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Did Linden Lab Close The Affiliate Program?


Caroline Takeda
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1 hour ago, Caroline Takeda said:

The Second Life affiliate program used to be hosted on commission junction.

I can not find it there an longer, did LL close the program or did they move it to another platform?
I did inquire via the affiliate e-mail, but I do not get an answer at all.

This? https://www.secondlife.com/affiliate

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Hi Caroline and bigmoe,

Thanks for posting this thread and to answer your questions, we ended our partnership with CJ in favor of an in-house solution we're looking to get out the door into a beta this year.

While CJ had done well for us in the past, there are several reasons for this change:

  1. CJ's support for affiliates wasn't where we needed it to be; we were answering technical support inquiries for their platform, unrelated to our program
  2. The process to get set up as an affiliate was a whopping 22 slide deck and not intuitive; I personally wrote up a how-to manual given we had so many people who wanted to join were having issues (see #1), it was still confusing for most...
  3. CJ has not scaled well with the new types of affiliates + influencers that are on the web today; any technology we use to bring awareness to Second Life should not be a hinderance but a useful tool (see #1 & #2)
  4. Many residents have been asking for a way to refer their friends and family and with the "Second Life Affiliate Program" undergoing a revision, we're investigating how to roll referrals and SL external affiliates into one platform while fending off program abuse (the latter which we constantly had to monitor for on CJ).

If you have any ideas for the affiliate and/or referral program, please send a message to feedback [at] lindenlab [dot] com and I will read them, or feel free to post them in the thread here.

~ Darcy

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/13/2022 at 10:46 PM, Darcy Linden said:

Hi Caroline and bigmoe,

Thanks for posting this thread and to answer your questions, we ended our partnership with CJ in favor of an in-house solution we're looking to get out the door into a beta this year.

 

Hi Darcy,

I used to promote Second Life on my various blogs in the past. I stopped the program because  commission was too low, it was not really worthwhile, and I had my share of trouble with CJ as well.

When I saw that the Lab increased the commission substantially ( 2 US per registration is motivating) I decided to give it a go again. I even created a noob-orientated story line again, to drive newcomer-traffic to the site. I did clear my stuff with CJ, only to find out SL was gone from their platform.

I am really looking forward to see what solution you come up with. I hope it is going to be soon, so we can start making some money together. I do get some serious traffic and most of it comes from Google, that means a lot of potential newbe traffic.

I was also inquiring about your b2b model (using SL as virtual Workspace) but never got an answer. I have seen the landing pages and was wondering if there is some kind of commission deal on that too. I would be able to promote that in Germany on a a related blog (Topic sales and marketing).

I have seen  SL you on flexoffers, is that active and valid?

The most professional platform in Germany is this one:

https://www.awin.com/us/publishers

It is owned by Springer Media, one of the biggest Media companies in Germany

(They do international companies as well)

 

 

 

Edited by Caroline Takeda
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On 4/13/2022 at 10:46 PM, Darcy Linden said:

 

  1. Many residents have been asking for a way to refer their friends and family and with the "Second Life Affiliate Program" undergoing a revision, we're investigating how to roll referrals and SL external affiliates into one platform while fending off program abuse (the latter which we constantly had to monitor for on CJ).

 

Darcy,

I strongly recommend not to combine those. The sign up process and the legal requirements for an affiliate are way to complex for a simple referral program.
It puts people off. For "friends and family referrals" I'd use a simple link with tracking parameters and reward them with L$ or a month premium for free. The later would not only get new signups but would substantially increase conversions to premium.

Another good plan is: Have somebody at the Lab who supports the affiliates with SEO-training, WordPress setups  and other online marketing strategies.Most SL bloggers have no clue about those things (with a few exceptions). There is a lot of potential not being taken advantage off.

Edited by Caroline Takeda
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Caroline,

Agreed on several of your points and great ideas! Glad to see we're thinking in the same direction with regards to higher payouts.

Answering your questions and feedback:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote

I strongly recommend not to combine those. The sign up process and the legal requirements for an affiliate are way to complex for a simple referral program... I'd use a simple link with tracking parameters and reward them with L$ or a month premium for free. 

Platform independent, anyone who is being paid with USD will have to have their financial records on file. While a friends and family (referral) program wouldn't fall into that category, if we give out even L$, we'll have to have their records on file.

With that said, I've worked with several professional platforms over the years and at the end of the day, any system they have in place will require Second Life to send over conversion metrics to do payouts. I've personally seen bad actors who try to game our conversion metrics for higher payouts and that hurts all of us.

The reason we're folding these into one platform are (but not limited to) the following:

  • We don't want to send data to any third parties (even though it's anonymized, we take data privacy very seriously).
  • We want our partners to have a Second Life account
    • The platform will be using your Second Life account to log in
    • This helps us better identify fraud and bad actors
    • And frankly, if one is planning to promote Second Life, they should have an account
  • The same process that will allow partners to generate links and garner payouts for successful conversion goals is the same in terms of generating a referral link, so it doesn't make sense to double up the efforts here:
    • If you want to put your link on say, your YT videos, generate a link and post that
    • Want to generate a special link only for friends and family? You can do that as well!
      • This one is a bit trickier but we have a few ideas on how to prevent abuse – our first goal is to get the Partner (affiliate) Program up and running first
  • We have control on payouts (USD, L$, benefits) and we're planning to let our partners choose that
Quote

I was also inquiring about your b2b model (using SL as virtual Workspace) but never got an answer.

This hasn't been set up, but after we get the Partner Program started, we can add this as a conversion goal.

Quote

I have seen  SL you on flexoffers, is that active and valid?

We are not on Flexoffers at this time, most likely an old affiliate looking for traffic?

Quote

Another good plan is: Have somebody at the Lab who supports the affiliates with SEO-training, WordPress setups  and other online marketing strategies.Most SL bloggers have no clue about those things (with a few exceptions). There is a lot of potential not being taken advantage off.

Completely agree with you on this! There's more we can do with training in this area and perhaps even interview other partners in a spotlight.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, wanted to thank you for being a partner this whole time and working through the convoluted steps we used to have :)

~Darcy

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 5/5/2022 at 5:25 PM, Darcy Linden said:

The reason we're folding these into one platform are (but not limited to) the following:

  • We don't want to send data to any third parties (even though it's anonymized, we take data privacy very seriously).
  • We want our partners to have a Second Life account
    • The platform will be using your Second Life account to log in
    • This helps us better identify fraud and bad actors
    • And frankly, if one is planning to promote Second Life, they should have an account
  • The same process that will allow partners to generate links and garner payouts for successful conversion goals is the same in terms of generating a referral link, so it doesn't make sense to double up the efforts here:
    • If you want to put your link on say, your YT videos, generate a link and post that
    • Want to generate a special link only for friends and family? You can do that as well!
      • This one is a bit trickier but we have a few ideas on how to prevent abuse – our first goal is to get the Partner (affiliate) Program up and running first
  • We have control on payouts (USD, L$, benefits) and we're planning to let our partners choose that

Hi Darcy,

I just came across this thread and figured to add my two cents, as I am also interested in the Affiliates Program. From the last glance that I had a couple of months ago on learning about the program, I was excited to register. I have a grandfathered account (not reflected on this one I'm currently using) and felt this would become a great partnership working with SL. As I read through the requirements, I noticed that a chunk of states were listed as not accepted. Would this remain, or would the list be more inclusive to other states across the U.S. as well? It would be an amazing experience if they are, but if those same states aren't acceptable to the program, could you state a reason why (without going too in depth with the details) and if there would be expansions in the future for the remaining states.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to our inquiry and look forward to hearing back from you at your earliest convenience.

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On 5/5/2022 at 11:25 PM, Darcy Linden said:

Hey Caroline,

Agreed on several of your points and great ideas! Glad to see we're thinking in the same direction with regards to higher payouts.

Answering your questions and feedback:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Platform independent, anyone who is being paid with USD will have to have their financial records on file. While a friends and family (referral) program wouldn't fall into that category, if we give out even L$, we'll have to have their records on file.

With that said, I've worked with several professional platforms over the years and at the end of the day, any system they have in place will require Second Life to send over conversion metrics to do payouts. I've personally seen bad actors who try to game our conversion metrics for higher payouts and that hurts all of us.

The reason we're folding these into one platform are (but not limited to) the following:

  • We don't want to send data to any third parties (even though it's anonymized, we take data privacy very seriously).
  • We want our partners to have a Second Life account
    • The platform will be using your Second Life account to log in
    • This helps us better identify fraud and bad actors
    • And frankly, if one is planning to promote Second Life, they should have an account
  • The same process that will allow partners to generate links and garner payouts for successful conversion goals is the same in terms of generating a referral link, so it doesn't make sense to double up the efforts here:
    • If you want to put your link on say, your YT videos, generate a link and post that
    • Want to generate a special link only for friends and family? You can do that as well!
      • This one is a bit trickier but we have a few ideas on how to prevent abuse – our first goal is to get the Partner (affiliate) Program up and running first
  • We have control on payouts (USD, L$, benefits) and we're planning to let our partners choose that

This hasn't been set up, but after we get the Partner Program started, we can add this as a conversion goal.

We are not on Flexoffers at this time, most likely an old affiliate looking for traffic?

Completely agree with you on this! There's more we can do with training in this area and perhaps even interview other partners in a spotlight.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, wanted to thank you for being a partner this whole time and working through the convoluted steps we used to have :)

~Darcy

Hi Darcy,

sound all very good to me. 

Especially the higher payouts 🙂.
On the b2b side, I would expect a little more than a conversion goal. This is serious sales job.

Also having the option to get paid in L$ might be very attractive for some smaller affiliates. You don't want to register an official business in rl for a few bucks. Its not only about financial records, ist about tax records. Especially Europeans want to be registered for VAT exemption.

The only downside I see here, is the time this will take to develop. What's the planed timeline on this ?

As fas as SEO-Training is concerned, we can talk about me supporting your affiliates. I have lots of experience in this field and used to actually work for Google.
Check out rankings of my blog 🙂

Edited by Caroline Takeda
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On 4/13/2022 at 1:46 PM, Darcy Linden said:

CJ has not scaled well with the new types of affiliates + influencers that are on the web today

The going rate for "influencers" in the NFT space is US$20K - US$40K, I hear.

Getting SL signups isn't the problem. It's retaining new users. Marketing staff need to spend more time at a new user entry point.

("What makes the rockets fly? Funding!" - The Right Stuff)

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  • 4 weeks later...

I am also interested in the affiliate program. I have an idea that would make my podcast fun for the listeners and if I can bring them on I'd definitely prefer to do it with an affiliate program. If you have a list of interested people then please add me to it.

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On 5/28/2022 at 3:11 AM, Cocohantas said:

I noticed that a chunk of states were listed as not accepted. Would this remain, or would the list be more inclusive to other states across the U.S. as well?

Hey Cocohantas, I can't give a definite answer on this at the moment as we'll be working closely with our legal team on this. Given we've updated our TOS and various other documents since CJ was create, we'll be reviewing and will have any restrictions in plain view on the sign up page.

Will keep this thread posted as we progress and thank you for bringing that up!

 

On 5/28/2022 at 3:22 AM, Caroline Takeda said:

Also having the option to get paid in L$ might be very attractive for some smaller affiliates. You don't want to register an official business in rl for a few bucks. Its not only about financial records, ist about tax records. Especially Europeans want to be registered for VAT exemption.

The only downside I see here, is the time this will take to develop. What's the planed timeline on this ?

Thanks Caroline for this and yes, for the Friends & Family we're looking at L$ payouts and affiliates USD - they'll have roughly the same process but given we want to encourage our economy growth, there will most likely be higher payouts in L$ than USD.

For the timeline, this is on my top three priorities list right now. Other than that opaque update, I will update this thread here as we move along and those who are interested in the Alpha program may do so after being reviewed by our team and accepted.

On 5/28/2022 at 3:22 AM, Caroline Takeda said:

As fas as SEO-Training is concerned, we can talk about me supporting your affiliates. I have lots of experience in this field and used to actually work for Google.

It would be great to have more materials and links, feel free to send over ideas to the email address for the Parter Portal, partnerportal [at] lindenlab [dot] com :)

 

On 5/28/2022 at 3:56 PM, animats said:

The going rate for "influencers" in the NFT space is US$20K - US$40K, I hear.

Getting SL signups isn't the problem. It's retaining new users. Marketing staff need to spend more time at a new user entry point.

("What makes the rockets fly? Funding!" - The Right Stuff)

Hi animats – given the crash we're seeing in crypto as an example (yay for lower GPU prices :D) comparing other baselines to Second Life isn't too helpful imho; the entire digital industry has changed in the last two years re:pandemic. Second Life is SO different than any other digital platform, as you've implied with retention (one of many examples), and our strategy has to reflect that and future changes in the advertising space(s).

Heads up, we are spending more time and resources on the new user experience right now (in close partnership with product / engineering) and have some great things launching in the future!

 

On 6/19/2022 at 9:08 PM, spookyboo22 said:

I am also interested in the affiliate program. I have an idea that would make my podcast fun for the listeners and if I can bring them on I'd definitely prefer to do it with an affiliate program. If you have a list of interested people then please add me to it.

Will do, Spookyboo22 – we'll have a sign up form go out and posted in this thread when it's gearing up!

 

Feel free to all those reading now and in the future to submit feedback, concerns, ideas, etc. here or to partnerportal [at] lindenlab [dot] com

// Darcy

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  • 1 month later...
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Hi Caroline,

We reached a major milestone this week and our teams have successfully created the backend technology in which users of the Partner Portal can (and will have to) sign in with their Second Life accounts.

We also have the app's V1 logic complete (payouts, functionality) and are meeting with teams across the organization before cementing in the design to ensure consistency and functionality across SL applications.

Stay tuned!

Darcy

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Olá Darcy. Quando eu e minha esposa (Mina Amorosi) criamos o canal Vida de SL para ajudar os iniciantes voluntariamente, eu busquei por uma opção de ter um retorno de nosso trabalho e o CJ foi uma opção. Você tem alguma previsão de lançamento deste novo sistema de afiliado? Estou bastante interessado e já acrescenta meu nick name na lista para prelancamento.

Hello Darcy. When my wife and I (Mina Amorosi) created the Vida de SL channel to help beginners voluntarily, I looked for an option to have a return on our work and CJ was an option. Do you have any plans to launch this new affiliate system? I'm very interested and already add my nick name to the list for pre-launch.

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On 10/4/2022 at 10:22 PM, Darcy Linden said:

Hi Caroline,

We reached a major milestone this week and our teams have successfully created the backend technology in which users of the Partner Portal can (and will have to) sign in with their Second Life accounts.

We also have the app's V1 logic complete (payouts, functionality) and are meeting with teams across the organization before cementing in the design to ensure consistency and functionality across SL applications.

Stay tuned!

Darcy

Hi Darcy,

sounds exciting.

Is it already decided, what the deal exactly would be for affiliates?
I am already thinking about gearing my content (stories) to target new residents.

Carol

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On 10/14/2022 at 5:08 AM, DCastro Martiel said:

Olá Darcy. Quando eu e minha esposa (Mina Amorosi) criamos o canal Vida de SL para ajudar os iniciantes voluntariamente, eu busquei por uma opção de ter um retorno de nosso trabalho e o CJ foi uma opção. Você tem alguma previsão de lançamento deste novo sistema de afiliado? Estou bastante interessado e já acrescenta meu nick name na lista para prelancamento.

Hello Darcy. When my wife and I (Mina Amorosi) created the Vida de SL channel to help beginners voluntarily, I looked for an option to have a return on our work and CJ was an option. Do you have any plans to launch this new affiliate system? I'm very interested and already add my nick name to the list for pre-launch.

Huh, nice channel!

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Hi all – not there just yet, but close! 

The UI and backend infrastructure for partner accounts (which includes link generation/attribution and payout scheme) has been completed and we're building the alpha.

A considerable time has been spent on making sure incentives favor those who legitimately bring new residents to Second Life vs. bad actors who would abuse the program and harm its future success.

To all those that have sent emails to sign up for the Partner Alpha, I have read those emails and added you to the notification list.

Here are a few things that are planned in the alpha (and are subject to change pre and post launch):

  • Payouts will be in Linden Dollars
  • The longer a new resident stays in Second Life, the more Partners will be paid out (up to 60 days)
  • Partners will receive a % of resident USD purchases (up to 60 days)
  • Reporting on the link level will be available to help optimize your links and their placements as needed

Thank you for your patience :)

Darcy

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22 hours ago, Darcy Linden said:

Hi all – not there just yet, but close! 

The UI and backend infrastructure for partner accounts (which includes link generation/attribution and payout scheme) has been completed and we're building the alpha.

A considerable time has been spent on making sure incentives favor those who legitimately bring new residents to Second Life vs. bad actors who would abuse the program and harm its future success.

To all those that have sent emails to sign up for the Partner Alpha, I have read those emails and added you to the notification list.

Here are a few things that are planned in the alpha (and are subject to change pre and post launch):

  • Payouts will be in Linden Dollars
  • The longer a new resident stays in Second Life, the more Partners will be paid out (up to 60 days)
  • Partners will receive a % of resident USD purchases (up to 60 days)
  • Reporting on the link level will be available to help optimize your links and their placements as needed

Thank you for your patience :)

Darcy

Where do I sign up? Is application still open?

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