Amazon Link usage question

  • David_the Real

    (@david_the-real)


    13 years, 7 months ago

    Hi Paul,
    I came across your plugin, but haven’t tried it yet because I am unsure about a couple of points (and don’t want to destroy my high-traffic site):

    – Has this been rectified yet? http://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-amazon-link-conflict-with-shortcode-exec-php-plugin
    (I use that plugin too)

    – After seeing what another user posted here, I went to https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/advertising/api/detail/main.html
    (am new to “api” things), and now I am unsure:
    Wouldn’t those api credentials be more suitable for Amazon Link? Why sign up to AWS and pay for lookups if as Amazon advertiser they give us free lookups, no?

    – Most worrying for me: “Individual WordPress users can also add their own tracking IDs to their User profile.” – Why on earth would a website owner want this? (unless it’s some kind of multi-author site)
    –> Using Amazon Link would mean that anyone signing up to my site can generate MY amazon commissions??
    I don’t see why you implemented that feature, and even if, why you not then made it an option?

    Not sure if this is the reason for the comparatively few reviews and downloads of Amazon Link? As nemoprofeta said, your plugin sounds like the TOP amazon plugin!
    So, basically I am confused.

    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/amazon-link/

Viewing 10 replies - 46 through 55 (of 55 total)
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  • Thread Starter David_the Real

    (@david_the-real)

    13 years, 5 months ago

    Those two subs I don’t know either (Amazon ruins publishers…) but I know that Javari.co.uk and thei US pendant Endless are subs.

    HOWEVER, maybe it IS actually already working with the present Amazon Link: When I changed the template to “&m=endless”, I realized that it did link to Javari (in UK=Endless), so apparently your %RCM% is not a problem! 🙂

    But re/ point 1, maybe there’s a misunderstanding: I did not mean WHILE WE INSERT A POST, I meant WHEN VISITORS visit the website.

    Still not sure how the API works but isn’t it possible to have the “Create Search Link” thing PER locale rather than global?

    Say you have a fashion product on a page, and its normally available in several European locales, but not always in all locales. Now, where it’s no longer available, why not show the link to Amazon Search there, and in the locales where it’s still available of course go to that ASIN/page.

    From a user perspective this is the only sensible thing to have. And I have my users in mind. 🙂

    In any case: Amazon Link is already (official version) SO COOL, I am impressed. I have tailored the templates, and you can really fit it exactly to an individual’s needs! VERY nice. Great job you did Paul!

    Thread Starter David_the Real

    (@david_the-real)

    13 years, 5 months ago

    Addon: I found out that whenever you HAVE a price from the API, you write: span class=”al_found1″

    And when no price: span class=”al_found0″

    I didn’t yet get any further with this info, but my plan is to make your plugin write the linked word “search” (in place of the price; linked to Amazon locale search page) whenever you write: span class=”al_found0″

    …a small insight into the mindset of a non-programmer looking at your code… Ha! 🙂

    Thread Starter David_the Real

    (@david_the-real)

    13 years, 5 months ago

    > Still not sure how the API works but isn’t it possible to have the “Create Search Link” thing PER locale rather than global?

    I have now solved this myself:
    Set search_link=0 (ie Turn OFF)
    Set multi_cc=0 (ie Turn OFF)
    Set live=1 (ie Turn ON)

    and have all Amazon links you want in the TEMPLATE (that’s the coolest thing of Amazon Link, that you can design your entire output!).

    So for example, (test-wise) now I show for each locale:
    – the flag, linked to that locale’s search page, with the term I want
    – and next to it the price (where available), linked to the specific product page.

    Works great and fast for pages where I show only ONE product and its availability in all locales.

    Problem however on pages where I show all colors of that ONE product, and *each color’s* availability in all locales –> terribly SLOW (as you mentioned yourself earlier)!

    *** Suggestion: Wouldn’t it be possible to make the plugin DISPLAY THE PAGE FIRST, and THEN gradually load the prices/availability data? ***

    I’ve seen this solution on other sites: The page loads immediately, user can read already, and sees more info popping up gradually… – much better solution, hm?

    You may argue: “That’s why I built the cache! To make it fast nonetheless.”

    Well, I have turned ON the cache (with generous 45 DAYS data age), still EVERY TIME the page loads as slow as the first time. 🙁

    Makes this “solution” basically unusable for pages with more than ONE price check for all locales… 🙁

    Plugin Author paulstuttard

    (@paulstuttard)

    13 years, 5 months ago

    Crikey your hard to please!

    The (probable) reason the cache doesn’t speed up the page load is that it doesn’t cache the lookups that fail, so it always does these every time the page loads. There is also a bug that if a lookup fails, for say the %PRICE%, then it doesn’t fill all other data with default values as well so if %THUMB% is also in the template it will also try and look that up as well (and fail again).

    I have:
    a) Fixed the bug so that if it fails it fills in all the keywords for that ASIN in that locale.
    b) If the lookup fails because the ASIN is ‘invalid’ for that locale, it puts empty values in the cache (the data is still marked as ‘FOUND = 0’ though.

    This might improve things for you.

    I have also had yet another bash at fixing the popup location, so that it should now work for all themes. (I hate javascript & css and this involves both!).

    I have thought about doing the ‘phased’ page load technique before…

    but:
    a) It means putting jquery library on the user facing side of your WordPress site
    b) The ‘ajax’ process for retrieving the data is much slower than just serving it all in one go.
    c) It involves me writing a load of javascript on the user side – which I hate (see above!).
    d) It isn’t that good a solution from a presentation point of view unless you do it really well -e.g. page jumping around as stuf is slowly added in.

    It’s definitely not a priority for me, at the moment!

    Still working on the plugin though, doing some streamlining and bug fixing mainly.

    Glad your getting to grips with the plugin though!

    Paul

    zanzaboonda

    (@zanzaboonda)

    13 years, 5 months ago

    Hi there-

    Sorry, trying to follow all of the posts here, but it’s unrelated to a lot of what I’m trying to do and a little over my head. Sorry if it’s already been answered.

    – Most worrying for me: “Individual WordPress users can also add their own tracking IDs to their User profile.” – Why on earth would a website owner want this? (unless it’s some kind of multi-author site)
    –> Using Amazon Link would mean that anyone signing up to my site can generate MY amazon commissions??
    I don’t see why you implemented that feature, and even if, why you not then made it an option?

    Generally features get added as people ask for them, so someone must have wanted multi-user support. I can make it optional if you like – User trasking ID’s are only used when that user authors a post, seems fair that they should get the commission if it’s their content?

    Has any more headway been made to make this optional? I’m offering my users a different incentive, and I really don’t want them to see it in their profile screen, but I haven’t been able to find a way to hide it.

    Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, even if it’s just a quick workaround, like commenting something out.

    Thanks and best wishes,
    Kristen

    Plugin Author paulstuttard

    (@paulstuttard)

    13 years, 5 months ago

    Hi Kristen,

    I will make the User affiliate IDs optional in the next version of the plugin, in the mean time see this post to manually change the plugin not to show them:
    Support Post

    cheers,

    Paul

    Thread Starter David_the Real

    (@david_the-real)

    13 years, 5 months ago

    >Crikey your hard to please!

    I am truly surprised by your appreciation.
    When I started this here, your plugin was “dead”. Just 4 feedbacks, and none positive, only questions or complaints.

    Now it sort of booms. The buzz created worked. And you’re still unhappy!?

    Crikey you’re grateful!

    Really sorry if my positive feedback and improvement suggestions bother you. Maybe you could have put a [sarcasm] behind your earlier “keep it coming!” note. Cause I thought you really mean it.

    Ah well, some people are hard to please, yes. 😉

    Plugin Author paulstuttard

    (@paulstuttard)

    13 years, 5 months ago

    LOL (well a grin anyway)!

    Really appreciate all the extra work 😉

    Paul

    zanzaboonda

    (@zanzaboonda)

    13 years, 5 months ago

    Hi Paul!

    I just wanted to say thanks for all of your help. 🙂

    Best wishes,
    Kristen

    zanzaboonda

    (@zanzaboonda)

    13 years, 5 months ago

    David,

    No offense but… wha? You’re not being serious, right? Is that [sarcasm] reference missing from your post?

    Paul,

    Thank you for all that you do and for being so supportive of this FREE plugin. It is appreciated. 🙂

    Best wishes,
    Kristen

Viewing 10 replies - 46 through 55 (of 55 total)
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