Why VigLink?

The main reason you might be looking at VigLink is because Amazon has dropped you from their affiliate program. If you have a large pool of established links to Amazon then it probably isn’t practical to try and reroute those to different affiliate programs who may or may not be dropping affiliates for the same reason as Amazon. VigLink gives us a second chance to get back in the game and not worry about the future.

The other big plus is the broad coverage of affiliate programs makes it easier to link to other sites besides Amazon. VigLink covers about 12,000 sites and you can check coverage through their backend site. I know when I was in Associates I pretty much only linked to Amazon. Now I’m starting to link to other sites and present some price comparisons to give readers some additional links to explore.

How big of a cut does VigLink take?

VigLink takes 25% off the top. Might seem like a lot, but they also have the ability to reach higher affiliate tiers because they funnel referrals through a single account. On Amazon I would barely get into the 2nd or 3rd rate tier, but now I’m pretty much guaranteed to get the top rate. So the 25% commission definitely eats into our share, but it is potentially offset by higher payouts. For those of us dropped by Amazon, 75% is much better than 0%.

Implementing VigLink and How It Works

You install VigLink by dropping a bit of JavaScript into the template of your site. This code writes out a <script> tag that links to the JavaScript file on VigLink’s server. Their code is obfuscated so I can only guess that it goes through all external links on a page and adds an OnClick event to each one. When a link is clicked it transparently redirects it to their system to record the click, add on the needed affiliate info and then redirect the user to the modified link.

The plus side to this implementation is that links appear to be unaffiliated to the reader. This also makes it much easier to add links to posts without having to worry that it is properly formatted for a given affiliate program.

AdBlock Strikes Back

If users have JavaScript disabled then obviously none of this works, but that’s fairly rare as far as I’m concerned. What’s not so rare are readers who use the AdBlock browser extension. I use it to help keep popovers and banner ads under control; things that are just out right annoying. The AdBlock Plus filter subscription blocks the retrieval of VigLink’s JavaScript file which prevents links from being affiliated. I have no idea what percentage of people use filtering extensions like AdBlock, but it hurts knowing you might be leaving money on the table from those uncounted clicks.

I implemented a workaround that lets me serve the VigLink JavaScript from my own domain which avoids it being matched to a blacklist. You can read more about that on this post: Make VigLink Work with AdBlock Plus and Other Ad Blocking Software.

Take VigLink for a spin and see how it works for you

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The process goes something like this:

1. Create PHP or any server-side script that pulls the JavaScript file from VigLink and writes the contents to a .js file
2. Create cronjob to run that script every night in case VigLink pushes out an update
3. Remove the part of the original VigLink snippet that writes out the <script> include, leaving the API URL and key values
4. Add a <script> tag with the src pointing at the .js file created in step 1

Browsers with AdBlock Plus will now happily pull the JavaScript file from your server because you aren’t on the blacklist (if you are then good luck with that). I’ve left out details because there are so many variables. If you want some help implementing this on your site then send a donation my way or buy something at Amazon (you should see VigLink’s tag as a test of this workaround) and then contact me.

Gov. Brown signed the Internet Sales tax law and Amazon promptly dropped tens of thousands of Associates in a heartbeat. The state still doesn’t get their sales tax and now are missing out on the combined loss of income taxes from affiliates and their reduced spending. The state loses and so do we. We knew this was coming and I had briefly looked into creating an LLC in another state, but it would be a hassle and there was a question of California charging a $800 out of state business fee. Jumping through hoops wasn’t really my idea of fun so I looked around for another solution. My first thought was auctioning off my affiliate links to the highest bidder. I could probably get a little buzz going about that, but didn’t want to mess with that arrangement with some stranger. I did a little more research and found some discussion about VigLink.

VigLink essentially rewrites your links with JavaScript to be routed through their system. Any earnings are tracked back to your ID and then they pay you after taking a commission. For those of us in states that are now locked out of Amazon Associates this is better than nothing. I signed up the other day and will have to see how things go. The commission takes a little bit off the top, but since VigLink funnels clicks through their own accounts they get to the higher tiers which could help make up for it. If your Amazon links are producing $0 then try VigLink at least until you can get something else going.

An additional minus point is that users of AdBlock Plus will probably not have their click-throughs converted. One more plus though is that you aren’t stuck just with Amazon. If you wanted to post to other sites or do a price comparison between different sites then you can still participate in other programs easily. I think VigLink has over 12,000 sites they cover.

Earth is at war with an alien planet on the far side of the galaxy. Neither of us have the technology to actually transport living troops to each others planet so the war is waged by lobbing stuff across the vast emptiness of space. Besides kinetic projectiles we are both attempting to infect each other with disease.

One biological attack from the aliens is particularly effective and spreads unchecked across the globe; zombie apocalypse becomes reality. Humanity breaks down and is reduced to ragged bands of survivors. I am part of a well armed group whose sole purpose is to help those who have succumbed to the disease. We do not know what condition the infection leaves the human mind in, but we won’t allow fellow humans to persist in that irreversible state.

I am armed with a M1 Garand rifle chambered in the stout .30-06 cartridge. My team members handle nearby zombies with ease, but I am more selective with my targets. I increase the challenge of our job by dispatching zombies two at a time. I take the old sharpshooter “one shot, one kill” adage and kick it up a notch: “one shot, two kills”.

From a well supported position I silently peer through my iron sights at a group of zombies down the road. Their meandering movement is slow and random when they are unaware of living flesh, but becomes frantic once they lock onto our sweet scent. As the group shuffles about I mentally calculate their trajectories and wait for that moment where one zombie head passes behind another. I notice two infected on opposite sides of the street moving towards the center turn lane. Experience and instinct direct my aim to an empty spot between them.

A minute passes while the zombies steadily approach each other. In my peripheral vision I see the zombies disappear behind the rear aperture of my sight. I know in the next moment they will reappear inside the aperture and I will have the briefest moment to deliver my shot. The zombies emerge inside the aperture and their bodies become obscured by the front post. I slowly release my breath as one starts to pass behind the other and the next instant I squeeze the trigger. My round passes through both zombies’ skulls, releasing whatever is left of their imprisoned and tormented minds.

At about this time alien landing pods containing small combat robots start landing around us, but I woke up so that’s all you get. I blame this dream on science fiction books, Left 4 Dead, Monster Hunter International, sniper books and recently shooting my M1.

I think we’ve become blind to text ads if we haven’t already hidden them. I run Adblock Plus so never really see that many ads and even if I do I never click on them. There’s just something about allowing a third party to display content on your site that may or may not be completely relevant or trustworthy. I never click on ads so I’m not sure why I would expect other people to.

I had to close my entire AdSense account to get a pay out. The regular $100 threshold wasn’t too far away, but the way things were trending I doubt I would have ever gotten there. The last 4 or 5 months saw tens of thousands of impressions with zero earnings.

I’ve had much more success with Amazon’s affiliate links during the same time period. I think a fundamental difference is that visitors are getting to my posts because they are already interested in buying something. For example, the links in my posts about replacing the stereo in my Toyota Tacoma have a very high conversion rate. I link to all the items needed at a popular online retailer with low prices and free shipping and I get a cut of their order. I could remove the affiliate links and just put ads up, but I don’t know what’s going to show up, if people will click them and how much I’ll get (probably just a couple cents).

Maybe I just got lucky with my WordPress plugins pushing my other posts up in Google’s search results. All I know is more people bought Tacoma dash kits and wiring harnesses over clicking stupid AdSense ads.

I’d say the current algorithm is about 30% accurate. The funny thing is all the stuff Google is assuming about me:

• That I like sports in general
• That I really like baseball
• That I like the Seattle Mariners
• That I live in Kansas
• That I like University of Kansas sports
• That I live in Tulsa
• That I’m on a paleo diet
• That I like Apple products
• That I participate in the martial arts
• That I have an Xbox 360

The other problem is some items show up from sites I’m already subscribed to. I’m subscribed to xkcd, but every time a new comic is published it shows up 2 or 3 times in Recommended Items.

JVC KD-R810 – Available at Amazon for about $130 shipped

About 4 years ago I installed a Pioneer head unit and dash kit in my 2005 Toyota Tacoma with excellent results. That stereo got stolen when my truck was broken into this summer and I needed to find a new stereo to replace it. In the 4 years since I did research into  different stereos there has been an increase in features being included in units for about the same or a bit more money. iPod, USB and Bluetooth integration are becoming ubiquitous and HD Radio tuners are even starting to be included at lower price points. One big movement coming is towards “Media Receivers” that forgo a CD player completely and are really designed around using an iPod, phone or USB drive exclusively.

Bluetooth: My only Bluetooth experience has been in our Jetta Sportwagen. As far as I know you can only receive calls on that unit and initiate calls from the phone since there is no phonebook support. The JVC KD-R810 does have support for a manual phonebook and can access your phone’s recent received/dialed/missed calls. I mounted the external mic directly below the stereo in my dash kit’s pocket. My wife said I sounded fine the few times we’ve used it so far. Units with the mic built into the faceplate of the stereo have received marginal reviews on Amazon so the external mic was a plus in my book. I also tested streaming music from Pandora on my phone to the unit over BT and it worked flawlessly.

iPod Connectivity: The unit has worked great with my 5th generation iPod. Compared to the factory media interface in our Jetta, the JVC is vastly superior. Browsing is easier with the knob and loading is nearly instant. Spin the knob quickly and it will go into a fast seek mode much like the iPod does allowing you to skip quickly through a long list of items.

Color Customization: One other big selling point was the ability to customize the display’s colors. My Tacoma’s dash has an orange/red backlight across all of the controls and aftermarket head units like to use bright alternative colors that clash. The button lights and display can be set to different colors for day, night and menu use. One of the color presets matched the rest of my dash lights exactly and I set it to use that all the time.

Sound Quality: I have a pretty good ear for audio and dialing in an EQ. This unit was much easier to dial in than my previous Pioneer unit. Not sure if it has more power, but it just needed a healthy boost at 50hz and small cut at 1khz. It is very clear and pumps out more than enough low end with my stock speakers. The unit does have a Burr-Brown 24-bit DAC which is a step above what you’d get on a cheaper stereo.

One Con: The only con of the unit I can find is that the display is not polarized lens friendly. With my sunglasses on, the display text is almost completely filtered out. It is slightly annoying, but I shouldn’t be looking at the display when I’m driving anyways.

JVC KD-R810 – Available at Amazon for about $130 shipped

Shopping List

• Head Unit: JVC KD-R810
• Dash Kit: Scosche Single Din Silver or Double DIN or Single DIN Black
• Wiring Harness: Scosche Wiring Harness
• Tools: Crimp Caps, Wire Strippers, Socket Wrench Set and Joint Pliers

Head Unit: Last time I bought a Pioneer unit and liked it, but this time around I was looking for more features, especially built in Bluetooth. I narrowed my choice down to the JVC KD-R810 because it had Bluetooth and good iPod support along with customizable backlight colors. One of the preset colors matched the rest of dash exactly. You can read my full review of it here.

Dash Kit: The Scosche kit is pretty nice and matches the flat silver color on my 2005 SR5 Access Cab almost exactly. I prefer it to the stock stereo which has the textured silver. I chose to run the Bluetooth microphone and the rear USB connector through the back of the dash kit’s pocket. There’s a plastic support piece that screws onto the back of the pocket and it covers up nearly the whole thing. I was able to drill two 1/2″ holes right next to each on each side to feed through the mic and USB. There’s just enough room with the support piece on for the cables themselves and covers up the bulk of the holes. You can kind of see this in the picture below.

Wiring Harness: The wiring harness is a must. Not only does it make installation go quicker, but it avoids having to cut the factory harness off. The wire color on the harness and the stereo are standardized so you just have to match them up and crimp. You can solder them, but either way works just fine. I found joint pliers were the easiest to get a good crimp with.

Final Results: I’m much happier with the install this time. My old stereo matched the color of the dash, but it had white text and green backlighting. I think I prefer the JVC and its black/silver front with matching lighting.

Installation Process

1. Pop out climate control panel with a screwdriver
2. Unbolt stereo from dash, 4 total behind the climate control panel (exact head size of bolts eludes me)
3. Pop the whole stereo out, it’s held on by little clips
4. Unconnect everything and bring the stereo inside
5. Transfer the little yellow clips onto the dash kit
6. Transfer the clock and hazards assembly to the dash kit (kind of a pain to get out)
7. Wire up the harness to your new stereo, twist matching wires together, stick them in a crimp cap and give a good squeeze with pliers (give them a tug to make sure they’re in there tight)
8. Drill any holes you might want in the pocket
9. Install stereo in kit, but be careful not to scrape the mouth of it, the metal sleeve will take paint off
10. The metal sleeve around the stereo has little tabs, bend those up along the back of the face to help lock it in
11. Hook the stereo up and test it (having a second set of hands will help here)
12. Connect the hazards and clock harness
13. Once everything looks good, bolt the dash kit back on
14. Snap climate control panel back into place

1. United Nations Archive File A-6345-00-1-1999865
2. United Nations Archive File A-5345-10-6-1982800
3. From the office of the Secretary-General
4. District of Columbia, November 2298 A.D.
5. United Nations Archive File S-8800-32-1-5289462
6. A report to the Security Council
7. For the new recruit
8. One fateful evening
9. Emancipated Worlds Saga: Prologue
10. Emancipated Worlds Saga: Chapter 1

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