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Originally Posted by Toby
Some of the bullshit these guys are spouting as reasons/justification for the deceptive cross sales is comical. The sad part is they actually believe their own BS.
A larger number of affiliates are catching on to the bullshit, but I don't think that that it's getting anywhere close to a critical mass where the offending programs will take notice.
One board, mostly TGP owners, are tossing about the idea of an affiliate coalition. A loosely formed webmasters union so to speak, that would have a list of best practices and grade sponsors on their compliance.
A noble idea, but I don't know if it would ever have enough influence to put pressure on programs to comply. Perhaps if a few whales signed on?
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This idea has been kicked around in various forms since at least 1997 ranging from things like a Better Business Bureau stamp of approval to models like BizRate to pure traffic coalitions.
The problem is getting webmasters to swim in the same direction on anything is like herding cats. The reason most of the successful ones are here is they are fiercely independent and not the types who fall in line and tow a corporate line.
Also adult webmaster ethics is an oxymoron. Some of us are definitely more ethical than others, but think about it from the view of the outside world. We all make money peddling flesh on the internet, the average guy on the street will look down his nose at you and talk shit about you to his friends. Then ask you if he can have some passwords when he gets you in private.
Now add all of that with good old fashioned greed, and it's only a matter of time before it all falls apart.
There have been some coalitions with successful runs focused around simply traffic exchange, but they fall apart when the rules get too invasive. Examples include Kacy's "Certified" amateurs and way way way back in the day C.O.N.D.O.M. which was anti popup. Ynot originally also has a "Ynot Members" area that had some decent quality requirements, that too fell apart. And Ynot itself, at least the YnotRick era, tanked over blindlinks.