Official chatroom log 3/26/07

[2007.03.26 18:20:47] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room[2007.03.26 19:02:24] AngelaCP: Hi everyone
[2007.03.26 19:02:38] AngelaCP: thank you for attending today's affiliate chat[2007.03.26 19:03:04] AngelaCP: the host of today's chat is Shelby, our affiliate manager
[2007.03.26 19:03:12] Bob has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:03:24] AngelaCP: with us today, is Warren, Affiliate Associate[2007.03.26 19:03:37] AngelaCP: We have MarcCP, BrittaCP, and MartyCP
[2007.03.26 19:04:00] Nimirra has left the room (logged out)
[2007.03.26 19:04:00] AngelaCP: MartyCP left his laptop at home, so he will answer questions in the form of AngelaCP or BrittaCP
[2007.03.26 19:04:10] AngelaCP: This chat is moderated
[2007.03.26 19:04:30] AngelaCP: There is another chat tomorrow for the Affiliate CJ program
[2007.03.26 19:04:58] screamer: Is the chat tomorrow at 3 covering the same information as this one?
[2007.03.26 19:05:01] AngelaCP: I can answer this now
[2007.03.26 19:05:30] AngelaCP: today's chat is for current members of our Affiliate Program to answer any questions you may have regarding the transition
[2007.03.26 19:05:36] Fi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:05:42] BizarreTees - Kelly has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:05:51] AngelaCP: Tomorrow's chat is to learn more about the new Affiliate Program on CJ
[2007.03.26 19:05:57] ethel0001 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:06:12] AngelaCP: So i'm going to pass this on to Shelby
[2007.03.26 19:06:26] topteedesigns has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:06:29] AngelaCP: We only have an hour so let's get started....
[2007.03.26 19:06:30] jen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:06:33] ShelbyCP: Thank you for joining us today!
[2007.03.26 19:06:34] rightwingmike has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:06:48] ShelbyCP: We’re here to talk about the new CafePress Affiliate program – powered by Commission Junction – and the process for transition from our current internal program to this third party network.
[2007.03.26 19:07:03] danesrus has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:07:13] ShelbyCP: We want to thank those who have sent questions to us at affiliates@cafepress.com and posted on the forums, and encourage you to keep them coming.
[2007.03.26 19:07:18] JillCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:07:28] ShelbyCP: Remember – FAQ’s can be seen at http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/affiliate/cjfaqs#qs
[2007.03.26 19:07:53] ShelbyCP: Before we get started I’d like to give a brief overview of the new program, and offer a bit more information as to how and why choose to partner with a 3rd party affiliate network.
[2007.03.26 19:08:10] ShelbyCP: In October of 2006 marked the one-year anniversary of the current affiliate program. We needed to know from our SK’s what they thought about the program. This was done in tandem with a financial review of the program.
[2007.03.26 19:08:11] ManishaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2007.03.26 19:08:55] ShelbyCP: The original objective of this program was to drive incremental external traffic to CafePress. We discovered that it did not meet this objective. It also did not meet the financial objectives and our Shopkeepers told us, via survey, that they expected more out of the program.
[2007.03.26 19:09:15] ShelbyCP: Why did we choose to close the current system?
[2007.03.26 19:09:32] ShelbyCP: It was not meeting the above objectives, and less than 3% of the Shopkeeper community have joined the Affiliate program.
[2007.03.26 19:09:39] jillkk has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:10:11] ShelbyCP: Only ¼% (one quarter of one percent) of our total SK community has earned any affiliate commission in the program.
[2007.03.26 19:10:18] JaNell: Plus, I'm wondering why we can't have both CJ AND in-house affiliate programs? Zazzle does.
[2007.03.26 19:10:18] JillCP: JaNell:
[2007.03.26 19:10:47] AngelaCP: sorry about this, janell - we'll answer this after shelby's done w/her intro
[2007.03.26 19:10:53] ShelbyCP: Also, the program was doing very well driving traffic internally, from one shop to another, but this was not meeting the objective of driving new traffic to CafePress – and ultimately this is not profitable.
[2007.03.26 19:11:01] ShelbyCP: Therefore we were faced with a 2 choices:
[2007.03.26 19:11:25] necok9s has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:11:30] ShelbyCP: 1. Close this program, that was ultimately missing the mark on expected return, and have NO affiliate program.
[2007.03.26 19:11:33] LuvLetters has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:11:53] ShelbyCP: 2. Close the program, and partner with an external affiliate network.
[2007.03.26 19:12:05] ShelbyCP: We decided that the opportunity to benefit from an affiliate program was too valuable to pass up, and we chose to start looking at 3rd party options.
[2007.03.26 19:12:10] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.03.26 19:12:13] ShelbyCP: We looked at 4 affiliate program providers
[2007.03.26 19:12:28] ShelbyCP: We chose CJ – Why?
[2007.03.26 19:12:41] ShelbyCP: 1. We wanted to meet some very specific objectives, the most key objective being drive more traffic to CafePress merchandise from site outside of CafePress. CJ has the largest reach, and the best opportunity to do just that.
[2007.03.26 19:13:03] ShelbyCP: 2. Last October we polled all affiliates via email (survey monkey poll) – 34% of active affiliates responded. We learned that the most used external program by our Shopkeepers/Affiliates was CJ –over 56% of the respondents reporting current activity on CJ.
[2007.03.26 19:13:22] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.03.26 19:13:32] CathyJ has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:13:36] ShelbyCP: 3. Other networks require exclusivity, and should we want to develop another internal program in the future, or partner with other networks we won’t be prohibited from doing so.
[2007.03.26 19:14:01] ShelbyCP: Other benefits to external networks are improved reporting tools, html banners, direct deposit, all of which CJ provides.
[2007.03.26 19:14:14] ShelbyCP: We know this decision is not popular with many folks, and we’re sorry to those who are upset. Please know that we did do our homework, and we did decide on this program with the best interest of 3 parties in mind – our entire network of Shopkeepers, Affiliates, and CafePress.
[2007.03.26 19:14:46] ShelbyCP: Now – lets jump right into Q&A – we know you have questions – so please send them in – we will answer all that we can. Thank you
[2007.03.26 19:15:09] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.03.26 19:16:25] Jim: is there going to be a rep from CJ here tomorrow?
[2007.03.26 19:16:44] JillCP: JaNell: Thanks for your question about the ability to have both an internal program and an external network. Ultimately, we chose to work with an external network because building and maintaining Affiliate programs is not a core competency for CafePress. We wanted to provide the capability but there are other companies out there that can do a better job at this than CP.
[2007.03.26 19:17:04] AngelaCP: No there will not be a CJ rep here on tomorrow's chat. The affiliate team will be here to answer your questions. Shelby, Warren, and Mina
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[2007.03.26 19:18:26] Lekker Jen: If we decide to opt out of the marketplace at some point and then opt in again later... Would we lose our rankings and start from scratch, or would we be put in the mix using stats from our previous stint in the marketplace?
[2007.03.26 19:18:26] ShelbyCP: No, you would not start from scratch. Position in the marketplace is not affected by opting out and opting in again.
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[2007.03.26 19:18:51] Message sent to moderator(s)
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[2007.03.26 19:19:39] Message sent to moderator(s)
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[2007.03.26 19:20:16] MinaCP: Andy: No, you can link to specific shops but no to your own
[2007.03.26 19:20:27] MinaCP: *not
[2007.03.26 19:20:46] Shawn - Pristinephoto: The FAQ states that we cant use CJ links to link to our own shops/products. While I understand that shopkeepers will not be able to earn commissions on their own products, this prevents affiliates who are also shopkeepers from setting a cookie on a shoppers machine. Is this a case where the FAQ is worded poorly or is it true that we cannot set cookies when linking from our websites to our shops?
[2007.03.26 19:20:46] WarrenCP: As with the current program, linking to your own shops/products is not allowed. We will have a system in place where we monitor orders that may have been incidentally referred to an affiliates own CafePress shop.
[2007.03.26 19:21:51] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.03.26 19:21:57] JaNell: Could you give us the exact % breakdown for commissions on CafePress items that we sell through CJ?
[2007.03.26 19:21:57] WarrenCP: The base commission rate is 15% for CJ Affiliates participating in the CafePress Affiliate Program.
[2007.03.26 19:22:24] BWS has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:22:52] hazeleyes7: What is the difference between today's chat and that of tomorrow?
[2007.03.26 19:22:52] MinaCP: Hazeleyes: Today's chat is for current affiliates to get an overview of the CJ transition. Tomorrow is to learn more about the new program on CJ
[2007.03.26 19:23:27] CathyJ: Will people be able to choose categories or direct link to CP only?
[2007.03.26 19:23:28] WarrenCP: If you're referring to where CJ affiliates can link to, yes, CJ affiliates have a choice as to where they can link to in the CafePress website.
[2007.03.26 19:23:50] Adam has left the room (logged out)
[2007.03.26 19:23:52] hazeleyes7: If a customer follows an external affiliate link to our shop but then clicks on CafePress in the white upper bar and buys something in the marketplace, do we still get the affiliate sale?
[2007.03.26 19:23:52] ShelbyCP: In this case, no. The affiliate who drove the customer from outside of CafePress would earn credit for the sale since they brought the customer to CafePress in the first place.
[2007.03.26 19:24:06] Adam has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:24:25] Lekker Jen: Did you ask these current Sks that were with CJ how they felt about it, or just assume they were there and all was welll? Seems to me it's more than just who is there now.
[2007.03.26 19:24:25] JillCP: Thanks Lekker Jen for your question about the how the SK's felt about CJ. The survey did ask SK's what they liked about the networks they were associated with as well as what they disliked. We asked them about specific items and provided open ended options so that we would receive all comments people wanted to share.
[2007.03.26 19:25:07] Sherry: Have all current members of the Affiliate program (even non SK's) been notified of the impending change or should SK's notify those they know of?
[2007.03.26 19:25:07] WarrenCP: Yes, all CafePress Affiliates have been notified regarding the migration.
[2007.03.26 19:25:26] absolute cotton: You mentioned you had only 2 options: 3d party or nothing. What about option #3: aggressively market the existing affiliate program to outside partners instead of leaving it up to the shopkeepers to affiliate each other?
[2007.03.26 19:25:26] ShelbyCP: Good question! The feedback we received from SuperAffiliates outside of CafePress was that they aggregate all of their affiliate relationships on the major providers like CJ, LinkShare, or Performics. It is inefficient for them to partner with merchants on a one-off basis. Also, our reporting systems did not meet their needs in all cases.
[2007.03.26 19:25:27] stickerpedia has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:25:53] screamer: Folks online today do not need to attend tomorrow because it will provide the same information, is that correct?
[2007.03.26 19:25:53] MinaCP: screamer: It covers slightly different topics, tomorrow is about the benefits, and differences of the program
[2007.03.26 19:27:13] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.03.26 19:27:18] ace: Will we still lose 5% commission and volume bonus rights from affiliate sales made through CJ like we did with the CP affiliate program, or will this policy be eliminated with the new CJ program.
[2007.03.26 19:27:18] ShelbyCP: This policy will remain as is.
[2007.03.26 19:27:39] Shawn - Pristinephoto: Actually, Warren didn't answer my question. Currently linking to your own shop is allowed in the current system. It only sets a cookie but does not give commission, but it DOES set a cookie.. My question is in the new system will it behave the same way?
[2007.03.26 19:27:39] WarrenCP: Sorry about that, yes, it will set a cookie.
[2007.03.26 19:27:53] Mare SK: Do you have to be an affiliate to be in the Marketplace at all?
[2007.03.26 19:27:53] MinaCP: No, you don't have to be an affiliate to be in the Marketplace, you only have to be opted into teh Marketplace, if you want people to affiliate to your shop/products.
[2007.03.26 19:27:56] AngelaCP: Everyone that's a member of the affiliate program that was opt in for communication should have received an email with a link to the survey in October 2006
[2007.03.26 19:28:01] The_Amazing Shadow: Did all the affiliates get sent this survey, because I checked my email and never recieved one?
[2007.03.26 19:28:15] AngelaCP: I answered Amazing Shadow's question...
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[2007.03.26 19:29:34] blonde_designs: not a question..more of a statement...I'm all for it if it boosts sales!
[2007.03.26 19:29:34] MinaCP: More sales are good! :)
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[2007.03.26 19:30:01] Towal: I'm confused by some of this. We were told we were growing faster than expected...heck faster than CP could even keep up with. The best holiday season ever..blah blah blah so why a huge push to bring in MORE traffic in a rapid way rather than giving the program TIME to succeed?
[2007.03.26 19:30:01] JillCP: Hi Towal: Thanks for the question about growth. The growth that our SK's are experiencing is fueling the growth for CafePress and we are having a hard time keeping up with it. This doesn't mean that we don't want you to have more visitors to grow even faster. More traffic will drive more of your sales. We love the challenge our Shopkeepers provide us and we want to help you grow more.
[2007.03.26 19:30:42] camo baby has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:31:22] Dooni Designs: will our links still work with the pid's.. just as links or will they become "broken links?"
[2007.03.26 19:31:22] WarrenCP: Your current affiliate links will continue to be tracked until May 31, 2007. Afterwards, the links will still direct to the specified location URL however, traffic and transaction data will no longer be recorded. We've had a couple of requests for the current links to be re-directed and we're currently investigating it.
[2007.03.26 19:31:27] Lekker Jen: Will Loyalty Programs be actively recruited?
[2007.03.26 19:31:27] ShelbyCP: Loyalty programs are one of several affiliate business models we will recruit for, provided they meet the Code of Conduct related to software applications published by the affiliate industry providers and the CafePress TOS on CJ. Not all loyalty affiliates are parasites and we need to be smart enough to know the difference. We will publish our guidelines regarding this issue soon.
[2007.03.26 19:31:45] camo baby gifts has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:32:11] LuvLetters: Presently,For shops to appear in the marketplace they must be a part of the affiliate program...will this still hold true under CJ?
[2007.03.26 19:32:11] WarrenCP: Yes, in order for a shop to be in the marketplace, it must be opted into the CafePress Affiliate Program.
[2007.03.26 19:32:16] stickerpedia has left the room (logged out)
[2007.03.26 19:32:27] Rhea: What are the names of the loyalty programs with which CP will affiliate through CJ?
[2007.03.26 19:32:27] ShelbyCP: We don't know yet. We need to have more conversations with these affiliates and understand if they can meet the needs of our Shopkeepers
[2007.03.26 19:32:30] Jim: why was the announcement handled so poorly, without any FAQ ready to do rigt away?
[2007.03.26 19:32:37] MarcCP: We’re sorry you feel that way. We emailed all current members of the affiliate program members within 12 hours to notify them of the changes, and FAQ’s were posted that next afternoon.
[2007.03.26 19:33:36] screamer: Is the commission rate the same?
[2007.03.26 19:33:36] ShelbyCP: The commission payout through CJ is 15%.
[2007.03.26 19:34:06] Adam has left the room (logged out)
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[2007.03.26 19:34:54] screamer: do we need to do anything to "sign up" as an affiliate again, or do anything else to our affiliate links to make the "transition"?
[2007.03.26 19:34:54] MinaCP: You need to get an account with CJ. We are looking into a solution that will be easy for the links to transition.
[2007.03.26 19:34:56] puzzled has left the room (logged out)
[2007.03.26 19:35:04] stickerpedia has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:35:17] JillCP: Towal: To finish the last question you asked about growth, stating that it is confusing. The current affiliate program was not achieving financial objectives and helping with growth. In fact, by eliminating this program it will help the growth more. Our ability to build and maintain Affiliate systems is not a core competency.
[2007.03.26 19:35:21] puzzled has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:35:56] Bob: Can you describe the major differences to shopkeepers and affiliates under CJ?
[2007.03.26 19:35:56] WarrenCP: For shopkeepers, the changes to the Affiliate Program will not impact them as much as Affiliates. For Affiliates, they will receive a world class tracking system along with HTML tools. Additionally, CJ offers direct deposit as a form of payment.
[2007.03.26 19:36:56] Adam: how long will the cookie last for?
[2007.03.26 19:36:56] MinaCP: The cookie will last for 30 days.
[2007.03.26 19:37:16] camo baby has left the room (logged out)
[2007.03.26 19:37:19] JaNell DBA "JaZilla": Why is linking to your own products not allowed, and is this CJ's decision, or CP's?
[2007.03.26 19:37:19] ShelbyCP: Linking to your own products is not allowed and this is CafePress's policy. The purpose of the Affiliate Program is to have third parties (besides CP and the SK) drive more traffic to CafePress.
[2007.03.26 19:37:26] chickles: how will the top 600,000 products be chosen for the feed to CJ?
[2007.03.26 19:37:30] MarcCP: Best selling products
[2007.03.26 19:37:48] zoescloset: can you please clarify the rule about not linking to your own items. how does this work if you are linking to a group of items (or to a section of the marketplace) that may include some of your own designs but also includes those done by other shopkeepers
[2007.03.26 19:37:48] WarrenCP: The rule is a CJ Affiliate who is also a CafePress shopkeeper may not link to their own products or shops. We will have a system in place that allows us to monitor transactions for "double dipping"
[2007.03.26 19:38:12] ace: If I bring traffic in from google to my shop, then link to another shopkeepers shop. Do I get a commission for generating the traffic?
[2007.03.26 19:38:12] ShelbyCP: Linking to your own Shop is not permitted. You can link to portal pages, the marketplace, search results or other Shops from Google to generate an Affiliate commission.
[2007.03.26 19:39:10] zoescloset: I'd like some more clarification. So it is okay for us to set a cookie and if someone with our cookie ends up buying something we created, the cookie will just be ignored?
[2007.03.26 19:39:10] ShelbyCP: What do you mean by set a cookie?
[2007.03.26 19:39:12] KellKell SK: If we opt out of the new CJ aff. program, will we still be listed in the CP marketplace?
[2007.03.26 19:39:12] MinaCP: You don't have to be a CJ affiliate. You choose to opt out of the marketplace only if you don't want to be picked to be affiliated to.
[2007.03.26 19:40:04] cat1: will the CJ affil program disallow volume bonus?
[2007.03.26 19:40:04] WarrenCP: The migration to CJ does not change the volume bonus for shopkeepers. Affiliate sales do not currently count towards the shopkeeprs volume bonus. This rule will remain intacted when program migrates over to CJ.
[2007.03.26 19:40:27] prfctlyred: Will you have an xml feed with CafePress?
[2007.03.26 19:40:28] MinaCP: prfctlyred: Yes, it's part of the developer's network
[2007.03.26 19:41:02] RWS has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:41:08] shopaholicchick: will we be automatically added to CJ if we are opted in to the marketplace?
[2007.03.26 19:41:08] WarrenCP: If your shop is currently opted into the Affiliate Program (opted into the marketplace), then CJ Affiliates can link to your products/shops.
[2007.03.26 19:41:20] Dazzle has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2007.03.26 19:42:16] scarebaby: My question is simple and based on ignorance. What's "in it" for the shopkeepers here?
[2007.03.26 19:42:16] MinaCP: scarebaby: Shopkeepers will get more traffic provided by the reach of the affiliates in the CJ network that want to advertise us.
[2007.03.26 19:42:18] Jolent: Our current inshop affiliate links to other shops...will they need to be removed? Changed?
[2007.03.26 19:42:18] WarrenCP: Until May 31, 2007, in shop links will still be tracked and recorded. Following that date, traffic and transaction data will no longer be recorded.
[2007.03.26 19:43:04] Rasael has left the room (logged out)
[2007.03.26 19:43:18] kiwi: One year seems a very short time to give the existing program to become viable. Most new ventures don't turn profit the first year. Many of us feel that it was not given a chance to take off.
[2007.03.26 19:43:18] ShelbyCP: Its a good point Kiwi, and we considered this. Only 0.25% of our community actively participated in the Affiliate Program and its not meeting financial objectives. We feel migrating to CJ will extend our reach and bring the incremental customers our Shopkeepers need to increase their sales. In the end, this is all about making more money for the Shopkeepers.
[2007.03.26 19:43:23] JillCP: Towal: You are asking why we can not leave the program in place longer. We are not doing so because of priorities. If we leave this in place longer we will have to pull back on other programs such as launching new merchandise which benefits most of the Community and only a quarter of a percent of our Shopkeepers benefited from the current program.
[2007.03.26 19:43:32] Lekker Jen: Why is the time period for change over so short?
[2007.03.26 19:43:32] MinaCP: Lekker Jen: The program is scheduled to end May 31, which provide 2 months to transition.
[2007.03.26 19:43:44] slamdunk: will people who manage "shirt of the day" blogs, and top site lists still be able to function in the same manner?
[2007.03.26 19:43:44] WarrenCP: Yes, these sites can still function as normal. However, they should definitely join the CafePress Affiliate Program powered by CJ which will be launched in mid April
[2007.03.26 19:43:54] NinaPa: How will the transition affect 4thclick affiliates, who have mixed sites including both their own products and those of other CP shops?
[2007.03.26 19:43:54] ShelbyCP: We are working closely with Alan from 4thclick to handle his migration to CJ as smoothly as possible. You should follow up with Alan directly regarding next steps.
[2007.03.26 19:43:59] Bob: Well direct deposit definately is a good thing! Hope CafePress adopts that soon! :)
[2007.03.26 19:43:59] MinaCP: Yes direct deposit is a good thing. :)
[2007.03.26 19:44:12] Cassiopeia has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:44:18] boop: If we opt out of the affiliate program are we automatically opted out of the marketplace?
[2007.03.26 19:44:18] WarrenCP: Yes, if you opt your shop out of the Affiliate Program, that shop will be opted out of the CafePress marketplace.
[2007.03.26 19:44:53] clipprx has left the room (logged out)
[2007.03.26 19:46:04] kiwi: WarrenCP - we don't want both affiliate comission and our own commission on our own products. We want to be able to set the shopper's cookie.
[2007.03.26 19:46:04] WarrenCP: Linking to your own shop will drop a cookie on the customers browser, however, that goes against our Affiliate Agreement and we will be monitoring these types of transactions (assuming a sale is made).
[2007.03.26 19:46:43] hazeleyes7 has left the room (logged out)
[2007.03.26 19:46:59] camo baby gifts: i been to cj but cant find out how to sign up how do we do that
[2007.03.26 19:47:12] MarcCP: The program begins on April 10, you’ll be able to sign up easily on that date. Check with Warren at affiliates@cafepress.com , he’ll be able to walk you through it
[2007.03.26 19:47:12] clipprx: If a cj member puts some of my stuff on their site and something is sold. What is my commission, if any?
[2007.03.26 19:47:12] MinaCP: clipprx: 15% base, if you earn more than 10,000 a month it's 20%
[2007.03.26 19:47:20] Bob: Will we still see where the sale came from in the CafePress sales reports? In other words will we see which came from CJ, which from the marketplace and which from our shops?
[2007.03.26 19:47:20] WarrenCP: Yes, in your shop reports, we will still provide the source of the sale.
[2007.03.26 19:47:53] Christie: Will I be able to link to a specific product and receive affiliate commission like I can now?
[2007.03.26 19:47:53] WarrenCP: Yeeeeeesssssss
[2007.03.26 19:48:25] Bridgett: Was it taken into account that most SK's aren't really, really big into being an affliate and are just now barely grasping the process? Because of this if they sign up for CJ, and they don't perform to CJ's expectations that their account will be locked? As was mine.
[2007.03.26 19:48:25] ShelbyCP: CJ's policy is that accounts that generate $0.00 within 6 months are deactivated. As long as you earn at least $0.01 in six months, your CJ account will remain active.
[2007.03.26 19:48:29] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.03.26 19:49:09] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.03.26 19:49:20] Adam: why didnt you fix the current program rather than seek alternative 3rd party solutions?
[2007.03.26 19:49:20] JillCP: Adam: To answer why we didn't fix the program. Our core competency is to enable people to sell and share their products through an online shop, make and fulfill the orders and provide customer service. Our core competency is not building and maintaining Affiliate systems. By staying true to our core, we can help our Shopkeepers w/ improved stores, merch and service.
[2007.03.26 19:49:30] char: will xml still be available to create custom datafeeds or only the 600,000 will be available
[2007.03.26 19:49:33] MarcCP: All of the API’s that are currently available will still be available.
[2007.03.26 19:51:20] JaNell DBA "JaZilla": What about Cj's policy of shutting accounts that don't "make enough"?
[2007.03.26 19:51:20] WarrenCP: CJ's TOS states that if an affiliate does not generate a commission (0.01 or more) within a 6 month time frame, their account will be de-activated. As long as you generate any commission in that time span, your account will remain active.
[2007.03.26 19:51:30] i'm sick: So maybe this is more of a question for tomorrow...but then how do we plan ahead? Can we implement new links before April 10?
[2007.03.26 19:51:30] MinaCP: you can only start to link on April 10, when we launch to the public..
[2007.03.26 19:52:01] MrsEvilGenius has left the room (logged out)
[2007.03.26 19:52:22] zehda has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:52:57] ameriyank: THe only problem I have with the new program is we can't link to other shops from our shops. If you can fix that, I might be actually use the affilaite program at CJ. The way it is being set up, I am not sure I want to participate because it means I have to build a new web site and take on that added expense.
[2007.03.26 19:52:57] MinaCP: ameriyank: You can't link from a shop, you'll have to use an external website.
[2007.03.26 19:53:32] Kate has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2007.03.26 19:54:34] Sherry: Signing up at CJ is not easy (or maybe not possible?) for those who do not have a website. Will these people be able to affiliate?
[2007.03.26 19:54:34] WarrenCP: You can enter in your CafePress shop domain and will contact you if necessary regarding your sign-up.
[2007.03.26 19:55:07] maryo: I'm sorry but I just don't believe that veteran affiliate marketers would ever choose CJ as their affiliate network of choice.
[2007.03.26 19:55:07] ShelbyCP: We have spoken to many veteran affiliate marketers (inside and outside of the CafePress community) and many people are very excited about our choice to go with CJ. I think there a lot of misconceptions circulating on the forums and we hope people will judge CJ through personal experience working and not through hearsay. Also, we hope people will recognize CJ has matured a lot in the last 4 years.
[2007.03.26 19:55:16] Jolent: If commission payout through CJ is 15%, how much are we actually paying out? Surely CJ is going to make something.
[2007.03.26 19:55:16] MinaCP: Jolent: 5% to cover program costs
[2007.03.26 19:55:25] luvletters has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 19:55:51] Lekker Jen: Jill, you didn't answer the question TOWAL asked. Why not give the Affiliate program more time?
[2007.03.26 19:55:51] JillCP: Hi Lekker Jen: Sorry about the response to Towal. I did respond but there is a character limit on the answers, so I had to split it. The answer to time extension was that we had tradeoffs. We could prioritize this and leave it or hold back on programs that benefit a most of the community. This was a hard decision. Shopkeepers that earned commissions are a 1/4 of a percent of the total community.
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[2007.03.26 19:56:55] slamdunk: can we still link to specific products?
[2007.03.26 19:56:55] MinaCP: yes, you can still link to specific product, except the ones that are excluded: custom postage, and fulfillment items
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[2007.03.26 19:57:27] Rhea: Please define a super-affiliate. Please explain the difference between an ordinary affiliate and a super-affiliate. Please identify some super-affiliates so SKs can familiarize themselves with these entities.
[2007.03.26 19:57:27] ShelbyCP: Marketingterms.com defines SuperAffiliate as: An affiliate capable of generating a significant percentage of an affiliate program's activity. One example I can think of from the Affiliate Summit panel is Vinny from Incubeta.
[2007.03.26 19:57:31] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.03.26 19:57:42] ameriyank: What's a loyalty program?
[2007.03.26 19:57:42] WarrenCP: Loyalty Programs are basically programs (websites) that reward a customers for making purchases from the list of merchants that they offer. Ususally, the reward is in the form of points which they can redeem for a prize or a cash back on their purchase.
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[2007.03.26 19:57:50] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.03.26 19:58:01] AngelaCP: Just to clarify, you do not have to be in the CJ affiliate program for your shop to show up in the CP marketplace. However, if you do not want your shop or products to be available for affiliates on the CJ affiliate program - you will need to opt of the marketplace. I hope this clears it up.
[2007.03.26 19:58:05] KellKell SK: We're getting conflicting answers here -- do SK's *have* to be opted in to the new CJ affiliate program (even if they choose not to be a CJ affiliate) to remain listed in the CP marketplace or not??
[2007.03.26 19:58:20] AngelaCP: reverse again...my answer to KellKell SK
[2007.03.26 19:58:36] NinaPa: Will we still want to provide a page in our CP shop with info on CJ's affiliate program instead of the old CP one, and include our own shop banners and text links? If so, how will we build that page?
[2007.03.26 19:58:36] ShelbyCP: You could still do this in the same manner you do today. You should contact affiliates@cafepress.com and we can schedule a call with you to discuss ideas.
[2007.03.26 19:58:54] Romy: Will CP be reevaluating the success of the CJ program in another year's time? And perhaps making further changes at that point, too?
[2007.03.26 19:58:54] JillCP: Hi Romy: We will evaluate the CJ program in the manner that we evaluate all programs. Changes will only be determined by performance.
[2007.03.26 19:59:08] G guy: When do the in house aff payments officially end?
[2007.03.26 19:59:08] WarrenCP: We will stop recording transactions on May 31st. If the last sale that you made as an affiliate is on May 31st, you will receive the commission in your July check (after the 30 day time frame for commission to clear).
[2007.03.26 19:59:55] i'm sick: So if I'm understanding this right, the new affiliate commissions would be paid by CJ directly, and not come through CafePress? Likewise, we wouldn't have the tracking info. available through CP, correct?
[2007.03.26 19:59:55] ShelbyCP: Correct, your affiliate commissions will be paid by CJ on the 20th of every month. Your tracking and reporting statistics will be available through CJ >> Run Reports tab
[2007.03.26 20:00:14] The_Amazing Shadow: The payout does increase with over 10,000 in revenues though, correct?
[2007.03.26 20:00:14] WarrenCP: Yes, affiates that can generate a high amount of revenue qualify for a commission bump.
[2007.03.26 20:00:22] G guy: But the old links will remain active and payable til may 31?
[2007.03.26 20:00:22] WarrenCP: Yep
[2007.03.26 20:00:43] Timewarp has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 20:00:51] The_Amazing Shadow: It's seems that the changeover is fast when there apeople with over a year invested in setting up links and sites.
[2007.03.26 20:00:51] JillCP: Hi The Amazing Shadow: The changeover is difficult especially when people have invested a lot of time in setting up their sites and links. We realize this and that is why this decision was so hard.
[2007.03.26 20:01:03] Frankly Opinionated has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.03.26 20:01:17] JaNell DBA "JaZilla": I know that CafePress has been represented at professional affiliate trade shows. Did CP get a response from the type of affiliate CP is now seeking, and if so, what was that response?
[2007.03.26 20:01:17] ShelbyCP: We've had a lot of interest from large SEM Affiliates (search engine marketing) affiliates that we met at Affiliate Summit in January. They are interested in partnering with CafePress because we offer a huge variety of products they can promote throughout their web sites
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[2007.03.26 20:01:25] cat1: Angela,your affil opt out marketplace answer was confusing.
[2007.03.26 20:01:35] AngelaCP: Seems like my answer confused a few people
[2007.03.26 20:01:36] Message sent to moderator(s)
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[2007.03.26 20:02:24] AngelaCP: Similar to the affiliate program today, you must opt out of the CP Marketplace if do not your shop or products to be affiliated by other affiliates
[2007.03.26 20:02:26] maryo: But Warren didn't answer the question. What if your own designs are mixed in with others on a Marketplace or Portal page? You can't control who clicks on what.
[2007.03.26 20:02:26] WarrenCP: This is allowed in some cases. For example, if you operate a political blog outside CafePress and send traffic to the Politics portal on CafePress and you happen to be a Shopkeeper selling political merchandise, we recognize there will be incidents where you generate an affiliate commission off your own product by accident.
[2007.03.26 20:02:48] ace: CJ is seriously the best choice, this is a good switch.
[2007.03.26 20:02:48] ShelbyCP: Thank you!
[2007.03.26 20:03:09] AngelaCP: Everyone...time's up
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[2007.03.26 20:03:20] AngelaCP: We have a lot of questions that not answered
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[2007.03.26 20:03:48] AngelaCP: please email the affiliate team at affiliates@cafepress.com if you have any unanswered questions
[2007.03.26 20:03:48] maryo: What about the drawbacks of the program? You're being disingenous at the very least. You are fostering an atmosphere of distrust and that is not helping the situation.
[2007.03.26 20:03:48] ShelbyCP: The drawbacks to our Shopkeepers are they will be required to do some work to migrate their links. We are evaluating ways to make this easier.
[2007.03.26 20:04:14] AngelaCP: thank you everony for attending
[2007.03.26 20:04:43] AngelaCP: thank you everyone for attending
[2007.03.26 20:05:03] AngelaCP: bye everyone
[2007.03.26 20:05:13] AngelaCP: the lobby is open if you want to chat and socialize there