VigLink
 

Info:
VigLink is the easiest way to monetize your outbound links. You get paid when visitors click from your forum to a retailer and buy something. The VigLink analytics dashboard tells you which outbound links are clicked most, which are making you the most money, and more.

You've created something special. Your community is a place where people congregate to discuss their passion. It turns out they also make decisions about what to buy and where to buy it?and that's valuable. VigLink helps you capture this value, effortlessly.

In fact, VigLink is second only to AdSense as the most widely used monetization technology for vBulletin. Don't take our word for it, here's the breakdown.

This add-on will install the VigLink javascript on your forum, without the need to edit templates.

VigLink Convert
Your members are constantly posting links to retailers. If any go to over 35,000 retailers, VigLink will automatically convert them to monetized links that pay you a commission.
Learn More >>

VigLink Insert
Forum threads often reference products, brands, and retailers. VigLink can automatically link these references, making sure they always go to the most valuable destination.
Learn More >>

Controls
Version 2.0 now gives more control over how VigLink runs on your site. You can enable or disable VigLink Convert and VigLink Insert for specific user groups and forums.

Tested On:
4.2.0
3.8.7

Installation Instructions

1. Import the XML file
2. Go to your AdminCP and edit the VigLink options
3. Enter the API key from your VigLink account page. (If you don't already have a VigLink account you can sign up here)

Demo? Screens?

There's no real UI to speak of, so screenshots wouldn't be very exciting. It's very much like this Google Analytics add-on in terms of how it affects your forum -- Admins get a very simple options page where they can enter their VigLink API key; Users see no change at all.

As far as a demo, there's a basic demo on VigLink.com, where you can see plain links being automatically affiliated.

I've never heard of VigLink. Who are the owners and what are their credentials?

Frankly, this add-on seems less like a vBulletin add-on and more like spam and self-promotion for VigLink.

VigLink is a venture-backed startup based in San Francisco. Our investors include Google Ventures and First Round Capital. Here's a TechCrunch article about us from January, when we came out of private beta. There's lots more information about us, individually, on our about page.
Sorry the description read that way to you. If you'd download it and take a look, you'd see that it does make VigLink installation easier for vBulletin users, by saving you from having to edit templates. As I said above, it's very similar in purpose and implementation to this Google Analytics add-on, for example; it inserts a bit of javascript into every page, and lets the javascript do the real work.

Rick

I installed and entered API key
but I didn't see any Links form where I can see those links?

Installed. Suppose it's worth the try. Thanks :)

I see you bought drivingrevenue.com. How does this viglink exactly work?

1. Does the forum have to have links pointing to supported merchants to work or will it overwrite any links to external products with a Viglink supported merchant affiliate id?

2. How does this play with adsense?

Will this work on 3.8.6?

If you're familiar with how Driving Revenue's affiliation works, then you're familiar with how VigLink's works, too. They're very similar. That's part of why we've teamed up!

To answer your questions,

1. There are no special VigLink merchant links to use. You (and your users) link wherever you would normally link. When a visitor clicks an external link, our javascript checks to see if that link can be affiliated. If it can be, we affiliate it on the fly. Any time we see a link that's already affiliated, we leave it alone. (If you prefer, you can tell us to overwrite those existing affiliate links in your account settings).

2. We have lots of users using VigLink and AdSense together, and we aren't aware of any problems.

Frankly, I'm not sure. We've only tested it on 4.x. I'll look into setting up a 3.x test forum. If you decide to give it a try on 3.8.6 and find that it works, please let us know!

how long till ad's show as ive been running for almost 24hours and no ad's showing

VigLink doesn't insert anything into your pages (no ads, no links). We just find unaffiliated links, and affiliate them for you.

I am a VigLink employee as well. We just tested it successfully on 3.6 and up, so you are good to go with 3.8.6.

Installed, don't know if it will make any money but worth a try.

There is no information on how to get paid anywhere though???

From our FAQ:
That policy might change soon (I think we're dropping paper checks and switching to PayPal exclusively), but those are the terms as of today.

Cheers dude, sorry for being ignorant. :)

Is their a way that I can scan the site to see how many links I could convert?

Yup! Submit your site's URL and your email at the bottom of this page (make sure you're logged out, or the form won't be there). There's a fair amount of estimation going on, so don't put too much stake in the dollar figures, but that report will give you an idea of what kind of links you have, and whether we could affiliate any of them.

What is the impact on the forum by adding JS to each page? Would it use up more bandwidth? etc..

There's effectively zero impact on your page load time. The library is downloaded directly from our servers (so the additional bandwidth used is ours), and it's loaded in parallel as your page loads. It won't block the rest of the page from loading as it's being downloaded.

Viglink is not converting Ebay links.

I've tried just the code in the footer and then this addon but the Ebay links do not convert.

http://diecastcrazy.com/community/eb...tro-bonus.html

Hey nascartr, send me an email at support at viglink dot com and indicate the email you signed up to VigLink with and I will check it out. We screen all sites we turn on eBay for, so once I take a look at your account I can turn them on.

Alright, just sent one.

Is there a reason not to put it in the "ad_footer_end" template?

I fixed it manually
I'll give it a chance to see if it works

Awesome program, I was editing all my Amazon links so they add my affiliate but with this I can just keep adding links !

And I can see you added the DrivingRevenue which I wanted to apply for first; again; Awesome !

LOL I was checking to see if the links actually get affiliated and I was looking for my personal Amazon affiliate link and after a while I understood you guys are using your own links and giving me a share of the profit LMAO

One question though;

www.wisehyip.com when you look at the bottom right I've added the Links monetized by VigLink like I'm supposed to do, but when I mouseover the link it just says: http://www.viglink.com/corp/ftc?vgtag=badge shouldn't it be saying http://www.viglink.com/?vgref=9350 like I see in my account ?

Or does it happen one some other way?

I have been a member of Driving Revenue for some time. I just heard about this and I am trying to install this. In my account page there is no number next to where I believe my API key should be.

It says "Your API key:" and then nothing to the right.

How do I obtain my number?

I just installed this (vb 3.8.x) and it doesn't appear to be converting links. Using the site checker in my VigLink dashboard it says the script is installed properly. But the links I've checked (Amazon) appear to be totally clean with no ref info added.

Nevermind. It looks like the links are converted on the fly, so hovering over them doesn't show any difference, but clicking on them does. I'm logging clicks now in the VigLink dashboard, so all appears correctly installed.

Hi, I've installed this add-on but cant figure out where API code shud be added...can someone tell me in the simplest way...like

logon as demin> Control panel> left pane > XXX > yyy > VigilLink > zzz

Any former Driving Revenue users notice that payments continue to slip from month-to-month since the acquisition by Viglink? I used to get payments every month on the 20th. That continues to slip...last month it was the 26th...this month, I have yet to receive my payment (and it is the 29th).

Does viglink convert Etsy.com links? I am looking for a way to monetize these links. My members post lots of things from Etsy.

Go to Settings>options in your admin cp, scroll down till you see viglink

No, according to the Viglink "Merchant Coverage" tool. Are you sure Etsy.com even has an affiliate program? I looked on their site and it doesn't look like they do.

etsy doesn't have an affiliate program. someone needs to convince them to make one.

Octavius, see my post #30 in this thread. The links won't show as affiliated when you hover over them, but they are getting converted.

Geniusssssssss idea. jealous