[nytrokiss]

I am starting with Linkshare and i would like to know the good and the bad so please everyone tell me what they like and don't like about linkshare!

Similar polls for other networks: CJ | ShareASale

[pexcornel]

works for me.
there are merchants who make sales and there are others that just doesnt work at all, you can send 5000 a month in traffic and not see a single sale.
you know, on my site i have a "buy now" button witch i track. so you expect when you see a click on buy now that a user really wants to buy that item.
Well... i have merchants with 1000 buy nows a month and 0 sales.
it's not like a banner or just search for more info... I mean.. it's BuyNow!...
I have merchants that for every 5 buynows there is a sale!
also they pay very slow, like 3 monts apart.
for me is way better than cj.

[Eric Ewe]

I think it varies from site to site.
I am a linkshare merchant and I know that alot of people complaint about their new reporting program but if you use the old one, it works.

There are 3 major network, Linkshare, CJ, performics and then SAS.

[Billy Kay]

There are 3 major network, Linkshare, CJ, performics and then SAS.

We should buy Brian a t-shirt with "and then there's SAS"

Nytro,

In all honesty... all networks suc&*&*

and all networks are great

There's 1000 anti-Linkshare postes here, and 1000 anti-CJ

What matters is your relationship with the merchant

This way, when a problem comes up at a network, you've got a "partner" on your side

[Alan Hamilton]

Billy - I agree with you that THE most important element is the relationship an affiliate has with his / her merchants. I think SaS is a great partner for our program, but the bottom line is that if an affiliate has a problem, a good merchant is the fail safe.

[netnow22]

5 STars

[Geno Prussakov]

Originally Posted by nytrokiss

I am starting with Linkshare and i would like to know the good and the bad so please everyone tell me what they like and don't like about linkshare!

Kiss, welcome to the forum!

Great thread!!

You may also want to search the forum for comments on Linkshare...

Geno

[Geno Prussakov]

I have just added a poll to your thread, nytrokiss: On the scale of 1 (being the worst) to 10 (being the best of all networks), please rate LinkShare.

If possible, kindly substantiate your choice in a separate post in this thread.

Hope this helps.

Geno

[Leader]

I give it a 2.

They're no help if the merchant's a crook (in fact they're SO useless against crooks that I think they draw such duds to their network). LS themselves have been caught being very slow cutting checks (for merchants whose payments are mailed by LS), and their attitude over the years has been insufferable. Their contests have been examples of a lack of a real compliance department. And, recently, merchants who switch to Snare have been bouncing back out of there after only a few months. Something must be pretty bad about them lately (for their merchants), to be motivating new merchant-side arrivals to figure out a way to get back out of LS so fast!

That said, they get a 2 instead of a 1, because there are some small-time crook networks that are even worse.

[Geno Prussakov]

Good number of votes in, but it would be good to get more (together with constructive comments). After all, besides making money, we're in this business to make this industry a better place, aren't we?

Geno

[Geno Prussakov]

14 votes in. Not bad. Let's get some more!!

Geno

[Sam Bay]

I rate it 1.
A lot of things are broken at Linkshare, starting with site log in to receiving payments. I just Linkshare as something we have to bear to be able work with many good merchants it has.

[Geno Prussakov]

19 votes is better than 14, but let's see some more, please!!

Thanks,

Geno

[Rick - Bitcom]

I guess this thread brings up a question....why do affiliates think the network is so important?

Isn't the heart of the relationship with the merchant? The merchant defines commissions, creative, link strategy, communication...just about everything important about the relationship. The network is only a middleman that provides reporting and tracking...an important role but way secondary to the real stuff.

Am I just missing something?

[Eric Ewe]

Talking about tracking, looks like they have a redirect problem.

[Trust]

Originally Posted by GigaGolf

I guess this thread brings up a question....why do affiliates think the network is so important?

Isn't the heart of the relationship with the merchant? The merchant defines commissions, creative, link strategy, communication...just about everything important about the relationship. The network is only a middleman that provides reporting and tracking...an important role but way secondary to the real stuff.

Am I just missing something?

The merchant is most important unless they're on a network that makes their partners unhappy or that network is having problems, two of what you mentioned, reporting and tracking. If CJ went with javascript only, it wouldn't matter how great the merchant is because the network did something to disrupt that relationship. If Linkshare removes old reporting, I among many others won't be happy. That kind of thing.

[Rhia7]

I like Linkshare

I really like its advanced specific product link creator/generator that allows the webmaster to create specific picture products from the merchant's website as well as original text/copy. The advanced linking system represents Linkshare's best feature (when it is working *and* when the links go to the intended spot on the merchant's site)


Linkshare is not good if the merchant opted out of the advanced option


Linkshare is awful when the product links either do not work at all or the product links merely go to an insipid merchant home page/main page


In terms of the financial reporting, the "old method" still is working -- at least I recently received a check and the checks are the real deal to me.
Synergy Analytics is a joke

[Geno Prussakov]

I like the way this poll is moving.

I am sure Linshare likes to see that over half of people that have participated in the poll voted for 50%+ of the votes above "5".

The comments are interesting. I wish we had more of them.

Looking forward to more votes too.

Geno

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Geno Prussakov

...over half of people that have participated in the poll voted for 50%+ of the votes above "5"...

I, too, voted in that 50% sample, but only because I have had no problems with my very limited LinkShare experience.

I have been with LS for 6 years, originally signing up in August of 1999, but have been so wrapped up (focused?) in my travel (hotels) business I never got much going with "other" merchants (my hotel fulfillment is all direct). I receive consistent, but very small checks from two merchants at LinkShare.

However, since I began my diversification efforts several months ago, I am getting to know a couple more merchants at LinkShare and anticipate doing more affiliate business with a much wider variety of merchants--some related to hospitality and some not. I feel that merchant-affiliate interaction surpasses the rep of the network. Fortunately some of those "new" merchants for me -- are also contributors here at ABW.

[MichaelColey]

Wow, great poll! I'd love to see a similar one for each network.

LinkShare could learn a lot about this. Over half of voters give LinkShare between a 1 and a 5, which is just awful. And on the top end, it looks like most of their biggest fans (me included) refuse to give them anything higher than an 8. I think that shows that they have a ways to go before they reach perfection.

I think LinkShare has a lot going for it. They have some incredible, highly recognized merchants. They now have consolidated, direct deposit payments. They have an affiliate advisory board and are listening. They're somewhat active here on ABW.

On the other hand, they've made a lot of missteps in the past. They've implemented tons of things that only complicate things for affiliates. Most of that is in the past, except for Synergy Analytics. They still don't understand how awful that is.

There's still a lot LinkShare could do to improve their reputation with affiliates.

[MINDsprinter]

As a LS merchant, I don't really have a good comparison to other networks, so really I just rated the LS interface.

That said, it isn't awful (it's functional), but it isn't nice, pretty, or easy to use by any means!

There are just lots of inconsistancies. When I click on an affiliate's name, sometimes I get the more information screen, and sometimes it is a direct jump to their website. Pick one!

In some places I can search by URL or name or comment I have entered, and some places I can't.

Sometimes the fields are arranged so they make sense, and sometimes they aren't.

When I run reports on my best converting creatives, when I click on the creative I want to see what that creative is and what the stats are, not what affiliates are running that creative.

LS really needs to hire a UI designer to clean things up in there!

[Rhia7]

Originally Posted by MichaelColey

Wow, great poll! I'd love to see a similar one for each network.

LinkShare could learn a lot about this. Over half of voters give LinkShare between a 1 and a 5, which is just awful. And on the top end, it looks like most of their biggest fans (me included) refuse to give them anything higher than an 8. I think that shows that they have a ways to go before they reach perfection.

There's still a lot LinkShare could do to improve their reputation with affiliates.

I gave Linkshare an "8" but my vote was cast prior to my knowledge of the "voluntary" deactivation debacle

I have been with Linkshare since 1999 and I would never deactivate my account. I am still upset by the "voluntary" deactivation debacle. I create all of my Linkshare links manually and put a lot of time and effort into doing so. After their deactivation mistake, I feel like giving them a -8 (negative eight).

I stay with Linkshare because the products offered by many merchants convert for me and also because of my previous accolades listed.