your program and starts posting your ads/links/etc around the internet for people to click. Usually these are very targeted links in the form of reviews/blogposts/etc.

An example of this would be a camera review website.. CanonD4500Review.com, lets say.

The site has a review for the camera and is the top of googles search results for "cannon d4500 review".

If I owned such a site then I would join your affiliate program and use your links in all my reviews.

Joe BlogCustomer comes along and reads the review. In the middle of the text there's a link to one of your product pages saying it's the best price, etc.

Joe goes there and buys the camera.

Bam. You made a sale, the affiliate made his 5%, the customer got his camera and thinks he found that cheap website on his own.

He of course, didn't. There was a whole marketing machine behind that seemingly innocent click, and 2 people made money.

[MX7]

Willie Dee said:

Frankeh said:

Willie Dee said:

Frankeh said:

Does it look like a link to you? Would you hesitate clicking such a link in a blog post or forum post?

or google search, review website etc etc etc.

Thank you. Finally someone gets it.

Many people get it, just idiots in this thread not understanding how the internet works are being highlighted itt.

Ah, we are idiots because we have an opinion that differs from yours?!!

I must say, your profile made me chuckle.

"Contact me for lessons on how to post at a pro level."

You're a professional forum poster?!!

[otolith]

I am quite likely to click on an advert if I am in the process of buying something online.

I am very unlikely to click on an advert if I am (for instance) reading Pistonheads.

Unless I am on the iPhone and fat-fingering it.

[Dracoro]

turbobloke said:

unpc said:

Frankeh said:

Willie Dee said:

Frankeh said:

Does it look like a link to you? Would you hesitate clicking such a link in a blog post or forum post?

or google search, review website etc etc etc.

Thank you. Finally someone gets it.

But I don't do these so how would I have clicked on these without knowing it? Sorry, but perhaps not everyone uses the web the way you do.

My point exactly, there seem to be too many assumptions being made.

Just about everything you click on, on the net, is a link to something or other. Many of these, of course will not be referral links or marketing related but without checking every single thing you click to see what it's properties are, you won't know.

I suppose you could use the net without clicking on anything

How many times have many people posted on here saying "hey look at this monstrosity on ebay/auto trader etc." and people click on link to ebay/AT? What if the owners of the site decide to have a deal with ebay/AT/whatever, you've just been "referrred".

Edited by Dracoro on Monday 12th July 16:20

[Frankeh]

MX7 said:

Willie Dee said:

Frankeh said:

Willie Dee said:

Frankeh said:

Does it look like a link to you? Would you hesitate clicking such a link in a blog post or forum post?

or google search, review website etc etc etc.

Thank you. Finally someone gets it.

Many people get it, just idiots in this thread not understanding how the internet works are being highlighted itt.

Ah, we are idiots because we have an opinion that differs from yours?!!

I must say, your profile made me chuckle.

"Contact me for lessons on how to post at a pro level."

You're a professional forum poster?!!

You think such people don't exist? Hell, it ties in perfectly with the exact subject we're talking about.
It ties into SEO more, though. But you could equally get your affiliate links into google results with enough forum posting.

Forum posting is actually a decent part of getting good google rankings and is used by most internet marketers.

So I wouldn't laugh at professional forum posters. There's an entire market based around it if you look on sites such as digitalpoint.com or sitepoint.com or any large freelancing site.

[Willie Dee]

turbobloke said:

Genuinely interested in this, and not particularly identifying with any 'idiot' category as yet. Not having knowledge is not idiocy but I still doubt the statements being made.

So if on the rare occasion I use a Google search, Google invoices me without my knowledge? Their finance dept must be overloaded as I haven't heard from them yet.

If it helps, this post here clearly indicates that you are in the idiot category, hth.

I mean, what kind of idiot hasn't paid their Google bill! Your over due fee's are going to be through the roof! (I am guessing that's how Google have become worth so much to be fair though, idiots not paying their bill on time)

MX7 said:

Ah, we are idiots because we have an opinion that differs from yours?!!

I must say, your profile made me chuckle.

"Contact me for lessons on how to post at a pro level."

You're a professional forum poster?!!

You laugh and yet... you obviously need my lessons. Feel free to PM me.

[TuxRacer]

Frankeh said:

tinman0 said:

I'm struggling to remember a single ad that I've clicked on in the last year, let alone month.

Your ignorance about advertising online really does show in that particular sentence.

You do come across as an arrogant little st quite a lot don't you.

Assuming a random forum poster wouldn't know when they're clicking advertising links FFS!

[unpc]

Frankeh said:

So I wouldn't laugh at professional forum posters. There's an entire market based around it if you look on sites such as digitalpoint.com or sitepoint.com or any large freelancing site.

There was me thinking I had a bullst job.

[turbobloke]

Dracoro said:

turbobloke said:

unpc said:

Frankeh said:

Willie Dee said:

Frankeh said:

Does it look like a link to you? Would you hesitate clicking such a link in a blog post or forum post?

or google search, review website etc etc etc.

Thank you. Finally someone gets it.

But I don't do these so how would I have clicked on these without knowing it? Sorry, but perhaps not everyone uses the web the way you do.

My point exactly, there seem to be too many assumptions being made.

Just about everything you click on, on the net, is a link to something or other. Many of these, of course will not be referral links or marketing related but without checking every single thing you click to see what it's properties are, you won't know.

I suppose you could use the net without clicking on anything

How many times have many people posted on here saying "hey look at this monstrosity on ebay/auto trader etc." and people click on link to ebay/AT? What if the owners of the site decide to have a deal with ebay/AT/whatever, you've just been "referrred".

Not as far as I can remember. In spite of the earlier semi-humorous or sarcastic response (who can tell on the internet where mere words are apparently commercial goldmines and people click on things without knowing about it) it's not at all clear that I've clicked on an advertisement either willingly or by accident.

No interest in much on the web outside of PH and science, don't have a farcebook or myspaz account, never twittered, stay away from the obviously commercial areas so where exactly are these advertisement links I click without realising it.

As some people on here are more aware of my web behaviour than I am, I want specific links on specific sites, preferably with the day date and time they were clicked, and who paid whom for the privilege. Otherwise it would be idiotic of anybody to suggest they know what a stranger does on the internet better than that person.

So, enlighten away.

[Willie Dee]

turbobloke said:

So, enlighten away.

You need to provide your monthly internet habits before we can tell you who is getting paid for what.

[turbobloke]

Willie Dee said:

turbobloke said:

Genuinely interested in this, and not particularly identifying with any 'idiot' category as yet. Not having knowledge is not idiocy but I still doubt the statements being made.

So if on the rare occasion I use a Google search, Google invoices me without my knowledge? Their finance dept must be overloaded as I haven't heard from them yet.

If it helps, this post here clearly indicates that you are in the idiot category, hth.

I mean, what kind of idiot hasn't paid their Google bill! Your over due fee's are going to be through the roof! (I am guessing that's how Google have become worth so much to be fair though, idiots not paying their bill on time)

As per below, wtf?

???

[turbobloke]

Willie Dee said:

turbobloke said:

So, enlighten away.

You need to provide your monthly internet habits before we can tell you who is getting paid for what.

No, and on that point you just flunked out.

You need to know that information before deciding what the person you are name-calling - if it was you or Frankeh, you are both such modest unassuming internet characters - actually does, before you can make a single informed claim or statement about them. Easy to make uninformed statements and wrap your errors up in humour and sarcasm though.

Still you just made my point for me, so thanks.

[turbobloke]

My internet habits are pretty much summed up as follows:

- PH for those moments where nothing else will do
- free newspaper sites, but not for products / services and no such links are clicked either in text or ad boxes
- academic sites and scientists' sites related to my background and current interests
- my own business websites

That's it. Give it your best shot, internet geniuses. Who am I or somebody else paying for the links I don't click? And it's those ads and ad links that are the focus here, not whether a site has adverts in boxes or text, or whether somebody else clicks them so somebody pays somebody for that, it's solely the ads I click without realising it (that I actually don't click but never mind)...and I'm still waiting for a serious answer to the Google search example I gave.

Edited by turbobloke on Monday 12th July 16:56

[MX7]

Frankeh said:

You think such people don't exist?

Oh no, I'm sure they exist. I just find it amusing who someone who resorts to a childish "You don't agree with me, so you are an idiot" line of discussion would consider themselves 'pro'.

Edited by MX7 on Monday 12th July 16:51

[unpc]

turbobloke said:

My internet habits are pretty much summed up as follows:

- PH for those moments where nothing else will do
- free newspaper sites, but not for products / services and no such links are clicked either in text or ad boxes
- academic sites and scientists' sites related to my background and current interests
- my own business websites

That's it. Give it your best shot, internet geniuses. Who am I paying without paying them?

This pretty much sums up my surfing too but with the err academic stuff. Sure I buy stuff too on the net BUT I go directly to the sites I want for that stuff. No search engines, no links.

[Frankeh]

unpc said:

turbobloke said:

My internet habits are pretty much summed up as follows:

- PH for those moments where nothing else will do
- free newspaper sites, but not for products / services and no such links are clicked either in text or ad boxes
- academic sites and scientists' sites related to my background and current interests
- my own business websites

That's it. Give it your best shot, internet geniuses. Who am I paying without paying them?

This pretty much sums up my surfing too but with the err academic stuff. Sure I buy stuff too on the net BUT I go directly to the sites I want for that stuff. No search engines, no links.

TBH you're not getting the best out of the internet if you type in exact websites and only buy from them.

How did you buy your car insurance this year (Or the last time you renewed)? I'm expecting a "I opened my yellow pages and used a combination of phone calls and letters until I had my quote" answer

I think a lot of you are being awkward for the sake of being awkward at this point.

[Willie Dee]

turbobloke said:

You need to provide your monthly internet habits before we can tell you who is getting paid for what.

No, and on that point you just flunked out.

You need to know that information before deciding what the person you are name-calling - if it was you or Frankeh, you are both such modest unassuming internet characters - actually does, before you can make a single informed claim or statement about them. Easy to make uninformed statements and wrap your errors up in humour and sarcasm though.

I'm still confident with what I said, I just need your internet history to show you your specifics, however it is clear that....

turbobloke said:

My internet habits are pretty much summed up as follows:

- PH for those moments where nothing else will do
- free newspaper sites, but not for products / services and no such links are clicked either in text or ad boxes
- academic sites and scientists' sites related to my background and current interests
- my own business websites

..... Relying on you, someone who has demonstrated repeatedly they do not understand what the internet has become and how it is used, to "pretty much sum up" their own internet useage, is not going to work.

[Eric Mc]

So - it goes like this.

I DON'T deliberately click on an advert but somehow, somewhere, an automatic system has registered me as having clicked on that advert or some sort of "link" to a site I have never visited.

As a result, a whole chain of billing and payments has been generated even though I haven't a clue that it was started by me - and I never purchased single thing

Sounds like money for old rope.

If I was a charity, I'd set up something along those lines. I'd have income flooding into me from people and businesses who didn't even know I exist.

PS - don't upset Turbobloke. You won't like him if he gets angry.

[Frankeh]

I don't understand how we've got to this absurd hypothetical that has nothing to do with what anyone originally said..

"I never click ads"

"Yes you do.."

"Nope. I've never clicked ads in my life."

(Long explanations about why you've probably clicked many ads today and not realised it) X 3

"Nope. I've never clicked ads. Where's this payment coming from. Have I not paid my google bill yadda yadda yadda"

I think some would call that a straw man argument.

[Frankeh]

Eric Mc said:

So - it goes like this.

I DON'T deliberately click on an advert but somehow, somew(..)

Keyword is highlighted. You should now understand my argument.