Securing Affiliate Links

Just when I was wondering how some bloggers can mask their referral links, MrJavo posts his blog entry about it. What he mentions in his post is really true, some people like to remove the referral code from the link that results no commission will ever arrive to the person who provides the link.

For instance when I'm putting my affiliate link here plainly as follows:
http://www.socialvibe.com/?r=30379, someone can easily erase the ?r=30379 part, and sign up to the site directly not under my ref.
It's unfair, but of course we can't force anyone to join by our reference.
Perhaps one good idea to prevent it is by masking or cloaking the affiliate link. Although this still does not guarantee that the person will do join through the provided link, at least the chance of losing the commission is minimised.

Unfortunately, I can't use the masking trick that MrJavo defines because I'm using this blogspot and all free blogspot users don't have access to root directory.
Still there are other tricks to use and so far from searching the blogsphere I found at least two ways.

First is by url redirection. There are a lot services but for this one I would suggest to use urlxl. Not only it functions as an url shrinker, but it also enables its users to share those already truncated urls by providing each of its users a page. This inventory page can be a good idea for sharing affiliate links, because users can give information about each links they put there. If this sounds confusing, just click "check our my urlxl" banner somewhere on this page, or just click
here.

Second is by masking the affiliate link. I'm not sure if the term is correct, but what I mean here is the process of which the affiliate link is redirected to a site that doesn't show the real url of that affiliate link. We need external service for this, and I always choose free service first if it's available :))
The site D95.com, URL Freeze and Viral Url are three alternative free services, each with its own vantage.
Use D95.com if you simply want to mask your link quickly and without thinking of making additional profit.
This is the implementation of how it works. Here is my plain Ask2Link affiliate link and here is my masked Ask2Link. Look upon the address bar, the later shows http://d95.com/ask2link instead of the actual address.

It works that simple. However if you want to get more benefit, then trying URL Freeze or Viral Url is a good idea. You have more control over the affiliate links you put and you can even track them. Basically you can redirect, mask, or cloak the links, and other than that you can advertise your link and banner ads through its viral toolbar. The following masked affiliate link of my Ask2link shows you how it works. Notice the viral bar on the bottom side of the page, there you could fill it with your own banner or banner of your choice. One thing you should know before you join ViralUrl, if you're just a free member, then be prepared to receive massive email offers from other members. Very annoying to me, feels like I'm getting lots of spam whenerver I open my inbox, even by deleting ViralUrl account will not guarantee stopping those emails.

Please read a clear explanation on MrJavo's post to learn about link masking with php.

Photo by .:elNico:.

Ever Wonder about this Picture?

I used to wonder whenever I pop in a blog that has nice images to complement its postings like what DoshDosh.com has. How to find that kind of images for my blog?
Then I noticed that Dosh Dosh uses images from Flickr.
That interesting, I didn't know that we can use images from Flickr for free, until I found A Complete Guide to Finding and Using Incredible Flickr Images from Skelliewag.
So start from 30 Dec 2007, I have been using images from Flickr to adorn my blog entries.

Here's a shortened version of that guide:
1. Notice the Creative Commons or copyright license of the image.
2. Don't use the copyrighted or All Rights reserved ones, you need permission from the author.
3. For hassle-free one, just look for Attribution Licence because this licence allows the images to be modified and to be used commercially or non-commercially. This Flickrcc -posted by one of the commentators there- is a good handy source of that kind of licenced images.
4. Do not forget to put a credit by linking back to the author whenever you use a photo.

To get a clearer and thorough explanation, just check A Complete Guide to Finding and Using Incredible Flickr Images, but basically those four steps are enough.
Photo by scragz

Water + Oil Fire = Blast

Read and Remember!!

A dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire (oil in a frying pan). Please read the following introduction and then watch the show. It's a real eye-opener!! Perhaps you'll want to share this information or send it on to your family and friends.

Picture this:
An instructor dons a fire suit and, using an 8 oz cup full of water at the end of a 10-foot pole, tosses water onto a grease fire.
You will not soon forget what happens.
The water, being heavier than the oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated.
The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out.
On the open field, it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembles a nuclear blast.
Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.

Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire.
One cup creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.


forwarded by Vina

Read How to Extinguish a Fire at the Initial Stages to learn the type of fire and how to handle it.