Re: AARRRGGHHHH!! :-P (many questions, maybe someone else will pitch in and give Steve a break)...

Hi MaaMaw,

> I know what a frame is, and I don't see one.

Let me show you what a hidden frame looks like. If you go to the link where you didn't get the program and scroll down to the part in a yellow box that says **See Affiliate Defender In Action* it take you to the demo page. If you scroll to the bottom, to order from that page, and hold your mouse over the link you can see the hop link in the status bar of the browser. But then when you click it, look at the URL in the address bar at the top of your browser. You're on click bank right now. But what is in the address bar?

Do you use Netscape 7x or Firefox? If you do, you can write click anywhere on that page and from the context menu that appears choose "This Frame/Open Frame in New Tab" (Won't work for Internet Explorer users).

So you see, you've loaded a php page with scripting from clickbank that has detected the illegal hoplink. Which is exactly what they tell you will cost you your sales in the FAQ.

> 1. Can you suggest one? OR....

I haven't played with too many of them. I just use .htacces for myself. With it the server redirects them to the affiliate page, and by the time they have clicked the link, it is too late for them to realize it was an affiliate link and one that they could have stolen the commission from.

Of course then they can see the hoplink when the page loads, but the cookie has already been set. Click bank uses other methods plus cookies of tracking the sales, so I'm not really sure if the nickname is changed at that point if would result in a lost sale.

> 2. Is there any real reason to use one? The story goes: (a) Some people
> won't buy a product if they think you're committing the crime of making
> money on it [this I know is true based on the occasional road-rage email],
> and (b) Some "savvy" evil-doers will replace your affiliate
> number with their own and you're "losing tons of sales". IS
> THERE ANY TRUTH TO THIS??

There has been the odd time when I send out a newsletter that I got to lazy to cloak the URL. Sure.... subscribers... go figure! They see an affiliates URL and some of them will complain. Tough! They obviously aren't part of the solution so I just remove them from my list (if they haven't already done it themselves).

Complainers aren't going to help you feed you family or put a roof over your head. Just dump them and forget them.

> IS IT SAFE
> TO USE THE .HTACCESS METHOD?

Sure, I think so... and there is quite possibly a better method then this though. That fellow Harvey Segal would be the fellow to ask though. You were using it before and it was working fine for you right?

> 4. Let's say you're right about this being the reason for no sales (and I
> have no doubt you are) -- it would be just because the link DOESN'T WORK,
> right? (as opposed to someone actually STEALING my sales?)

I think the sale probably went to the owner of the program you promoted. After all... you were in the wrong with an illegal link.

> This program is by one Jimmy D. Brown, whose name I know from somewhere.

Yes, I just added his name to a private list I keep.

> For that reason -- and because it's offered on about a bzillion sites --
> many of which I KNOW are reputable -- I just figured it was fine until I
> made the connection last night. In your opinion (and anyone else who
> would care to offer one), is this pitch just pure bullcaca?

Well, you know... I don't claim to be the brightest crayon in the package, but unless someone would care to enlighten me... I would say, "If it walks like a duck..."