Opinions on VigLink Insert?

[Mixed]

Hello everyone!

Not sure where this really should go but General Talk seems to be open for everything. Anyway...

I'm working on a new forum and I noticed that VigLink Insert was available to be applied. I did a little of looking around to get an idea of what it was in the first place but that wasn't so helpful to find out if I should or shouldn't. You see, I'm creating an RPG forum and if I got any extra money from the VigLink Insert option, then I would use that towards making it better. Basically to add to the site.

So I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on using it. Good or bad, I'd like to hear what you all think.

Thanks!

[Patrick [ASE]]

Unless i missed an update, any form of monetising can only be done if you pay for ad free, you can have this confirmed in the Support Board

[Mixed]

Okay. Thanks, Patrick [ASE]. I'm not sure either; that's part of why I'm asking.

I haven't paid for any ad-free service. Still, when I go to the "Marketing" area in my Admin section and I find the VigLink thing. When I read what it's about, it gave me this:

VigLink is a company that helps online websites earn money from their content. ProBoards uses the VigLink Convert service to generate revenue from forums that we host. This forum is eligible to use VigLink's other product, VigLink Insert, to start earning money.

Enabling VigLink Insert allows your forum to generate revenue that is then paid out to you. When enabled, VigLink Insert examines your forum content and automatically changes keywords into relevant links. For example, the word Amazon changes to Amazon. Revenue is generated when these links are clicked or when products are purchased.

So I am REALLY not sure of whether or not it's good doing it, let alone if I can. Insight is very appreciated.

[Former Member]

Yeah, this would actually be helpful in the support board as more members (including Admins) would have more knowledge of this

[Mixed]

Thanks. I wasn't sure since it's not really a technical question. Should I move it? I figure it would get more attention but I'm afraid it might be a bad kind.

[Patrick [ASE]]

Since you made this thread for opinions, i didn't move it, but feel free to post a question in Support asking if you need to be ad free

[David Clark]

To clarify, the situation in which you'd need ad-free is when you plan on running banner ads on your forum. Our ad partners are pretty clear about their policy regarding ads that run alongside theirs, so we require that admins pay to have ours removed if they're going to run ad network advertisements of their own.

The VigLink options you find in Admin > Marketing can be utilized without an active ad-free subscription, as it's a way for admins to make money that we built right into the software.

[Mixed]

So then I could, within the parameters of the TOS and the policy with your ad partners, use the VigLink Insert WITHOUT paying to go ad free. Thank you, David Clark. And thank you again, Patrick [ASE], for your help. To both of you really. This assurance really calms me.

Then I would like to open it up, if I may, to see what the users think of it. Does it give much trouble or take away from the forum at all?

[Mixed]

Has anyone used the VigLink Insert on their forums or encountered a forum using it? If so, I'd like to hear your opinions on it. I'm sort of bouncing the fences right now between yes and no.

Thanks!

[daniel]

I'm personally not fond of insert style ads, where it replaces words from a post into an ad-link. My biggest qualm with it is that it takes a user's content and modifies that in a way that may not be immediately obvious. It takes the user's words and makes a link out of it in a way that the user has no control over. It gives the initial appearance that the user has made a link within their own post and a non-savvy user may think that the user him or herself made the link or endorses the linked content. I would not participate anywhere that uses that type of ads.

[🍁🇨🇦 Tai Pan 🇨🇦🍁]

Jan 26, 2015 7:19:19 GMT -8 Mixed said:

Has anyone used the VigLink Insert on their forums or encountered a forum using it? If so, I'd like to hear your opinions on it. I'm sort of bouncing the fences right now between yes and no.

Thanks!

I activated mine and it is sure bring lots of people viewing the board. I created a post with Amazon in it and now lots of visitors. To early to say if any good will come from it but so I can't see anything wrong with using it. You can always turn it off if you change your mind.


Update: I can't see that it does any good as the IP's that are showing up are from Amazon. Other key words like Google, Corel, NASCAR are doing nothing.

[🍁🇨🇦 Tai Pan 🇨🇦🍁]

Unless I am doing something wrong I think its a waste of time.

[Mixed]

Hey. Thank you, daniel and 🍁🇨🇦 Tai Pan 🇨🇦🍁.

I knew there were pros and cons to the thing. That's part of what I asked. Now I'm thinking that I'll wait a while and leave it up to the members who join and see what they thought.

I mean, if anyone has experience with it and could offer some insight, I would greatly appreciate it for future reference. But for now, I think I'll shelf the idea.