#viglink

https://www.viglink.com/?vgref=314877

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How affiliate links work on Tumblr

Basics

What is an affiliate link?

It's a link to an online merchant but it contains an extra bit of information—"parameter" is the technical term—called an affiliate code. That code tells the merchant where a visitor/customer came from. And if there's a sale, that the referrer may get a commission.

When does Tumblr add its affiliate code to my links?

Tumblr's affiliate code only gets added to links if 1) you haven't disabled Tumblr affiliate codes in settings, 2) you haven't used your own affiliate code, and 3) the link goes to a participating merchant.

Can I opt out so Tumblr's affiliate code isn't added to my links?

Yep. There's a switch in your Tumblr's settings called "Affiliate links." Flip it off. Keep in mind that this only affects links you post—you could still see affiliated links that other people post.

How are affiliate links even possible? Aren't there trillions of merchants out there?

Literally trillions. But a company we work with, VigLink, did the work to connect about 55,000 of them.

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So...tumblr is making money off the links you post. Most links I click now are blocked by my ad blocker because they’re being redirected through VigLink, which AdBlocker detects as a forced redirect from the original URL.

If you’re okay with this, keep doing what you’re doing (I just won’t follow those links, and will find it on my own if it’s that important to me). If not, go to your tumblr settings and disable tumblr affiliate links. I won’t judge you either way. I just don’t think it’s worth the extra step to follow a link that I’m following out of curiosity instead of need.

Oh, and this also appears in the faq pictured above:

Do I get a cut of the money Tumblr makes from monetizing my links?

No.

There’s also this:

Will there be issues with my ad blocker?

Not that we've seen. But we can't guarantee that browser extensions won't interfere with Tumblr—they're literally designed to interfere in some way.

This was probably true when they wrote the faq. But as of today, my ad blocker is blocking the heck out of VigLink affiliate links.

That being said, if you use affiliate links yourself (like Amazon Associates or something similar), I am TOTALLY okay with that. I am an Amazon Affiliate myself, though it’s pretty rare for me to post an affiliate link.

You do you and just do what feels right. If you want tumblr to have the opportunity to make money off your posts, then by all means, leave your settings alone.

I did exactly that but the link to Society6 is still broken. The other ones (to my instagram etc.) seem fine, though.

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