Are Review Sites Thieves?

[Cozy Monica]

I've seen this topic floated around in various places, like boards and articles etc... and I'm a little curious as to what the people here think on the issue.

There are people who feel that review sites steal sales, because they become the middle man. Surfers are given the idea that they need someone to tell them where to shop, and they start going to their fav review site any time they want to visit a new porn site, hence nobody else can ever really make a sale to that surfer because they are lost to the review site.

There are also those that feel very angry with paysites because they provide recips on their tours to review sites. This means that when you, the affil, send surfers to a site, they may choose to leave the site to read the review, and then will end up making the sale through the review site's affil links.

What do you guys think on this?

[RachiRach]

That is part of the game though isn't it, to get the surfer first. Many ways of doing it, with a review site offering a personal point of view.

I can see why linking back to your own reviews would not be a good idea though, actually that would be pretty stoopid.

[Walrus]

Rabbit's Reviews dominates ALL! Every other adult search I do seems to come up with Rabbit's Reviews! So maybe review site are killing the affiilates and not tube sites!!!

[Cozy Monica]

Laugh, perhaps I will regreat starting this thread.

I'm personally of the belief that review sites do not steal... but I could be a little biased.

By the same argument, one could say that TGPs steal traffic because surfers will always rush to their favorite TGP to find galleries from whatever paysite they are considering buying from, and then eventually will buy from there.

[phuckbunny]

Good question. Wouldn't this depend on the tracking cookie the sponsor uses?

[artwilliams]

Review sites are affiliates.

[Mr. Lovepants]

I don't think they are thieves, they are selling porn like everyone else. But I probably wouldn't promote a sponsor if it put a link back to the review in a position where it might inluence the surfers I just sent them.

Having just read a couple of Rabbits reviews I don't think I would join a porn site based on what they say but it may distract me enough to forget the site I was just about to join and surf off somewhere else.

[Lana]

Good question. Wouldn't this depend on the tracking cookie the sponsor uses?

Yes. My cookies are good for 3 days so a surfer could go from your site to my site and then a review site and back and you'd still get the sale.

Review sites are affiliates.

You wold think so but only one of the sites that reviewed me actually signed up as an affiliate.
I learned the hard way. Don't go to a review site too early on in your career. They will likely say you 're new and don't have much content then never update. All my reviews are from 2005 and say I'm brand new.

[mynameisjim]

Lana, don't your cookies get overwritten?

Not saying just you, but everybody. I believe the last touch gets the sale.

[Lana]

Nope, you can set your affs cookies in the cc processors control panel. From nothing to whatever you want. I'm quite generous at three days.
They can go from your site to mine then bounce around as much as they want within that time frame before they join and you'll still get the sale.

[razor]

Some programs set their cookies for 30days or longer

[porn punk]

Originally posted by razor
Some programs set their cookies for 30days or longer

I personally think 30 days is fucking insane, but explains a lot of the high ratio questions. The way I see it, if you can't get someone to sign up in a few days of your tour, gallery, free site etc., you're parasiting off the guy (gal) with the good technique (since we're discussing theives - though not sure I'd go that far. I like parasite.

But aren't we all sort of parasites and vampires in the eyes of God.)

Okay, enough Zen.

A few days I can understand because the surfer might be cruising for the best bang for his buck and then come back after deciding your sponsor had it, but if it takes him 30 days to decide, I wouldn't be expecting a rebill from that costumer anyway (if you get one crummy sign up in the first place).

I actually like the overwrite the best personally, but do think a few days is fair enough.

[Cozy Monica]

When I saw this particular topic come up elsewhere, I was thinking about the cookies and wondering why someone would think anyone could steal the sale once they had sent a surfer to the site.

However, I guess you could still see the links to review sites on a paysite tour as leaks, because it can encourage the surfer to leave if something catches their eye and forget about the site you just sent them to.

[mynameisjim]

Can someone else confirm this.

It's my understanding that even with a 30 day cookie, it can be overwritten. It's always the last touch.

That's why if a surfer clicks on your 3 day cookie, then clicks you link again after 2 days, it resets to 3 days again.

The expiration doesn't make the cookie immune to being overwritten.

At least that's my understanding for most affiliate cookies I've examined.

[Lana]

Jim, I'm not sure we're talking the same thing.
When I was with CCbill their explanation was; if aff A comes to the site he can leave then bounce around within the time period then comes back and joins, aff A will get the sale.
However, if during his bouncing around he lands on another aff - aff B, then comes and joins aff B will get the sale over riding aff A.
I can't confirm this it's just what CCbill told me.

[mynameisjim]

That clears it up. I wasn't sure if people were saying that the cookie would hold no matter what, which I knew was not the case.

[theviking]

Are Review Sites Thieves?

Sure they are.
As well as tgp's, linklist's, toplist's,blogs, galleries, freesites, paysites, seosites and edu sites.

Why ask...

[Lana]

So yeah Jim I can see what Monica's saying.
If the aff spends his hard earned time promoting a site then the surfer checks the review link on that site to get an idea of the site. Then the review site grabs the sale. Well? Are they thieves??
But like I said only one review site has actually signed up on mine.
My review sites get me sales and they don't cost me or my affs a cent.

[mynameisjim]

Originally posted by Lana
So yeah Jim I can see what Monica's saying.
If the aff spends his hard earned time promoting a site then the surfer checks the review link on that site to get an idea of the site. Then the review site grabs the sale. Well? Are they thieves??
But like I said only one review site has actually signed up on mine.
My review sites get me sales and they don't cost me or my affs a cent.

I agree, having a link on a tour to a review site with an affiliate link is pretty bad. A better option would be for the paysite to copy the review, host it on their own site then just link to that.

[Lana]

Interesting you say that. That's what I did with my only review site aff ages ago. See!