This way, the small percentage of people who may be concerned can download the inevitable plugin if needed, management and links to privacy and disclosure pages automated, etc. Of course, the real drivers of this may need to the actual affiliate programs – if CJ for example put this in their auto code generation tool.

As for Twitter, the major URL shorteners like BudURL could simply set up a complementary domain for affiliate/sponsored links and maintain the disclosure on their site via a link preview function. Again, it would help if Twitter then autotagged the URL.

A modest proposal, at least. And requires no one else’s permission to start!

Mahalo should do something to be unique. They are not Google. Start with User Experience. White list those that are good- block the rest. Add community and a new way of feedback- it has to be earth shattering new.

Not tools to fill up “social media” sites- given them tools too pollute? Here fill up RSS aggregators all at once…nice User Experience…

WEB IS NOT RSS…

Affiliates (or black hats)- some of you have behaved like Jason. Relative… don’t worry about him…karmic debt. What can you do?

“Google has banned paid links, do you think they should follow Mahalo and ban/lower the ranking of pages with undisclosed affiliate links?”

Ya, Google will follow Mahalo, lol.

Here’s my opinion, who cares?

We are really giving a sub standard “directory” to much coverage.

Regarding labeling, G’s take is more… don’t be deceptive with your visitors. Far different than requiring complete disclosure of all of the details behind the scenes concerning why you’ve built / provided what you have.

Does G itself explain repeatedly and loudly and locally to consumers, on each upload or visit to YouTube, that they’ve wanted people to upload their videos so they can build an audience and also use that same media for monetization at a future date?

With each search, does G explain (local to that search with a label) that their cookie is recording information used for behavioral targeting?

Labeling ideas runeth amuck.

I think labels do matter…and perhaps labeling is ok, but without context, the label may not be accurate…I do understand what you are saying now. It is all relative.

-wayne

Let us say- the terrain is not flat- it is 3D- where do you disclose?

Has anyone studied the changes of disclosure against non-disclosure?

Do most have any clue what an affiliate link is?