WordPress has become one of the largest blog platforms. WordPress.org allows bloggers to download WordPress and use it at their hosting account. WordPress.com is the service that allows bloggers to create blogs and have WordPress.com host them. Is WordPress.com affiliate marketer friendly?
I began blogging with three blogs hosted by WordPress.com. I have used many blogging platforms and found WordPress to offer a large number of features, while being user friendly. One of my first blogs was Bruce’s Money Rants. While Bruce’s Money Rants is still available, it currently is in its second incarnation. My first blog was squelched by WordPress.com.
WordPress.com shares the same creators as the WordPress blogging platform (WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org, n.d.). Several features of WordPress.com invited me to choose their hosting.
1. I already had experience with the WordPress software
2. WordPress.com stated they had over 70 templates available
3. Availability of plug ins and widgets
4. Ease in tracking site visitors
5. Easy to market “xxxx.wordpress.com”
At first, I was enjoying WordPress.com. I created “emergencymgmt.wordpress.com”, “lifeofreedom.wordpress.com”, and “brucesmoneyrants.wordpress.com”. My main blog was on money making. My plan was to develop the other two later. My first surprise came when I chose a template. I had about 12 templates available. You had to pay to access the 70 templates. Next, I found out you cannot upload external templates.
I also was limited in the widgets available. WordPress.com does not allow external widgets to be uploaded. They do offer some widgets. Users also are not allowed to add java script to their widgets. Java script is required to monetize your blog through Google Adsense or Amazon.com.
I was able to insert HTML into widgets. This allowed me to place small banner ads in the blog’s sidebars. Not as lucrative as Google Adsense or Amazon may be but it was something. This type of advertising does require you to manually change the code to show a different ad. I was not completely turned off. WordPress after all is a great blogging platform.
I created my main blog. I could not get the exact look I wanted, however, it was acceptable and looked good. My plan was to get the blog generating an income and then add WordPress.com’s pay services. Allowing my blog to be self sustaining. I began advertising by placing links and posting everyday. I began seeing some success.
My posts focused on resources to help readers make money. I only wrote about things that I had found useful or resources that were helping me (i.e. e-books, Zac Johnson.com, etc.). I included reviews of products or courses that had helped me.
My knowledge was growing along with my readers. My next step was to continue advertising. I obtained the addresses for 50 blog directories. Over the next two days, I registered with these directories.
Doomsday soon came. I signed up with a internet marketing course called Blogging for Dollars. In my view, this course offered some very useful tips. I believed readers would find it helpful. I wrote a review post about my experience and posted it.
I woke up Thursday morning and checked my blog’s stats. The blog was gone. My screen now stated that “This blog has been archived or suspended for a violation of our Terms of Service”. I was still able to sign in to my account and view my emergencymgmgt.wordpress.com blog. I also could still view stats for my World’s Dumbest Criminals blog that was not hosted with WordPress.com but used their statistics widget.
Once I picked my jaw up off the floor, I tried to figure out what had happened. I knew plagiarism would cause immediate shutoff. Every source was cited with the date, author, and a link to their site. That could not be the problem. I turned to WordPress.com’s Terms of Service for some answers. Here is what I found:
1. “the downloading, copying and use of the Content will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret rights, of any third party”
2. “you have fully complied with any third-party licenses relating to the Content, and have done all things necessary to successfully pass through to end users any required terms”
3. “the Content is not spam, is not machine- or randomly-generated, and does not contain unethical or unwanted commercial content designed to drive traffic to third party sites or boost the search engine rankings of third party sites, or to further unlawful acts (such as phishing) or mislead recipients as to the source of the material (such as spoofing)”
4. “your blog is not named in a manner that misleads your readers into thinking that you are another person or company. For example, your blogs URL or name is not the name of a person other than yourself or company other than your own”
I only saw one potential problem. I had posted about products where I included an affiliate link. My recommendations were not meant to cause anyone pain or harm. They were products that I had found useful and wanted to share them with readers. My review included an offer to prove I used the product.
I believe there are two sides to every story. I sent WordPress.com’s support an e-mail asking for an explanation of how I violated WordPress.com’s Terms of Service. I did not request nor expect the decision to be reversed. After all, it is their site. They have the right to refuse service to anyone. I respect their rights. I just wanted to know why and maybe offer an explanation. After sending the ad, I had to go to work. I recieve my e-mail on my Blackberry and waited for a response.
As of that evening, I had not received a response. I checked my spam filter. I tried to login to my other two blogs. WordPress.com would not even let me login. Well, there was my answer. Do not offer any explanation, just shut the whole account off. Again, it is their business and they are free to do as they wish. But, is this really good business.
I am not writing this article out of revenge or spite. My goal is to allow other budding affiliate marketers the chance to learn from my story. WordPress is a great blogging platform. Affiliate marketers only need to be careful when trying to make money. It appears that WordPress.com wants to provide a great blogging platform…as long as you are not trying to make money.
You can find out how to make money from home for less than $2. Visit blogging for dollars to learn the tools necessary to explode your income.
categories: wordpress,affiliate marketing,business,make money,monetize,terms of service,marketing,money,blogs,blogging,advertising,article marketing,home based business