Actually, that very same post shows that IB does earn off of "my" skimlinks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IB Adrian
Does vBulletin earn anything from me integrating with Skimlinks?
Yes, vBulletin does earn something from this. We cannot disclose more info because of contractual obligations. However the main benefit to customers is another option to help earn money from your site without costing you a cent.
Does this mean vBulletin takes some of my commission away?
We do not. Integrating through vBulletin actually provides you with a greater level of commission due to the agreement we have been able to strike with Skimlinks.
So really what happens here is that if I were out on my own I would get 100% of the skimlink revenue. Due to the volume discount IB struck with Skimlinks I would now ordinarily get 115%, except IB keeps X% and I still receive more than the 100% I would ordinarily receive.
While technically IB doesn't skim off of my skimlinks in terms of the payout I receive, they do skim off of the skimlinks because that it exactly how IB gets paid.
If I were I paid user I would say screw that and implement my own viglinks instead.
Obfuscation is never a good policy. Just put in the http://members.vbulletin.com/skimlinks.php page that IB makes money off of this and then let the users decide whether they are comfortable. Just because a user makes more money than they would have being out there by themselves doesn't mean that they are comfortable with generating revenue for IB.
08-26-2012, 03:24 PM
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