I can't really blame him, but some disclosure would have been nice. - TobiasVerhoog.com from BuddyFeed

HUUHHHHHHHH -- SCANDAL!!! I feel so violated... - sofarsoShawn

Good for him. If I was in the market to buy one and he had a link, it's no skin off my back. If I wasn't in the market his post about it would just fly right under my radar. - Martha

Nice catch. He may need to be un-followed moving forward. From what I can tell, he is genuine, but he missed out on being transparent and that screws with my bullshit meter (it may need adjustment). - coldbrew

Doh! Amazon Affiliates are the obvious play. It makes complete sense. Will be interesting to see how/if this catches on. - Roberto Bonini

I think content should never contain affiliate links as to remove all chances AND suspicions of conflict of interest. I think the only thing one can safely get out of social media is reputation - personal branding you could say, which can be "monetized" true better job opportunities, consulting offers, etc. Affiliate links in your content destroys the trustworthiness of your brand, at least for me. - Meryn Stol

@Roberto & colbrew believe me I expect Kindle's for ALL of US! - sofarsoShawn

But nothing wrong with charging $200 per hour because you're a super star. Super stars are - per definition - scarce. - Meryn Stol

@sofarsoshawn: believe me, this thread is not about the Kindle - coldbrew

true, no more sarcasm (well maybe a lil), it's a little bit equitable to investment bankers plugging their own stocks before the first financial plummet after which, disclosure became a must if there was any possible conflict of interest. I'm not equating it 100% at all, but it is akin in that it casts doubt on that persons repupation as a reliable source - sofarsoShawn

*shakes head* Kindle wouldn't have half of the Internati buzz without affiliates pimping it for referral fees. Yet, no one really thinks about it on this macro level. Instead you aim at the guy who didn't get a free v1 Kindle and panned it when he did get one. It's the right thing to be cautious of, but applied to the wrong person. - AJ Kohn

I have no issues with this. Robert is a unique 'brand'... No one has to follow him or click the links. Also, an endorsement of the kindle is hardly being a shill, it's a good device - might as well be paid in doing so. That said, I'd say free service like FF and Twitter should get a cut. - Vince DeGeorge

Best selling Digital SLRs: http://snurl.com/a8gwa (Playing Scoble's game!) - Scott Loftesness

Scott - nice! - andy brudtkuhl

I don't really mind at all. The affiliate cash doesn't hurt the purchaser at all. Who cares if Scobez makes some extra money? - Internet's Tad

What's so big about sticking in affiliate links like that? I do it all the time when I reference books, and have been doing so for a good long time now. I thought by these days, it'd be a no-brainer to do something like this. Much ado about nothing. - Chris, Taskerrific Guy

@Chris and all, I wouldn't call this "much ado about nothing". The reason I posted is because of Robert's visibility and the previous discussion of how he was "wasting his time". How could he convert the community to revenue? If he put a note out on Twitter asking for $5 via PayPal, would that have been effective or as good? It's an interesting move. - Louis Gray

Crafty..... but lol!!! :o) - Rob Sellen :o)

It is indeed much ado about nothing. Damn near any Amazon link you encounter these days is going to have an affiliate code embedded in it. Most of mine do and its no big deal, people click or they don't. If it starts to get spammy thats when the problems happen. However if you're posting a link to a product you're discussing, why not put the affiliate link in there? You were going to link to it anyway and the same people were going to click the link anyway. I fail to see the problem here. - EricaJoy

@Chris: +1. I run a book blog. I review books and I bash Kindle. I still have affiliate links. The issue shouldn't be whether you use affiliate links it should be whether the affiliate links taint that person's reviews of products. *MANY* in the Kindle space are tainted but Scoble is not one of them. - AJ Kohn

Erica, I wouldn't put this in the "problem" category. But Scoble potentially converting his user stream across multiple networks into revenue is newsworthy, especially versus December's discussion about needing an intervention and how he was propping up service valuations and getting nothing in return. I think you'll see the biggest "criticism" I had was that it wasn't disclosed - which others across the Web have had mixed agreement with. - Louis Gray

Erica: Do a affiliate link for charity then. - Meryn Stol

I'm ok with Robert doing this if he discloses it - e.g. by adding in [AD] and limiting this to once a day. I'd also want him to care about the products, which I'm assuming is the case with the Kindle. - Mike Doeff

Josh: How do you mean? My point was that you shouldn't give your "constituency" any reason to doubt your objectivity, your honesty. Likewise, I also don't like sales person who work on commission basis. They're just wrong incentives. They could be honest, sure. But they also could be saying things out of financial interest. - Meryn Stol

I must add that full upfront disclosure (should practically be part of his blog header) would help a lot. - Meryn Stol

I suspect that Robert's posting of links here contravenes Amazon's operating agreement -- section 10 specifically but I that is between him and Amazon. - Brian Sullivan

why???? why does it matter? In a sense, if you post a NON aff link, do you feel thats better? if so WHY? - Rob Sellen :o)

Brian, what does section 10 of that agreement specify? (too lazy to look) - Mike Doeff

Meryn: I will disclose from now on. I wasn't telling anyone to buy them. I actually hate the first Kindle quite a bit. Here's my review: http://scobleizer.com/2007... - Robert Scoble

By the way, I see lots of people linking to their blogs where they make a lot more money off of the hits through advertising. I never see disclosure of those links. - Robert Scoble

10. Responsibility for Your Site You will be solely responsible for the development, operation, and maintenance of your site and for all materials that appear on your site. For example, you will be solely responsible for: the technical operation of your site and all related equipment ensuring the display of Special Links on your site does not violate any agreement between you and any third party (including without limitation any restrictions or requirements placed on you by a third party that hosts your site) creating and posting Product descriptions on your site and linking those descriptions to the Amazon Site catalog the accuracy and appropriateness of materials posted on your site (including, among other things, all Product-related materials and any information you include within or associate with Special Links) ensuring that materials posted on your site do not violate or infringe upon the rights of any third party (including, for example, copyrights, trademarks, privacy, or other personal or proprietar - Brian Sullivan

@scobleizer I don't have a problem with affiliate links in Twitter, but a disclosure would be appreciated. - John Grinde

What's in section 10? Sounds like interesting reading, but not this morning :) - coldbrew

I see the thread has gotten to be 90% on the disclosure issue - and good morning, Robert. What are alternative ways you think Robert and others could convert their visibility on these networks to revenue? - Louis Gray

Robert, just to be clear: I do trust you that you're not becoming the stereotypical "upselling" sales person. Anyway, you see the fuss. I think you know as no others that full transparency is best. - Meryn Stol

poor guy, one affiliate link, and the whole blogosphere jumps on him. - xavier vespa

Louis: want to make money on social networks? Put ads on your blogs and link to them. Oh, wait, this is an aggregator and it does that by default. Or, get a job at a PR firm because you are a highly thought of blogger (or keep your job because of that). I never see people disclosing those kinds of links. Meryn: I will diclose from now on when I link to sites using affiliate codes. Personally I doubt I'll make any substantial income off of these links. Certainly hasn't been the case yet. - Robert Scoble

Meryn... WHY is it best and for who? would it have made you feel better if it was a NON aff link?? why? would it have mattered if it was a NON aff link but not disclosed? Or was disclosed? - Rob Sellen :o)

xavier: I actually think this is funny since the link itself gives disclosure of a kind. There's lots of people making money here that aren't disclosing it. - Robert Scoble

how is §10 of the Amazon agreement relevant? sorry for being dense, but I read it and I don't see the connection. - Nathan Rein

The agreement has a discussion about where you can post links - specifically on "your site" - section 10 further refines the definition of "your site". - Brian Sullivan

The focal point here for me is finding a way to convert the followers to revenue. Robert knows that from me its not personal. I don't run ads on the blog, or charge people to read, and I have zero problem with his Seagate ads. I have zero problem with his links to Amazon having affiliate URLs. As mentioned in the article, I would have preferred a note of disclosure, but what I like here is the thinking about how he can leverage his work over the last few years in building a network. - Louis Gray

Adding on... if you were thinking about buying a Kindle or anything from Amazon, start with Robert's URL and make the poor guy some cash! :-) - Louis Gray

why?? he aint POOR is he? lol... but I agree in that sense, if I was buying sommat anyway, i'd rather it went to help someone than not. :o) - Rob Sellen :o)

If Robert would be pitching products and asked readers to "tip" him for his advice by buying the product through an affiliate link, then I would consider that a very fair deal. I've said this somewhere else, but this is relevant here: I'm more likely to pay for "donation ware" than for shareware. - Meryn Stol

Oh, feel free to go to my book blog and help me out as well! (http://usedbooksblog.com) - AJ Kohn

I only see a very small problem with this. I think disclosing the affiliate link would have been better, but many people look to Robert as an online "cool hunter" of sorts. That's adding value to the information exchange and being compensated shouldn't be frowned upon IMHO. If he handles it poorly (and obvious conflicts of interest arise) he will lose his value add and lose his followers. - mikepk

That's ok, but thats only you Meryn. ;o) So you would rather use my beer button my blog than click an aff link when buying something you would buy anyway but decided to buy then through my post etc..,? what difference does it make either way? - Rob Sellen :o)

@mikepk: I partially agree. I don't think disclosure is really needed. (I don't need the useless privacy updates I get from every credit card either.) It comes down to trust. Do you trust that the individual is not being influenced by the monetary incentive? If you suspect there is bias based on the affiliate relationship then that person loses trust and followers and ultimately hurts their own revenue stream. - AJ Kohn

@mikepk I agree it's a small problem, however I would like to know why Scoble didn't disclose, that is if he feels up to answer it ~ Scoble? Btw I think Robert Scoble is a God with a chiseled body - sofarsoShawn

Chris.... thats what i would do... i wouldn't just go through his, id rather choose who my aff payment goes to :o) - Rob Sellen :o)

need to get yer eyes tested shawn. :o) - Rob Sellen :o)

I looked at and clicked on the link -- the link has the word "scobleizer" in it -- seems to me that is effective disclosure? It doesn't go directly to the amazon Kindle page either -- it goes to an intermediary link. I think there was disclosure if not totally overt. Only an idiot would think it is not an affiliate link. - Brian Sullivan

Robert adds a new thread to say why I missed the point: http://friendfeed.com/e... - Louis Gray

Josh... who are you to say we are "getting to smart for our own good here"? What is your problem with someone trying to earn a living online? who cares where you actually earn through your link? - Rob Sellen :o)

@Josh: It was a bit tongue in cheek :) I mean, who needs more help, me or Scoble. Well, maybe I'm biased. - AJ Kohn

++josh ;o) very true, be yourself and stop idolising certain people and your view does become clearer. :o) - Rob Sellen :o)

Ok... :o) - Rob Sellen :o)

Robert Scoble is now officially spam. - Josh Haley

The honnesty in affiliate revenues is easy to tell: A review that is supposed to describe you a product MUST include a disclosure about the affiliation. A simple link without a real review is called an Ad. What I mean, is that when you making a full review with list of advatnages, you have to tell me if you are affiliated with the product owner or not so I can tell if your review is biased or not. - directeur

There is no need for disclosure. I automatically assume that everyone is out for a buck. If someone posts a link to a product, i'll just assume they might make something from my purchase. So what. If i want the product (i should have researched it), it was a useful tip and they may deserve a some referral income. This is very similar to viral marketing. Although scobleizer's link was in the clear, in the future they won't be. There's nothing we can do to stop it. It's simply capitalism doing its thing. - ·[▪_▪]·

Josh: I didn't disclose because I didn't ask anyone to buy anything. In fact, I really hate the original Kindle (I sold mine a long time ago after giving it a horrible review). The link itself is disclosure, by the way. If you don't know how to read URLs you should learn how Amazon and other places work. This discussion is good for everyone to become more knowledgeable about that. By the way, I did disclose within minutes of posting that item. Louis asked me about it and I disclosed within a few minutes. - Robert Scoble

I'm just messin' with him. I say go for it. Affiliate marketing has helped me too, I just haven't really pushed it on my friends yet. - Josh Haley

As for it being spam: block him if you don't want to see it. - ·[▪_▪]·

I'm really angry now, none of you guys have an affiliate beer link on your site. - Greg Guitarbuster

Robert, I think lot of people tend to assume "purposive behavior" when someone "steps out of line" (at least in their view). My first reaction was likewise. I think you've got enough social capital to ride through this controversy. :) - Meryn Stol

Doesn't Robert Scoble live in America? Anyone heard of this crazy thing they do there...capitalism?! I can't believe he's trying to make a buck in a capitalist society...simply amazing! He want's food on his table? Clothes on his back. Ridiculous. Have him move to Cuba and roll cigars in the name of the homeland and earn a living the real way in a Communist state. That's how to capitalize. I can't believe this is news. - Brian Bufalo

If I find a product I truly like, and have it myself, or I am planning to buy it, and I want to share it with everyone else, I'll go check to see if it's available on Amazon, and post the affiliate link. I don't see any problem with that. Conversely, if you post an affiliate link to something I want (amazon or anywhere else) I don't care that you make some commission, as long as I get the product I want at the price I am willing to pay. - Ian May

louis, one way to monetize is to use community currencies. - ernie yacub

I hope he gets rich--we will still be in his debt. - Robert Linthicum

[stares into thread] For relaxing times... make it... Suntory time. [raises glass of whiskey] http://www.SUNTORY.com - Karim

Robert...you only disclosed it AFTER getting "caught red handed" by your own addmission, you had NO real intention of doing a disclosure and you know it.... thats why you said "caught red handed"... either you had no intention, or hoped to not get spotted... but you were, now you say we "should learn how URLs work" as if we should know better... unbelievable. - Rob Sellen :o)

robert linthicum.. why?? what do we owe him??? - Rob Sellen :o)

@Rob he's received far more publicity doing it the way he did than he would have with a pre-disclosure. It's all "meh" to me. - Mattb4rd

@Mattb4rd I disagree, especially since when one says the alternative would be lessened yet there's no going back, no do overs to see what happens this renders your whole point moot. Openness & transparency beforehand would have rendered would have lessened the controversy - sofarsoShawn

@shawn .. that's exactly my point. Controversy = publicity. - Mattb4rd

Did I miss the worship Robert Scoble weekend memo? ;) Happy Birthday btw! - Mona Nomura

yup just the tail end... - sofarsoShawn

I don't get what the big deal is.... you guys are crazy. Hope ya got some bling, Robert. :) - Adam Curry

I don't see the big deal, If you like the "product" and buy the product, the price is the price affiliate link or not. - Ron"micronet"Harwood

Wow, Adam, it has been way too long since I have seen you. Nice to see you here on friendfeed. - Robert Scoble

I think the link is disclosure enough and Robert is worth some extra money.. - Peter

Just another example of political correctness gone to an extreme. Save the bandwidth and end this discussion. There's nothing wrong with affiliate links and people clamoring for disclosure should just be smart enough to move on with their lives. - Pankaj from twhirl

All I can say is congratulations Robert for this important initiative! This is an excellent approach to start a discussion about monetization on Twitter, FF and others (One I support). We used to have the same reaction when advertising and affiliation came to blogs, those have now many supporters. There are many questions such as: should we find a standard (disclosure)? What about the platform own future monetization model? etc. - Zack Brandit

Possessed? Demonetize the need demon. Focus on giving gifts of value and beauty without expecting gold. Value what cannot be bought or sold. - Phil Boiarski

I don't see anything wrong with linking to amazon or affiliate links. I've got an amazon affiliate account. If I find a book that I like and am going to blog about it do I include my affiliate link. Sure. Why the heck not? If I talk about my Canon 5D M2, or drobo, or whatever, will I put one in? Sure. I've never seen anything wrong with any of that. - Thomas Hawk

oh, and I also sell adds on my blog through Federated Media. Don't see a problem with that either. - Thomas Hawk