Affiliate manager sharing lists of affiliates

[universal4]

It's no secret that spam is bad.

In fact almost every single affiliate program in the Gambling World has very specific guidelines and terms to restrict affiliates from using spam to market the properties the programs represent.

If two affiliates have a database of players, and they trade them, any mailing either one of them would do to market casinos to the new list would (and should) be considered spam.

Based upon the above statement, why then would affiliate managers constantly think it is ok to buy, sell, trade or swap lists of affiliates to market the affiliate programs to????

It is absolutely NOT OK!

I constantly here from manament say things like, "Well how am I supposed to get a list of affiliates to approach then?"

If that is an allowed attitude, how do you answer, "Well how am I supposed to get a list of potential players to market to by email?"

I know my statements above are not exactly popular among all affiliate managers, well the TOS that allows affiliate programs to close accounts when affiliate are found spamming for players is not very popular among the spammers, but they HAVE to exist.

The next time you get ready to send to that list, ask yourself, how did I aquire this list? Would the way I aquired this list be an acceptable way for my affiliates to aquire the lists they might use to market to players?

Rick
Universal4

[arkyt]

This seems to happen all the time - just a few weeks ago I was getting repeatedly emailed by Rialto and when I asked where they got my email they told story after story hoping it would be easy to cast me away. Clearly they didn’t know me. They either got a database of affiliates from another program and/or they were harvesting emails from GPWA/CAP etc. because I had never worked with them or their AM - never had even heard of the guys name before.

In addition, it seems a lot of affiliate managers feel it’s ok to change companies and they leave with the database of affiliate emails under their arms. If there was a personal working relationship with certain affiliates -I imagine they would already be in the AMs address book, but to take name who they had never worked with before - is as you said a big no-no!

What really irritates me here is that the GPWA has published a Code of Conduct and let’s be honest here – it’s pretty damned flimsy, yet they still can’t adhere to it. Last year one of the GPWA sponsors openly stated they were sharing player emails with select affiliates for promotional purposes and from what I recall no GPWA spokesperson made any sort of public statement on the issue - seeming it was a non-issue. Really? Are those sponsorship monies really more important than the industry as a whole?

The last year I have grown so sick and tired of the BS that’s being permitted to fester. In my eyes it is clear that the GPWA is reluctant to take action against its sponsors because they don’t want to jeopardize that monetarily motivated relationship unless they absolutely have to. Unless a large number of members rise to the call GPWA is seemingly all too happy to ignore wrong doings. How does that benefit the community? How does that benefit the industry a whole?

Things have drastically changed the last few years and I'm having a really tough time considering that any of it has been for the better - least not for affiliates in general.

If you had to choose one which would you select? The industry is a snowball on the crest of a hill about to tumble downward. The industry is a rocketship preparing to take off and is about to skyrocket upward?

[FictionNet]

arkyt - "hoping it would be easy to cast me away" - they couldn't really have pissed a worse person for that. Okay, maybe myself would be worse

[universal4]

When I firat posted the above, I actually had a bet with myself on who would post below it.

You two did not let me down, you were both in the running....lol

Rick
Universal4

[arkyt]

You two did not let me down, you were both in the running...

Yah, its really sad only a few care about things like this! Damn more people seemed interested in voting on damn favicon than they do their own business - how can that be?

[Chips]

This is a big issue that continues to grow by the day. I used to get pissed and grill the person that mailed me on how they obtained my address but it is to the point that I realize I will never get a straight or honest answer. I just delete the mail and move on with what I was doing. These clowns are not worth my time. I do keep a file of repeat offenders just for my benefit.

What really will tick me off is the AM that goes to whois and contacts me through Domains by Proxy, that is a sure fire way to get on my bad side. I have even had programs ask me to sign up via that method without ever looking at my site. They would have seen their listing on the home page and with a bit of looking, had my email in the system.

end rant, blood pressure is rising

[FictionNet]

Okay, I'm being totally honest here (you'd expect no less) and it prolly doesn't go with the flow of the thread or what you'd expected from me, but... being approached (I'll agree to call it spamming) by an affiliate manager doesn't actually bother me. Really.

Quite why I see a difference between player spam and affiliate spam, I don't know... I just know that I don't mind receiving e-mails or MSMs from merchants, asking for coverage. Perhaps I consider it to be a valid business approach.

One thing I've introduced at CasinoBeacon is a review fee which is essential prior to a merchant being added to the site. It's definitely helped to ease the pressure with this area. Serious contenders are happy to pay the review fee and those who just want to chase easy coverage disappear before long.

[baldidiot]

One thing I've introduced at CasinoBeacon is a review fee which is essential prior to a merchant being added to the site. It's definitely helped to ease the pressure with this area. Serious contenders are happy to pay the review fee and those who just want to chase easy coverage disappear before long.

Interesting... what has the response from the programs been? And what kind of fee are we talking? (don't worry about it if you don't want to say )

[FictionNet]

Interesting... what has the response from the programs been? And what kind of fee are we talking? (don't worry about it if you don't want to say )

I'll drop you a PM.

[universal4]

I would be interested in how well the fee has gone over also.

But back on track, what bugs me the most about this is the way in which the affiliate managers are buying/selling/trading our private information as if was an acceptable practice.

I have gotten a few managers to be honest about how they obtained my information, and although it bugs the pi** out of me, I will at least mark that management person as someone that might readily answer my pointed questions with honesty.

Rick
Universal4