How many affiliates are too much?

[Morrigan 1,826]

Affiliates used to be a means of saying "I support this site" but has turned more into a mutual advertising space for people and some sites advertise a ton of affiliates and some advertise just a few.

 

How do you feel about affiliates?

Do you even go to look at affiliates or do you just look at their "directory sites" or "listed at" sites to get your site out there more?

How many affiliates do you think is too much and just image noise at that point?

Have you ever joined a site that you found from an affiliate link?

 

[Deep Sea 326]

I've joined sites based on affiliates! That's how I ended up finding some cool resource sites to hang out on, like Pixel Perfect. I like them, I think mutual advertising is beneficial, but I wish that we, as a community of RPers, would move on from the 88x31 button. They're so small, I have to depend on alt/hover text to see the name of the site and figure out what it's really about.

 

IMO, more than a dozen affiliates on a non-resource board looks a bit tacky, especially if they're all scrolling or have unusual hover effects.

[M00N 2]

I once joined a site that had over 20+ affys under their belt. Not going to lie but when I look at sites I tend to look at the affys that they have there. Only problem is, that if they get to be a large amount it kind of takes up more of the board then I would like. So maybe....a good amount would be like between 10-15?

[Sage 289]

I always look at affiliates - if I find a site I like but I’m not really vibing with I’ll check out their affs to see if there’s another like it I can join. 

 

Ive gotten several members through affiliates! They always say”your button was so cute I had to click it”

 

I always keep up with my affiliates as well  - make sure their site is active, that there’s no weird drama, etc. Bc having an aff means you endorse that site. And if I end up shrugging off my members and guests onto these places when activity is slow or whatever I want to keep my rep. I just assume other sites are this way too. 

 

I do t mind sites with lots of affs. Honestly I like options. ESP if they’re organized in a visually pleasing way

[Elena 546]

How do you feel about affiliates?

 

I like them and I think they are necessary in order to get the word out about a site. 

 

Do you even go to look at affiliates or do you just look at their "directory sites" or "listed at" sites to get your site out there more?

 

I do look at affiliates AND directory sites.

 

How many affiliates do you think is too much and just image noise at that point?

 

I used to think - the more, the merrier. I asked for affiliation sites I was friends with the administrators or other historical sites. But I never denied any request I received.

 

The fact that I have now only a few and even these hidden under another tab than the c-box isn't reflecting the way I am thinking, but how the co-administrator in charge with coding and graphics is thinking, because for her the uniform look is the most important.

 

Have you ever joined a site that you found from an affiliate link?

 

Yes, I have. They aren't alive anymore.

[CovertSphinx 710]

I haven't looked at Affiliates in a long time, because of the growth from "Sister Sites / Friends we support and recommend" to "Picture Ads Classified Section". I mean, I'll look through them for other directory sites or places to post my site's ad on, but not what Affies are SUPPOSED* (in my eyes) to be for. 

 

In the past I used to affiliate with anybody who was in the same/similar genre, giving special positioning to site run by people who were members of our site. 

 

Now, I've decided to ONLY affiliate with sites that the members I have are also a part of (doesn't have to be as a staff member). Because I feel that Affies in general should go back to being a special selection rather than an advertising free-for-all. I want to have a closer/better relation with my affies than just peeking in to make sure their still alive once in a blue moon. 

Edited December 18, 2018 by CovertSphinx

[c.widow 123]

How do you feel about affiliates?
I do like affiliates to an extent. Upon seeing affiliates via other boards I imagine administration support this site for a reason. If the site I am on is quite interesting but perhaps not my particular ball in the field I see affiliates as a means to find something similar but possibly my ball in the field. Although sites with an abundant amount of affiliates with a wild strand of differences I avoid looking through those affiliates as they are not exactly the type of advertising I am looking for.

 

Do you even go to look at affiliates or do you just look at their "directory sites" or "listed at" sites to get your site out there more?
I am always curious about directory sites, I do like to see sites involved in an outside community of role players for both their members and guests to see and be like "hey thanks for the recommendation, I'll check out that community!" I do not normally go to a site to look specifically at affiliates unless I have determined the site is not a good fit for me but perhaps an affiliate of theirs is.

 

How many affiliates do you think is too much and just image noise at that point?

Personally, if a site has more than 15 affiliates I get a bit overwhelmed, some aff images are flashy/bright/moving/etc. where a lot in one space can really bother my brain. I do not, however, consider directory/listing/other non rp site affiliates in this count as they are usually positioned elsewhere or in their own section.

Have you ever joined a site that you found from an affiliate link?

Once or twice.

[Kit the Human 758]

Anymore than ten and what's the point? Your tiny button is buried with a bunch of others and not given a chance to stand out on it's own.

 

And then the usual stuff I gripe on about, the site takes too long to load so I hit stop and see broken images instead.

 

Though hey, people with obscene amounts of buttons do not care about either pint because they've achieved their goal: saturation of the "market."

 

I have joined a site found through affiliations. I'm a current and active enough member.

[Jor 13]

Around ten is enough to me. Marquee/scrolling affiliates are even worse than too many, though -- having to wait for them all to scroll by significantly reduces the chance that I (or any other user) will click them.

[Icewolf 258]

I find the way that people chop and change affiliates, remove them without letting the site know, etc, puts me off from doing them, so I probably won't do them from now on, unless the owner of the site was close friend, or had helped out greatly in getting the site off the ground. I don't mind affiliate links to resource sites because the members have usually been very helpful with advice, sorting out code, and such and sometimes, a site probably wouldn't exist or be able to carry on without them.

 

It's the lack of communication, more than anything that bothers me because if a forum has an ad board, the links could just go in there if they aren't going to be anything more than an ad.

[Huskerdust 625]

I don't like more than 2 lines on the footer of my board so that's where I keep it. That's 20 in all, but normally we have less.

[Nariko 15]

Giant blocks of images bother me, aesthetically. I'll generally stop mine around two lines, depending on how big the section for it is.

 

I do click around them, though, but I can't say I've ever joined a site from them. I just like seeing different sites, and clicking a button, and more buttons from that one, is a pretty easy way of site-hopping. I'm notoriously finicky about what sites I'll join, though, so it's probably more a "me" thing that I haven't joined anything from affiliate buttons.

[Karebear 20]

On 12/17/2018 at 6:02 AM, Morrigan said:

How do you feel about affiliates?

Do you even go to look at affiliates or do you just look at their "directory sites" or "listed at" sites to get your site out there more?

How many affiliates do you think is too much and just image noise at that point?

Have you ever joined a site that you found from an affiliate link?

 

1. I like affiliates, gives people a choice to see what else is out there. 

2. Oh, I LOVE looking around affiliate sites. I love to see how other people lay things out, not just skins but forums and things.

 

3. That's a tough call but seriously when it's a full screen of buttons or this scrolling mass that never seems to end. 

4. Yes, I have. As I said, I love looking around affiliate sites and sometimes I stick around because I've enjoyed them so much.

[StormWolfe 557]

How do you feel about affiliates?

• I can take 'em or leave 'em. I will add static affiliate buttons to my site(s) if asked. Don't care if they do the same.

Do you even go to look at affiliates or do you just look at their "directory sites" or "listed at" sites to get your site out there more?

• I scan the static buttons and occasionally click around out of curiosity.

How many affiliates do you think is too much and just image noise at that point?

• Really depends on board layout. But I wouldn't want to deal with more than 10 on my site.

Have you ever joined a site that you found from an affiliate link?

• Not other than the Initiative. ;)

[HotPinkUnicornMess 51]

How do you feel about affiliates?
I think having affiliates on the right sites, or sites like yours/also from directories. I still think they are important for both sites. 
 

Do you even go to look at affiliates or do you just look at their "directory sites" or "listed at" sites to get your site out there more?
All of the above. When I visit a site I look to see: are the affiliate buttons displaying properly? A lot of the time if I see the broken image replacement I assume the website isn't as active as it used to be because admin/staff haven't cleaned up. Then I check out which directories they may be listed at, and the other role playing sites they are affiliated with--then usually go visit. 
 

How many affiliates do you think is too much and just image noise at that point?
Personal preference: 6-8. Depends on how the website presents them in their design. I've seen a few websites that literally have 15 affiliate buttons across and 15 down with no ticker or way to collapse or hide on the header and it makes my eyes cross. 
 

Have you ever joined a site that you found from an affiliate link?
Directory? Yes. RPD? Yes. Other role playing websites? No. And it's not because I don't want to, it's because running my own takes all my time and energy and I also work part time in retail (which also sucks my life force away) and I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to be active enough for another site.