Share the Online Wealth
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (https://www.madd.org) is just one of many organizations with Web sites capitalizing on “syndicated ideas.” You know the rap: While surfing a site, a book is mentioned in the text along with a link to an online retailer where you can buy the title with the click of a mouse. What you may not know is that every time the retailer sells a book as a result of that link the site that mentioned it gets a kickback.
Amazon.com was the first retailer to establish these “associated Web sites,” in July 1996. Bill Curry, director of public relations for the online bookseller, says the percentage of the referral sale varies. “Some sites feature a lot of specific books, videos and CDs. They generally get about 15% [of the referral sale]. If there is just a link to Amazon.com, the figure is more like 5%.” Curry could not estimate how much revenue is generated by the company’s 200,000 associated sites.
Web sites usually approach Amazon.com, not the other way around, Curry explains. Information about the program is provided on the Amazon.com site. A word of caution to interested Webmasters: Amazon does not sign up pornographic sites or sites that advocate illegal activity, theft of intellectual property or discrimination by race, age, ethnic or religious background or physical ability.
