As a Text Link Ads affiliate we’re pleased to let you know that we’ve begun using tinyurl.com to shorten and secure our affiliate referral links. We encourage you to update your affiliate links using the following:
Homepage URL…
I thought that was a pretty strange move - to rely on a third-party (free) service that can go down anytime. I sent them an e-mail regarding this and today I got an answer:
We are working on a better solution and will have it available next week. You do not need to make any changes.
So, it looks like TLA affiliates don’t have to go through all their links to update them - which I think is great news. I look forward to seeing what solution they come up with. But things like this happen - companies change their affiliate system, the link format changes… that’s why it’s smart to cloak your affiliate links.
Are you a TLA affiliate? Had you already updated all your links?
Keywords: text link ads, text-link-ads, tla, cloak links, affiliate links, tinyurl
7 responses so far ↓
John Bennett // Aug 28, 2007 at 5:38 pm
I thought that was strange too. I read on some website that they thought it was in response to google’s not liking paid links and hopefully masking them a little bit. But who knows.
Will // Aug 29, 2007 at 12:32 pm
If they’re planning to do away with the idea of using tinyurl then why aren’t they telling affiliates before they go and change their links?
The whole thing smells like half an ass.
Hannes Johnson // Aug 30, 2007 at 12:35 am
Will - yeah, it’s all a little bit strange - and I don’t think they’ve sent out an e-mail to all their affiliates telling them not to change their links after all… I guess they’re waiting until the new solution is ready.
But it looks like they’ve received a lot of negative feedback on changing to TinyURL in the first place - and they’re listening to their affiliates which I think is a good thing.
EveryDayFiction.com // Sep 2, 2007 at 8:18 am
why in the world would they mask there own affiliates links?… it just doesn’t make sense to me
Bobby Revell // Sep 3, 2007 at 12:52 am
I have just started with advertising and do have text link ads. I did get an e-mail from them. Since this happened and me being unfamiliar with how TLA really works, I’ll spend sometime this week learning what this means. I do know that these companies have way too much to hide:)
Angie // Sep 8, 2007 at 4:22 am
I have never felt good about professional ventures relying this kid of third party product. I am so glad you wrote them to say what we were all thinking.
Chris // Sep 24, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Will is right - I also received the email concerning the TLA new link format, but didn’t knew anything [until now] about their “new” link format.
anyway - I’m very curious what is it gonna be after all
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