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Slightly related startup idea - if it were easier for you to embed Amazon affiliate links, you would have gotten ~$10 commission for that recommendation. If YC

by andreyf 18y ago

Slightly related startup idea - if it were easier for you to embed Amazon affiliate links, you would have gotten ~$10 commission for that recommendation. If YC got a cut of $5, that would add up... The way things work now Google got it (because I copy-pasted your recommendations into my search box). In general, how easy could one make it for people to recommend products to each other, and split the commission between publisher, recommender, and facilitator?

Alex3917 18y ago
"In general, how easy could one make it for people to recommend products to each other, and split the commission between publisher, recommender, and facilitator?" That's exactly what Squidoo is designed for. It's especially designed for short pages that combine advice and information with product recommendations.
- andreyf 18y ago
  short pages [...] with product recommendations Not a separate page, but right here, in news.YC, on reddit, on twitter, on mailing threads, wherever.
  - Alex3917 18y ago
    If the recommender already has the ability to earn affiliate money without the platform taking a cut, why would the recommender want to give the platform a cut? With Squidoo it makes sense because they get more traffic than they would otherwise, but if I could just set up an Amazon affiliate account and use that to post a link onto news.yc, what do I stand to gain by giving YC a cut?
    - e1ven 18y ago
      Imagine if YC were to automatically load the links, and re-format them to use the YC referrer, and then add a button in your profile that allows you to request a check for your 1/2. You don't need affiliate accounts with 15 different companies. The platform takes care of it for you, and cuts you a check. Think of it as a meta-affiliate.
    - andreyf 18y ago
      why would the recommender want to give the platform a cut? Because setting up affiliate accounts and links is a pain in the ass. You gave Google a cut by not making it a direct link - a 100% cut... if there were an easy way of inserting a link straight to Amazon, you probably would have done it. Also, platforms would be interested in providing more prominent placement for recommendations than they would other content. In other words, ads configurable by the website's users. Kind of like what Adpinion is doing, but instead of just voting on ads, you actually recommend relevant ads for the content. I'm usually really cynical about my own ideas, but this one seems pretty solid... am I missing something?

by andreyf 18y ago

Alex3917 18y ago

"In general, how easy could one make it for people to recommend products to each other, and split the commission between publisher, recommender, and facilitator?" That's exactly what Squidoo is designed for. It's especially designed for short pages that combine advice and information with product recommendations.

andreyf 18y ago
short pages [...] with product recommendations Not a separate page, but right here, in news.YC, on reddit, on twitter, on mailing threads, wherever.
- Alex3917 18y ago
  If the recommender already has the ability to earn affiliate money without the platform taking a cut, why would the recommender want to give the platform a cut? With Squidoo it makes sense because they get more traffic than they would otherwise, but if I could just set up an Amazon affiliate account and use that to post a link onto news.yc, what do I stand to gain by giving YC a cut?
  - e1ven 18y ago
    Imagine if YC were to automatically load the links, and re-format them to use the YC referrer, and then add a button in your profile that allows you to request a check for your 1/2. You don't need affiliate accounts with 15 different companies. The platform takes care of it for you, and cuts you a check. Think of it as a meta-affiliate.
  - andreyf 18y ago
    why would the recommender want to give the platform a cut? Because setting up affiliate accounts and links is a pain in the ass. You gave Google a cut by not making it a direct link - a 100% cut... if there were an easy way of inserting a link straight to Amazon, you probably would have done it. Also, platforms would be interested in providing more prominent placement for recommendations than they would other content. In other words, ads configurable by the website's users. Kind of like what Adpinion is doing, but instead of just voting on ads, you actually recommend relevant ads for the content. I'm usually really cynical about my own ideas, but this one seems pretty solid... am I missing something?