Referral Links

[djfizzle]

ive always wondered whats with OnRPG's collective hatred for referral links, they're litterally meant to be used in forums. Theres a difference between someone being like HEY I LIKE LEAGUES *referral link* and hey this games in beta its good you should try it *referral link*. Like honestly i think its a nice give take, and honestly if its that big a deal rather than raise hell in the thread, google it if you're that stubborn.

P.S. I've never even posted a referral link besides maybe my like 3rd post

In short: Whats so bad about referral links?

[supersonix9]

I'm totally wondering this as well. I think it's stupid how people get annoyed over referral links, unless there's something I don't know.

[Xenonight2]

Because what do you get when you click that referral link? Nothing. The person posting the referral link contributes nothing to the discussion by just posting a referral link.

Now, I'm OK with referral links being posted at the end of a long post detailing a game the Onrpg community probably hasn't heard about. I'll give those people both rep, and register for the referral link even if I don't plan on playing. They're actually contributing. A lot of the people who are posting referral links, though, aren't.

[Jin-Roh]

So in the words of Xeno, don't help anyone unless you have a really good reason to. Screw being nice.

[Klaime]

Nice guys finish last.

[Arri]

hey guys I'm trying to level up my signature doodle click my link pl0x.

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99% of the time, it's spam, that's all.

[Xenonight2]

So in the words of Xeno, don't help anyone unless you have a really good reason to. Screw being nice.

@Xeno:
Even if they make an effort its still all bought effort.
The point of this campaigns is to blend in sponsored stuff with genuine contributions so that they will be passed of as such. People will even go out of their way to create all kinds of periphery discussion about any game just so that it will become more accepted to spam, because people are greedy for the benefits to reap. (no offense Op, mind you, im posting in the topic still)
Its not just unethical; when a competitor starts farming forums everyone will rather join with a similar campaing just to ruin the target-mediums (forums, blogs, youtube, facebook) credibility, over letting the other have it. All there will be left would be the burnt towering ruins of the hysteric spamfest created.

Here's why I don't think that will happen, Ronin: it takes too much effort on the company's part and on the part of the users trying to get referrals.

[Ronin]

How so?
Compared to plugging an add on the superbowl?

There is practically no cost involved.

Companies have in the past hired people to post faux reviews, financing departments in outsourced companies with dozens of employees paid full time.
Compare that to giving out some 5 crystals in some or another game.

No matter how small the exposure on this page is; It's part of a larger MMO-community "culture" that is definitely worth reaping.

By reaping I mean taking any piece of turf that gets you your exposure and dominating the news there. Dominating in a sense that you get about 2/3rds or more of the content on this outlets to represent your view. If an oponent show up; Torch the place with spam, rather than let him have it.

This is nothing I made up. Companies who make lawnmowers or dishwashers or fridges or vacuum cleaners do that. Aeria games did tons of it, just to get a grip on places that where lax on referals, in an environment
where those are rare and uncommon.

I am not sure if in the current state this place has enough impact anymore (that's too nicely put, I am sorry to say I am certain it doesn't), but at that time it did. Had it been referal tolerant, Aeria games would not have stopped their spam campaign until at least 2/3rds of all the user-content for a month on the entire page came from Aeria games spam.

The effort would have been a carriage full of some random costumes and their current community guys, who don't get paid for shit anyways as we all know, making a post about it up to a max of 3 times a month. So the effective cost is hiring one outside marketing agency to do the drafts for it - well, that's probably about the same cost as getting an add on some local news paper, something that every, no matter how run down, used car dealer manages to scratch together somewhere.