[WEB4LIB] Re: Affiliate Programs

[James B Lenze KC8NNU]

On Thu, 6 Jul 2000, Andrew Mutch wrote:

> This isn't necessarily an argument against this concept but something to
> consider - one of the usability gurus [maybe Jakob Nielsen?] advised against
> providing your web site visitors with the ability to search the web for 2
> reasons:
> 
> 1)  It takes visitors away from your site which you don't generally want to
> encourage - unless you are directing them to information they are seeking that
> you can not provide.

Our approach is for our web page to be just that -- a pointer to the
sources of information to fill patron needs.  In-house users are looking
either for material in the Library (link to our catalog), magazine
articles (link to the AccessMichigan database), or search engines (link to
a list of search engines).  This of course excludes those users who
already know the address of the site(s) they want to visit, but they
aren't going to stay at our site long any way.  

> 2)  Search engines [generally] do a better job of providing search tools than
> you can provide through your site so why give your visitors an inferior tool?
> [although I can see that a very "basic" search like Google can essentially be
> replicated anywhere]

Good question.  But does the Google search (or AltaVista, etc.) search
button placed on your web page offer an inferior tool?  Doesn't it perform
the same search as it would at the Google (Altavista,...) site?

> Also, does the placement of the "affiliate" logo or interface  become part of
> the design consideration for a page or site?  Will you be tempted to provide it
> a more prominent location because it might be an income-generator [think banner
> ads?]

This is the crux of the matter for me.  I set up a search button for
AltaVista next to our list of search engines, just as a starting point
for new users.  When the prosepect of making money came up, I thought to
put it on every page.  This could be rationalized as giving the patron a
useful tool whenever/wherever they need it.  I dropped that idea.  

Still, if we are going to have a search button on one of our pages, it
might as well generate a little income (realizing that it would likely be
very little).  

Mulling it over.

-- 
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  James B. Lenze        \ \/ /  KC8NNU 
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