Should we automatically add our affiliate code to outgoing links to Bundle Stars?
I don't mind referrals at all. But don't you think that it would be unfair for the users? Like, "I'm the admin, I can do whatever I want, but you can't"? So, it would be better to change the rules in general, if you actually want to implement your suggestion. It's not like I want to use referral links here, so I'm not saying it because I would profit, but I just don't think it's fair. That's just my opinion though, don't mind me. :B
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Oh, really? What if they want to use a referral link in order to gather money and make a steamgifts giveaway? Anyway, I still think it's not fair. I repeat that I'm not saying that because I want to post a referral link, but because people should be equal. An authority that has the power to do something against the rules that they implement themselves, is something that no community should have. :/
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An authority that does not respect its own rules, can only be called "abusive". What if cg breaks even more rules in the future? I mean, I know that he won't do that, because he looks like a nice guy, but that's an example. And if he breaks the rules by himself, then he won't look like a good example to the rest of steamgifts. Like, people will be posting referral links and say "It's not against the rules, since even cg is doing it". Talgaby said that it would be better if he would ask for donations and I agree with him.
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Hmmm, I didn't remember that the rule was using the word "donation". Still, he won't "ask" for donations. He'll just have a donation box, that it won't be intrusive, like in a different tab. Actually, you made me think now, because it also sounds like it's against the rules. :/ Maybe he can add more advertisements then?
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That's not a good example, since it'd be more like the guys from the supermarket putting things in your pockets or your cart kinda without asking tbh ;D. For a trade-off, why don't make the referral itself public and let people themselves decide in e.g. the bundle threads if they wanna add it (of course with annonuncing)?
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Does this even make any sense? xD Is steamgifts selling referral links? :B No, steamgifts is about giveaways, not about referral links. It's a giveaway-related community. Referral links is a totally different matter, that they aren't allowed. It's more like being a restaurant owner that doesn't allow smoking inside the restaurant, but the owner himself is smoking in front of the people.
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I think that ads are not the same as referral links. They have the same result, but ads are like a loophole to the whole referral rule thing. He can put ads, since they're kinda like a standard thing for all sites, but referral links is like breaking the site's own rules. Also, referral links tell you to "buy that and give me money", while ads only ask you to click a link. :P
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Ref links are forbidden because everyone and their dogs would spam it on the forums. I don't see a legit chance that suddenly CG will spam the shit out of the forums, with each post only containing the ref links.
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I don't think that it's just because of the spam. People are not allowed to post referral links because the site is about giving away games, not about profiting. Either way, he's breaking his own rules. :/ He must either change the rules or find another way.
"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal"!
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YOU are giving away games. And me. And others. Should the site run on skittles, someone paying for it from it's own pocket? At least find a better arguement that takes into consideration that things cost money.
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Ads. He can put more ads. Your opinion is not necessarily the correct one, just like my opinion isn't necessarily the correct one. I suggested a solution. Breaking his own rules isn't something good. It's not supporting equality. Btw, cg is also giving away games. The fact that he's also running the site, doesn't change the fact that this site has rules that must be equally followed.
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Taken directly from the Guidelines section.
Referral links are not allowed in the community
He's website owner and admin and the site itself is more than just its community.
So no rule broken, since you're hell-bent on nitpicking, that is... :3
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IN the community, meaning that they shouldn't be posted IN the community, not BY the community. Still, even if it say BY the community, it would still be unjust. If you can't follow a rule yourself, how can you demand others to do that? As I said above, it's like being a restaurant owner that doesn't allow smoking inside the restaurant, but the owner himself is smoking in front of the people. Just because a person has more power than the others, it doesn't mean he shouldn't follow the same rules, like in the army for example.
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If you can't follow a rule yourself, how can you demand others to do that?
Because he is not a user, he's the site owner.
As I said above, it's like being a restaurant owner that doesn't allow smoking inside the restaurant, but the owner himself is smoking in front of the people.
Not really, it isn't, that's ludicrous. Since you're gonna go with the restaurant analogy (not my favorite, but it was your choice), this would be far more tantamount to the restaurant owner saying you can't touch the remote control on the TV, to make sure you don't abuse it and don't put it on PornChannel9000. You, the client that came to his restaurant. He himself making sure he only lets the TV run on clean channels... well, not a problem with that, as you can just look away.
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What if the owner puts it to PornChannel9000 with full volume then? :B Kids wouldn't be so delighted to watch and hear the hardcore scenes.
Anyway, you don't have a problem with the ref rule because it doesn't directly affect you. If, in the future, cg would demand that the TheZooZ username is really offensive and it should be changed, you would be like "Why? This is unjust!" and I'll be like "He's the site owner, man. You should obey him". That's the problem, you know. Nobody cares about the rules, as long as they don't directly affect them. Thing is, I care about all rules, no matter if they affect me or not. I'm just pretty strict with equal laws. :P To be honest though, it's just my opinion. Just because I say it, it doesn't mean cg will care, so don't worry too much. It's just that I can't follow unequal rules though and I'm headstrong about that. :/
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I'm sorry, I really don't want to come off as antagonizing or patronizing, but I don't know how else to be sincere about how I feel about what you just wrote... It's just that last post of yours felt like really silly just now... you're going off on a crusade for no cause. So I'm sorry for my snark, but...
From this last post of yours I've deducted 2 things:
-
Next time I go to a restaurant, I'll demand control over the remote if there's a TV, because equality... ;P
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Someone tell cg he should give us all admin tools to toy with the site as we see fit or remove his own, again... because equality... ;P
P.S.:
You're entitled to your opinion, regardless of what I may think of it and I hope you choose to not be offended. :)
As for the rest, let's just (hopefully) agree to disagree. :)
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You're incorrect. I didn't say that. There's a difference between power over things and rules. Not everyone is allowed to control the same things because of equality. But everyone that is using the same things should follow the same rules.
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More like an owner who won't allow random customers to sell wine in his restaurant (where all the food happens to be free), but makes it available for those who wish to buy it. Seems pretty reasonable to me...
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As I said above:
Is steamgifts selling referral links? :B No, steamgifts is about giveaways, not about referral links. It's a giveaway-related community. Referral links is a totally different matter, that they aren't allowed. It's more like being a restaurant owner that doesn't allow smoking inside the restaurant, but the owner himself is smoking in front of the people.
What I mean is that this (what you're saying) would make sense for a cd key shop, like gog. If I would start saying to the gog owner that I should be allowed to sell games on his site, he would say that I'm stupid, because I'm not the one that can decide that, just like the wine example. Steamgifts is about giveaways, not referral links. Cg wants to bring something different to the site, something that he also doesn't allow and it's not related to the nature of the site. You can't make a good example if you're breaking your own rules. :/ Either way, let's see what he'll decide.
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I really do understand where you're coming from, I just find it hard to even understand how such smooth functioning of the site is feasible with nominal funding, and am wondering how much more could be done if a few unobtrusive referrals gave a steady income to work with. The point about the wine was really just that it's extremely easy to identify businesses where the customers must abide by different rules than the organisation - in fact, almost impossible to find examples of the contrary.
Not wanting to force the point, but now that I know your objection to my illustration, I'll change it a little; consider instead a museum.
The main focus of a museum is undeniably to provide access to see the exhibits, often without charge. But it's enormously expensive to maintain a museum. If a museum allows a catering company to open a small cafe on the premises, earning commission on all sales, while still maintaining the rule that people may not eat or drink any of their own food on the premises, it isn't contradictory, or unfair, or setting a bad example. It's an entirely reasonable and practical way for the museum to subsidise their operational costs.
But seriously, I really understand where you're coming from :)
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Let's just find another way to help him get funds then. Maybe he can put more ads. Or, just like a brilliant steamgifts user said, put an option to allow referral links or block them.
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And SG isn't about ads, but there they are, and generating funds to pay for the site. Your own logic is internally inconsistent, and has been proven so multiple times. This is just plain stupid now. SG administration can literally do whatever the eff they want with the site. The fact that they're seeking general user input for something like this is amazing, and should be cheered. I also think it's fine for them to add ref links. The reality is that the site costs money to run. Many people use ad blockers. They're looking into other ways to unobtrusively generate a little extra revenue. They have absolutely every right. For us to be included in the discussion is nearly unheard of, and entirely not needed (but appreciated). Site owners/admins are not in ANY way (nor should they be) bound by some sorta related paragraph in the rules that USERS are asked to follow.
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Look, to be honest, I kinda answer the same comments all the time. Whatever you told me, others have told me before. :P
Ads are kinda like a gray area. All sites have ads and it's a common practice of getting money. Also, ads are about viewing or clicking something, while ref links are about asking someone to purchase something. So, ads aren't something new. If they were something new, they would also look "weird" to people.
It's not unobtrusive if you edit users' comments to add ref links. -_-
But he asked. He asked for our opinion. The fact that he asked for our opinion, means that he wants to see a plethora of them - not that he's waiting for us to blindly accept his suggestion. He could just implement it any day without even asking. But he didn't. So, since he asked for our opinion, here I am saying mine. ;P
Different people have different power over some things, but they all have to follow the same rules. It's called equality before the law. :P
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That one doesn't make sense either. A closer version would be not allowing random people to post advertisement in it, but the owners of the restaurant could still choose to post some advertisements if they choose to do so.
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I still fail to see were your break point is. How are ads ok if referrals are not? Ads need referrals just to know where the click came from for starters. And using your argument that allowing referrals would lead to people doing it because "It's not against the rules, since even cg is doing it", then wouldn't putting ads up lead to people putting ads up themselves, since if cg is doing it then it must be ok for them also, right?
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Let's just say that ads are a gray area. All (or most) sites have ads, so I can't really oppose to that. Ads need a simple click though. Referrals require someone to buy something.
Another good idea by someone was allowing cg to put referrals and, also, allow people putting referrals in their own giveaways, so it won't count as spam.
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Ads like the ones built into the site are most definitely "against the rules"
When posting links or content, that content should not... primarily exist as a traffic source for... monetary benefit.
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I know, I know, I said I can't really give an answer to that. xD Most sites have ads though. Nobody can tell them to do otherwise, so I think ads are a gray area, since it's a common practice. But ads require only a click or a view, while ref links require a purchase. I just really can't say anything about ads. It's not like users can implement ads the way that the site owner can.
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An authority that does not respect its own rules, can only be called "abusive".
The government doesn't allow you to kill, the government is allowed to kill for the greater good. Every country ever ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Still, I don't support that. :/ Hence why democracy requires each authority to control the other ones. But I know, governments are abusive. ;_;
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I mostly agree with you and understand what you're saying, but there are nuances and exceptions to rules. And in this case it does make sense to me that countries kill to protect their citizens without it meaning that they're being abusive.
My point being that there are always gray zones/exceptions to the rules, though you're obviously allowed to disagree with that statement.
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Yeah, opinions are always different on each person and other people will either agree or disagree with them, but they should respect them nevertheless. ;P
The gray zones are why I'm saying that cg should change the rules somehow in order to avoid breaking his own rules. I also didn't like sgtools having ref links, but I accepted it because it's a DIFFERENT site and it doesn't have a funny rule saying "Please don't post ref link, but I'm the site owner, so I'll post ref links". :P
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Maybe look it at something less extreme. People are not allowed to detain others even if that other person broke the law, yet the government can detain people by sending them to jail if they break a law.
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You're wrong at that. o.O Even the government answers about its actions and obeys the same laws (although, let's agree that they actually don't do that, because they're shitty). :P First of all, political authority is different to justice authority (hope I'm using the correct english words). But still, if you steal, you go to jail, no matter if you're a peasant or the prime minister (this sadly doesn't actually happen, but equality before the law demands it). So, what you said, is fully incorrect.
About your other comment, I think that sighery also posted a similar comment. :P
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Yet only jails are allowed to detain people, so why are there different rules for jails? If jails are allowed to detain some people then anyone should be allowed to do the same if you want so much equality.
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Ok, seriously, I don't know what to answer here. :P Different people have different powers over something and I never disagreed about it. But, under the same place, all have to follow the same rules. That's the difference between powers and rules - some people have a lot of power, more than others, but they all have to follow the same rules.
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Your analogy is still way off, you are mixing economical rules with juridical ones. If every aspect of a society would work like that, then any person in the position of authority could enact rules that don't apply to themselves. To counter your analogy, what cg is proposing is like if you forbid the employees of a company to do insider trading with the company's stocks, except for the CEO who can buy or sell them before releasing the company's quarterly report.
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My analogy isn't perfect, but your example isn't either, so meh.
Edit: Analogies don't have to be about the exact same thing, so I don't see how one being economical and the other juridical matter.
But I still think the best one is, how stores don't allow people or even their own employees to sell their own stuff. And is not even limited to only stores, pretty much any private location does that. Parks like Disney, Busch Gardens don't allow the people or even their own employees to peddle their stuff there, but they can setup their own stores or even give the concession to someone to sell their stuff there.
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Actually, in Sweden and many other countries, you are allowed to detain someone that breaks the law in some cases, until the authorities arrive. :) It's called citizen's arrest.
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But only for a short while until someone with authority arrives.
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That's what I just said. :P Just pointing out that you're not correct saying that you, as a citizen, is not allowed to detain people breaking the law. :)
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:D, probably should've clarified but what I meant was detaining for a long time (5, 10 year) kind of like a prison does.
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I think that's allowed everywhere......or not? o.O
Like, someone tries to steal from you, you grab him, hold him down, call the police, and keep holding him down till the police arrives. That's what you mean, right?
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It's different from country to country the degrees of what you're allowed to do. You can find out more in the link I provided.
For example, in Sweden the offense needs to be so severe that it involves jail time, so you can't make a citizen's arrest if you see someone go into the backyard of someone elses house and take a ladder (for example). Because the value of the ladder is too small to give you jail time.
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Heh, every country and government is guilty of that :P
Except in his case he is from a country that still remembers the last military junta and the days where a governing body was leading by exempting itself from its own rather harsh rules. Despite the current tumultuous state of their country, power abuse is still an incredibly sensitive and sore topic for a Greek.
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Exactly. Only you can read my mind, talgaby. ;_; And there are many Greeks that have a nostalgia for junta and they don't mind having it back - oh God, how I despise them. >:(
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Nah, I just met a Greek who showed the symptoms of a man from the Mediterranean meeting a topic he considered a sore spot. Thank the gods he was sober… (I still kinda got lost, because the heavy accent combined with high emotions resulted in words that I think may have been in English, but I am not sure.)
But living a in a country that bordered Serbia during the ex-Yugoslavian civil war and the NATO campaign against Milosevic, having kids in my school fleeing Serbia, or a work mate whose family left Romania while it was still under the dictatorship of Ceausescu… well, maybe we had it relatively easy after the mid-60s, but we also saw and remember many of the things that happened in Eastern Europe in the past decades.
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Wait, not quite sure what you mean. You mean he was talking about junta negatively or positively?
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Let's just say that I gathered he really wasn't remembering those years fondly at all. Even though he should have been like 5 or 6 years old during it. If he even was born. (I have real issues determining the age of some Southern Europeans. It's like as if you guys switch from 20s to late 40s and skip the intermittent age range.)
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Well, many Greek people can tell you how shitty junta was. It was all about power abuse. We're proud that a lot of students gave their lives with the Athens Polytechnic uprising in order to end the junta. :'( My mother saw many bad things those days, during the Athens Polytechnic uprising. It's such a shame that many fools would like to see it happen again. Anyway, I'm glad you agree in the whole matter.
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You'd be surprised at the number of "rules" support and cg break every day. For example:
Respect the privacy of invite only giveaways, and if you're invited to a private giveaway, do not share the link with other users unless given permission by the giveaway creator.
In order to deal with many tickets, support can access private giveaways through the tickets. In essence, cg is "sharing" the link with us.
All questions and concerns should be directed through the support system on the site, and we ask users not to add support members on Steam for help.
We add other support members on Steam all the time to get opinions on various situations, and to escalate tickets and such.
Do not ask users or developers for keys or gifts, whether in comments, chat, or outside the site.
When we require proof for giveaway rerolls and such, we often ask for screenshots of the keys and such being sent to the winner.
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1) You're not allowed to share it with the intention for others to enter it. If I just give it to a friend and he won't enter it, you'll never know I shared it. :B
2) So, if I win your giveaway or if you win my giveaway, I'm not allowed to add you? You can ban me for an action I did outside of steamgifts? Naaahhh, I doubt it. Plus, the second part looks more like a suggestion, rather than a rule.
3) Yeah, also, when I win someone's giveaway, I ask him to give me the key or gift of the game. Is that also a violation of the rules? xD
If you didn't notice, I mostly answered sarcastically. :P But, there's a difference between having power over something and having to follow a rule. For example, as I said, you're not allowed to share a private giveaway's link with the intention of having someone enter it. Just because you have the power to see the link of this giveaway, it doesn't mean you can avoid the rules and enter it............or do you? :P Nah, I suppose you don't.
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I'm a supporter of equality, dear. I can't blindly accept a site owner breaking his own rules. ;_; He must either change the rules or just find another solution.
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Change? Or clarify? I don't think the spirit of the rule would be violated. I never interpreted the rule as applying to the site itself.
If your point is merely that the references to referrals need to be changed to clarify things then I could be persuaded by that narrow point.
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If he's gonna make a rule saying "I can do it, because I'm the owner, but you peasants can't do it", then no, I don't want that. :P He must find something like a loophole. He can like put the referral links on the advertisements, like, when advertising g2a in an ad, when you click on it, it will lead to www.g2a.com/?reflink=(steamgiftsowner) (it's not a real ref link, so don't report me) or something. :P He just needs to find a way in order not to break his own rules.
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Well, I chose not to make a point about how the distinction between ads and referral links can be quite murky.
Also, I don't view the prohibition on referral links as anything other than a rule that prevents users from spamming and linking to scams and malicious sites.
I view site referrals as categorically different in their nature since inserting one's referral has no effect on the frequency or quality of posts, and sites are wont to exercise more caution and skepticism and have a profound bias toward referring to reputable sites exclusively.
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"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal"! It looks pretty unequal to me, but some of you are trying to make it look equal. That's all I have to say. I'm just wondering if cg agrees to my comments, in some extent that is. :P
To be honest, cg, I won't keep supporting a site with unequal rules, if you decide to choose that direction (I know that nobody gives a flying duck about what I think or about what I will do, but that comment is directed to cg only).
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I didn't say anything about equality. I said it was different.
It's kind of like how a supermarket might prevent people from panhandling right in front of their door but allow a minor cellphone service provider's sales reps to set up a table in the store.
Everyone understands why one thing is fine and the other is not.
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Funny thing is that exactly the opposite happens to Greek super markets. xD I don't mind seeing people begging for food, but I hate people begging for games. :/
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I wasn't relating a specific or common experience. I was just showing that two similar things are understood to be different.
I understand opposition to the referral links but I am unlikely to be persuaded that the site substituting its own referral URL and any user being able to spam the site with referral links as the same thing, or about or relating to equality.
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Yeah, I know, I just said a fact about Greek super markets, that's all. xD
I didn't tell you to change your opinion, just like you shouldn't tell me to change my opinion, at least not as long as you can't find a good reason to change my opinion. :P But anyway, each person is entitled to his own opinion.
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So, he can do whatever he wants? :/ He can start calling out, support piracy, post gleam giveaways, etc., just because "he's the rules"? Dat equality brings tears to my eyes. :B
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If that would apply to real life too, then we would have one too many dictators. :B Anyway, that's all I had to say.
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If you don't see a difference between someone asking if affiliate links can be used to provide/maintain a free webservice and the Second Coming of the Third Reich™ then maybe you should take a step back and take a calmer look later 🤷
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I said "IF that would apply to real life" (notice the caps). :P
He can put a lot of ads to be able to maintain the site. Something that doesn't break his own rules. :/
This change doesn't affect or, let's say, doesn't hurt anyone. But if we suddenly become so lenient to a rule being broken by an authority that created them, then what's next? Cg can start posting gleam giveaways, promote piracy, call out people, etc.? But don't worry, it's his site, so he can do whatever he wants, right? :/ I know he won't, but better safe than sorry.
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So arguing for the sake of arguing 🤔 Got it 😼
IF I was a cat I would banish all dogos from this kingdom. I would raise a banner under which all the Purrington knights and all the Meowing maidens would unite. Together we would unleash a fury which would wreak a million catnips of darkness on this land
P̵̀h̴̶'͘n̷g̢l̴͘u͡į ͡m̢͜g̷͢l̡w͢'̴͜naf̵͝h͏̸҉ ̧Ć͢͏t̸̢̛hu͏l̕͟h̶͝ừ̢ ̧Ŗ̕'̶̨͜ļ͘y̨e̡͠h͠ ҉͟w̴̨g̷à̕h'̶̴̵n̷a͏̀g̶͘l̨͟ ̴̵f̧h̷tag͘͘ǹ̨͝
😻
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I told you that I can't stand idle to someone that doesn't follow his own rules that he implements on his site. xD I argue when I disagree with something, not just for the sake of it. -_- I'm not telling you to agree with me, I'm just telling you to understand why I'm saying it and making a fuss about it. You can disagree with me all you want. xD
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When a single person has a bunch of posts arguing against something and they keep responding with hypotheticals and parallels to politics or unrelated rhetoric then it really does appear that way.
Maybe you really, super duper quadruper care about it but you're not helping yourself or your point this way imo, so again sleeping on it might help 😴
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Oh, I'm really sorry if my opinion finds you indifferent, but cg asked for people's opinions, not you.
I didn't see you telling me anything wiser though, but only about the third reich, a cat dictator, and that I need to sleep. :P
But, to conclude, if you disagree with me, it's fine. But don't tell me to change my opinion, especially if you can't even tell me a reason to do that.
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Of course you can have an opinion but do you just want to have it to let people know "I have an opinion!" or do you want to actually share that opinion with a sound argument to make people understand it. Because right now you are doing it a disservice by supporting it with hyperbolic statements and an argument that is very flimsy.
At least that is in my opinion 🤷
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No, I disagree with cg's suggestion, hence why I'm saying my opinion. My argument is that putting ref links is like breaking the site's own rules. It is a sound argument and it doesn't have hyperbolic statements, because, as cg also said:
The only downside I could see is users might feel it's unfair that we ask everyone not to use referral links, and then we would be automatically attaching one of our own.
So, ehm, do you think it's kinda stupid that cg thought he would break the site's own rules? :B Oh, because it looks like you thought my argument was kinda stupid, because he's the site owner and he can do whatever he wants, but he actually thought of the exact same thing that I thought. But it's ok, you just said your opinion, so I'm sure he won't mind. :B
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Yes, that is the opinion. The winning opinion atm is it's fine because it helps the site, and your opinion is repeating what CG said as an off-note and adding a bunch of white noise to it. Your argument has been ranging from Politics, Civil riots, Piracy, Dictatorship, 1984-esque dystopias and a lot of other stuff I didn't bother to read. In my opinion you are confusing your own point by putting all of that extra noise in it :^)
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Ok, thank you for your opinion. It's nice to see people saying their opinions, even if their opinion is about paraphrasing my own words. :B
Let's paraphrase your words now:
The winning opinion atm is it's fine because it helps the site, and your opinion is repeating what CG said as an off-note and adding a bunch of white noise to it.
Shanti: "The opinion that I support is good, but your opinion is bad, m'kay? You're just hyperbolic. Oh, cg said the same like you did? o.O Ehm, then you just repeat cg's own words and you also add some of your own words that I don't like, m'kay?"
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I really tried and still have no idea what you're trying to say dear, but
The opinion that I support is good, but your opinion is bad, m'kay?Technically we have the same opinion 🤦
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We do? o.O Then at what point did you disagree with me? :/ Hmmm, you also got me confused now.
The opinion that I support is good, but your opinion is bad, m'kay?
You understood that I said that like you were saying it, in order to paraphrase your words, right? It was something like counter-paraphrasing. :P
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Because right now you are doing it a disservice by supporting it with hyperbolic statements and an argument that is very flimsy.I really do not understand what you've been saying for the last few posts tbh 🤷 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Maybe this is some elaborate conspiracy where you and CG are mixed up and you actually want people to vote 'Yes', so you are making the other side seem completely ridonkulous and hysterical 🤔
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Ok, then please make me a list of what's good enough for you and what's bad, in order for me to read it and memorize it, so I won't bring dishonor anymore to our beloved society. ;_;
By the way, if you do not understand what I'm saying, then how did you make the conclusion that I'm saying ridiculous and hysterical things? That sounds a little bit contradictory, to be honest. :(
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Sorry you couldn't change my opinion so far, I won't vote Yes until certain minimum requirements are made and I swear this to my ancestors and those who will come before me because I will never allow tyranny to take place, as I cannot just watch ideally while corruption of power is taking place and naive people who do not have any chance because as we have seen for countless ages that war, war never changes and absolute power corrupts absolutely so we cannot even fathom or has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?
Of course I don't mean this can happen or it is possible at all but we cannot let it happen because if it happens what will happen when it happens???
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Good to know we have a warrior among our ranks! Keep drinking Nuka-Cola, since you look more and more enlightened each day. We will eventually bring down the Brotherhood. >:( Till then, I have a vault for you to visit. It's called Vault 106. Probably you have already visited it, but please, visit it again. :B
War. War never changes.
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No idea again what you mean but you cannot change my opinion, I'm really sorry about that ): so you should stop trying because what if you are doing this for the admin and he is included in you I know it's probably not but I think it won't stop then :^)
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Technically, that argument is correct though: it may not be ethical to come up with rules that don't apply to yourself, but this site is cg's personal property. I don't agree with this referral proposal either the least bit, but in reality nothing stops cg from doing it, not even if the poll had 101% in the "no" field. We can form an opinion, but that's about it; we have no power over the events of this site.
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And I know that. But he asked, so why not say our opinion and propose alternative suggestions? ;P He can do whatever he wants with his site, but he shouldn't do whatever he wants. :P
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He can still ask our opinion. :)
Whether it will be a good idea or not remains to be seen. We often forget that many of the stupidest decision of history were voted into effect, but also some of the better ones.
(Although I maintain what I wrote a few pages later, that it should not be just one store then, give people a choice in shop to sponsor the site through purchasing games.)
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The site rules aren't about equality. They are about crowd control. They apply to those who want the privilege - because it's not a right - of participating in this website.
This vote is optional. He could simply enforced It because he can. You are writing about your opinions here because he lets you do so. This is not a democracy.
If the reason you think that way is ecause you believe we have the right to use this website and the owner is our equal in here, then you have it all wrong. He can ban you for no reason. You could complain, but he simply has the right to. It's his.
I would not like to be auto-referred, though. Maybe I would prefer being referred by someone else. Maybe not. Having the choice would be great and I would like to help cover the costs, specially when it's free.
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Oh, so he can do whatever he wants, ban me because he wants, change my username to a funny name, delete my giveaways, etc.? Of course he CAN, but should people allow him to do that? Should people stand idle to abusive actions? Just because he CAN, doesn't mean we WANT or that I will keep using his site if he changes my username to TheSuckyShamcock. :P
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He can as long as it doesn't break your right, as long as it doesn't constitute a crime. Your opinion or how you feel about it doesn't change that.
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Oh, then why did he ask our opinions? Am I not allowed to say my opinion, just because it's different than yours? o.O There are many people having sites, servers, forums, etc. on the internet. They CAN do whatever they want, but this doesn't mean that we will stand idle to it. I just won't keep supporting the site if he breaks his own rules - and you and he won't give a flying duck about it, but since he asked about our opinions, I had to say it. ;P
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I'm just saying it has nothing to do with being equal. That has been my only point throughout this conversation. He can choose what he wants to do regardless of our opinion. We can't change it by ourselves if he doesn't want it to be changed.
We're not equal. That's all.
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Well, it's true that we're not treated as equals, but we should be, because we're all equal under the eyes of God, Buddha, Cthulhu, Zeus, Aliens, etc. -_- We must have equality before the law, meaning that everyone must have to follow the same rules.
You're telling me that he can do whatever he wants about his site - and I know that. But since he asked about our opinions, I felt obliged to tell him I do not agree. He doesn't have to listen to me, but I can't keep supporting him that way. Also, a random question: why did he remove the "deals" tab, since now he wants to implement ref links? How is it better to "edit" comments in order to show cg ref links? xD
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I'm not telling you wether you should support him. I'm telling this whole "equal" thing is your very own opinion, but you still make it sound like it's common sense. It's not. We're not equals. We wouldn't be disagreeing if we were.
Because people disagree with each other, there are the ones who have to enforce the rules. A lot of people will kill despite being told not to. This would only be different if we were all clones with the exact same thought process all the time or something like that.
We're not equals regardless of whose eyes are looking at us. Either everyone is equal or noone is equal - I can't imagine you believing a cheetah, a cockroach and a moskito should have the same rights you want for yourself, despite all of you are alive and are relevant in the universe.
Maybe you believe you're more important than that moskito you just slapped - an invading alien could maybe slap you dead just the same, though, just for being there. I'm also sure you wouldn't be the most respected entity if you get thrown into the african jungle.
Contextual equality is not a thing unless everyone involved is forced into it by a higher power - like the site owner.
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I think you're messing equality with........ehmmmm........something else?! Messing equality with similarity? Then messing equality between different kinds, like people with mosquitoes? Not sure about that, but I'm pretty sure you are messing equality with similarity (or however it's called).
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You think every individual in the human species are equally more important than any other living kind in the planet? That seems very arrogant and self-beneficial in every way.
Well, it's clear I disagree with that opinion and I've stated the reason why. Of course, to each his own.
tldr to everyone else
-i disagree every human is an equally special snowflake so i stopped by to say this "we're equal" argument is not an universal truth like his speech made it sound like, since he didn't seem to have considered it
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Please, let's not keep this conversation going. I'm supporting equality, you're telling me that equality doesn't exist, and I'm telling you that it should and it does, because we're all equal before the law (although, the richer you are, the "better" you become than others in this damned society). So, let's say that our comments make no sense to each other, because we believe in something completely different.
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I understand you perfectly, I simply disagree with every single thing. Of course, to each his own.² I do agree the conversation is over, though.
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But I thought a lot of people were checking deals. Kinda sad really that he removed them. :/
I didn't say I would prefer a ref link on the deals tab, I'm just wondering why he didn't prefer to do that. I still think that ref links shouldn't be implemented. -_-
why do I keep wasting my time on you
Who the heck told you to waste your time on me? You're not a special butterfly that I like checking out or something. If you don't want to answer to me, then don't. I stated my opinion for cg, not for you.
the site does not run on loans like greece does
Classic bigot sayings. What's next? You'll tell us that Greek women have a lot of hair on the armpits, that we're always saying "opa", and eat mousaka and souvlaki? Tell me, I wanna know the recent bigot trends. :B
I proposed different options. I said about adding more advertisements or that we should be able to allow or block the ref links (just like another guy or girl said).
You're either confused or you don't speak English, or my English are terrible. I never said "Oh, please add a rule where the owner of the site can add ref links", because that wouldn't be related to equality. I said either everyone should be able to post ref links or nobody.
Now, what the heck do you care what I think? Do you like seeing my Lucky Luke picture so much or something? You may be my special butterfly, but there are many other butterflies I can also choose. ;_;
Btw, I never said that my opinion matters that much, so please, never think that your opinion does. :/
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My suggestion: Allow people to place referral codes in their own giveaway descriptions, but not in other comments or posts.
The reason referral links aren't allowed is to discourage spam, but that's not a serious danger with giveaways. And they allow actual advertising in giveaways, anyway (lots of people post giveaways here that advertise their own game), and it doesn't seem to cause any problems.
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Yeah, your comment makes perfect sense. That's also a good idea.
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Most businesses have an area that is reserved for employees only. There is usually a sign that says "employees only".
Is that sign unfair to customers?
Should customers be able to walk through that door anytime, since the owner is allowed to walk through the door anytime?
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There's a difference between having a power to do something that others can't and having to follow the same rules. Like, I'm not allowed to drive the train, but he can, still, he must not smoke inside the train, just like I must not smoke too.
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So walking into the "employees only" area is a "power" and not a "rule"..............?
Uh...okay! Whatever works in your own mind I guess. :)
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Yes, it's a power, not a rule. Just like there's no rule saying that you can't just enter a ship and drive it away - it's obvious that you shouldn't because it's not in your powers. I mean that some people are entitled to do something that some other people don't, but they all have to follow the same rules. It's that simple.
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I know that i might get suspended and the amount of blacklists i will be added to can be very high but i am more than enough angry and shocked that i cannot resist the urge to insult you and your overall intelligence TheLuckyShamrock.
You made my IQ to decrease to the clinically abnormal levels while reading your comments and OPINIONS..
Congratulations for the most illogical and disturbingly stupid arguments and reasoning i have seen for a long time on the internet.
Arrogance caused by ignorance is one of the worst things that a human-being can preserve and present as a characteristic property..
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You're more than welcome to argue with me, as long as you have a few reasons to express your different opinion, rather than an amount of insults, probably provided by your 5-year-old cousin. Instead of expressing your opinion and saying why you think my opinion is wrong, you just wrote a long text of insults, showing that you're more capable of a monologue, rather than a dialogue. Wait a minute. Now I'm talking to cicatrix or his 5-year-old cousin? Now, go to the mirror and try making a dialogue to the only person that can stand talking to you.
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Arguing with you?
No i will pass that since bunch of people above have put more than enough effort trying to explain you how incredibly nonsense and wrong your arguments are with using simple metaphors at the similar complexity that i use to explain something to my almost 5-year-old-cousin during a dialogue. Usually he gets the idea right after a proper explanation.
Additionally, i said my exact intention to write a comment at the first sentence of my so-called monologue above, Sherlock.
I have to design a unique Swastika-like symbol for the new dicta era of cg and SG, so i am out. call it end of our little pseudodialogue.
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Nice. I'm happy to hear that you're actually able to make a dialogue with someone, even if that's just your 5-year-old cousin. Are you giving him a proper explanation or are you more like "My IQ is much more superior than yours, so I'd become stupid if I'd talk to you" kind of thing? Also, dear Einstein, since you're so clever, I hope my stupid comments aren't annoying you too much. I'll ask cg to gather a really smart audience to talk to you, since you obviously don't want to talk with the rest of us stupid fellows. ;_; I'm pretty sure you have a vast amount of doctoral degrees decorating your wall and you're talking to me between your lectures, so I'm really sorry for wasting your time, dear professor.
Now, since you can't make any explanations (probably because you're too clever and you believe I wouldn't understand since I'm stupid) and you can and want to simply insult you, let me ask you something: You're trying to insult me because....? That will make your duck bigger? Your little duckling isn't quacking good enough? Your level of education only limits you to make simple insults? But I thought that professors could use really complex words. :( Maybe you expected that, when I see your insults, I would go back to my mommy, crying and asking for a bigger piece of dessert tonight? :B To insult me, I need to care enough for your opinion about me. Thing is, you're not my special butterfly or something. I don't give a duck about what you think. Try to insult someone that cares, just to see if he/she'll actually react. Till then, have fun with your monologues.
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I definitely don't agree with TheLuckyShamrock in this case either, but we don't need the name-calling and the insults. They serve no purpose.
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From the genius mind behind thoughts such as "vegetarians are less intelligent because of lack of protein and veganism is deadly" 😹
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There is absolutely a rule saying you can't just enter a ship and drive it away. It's a rule called "the law". :)
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When I say "power", I mean having the right to do something, having the "rank" to do that. Like you said about the businesses, people with a specific "rank" (whoever is working there) can enter the area, but everyone has to follow the same rules while they are there (no matter if they are the boss or the cleaning lady). On steamgifts, cg can change the site however he seems fit, but he needs to follow the same rules, like he should not promote piracy, call out people, etc.
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Yes. I am willing to support Steamgifts as long as the features won't affect users or the website negatively.
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I don't see it as unfair at all. Do what you need to do to generate an income for the site, to keep it running. :-)
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There is some ethical dilemma, I can see that. On the other hand we're all having tons of fun on this site without paying a single dime for it, so in my opinion, go for it.
If people are bothered by it they don't have to click those links...
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There is some ethical dilemma, I can see that.
There really isn't. If SteamGifts charged a 1 cent per giveaway fee, by this point we'd all be used to it and accept it as commonplace. Moreover, since it doesn't relate to referral links, we'd never associate it negatively to that rule. And, of course, as there isn't actually a 1 cent fee that we're paying- it's provided by site sponsors- I can't imagine there'd be complaints to begin with.
Much like bad wordplay that tries to force a joke by manipulating the context, the only way this becomes an ethical dilemma is if someone ignores the underlying foundations to try and associate two different concepts because they share similar phrasing (much like how people were getting upset with SGTools because it had basic advertising, and how the way they structured their advertising openly displayed their referral links [which all advertisments have], and people claimed that broke referral policy, even though those links weren't being directed toward nor posted directly on the site).
Put more simply, there's a very distinct difference between user referral links and site referral links: The first is detrimental to the functioning of the site, causing spam, negative community impact, and possibly even server load issues. The latter supports and maintains the site, and thus provides the polar opposite of what the rule is designed to protect against.
Once you ignore abstract surface phrasing and actually look at the fundamentals of the rule, and why it exists, there's no basis for controversy. Given that this is a simple url filter, and nothing intrusive (and thus providing some degree of detriment to the site), there's no room for arguing against the implementation, so long as we continue to use the site [and if we don't, we lack the investment to qualify for making complaints. :P].
For a community concerned with leeching, the amount of users approaching this topic with a leeching mindset is pretty awkward. What are we providing back to this site, exactly? Moreover, an interesting consideration comes to mind: In the past, cg has provided quite a few community giveaways (and has never entered a giveaway once, so no claims toward CV abuse :P), presumably purchased through advertising funds obtained from the few users that have disabled ad-block on this site
[For example, despite my own willingness to support the site, I personally have not kept them enabled: I find the ads too intrusively arranged and poorly filtered.].
Community giveaways have become fewer of late. Perhaps this setup will benefit site users as well, past the obvious site support component. And past those elements, if cg is getting some profit? Well, it's not like it's hurting us any, and so long as we use the site and profit off it with wins or trades, we can't complain. The few users that only use this site for discussion purposes and have never won or traded through this site would be the only ones with an argument to make on the matter. :P
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For a community concerned with leeching, the amount of users approaching this topic with a leeching mindset is pretty awkward.
+1 to this as well... :/
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It's late and I'm sleepy. But I do agree with the parts I understood from your reply. Yes.
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tl;dr Dragon-approved™ version:
Whether one calls it a referral or not is irrelevant, as the referral rule doesn't relate to it to begin with (as it is based in the following considerations:)
The only things that are important for consideration are as follows: If it's detrimental to the site, it's bad. If it supports the site, it's good. This isn't in any way detrimental to the functioning or usage of the site, and is beneficial to its support.
Whether it ends up giving cg a profit or not is irrelevant- if users can manage a way of obtaining income off the site without any detriment to it, that'd presumably be allowed as well. In fact, isn't that exactly why people can promote their games or social pages on this site through giveaways? Site benefits from giveaways, doesn't suffer any noticeable detriment from the allowance.
Finally, it's just simple advertisement integration, same as the site already has- and much to the same perspective of those of us that ad-block out the existing ones, they're going to be unobtrusive and have no noticeable effect on any of the site's users.
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+1 for Sooth, bringing sense to discussions since 1854 ^^
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I used to try and bring incense, but I got tired of responding to all the people who were waggling their eyebrows at me and asking if I wanted to become part of their family. After that, I wanted to be a bit less in with it, so this is just what I ended up with, I guess.
Besides, the incense wasn't getting rid of any forum trolls, so my attempt to ward off evil spirits wasn't working out to begin with. :/
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The few users that only use this site for discussion purposes and have never won or traded through this site would be the only ones with an argument to make on the matter. :P
Hello
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If SteamGifts charged a 1 cent per giveaway fee, by this point we'd all be used to it and accept it as commonplace.
Uhm, no. That would be classified as trading or gambling and suddenly a whole load of legal laws would apply. Like, for starters, kicking everyone under the age of 18 (or 21 in some countries/US states). The site literally would be totally different the moment any kind of real-world monetary or other value is involved in the entry or posting process.
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To determine if an activity is gambling, the following three conditions must be met:
- Consideration: Individuals participating in the activity must wager something of value.
Given that in my example no site user is actually paying Steamgifts 1 cent directly, you are incorrect in your assertion. As far as I'm aware, sponsorship of an entity based off participation count is never classified as gambling. Of course, such clarification is needless, as your assertion doesn't relate to the metaphor I provided to begin with: I was indicating a difference in mindset based on simple phrasing, and not offering a recommendation of the implementation of dubious features.
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I dislike referral links period. I'd rather be asked to donate if there is a funding gap.
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The problem with donations is that peeps are going to feel like they are owed something because they paid for it. This is my guess as to why cg refuses to do donations.
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That makes no sense though,you don't donate hoping to get something in return,you donate because you want that person or organization to flourish,if you expect anything in return you're an asshole,it's a donation,not a trade.
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People treat giveaways as trading. People blame this site when they get caught entering for dlc/games that they already own. I have no doubt that donations will cause a lot of peeps thinking they are special lil shits cause they gave a dollar.
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That's absolutely retarded,but i could see that happening with some selfish assholes,damn shame.
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special lil shits cause they gave a dollar.
So jaded :3
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But even my mom says I'm special. Who are you to deny it? You're calling my mom a liar? ;_;
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cg posted end of last year/beginning of this year that he was thinking about doing a Patreon
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Ye I remember that but I'm not in favour of it for the reasons I've stated. His site though, so if it brings in more $ than ref links, he should do it.
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i would like a donation link, but just that. no special tags, colors, badges, icons, anything.
true donations should go unrewarded.
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People do everything expecting an achievement and a thank you.
Like:
I'll give away this game and I expect to go to level 2.
I'll give away this game and I expect you thank me.
I'll answer your question, but I expect you to thank me.
I'll give away more games, in order to fix my ratio and be able to enter more giveaways.
Only cowofdarkness doesn't want anything in return.
I'm also expecting achievements, thanks, etc. I'm not saying I'm different.
Well, scrap.tf, for example, gives a donator tag for people that donate money. It wouldn't hurt if, instead of being called as members, donators would have a donator tag.
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Well CG also creates giveaway for public and he do not mind about the public, he wanted the ref link for more giveaway to the public I guess, if it is regarding power, he would be able to do what he wants but he always asked a question and after the voting, he will then choose the option. For example, do you remember the recent sg update and stuffs, he would ask for opinion before doing it. If the vote is majority no, he would not proceed with it anyway.
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True. I'm actually not sure what he is going to do with the money. He never told us what he'll do with the money. He NEEDS them for the site? He just wants a surplus of money? He wants them in order to do more giveaways?
I remember it. I know that cg is a good guy. :)
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+1 to no tags, colors, etc.
IF I donate, I'd rather do it anonymously.
[edited for Skibby <3]
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So, following that statement, as soon as some kind of donations are established I'd be assured that you'd be in? Doesn't look that anonymous to me anymore now ;P.
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Referrals are coming from this website, so it seems fair to me. Good on you for asking first. That really is a non-invasive way to get revenue. I think it's fine to do that while asking others not to post referral links because (a) it doesn't result in the referral link spam that the rule is aimed at avoiding and (b) using referral links on your own site is different to putting your own referral links on somebody else's.
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Well said! In addition I would like an infograph that shows how much money was gathered that way and how much of the monthly costs are covered.
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As long as it's disclosed I don't see a negative. My understanding is that the current rule banning reflinks is there to stop people from fighting each other, rushing to make their own thread with their own referral links and causing chaos in the forums.
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Referrals were never good and never will be. Also, if this means an additional and rather large sellout "sponsored sales" element on the main site like we found one earlier today before it was removed, then especially no. Set up a donation box instead. I like Bundle Stars, but not like this.
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As I said above, an authority that does not respect its own rules, can only be called "abusive". So, cg should either change the rules or, like you said, make a donation box. I'm pretty sure you'll get a lot of donations, cg - just try it.
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That was a short two hour test to replace the existing banner advertisement on the homepage with sales for Steam games. The idea was listing a few popular sales, or highlighting sales for a user's wishlisted games might be more appreciated and less intrusive then the standard banner advertisement we currently use. However, most users run ad block, and didn't realize it was showing up in place of the existing banner.
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Oh, it pushed past adblocks. It was random when it did, but it showed up with uBlock running on this site for me ever since some ads managed to cripple my system by constantly loading an entire CPU core fully. It was also semi-random to show up on an unprotected browser (IE11), strangely.
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Other than the fact that the current advertisments are poorly filtered, and I've gotten malware warnings and dubious content from them before, their location is really troublesome. If you're simply replacing the advertisment structure but using the same location, you're only fixing half of the current setup's issues.
Best option might be to have a (Header, sidebar-top, sidebar-bottom, footer) element in the account settings, and configure a few different, suitable layouts to cover each option. Personally, a small sidebar-bottom advertisment would be ideal for me, though I can see a footer one being functional as well- in fact, that extra page depth may help redirects to bottom-of-page comments page-orient better; add in that it's below page navigation links, and that'd be a pleasant arrangement.
So yes: I'm glad you're switching to more user-friendly advertisments, and if you're willing to go a step further, I'll gladly disable my ad-block again. :)
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honestly, what's your problem with current ads? steamgifts is one the most user-friendly sites ad-wise I've ever seen! They don't pop-up covering your entire screen, they don't interfere with site functionality and (aisde from one ad a while ago, im my case) they are all 100% cancer free!
If I understand your idea correctly (you want to toss them at the bottom of the page where 99% of users never look, right?) it would probalby end up in less paying ads aka less revenue aka shutdown of steamgifts DUN! DUN! DUN! so, I don't really get your point and would rather see it unchanged...
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I got autoplaying ads with sound more than once, that was the point that I blocked the site again (started it as blocked, then whitelisted it for support, then ads happened) and others reporting harmful ads on the site - that's enough reason to block it :\
(you want to toss them at the bottom of the page where 99% of users never look, right?)
I'm not sure how Sooth uses the site, but foro example have a script for fixed sidebar. No matter where do I scroll from the top, it looks the same - and the generic ad between searchbar and the topics is just annoying, not well-placed. I would be happier with the mottoom screen ad as well. Screenshot in attachment (notice the page layout and the sidebar on the right)
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nope. I'm blind. sorry. can't see anything on the right. Also, you're adblocked, so I can't tell how the ad really affects you (yet I can imagine). anyway it's just your fault for not using vanilla Internet gosh I hate when people just MUST change everything I didn't put any scripts on my sg and don't have that problem.
Autoplaying ads with sound - that's the one case I was talking about. but after a day or so it reverted to single ledies in my area or manhood enchancers, so not much of a deal ;)
And how the hell can a banner ad be harmful (unless you click it ofc)?!
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Don't know why I wrote right, it's left :D
And exactly why is that my "problem" that I use scripts that make the site and many of it's features more accessible for me? o.O
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You probably would set a bad precedent for people complaining why they themselves aren't allowed to use referrals and support them with ammunition how and why SG is a scam anyways ;>. And in addition to that, wouldn't feel that nice to have something added to the things I post without me explicitly consenting... well, I personally just wouldn't like it, I can live far easier with a sales element on the front page.
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I have bought several bundles due to this site, I think this SteamGifts should get a kickback.
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The idea that this is some kind of double standard, or the site not respecting its own rules, is silly. A grocery store, which exists to sell groceries, does not allow third parties to come sell their own groceries right on the store's front porch. They're paying the rent, they can sell groceries while preventing others from doing so on the premises. This is no different. Steamgifts.com already includes advertising. There's nothing wrong with using tools to pay for the site while preventing non-owners of the site from doing the same.
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And not only grocery store, but pretty much every store works like that. But even beyond that as Movac and Kaleith mentioned above, allowing users to do it would lead to a whole lot of spamming, many people posting the same deals trying to get people to use their links.
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I would say it "depends". Whos paying for the site? Is it out of pocket? Is this because someone is struggling to pay the bills? What is the plan for the extra revenue? etc etc. I dont believe in clear cut yes/no/black/white.
In the end its not our site and I think it would be safe to assume not one person is going to leave because of it. So tough luck to them. You gotta do what you gotta do. Personally I find the videos that play much more annoying and when using hotspot eat up data.
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I don't appreciate the idea of edited links whenever someone posts because that's a slippery slope, but since we kinda already have Bundlestars deal threads the ref links could be included in them. Like
Bundlestars $1 Poopy Bundle Poopy bundle link
Poopy bundle with referral ⬅️️Helps support the website and server maintenance costs
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+1 This idea has some merit and I would prefer to see them in the deal threads
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Hasn't every bundle Groupees has released this past year had that name? Or was that just my internal filter correcting their bundle titles to more accurate labeling?
🙄
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Well, there is faith, and then there's average groupees quality.... I can't even decide if the anniversary or Miller's is the worse one.
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+1 was going to suggest something like that myself!
heck! I'll suggest it on my own as well :P
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+1
Let us choose whether or not to use the referral link. If you want to impose this link, there will be a script to skip it.
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yes, please! You are deserving some money for doing all of this.
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I think it's a fair solution.
Ref links are not banned because they are the satan, but to prevent the whole site being spammed by people (Some steam groups are flooded with csgo*anything* and other referral links)
But anyways, if it would be happen, be extremely open about it, so without a doubt could people see that it's the site's own reflink
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Do it.
The "don't post referal links" rule is good because then you don't have to devote any energy to how much posting is spamming and whether or not the referred site is credible, etc; users cannot refer because it is too much work to moderate and the site would suffer.
Letting the site make a few bucks to offset costs has nothing to do with that. The site can refer because it does nothing to the quality of the site and does not take money away from someone who would normally earn it with their own link. There is only the benefit of the site being able to offset costs that much more.
Vote should be 100% yes.
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yes, all links to stores could have a sg referral. not against the idea of you making some money from user's clicks.
and no, this isn't sarcasm.
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if sgtools is allowed to have obfuscated referrals, i think sg also has that right +9999.
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Plus a critical difference between SG referrals and user referrals would be that ostensibly SG referrals benefit the site and help ensure the it continues whereas user referrals do not.
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At first I was sure it was Robert Carlyle but on 2nd thought not really.
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Thanks :) He looks so much younger than like I know him as Rumpelstilzchen or Doctor Rush so I when I watched the GIF again I thought I was imagining it.
Oh from that movie :D I should rewatch that. I've only seen it once but for a horror flic that was quite intersting :)
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Wow, yeah. Like Sundance, I couldn't place him because of how different he looks. =O
Explains why I felt I should know him, though. :P
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For once, I actually thought we would agree to something. o.O
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i'm the admin, i can do whatever i want, but you can't
that's how things work here so i'm avoiding unnecessary discussions.
there are already a lot of exceptions made for rules (using bots, referrals, custom rules) so i don't see how "allowing" the admin to use referrals is wrong.
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As I said multiple times to others, there's a difference between the "powers" of someone and the obligation to follow the same rules. He can do whatever he wants, but he must follow the same rules or else he's unjust. Sgtools (example) is a different site, so it doesn't actually have to follow the same rules. And people can't post anything on sgtools, so it's even better for them. :P Anyway, yeah, you're kinda right - he doesn't have to ask us, although he asked us.
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a site running on sg that is allowed to use referrals. that's unfair for everyone on sg, but the exception was made anyway.
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hmm, doesn't sound bad... but changing every posted link to SG-ref, hmmm, i have to sleep about that...
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I don't have a problem with it ...
... as long as users don't get the idea that they can start posting ref-links again.
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Well, I don't believe that users should have the same rights as the people who actually take money out of their pockets to run this (or in fact every) site, so I voted Yes, of course.
But if you wanted to give to users the same right, you could restrict it to very high levels (9-10) and only allow referral links if it was clearly stated that they are referral links.
Or, you could make a rule that users are allowed to post referral links ONLY if they are followed by the exact same link, unaffiliated.
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I voted no just because this will generate extra work for support, from people who see the referral link and think that the user in question added it.
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That's faulty logic, more income to the site would turn into more improvements and better support. I doubt they plan to blow the revenue on blackjack and hookers.
I'm all for it, voted yes.
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I mean, if support is fine with the extra work, then I'm all for it.
But from what I understand, they currently still have a very large backlog and I'm not sure that they want something that adds even more hassle. Because you know that people will report the referral link every time. And no, the money won't go toward better support - support's not paid in the first place..
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There are ways to make it clear that it's an SG sponsored link (something like www.steamgifts.com/visit/bundlestars could work) , they could also show disclaimers (on the report page as well) and make a sticky PSA. It's a non-issue, if dealt with correctly.
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I get your point, while I just did a small comment about this, I had the same idea - making a really SG-looking reflink, so noone can just copy a similar one and get away with it, nor people keep reporting it to the support. I don't know how long strings are supported by refs, but something like SG, officialSG or something like that. Something that's easy to see that not a randomgenerated link, but a steamgifts one.
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Hello.
In the first place - Big Thanks for asking the community.
Now to the problem at hand -
The site needs money to keep running. So advertisement is the way to go.
I believe affiliate marketing to be the least intrusive form (in comparison to flashing banners, take-overs, expanding banners, autoplay rich media...) So as long as it is decent (UTM or other analytics added to links in order to monitor traffic source, with no further impact and no restrictions) we are good.
Conclusion-
Do it.
Do not overdo it.
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Hi, a quick question for the community. Bundle Stars has a fairly good reputation here, and their deals are frequently shared. We could automatically add our affiliate code to links that users are posting throughout SteamGifts to Bundle Stars. By doing so the site would earn a commission on sales, and likely generate a few extra dollars per day. The only downside I could see is users might feel it's unfair that we ask everyone not to use referral links, and then we would be automatically attaching one of our own. On the plus side, it would generate additional revenue with basically no impact on users.
Vote below. If the majority vote Yes in the poll, we'll run a test for a while. Thanks!
Edit: Closed. Please refer to Affiliate Links for further information.
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