Opinions on content partner sites?

[lernerj]

I've got a query for you wiser and more experienced epinionators (although newer people are still welcome to weigh in, of course!). Sorry if this has already been discussed to death; I haven't ever run into anyone talking about it.

I'm wondering how peple feel about the ethics of content partner sites. It seems that every time I read advice about how to earn more on the site, they note that content partner sites are the way to go. But something about them just doesn't seem right to me. I can fully understand how having an external website which brings people to epinions would be helpful and could merit someone earning extra money.

What I don't really understand is why people should earn money by having people read opinions they would already have read anyway, just through a different source. So, if I click on a link in the EA Just In and go to a content partner site rather than the regular epinions site, that earns money for someone, but why? How does this help epinions, and if it does not, why are more people not annoyed about the practice?

Insight, please--I just can't figure this one out.

jennifer

[amykhar]

Epinions created the content partner sites as a way for us to market Epinions to the outside world. In the past, members were even paid for surfing on their own partner sites - that is no longer.

I have never had a problem with people using their content partner sites to draw readers to their reviews. Part of being successful at epinions, unfortunately, requires marketing.

Some people make the bulk of their money in IS because they write product reviews that interest the masses. Others make their money in eroyalties because they know how to play the Epinions game and keep readers coming back to their reviews. Others, succeed by marketing and promoting their partner sites.

Each of those three ways allows different people to capitalize on their own strengths and make a few dollars on the site. I used to think that people would stick around even without money. I now know that that's not true. Financial incentive is going to be necessary to keep Epinions as active as it needs to be to pay the bills.

Amy

[magenta321]

Epinions created the content partner sites as a way for us to market Epinions to the outside world. In the past, members were even paid for surfing on their own partner sites - that is no longer.

~Amy

Ok, when I wrote my review I swear I stumbled across something that said that Epinions was paying for hits you generate to your own CP, which didn't make sense to me, but it seemed to explain why I was getting paid for so many CP hits. Of course, I just went to Epinions so I could quote the passage, and I cannot find it. I can only find one which says we do not get paid for your own hits to your own CP site.

What I don't really understand is why people should earn money by having people read opinions they would already have read anyway, just through a different source.

~Jennifer

Basically, Epinions does no advertising. We do all of the advertising for Epinions. If you are getting your name out there, or your reviews, or just a link to Epinions, they reward you. The way you can prove it is you generating the hits is through your CP site. It's almost like being an affiliate to Epinions.

I feel as though anything I do to market Epinions (whether it be through my currently-non-functioning website, my reviews, or by referring people) that Epinions should share the pie with me. When Epinions does the marketing (like through search engines, or by featuring me because I am an advisor) they don't have to share anything extra with me Any place I am able to put a link to my CP site, I am doing the marketing, not Epinions, so I want my piece of the pie

I have to admit that the first person who made me physically cringe on Epinions was a person who was advising people to set up a CP site but had no other web site of his own.

Sorry... a profile page and a different header does not a CP site make.

The idea of CP sites, as I understood them, was that Epinions is adding value to a person's individual site while the individual site owner is bringing readers to Epinions. It should be a win/win situation.

I really don't mind that Epinions eliminated pay for people browsing their own CP sites. Sure, it was a great way to make money, but it really drew lots of capital out of the Epinions coffers that could have gone for other things... like larger IS or eRoyalties.

I do mind that they also changed the rates at which people could collect from their CP. I have a small web site. It gets traffic, but not so much that I will ever bring Epinions enough hits to make a buck. It's just so discouraging to put so much work into my CP and then not be able to make anything from it.

[nicholmere]

I've flitted back and forth with my thoughts on this one, and I've tried different approaches. In the end this is what works for me:

For visitors I have a link on my profile page that says if something I wrote makes them want to join Epinions then click - here. It goes to my content partner site.

I have my own web site and all the links for reviews are to my content partner site. I believe in that case that the people coming to Epinions from my site are new visitors, and therefore I feel comfortable being rewarded for their surfing time.

Bottom line for me:
The content partner site is a nice way to be rewarded for bringing new people to the site.

[magenta321]

Why reward only for the new people.

For example, I might write something in here (and have my link to Epinions). You may be intrigued, and go to my profile page, read some of my epinions, rate them, leave comments, and maybe even write your own review. If I am the one who lured you in, and you did something which improved the site (rating, commenting, writing) then I think I should be rewarded, whether you were already a member or not. Afterall, you are contributing to the site and making it better.

[erik_kosberg]

A tempest in a teapot? Rates paid for CP hits are way down from what they used to be. I can’t imagine that there’s more than a handful of people making “significant” money from CP sites with the rate structure the way that it is now.