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I think affiliate links should be banned or restricted from this instance (lemmy.ca)

submitted 1 year ago by SymbolicLink@lemmy.ca to c/main@lemmy.ca

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I noticed this Wealthsimple Community pop up in my "active" list today.

Clicked in and noticed its empty, but the sidebar contains a sneaky affiliate link for the moderator of that community.

Same thing with the Wealthsimple Trade Community.

I think this sort of activity should be banned from here tbh, definitely at the mod level.

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[–] SymbolicLink@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Sneaky as in the wording doesn’t convey that they are getting a benefit (which they are). And it’s also written to intentionally confuse using wording like “use our affiliate link”. Who is “our”? It’s just one person who is trying to make some cash?

It’s just so out of place on the platform and shouldn’t be allowed IMO. Especially added by a mod in the sidebar of a community. Better approach would be a stickied post with affiliate links posted by users or something similar.

“If you’re interested in joining Wealthsimple, you can take advantage of our referral link. By using it, you’ll receive up to $3,000 in cash to trade stocks or crypto when you fund a DIY trading or Managed Investing account. Use code XXXXX or the link below to sign up.”

[–] blazera@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And it’s also written to intentionally confuse using wording like “use our affiliate link”.

This sounds like sarcasm even though its not. Yeah? Explicitly saying its an affiliate link is sneaky and confusing to you? Are you mad someone benefitted from you clicking a link? Does it lead to malware? Youre trying to poison this platform with excessive restrictions. Content creators gonna stop by, see that they cant link to their content if they make money from it, theyre outta here.

[–] SymbolicLink@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I disagree, not making it explicit adds a level of abstraction and assumes that everyone needs to know how online affiliate programs work. Users should know, without any question or confusion, who exactly is benefiting and how whenever they use an affiliate link. Otherwise there are perverse incentives.

And its not just me, here is the FTC's stance.

You should disclose your relationship to the retailer clearly and conspicuously on your site, so readers can decide how much weight to give your endorsement. You could say something like, “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” In some instances – like when the affiliate link is embedded in your product review – a single disclosure may be adequate.

I know FTC is American, but I think its a good guideline.

[–] blazera@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

I dont think, "because people dont know what words mean" is any kind of argument for something being sneaky or confusing.

Anyway yall are calling for it to be banned entirely and like i said that's gonna poison this site.

[–] Rodeo@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

That's just a more elaborate version of advertising. How about we just ban advertising all together.