Needs intro and images!!!
What Was Clicksure?
In 2011, Clickbank, an affiliate network (that is, a marketplace or brokerage where affiliate marketers and vendors meet,) realized and took action on a serious problem that was going on within its domain.
It’s reputation was on the line with mounting complaints about scam products being hosted by them. In a ditch effort to turn this around, the network cleaned house, ousting thousands of these inferior products. Other affiliate networks followed suit to purge their lists of these baddies.
With no place to go, some of these angered vendors took to creating their own affiliate networks. During the same year, one of these was the prominant Clicksure, which opened launched out of China and the [Malaysia Island]. Little is known whether the launch of the new network was the result of being ousted from Clickbank, but several points make this a very good possiblilty
- Thousands of scammy products, many by the same vendors, were removed from Clickbank’s listings
- This massive removal took place on September 1, 2011. Clicksure launched on September 7, 2011
- On the day of the launch, the new website posted a small message about Clickbank’s oustings.
Clicksure’s Affiliate Listings
Whilst it technically couldn’t be said of the affiliate network that it was a scam operation, as it was very similar in operation to Clickbank in many ways, the network did host a very high percentage of scam products and services. To have been an affiliate in Clicksure was only for those who didn’t care about their reputation.
Indeed, there are lots of people out there that will make a buck, even if it’s shady. It happens all the time.
Reputation at Clicksure wasn’t a high priority either. It opened its doors to every country, including those reputable companies such as PayPal, bar from some or all of their services. As a brokerage, Clicksure focused on making money from its listed opportunities whether or not they were scams. They even provided services for vendors in marketing campaigns for a cost, which included things like the use of false testimonials in sales videos, not to mention lies and misinformaton and all kinds of logical fallacies!
Surprise!
Today I went to search for some bad products to expose. I do this simply utilizing advertising campaigns used by unscrupulous vendors. Many of these hosted on Clicksure had strikingly the same methods used throughout the board.
I found two fairly recent sources (both in June 2018) that Clicksure was closing down that the directors simply decided to, leaving vendors and affiliates scrambling for their money in their accounts.
I visited Clicksure’s website. Sure enough, all the links pertinent to starting a new account, affiliates, vendors, in fact, most of the links, though the text, graphics and special effects are stil there, the links are not.
So, what does this mean?
Clicksure’s Closing – Is It Good News?
The good news is, this is one more source of piracy and scammy products and services that have been interrupted. These people are now going to have to find other places to host their scam products. Many of them probably will but they’re not going to have it as easy as they had it in Clicksure.
That network was all about providing hosting for such rubbish. They didn’t care as much about reputation as they did pulling in the dough. The network was also from out of China. the Chinese government apparently has no legislation against the kind of fraud that went on with many of the vendors.
The affiliates who made huge winfalls of money off the sales from these scam products are now going to have to look harder to to replace what they had lost. The products meant big money for them, not because there was any value to the products, but that the advertising for them was so powerful, that alone did the selling.
As any shady operation is capable of doing, suddenly hundreds of thousands of vendors and affiliates suddenly find things at Clicksure are not function the way they should. This came without warning. Upon contacting Clicksure’s support, this is what they got…
Unfortunately Clicksure directors have decided to close the network.
Hmmm.
Play with fire and you will get burnt if you are not careful!
Yes, this is great news!
Clicksure’s Closing – Is It Bad News?
However, though the affiliate network has shut down, what does this mean?
This isn’t going to stop the scams from occurring. These people will just find other ways to push it, if many of them haven’t already. For people like myself, going to Clicksure and looking up these scam products to, not only expose in reviews, but launch-jack them, that is, getting into their websites before they launch to find things like the fake testimonials and so forth to write about.
For those of us who go after this stuff, it’s going to be harder to track it down and though similar marketing campaigns (i.e. sales video loaded with fake testimonials, appeal to emotion and blatant lies) will still exist, Clicksure had its way of pulling this stuff off and it was quite unique to Clicksure.
Much of this stuff still abounds on the Internet. It’s not yet been taken down or has been re-homed with another host that will take them. This remains to be researched.
The marketing will become more varied though many of the same elements that make up fraudulent campaigns can still be seen of those who know what to look for.
On the Look-out for New Clicksures.
They’re out there. I will find other sources. Surely clicksure wasn’t the only place out there. It was just the best known of these shady Clickbank counterparts.
However, Clicksure was a thriving place. Without warning, it dropped the ball on its entire network. Good enough for Clicksure and the vendors and affiliates who chose to rip off people! It’s not so good for those within the network that did have reputable products as, there were those from countries that are banned from the better networks, not because they are bad people but because they live in those countries where fraud is rempart.
The serious danger that comes from these operations is that they locate themselves in places where they are out of reach from countries that regulate online fraud, and many that do, do not ban these operations from being accessed by those who prefer to.
Some of these bad vendors will close up shop. Others will find other ways to scam the unwary. Yet others will find a new home for their products. Yet others may even start a new affiliate network to honour the passing of Clicksure. Whatever way, people like myself will continue to seek these scam products and services out to expose them, helping save some of the unwary from being taken to the cleaners by these snakes.
There’s still plenty of them out there coming out every day!
Conclusion
One of the many awesome things about Wealthy Affiliate, where I have been a proud member for almost nine years now, is that it teaches how to market on the Internet ethically, honestly and with excellence. Many folks who put out reviews that expose bad products are members of Wealthy Affiliate, especially those who actually get inside them or are rightfully knowledgeable of the products. Unfortunately a few members have not followed the instructions at Wealthy Affiliate and have put out bad reviews, but there are certainly many out there that have saved folks from being scammed.
Some of these people have instead of getting caught in a trap, joined Wealthy Affiliate’s learning opportunity to become an honest affiliate marketer, have learned which products to promote and do so with excellence.
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