Where oh where did the link go?

November 15, 2018 11:18 AM

There used to be an affiliate link at the bottom of the "funding page"....has it gone away, or am I missing it?

It's the time of year for shopping, I fear,
It's time to help fund a site that's dear,
There once was a link,
at the bottom, I think,
It's been eaten by a grue this year?

posted by mightshould to MetaFilter-Related at 11:18 AM (10 comments total)

I've taken those links down for now after a very form-lettery nastygram from Amazon about that page's non-compliance with the terms of their affiliate program operating agreement. I'm hoping there's a clean resolution where they can let me know what specific placement and phrasing on those links is compliant, but until I actually get a clear response from them the only good response I had to "get rid of this or we'll kick you out of the program" was to get rid of it.

It is vexing and I'm working on getting some kind of further guidance from them.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:22 AM on November 15, 2018 [2 favorites]

ahem ... Can I link to my stocking stuffer of choice here? link

(Cortex, feel free to nuke if this could be considered problematic as well)

edit: oh, I guess MeTa doesn't auto-append the affiliate code? NEVER MIND.
posted by misterbrandt at 12:10 PM on November 15, 2018

Yeah, we don't append those links everywhere, and the existence of affiliate codes in general isn't an issue anyway. Amazon was taking exception to the language on the funding page specifically, so that's the bit I'm still trying to sort out. Everything else is as normal.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:12 PM on November 15, 2018

(Yeah, I was just trying to generate a link that people could click)
posted by misterbrandt at 12:14 PM on November 15, 2018

Do we not hate Amazon anymore?

coughhermphlegmcoughcough
posted by slipthought at 12:25 PM on November 15, 2018

We are not Borg so our Amazon opinions are likely very diverse.
posted by soelo at 1:15 PM on November 15, 2018 [13 favorites]

Yeah, MetaFilter is made up of people and people have all kinds of complicated feelings about stuff even as individuals, let alone as a gestalt. I think we can reasonably separate "hey, what's the deal with this or that aspect of how MetaFilter's finances operate" discussion from any implied universal endorsement of late capitalism and the large corporate entities operating therein. Though any eccentric socialist billionaires who want to unencumber the site from such compromises and partitionings with a long-term five-digit monthly endowment is more than welcome to do get in touch with me directly.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:33 PM on November 15, 2018 [13 favorites]

We are not Borg

Aw, I was hoping you would add my biological and technological distinctiveness to your own!
posted by Horace Rumpole at 2:35 PM on November 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

We are not Borg
Aw, I was hoping you would add my biological and technological distinctiveness to your own!

Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:20 AM on November 16, 2018 [4 favorites]

I believe the common euphemism is "Netflix & assimilate".
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:34 AM on November 16, 2018 [7 favorites]