dot  PartnerGateway Home      Go to: Log Off    
 
HomeRetailers SiteGetting StartedCreating LinksReportsFAQCategory MaintenanceUpdate User Account



 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Account Information
  • Link
  • Reports and Payment
  • Consolidating log-ons
  • Cookies
  • Contact Information
  • Miscellaneous

    Account Information

    How do I update account information?

    Certain account information, such as e-mail address, mailing address (not pay-to address) and user name/password, may be updated by clicking . This is found on the navigation bar after logging into www.reporting.net. To update "pay to" information, site URL, or any other information not found on the Update User Account page, please notify us.

    Back to Top

    I operate more than one web site. How do I add sites to my account?

    To add sites to your account, you must contact us and provide the names and URLs of the additional sites.

    Back to Top

    How do I deactivate an account?

    If, for any reason, you wish to voluntarily terminate your affiliate program, please contact us.

    Back to Top

    How do I reactivate an account?

    If you would like to reactivate an account, please contact us. Send e-mail with the word "reactivate" in the subject line and the e-mail address and primary contact name you provided on your application in the body of the message.

    Back to Top

    I don't want to receive e-mail messages. What should I do?

    You need to contact us to opt out of any informational e-mails.

    Back to Top

    Link

    How do I create links to my site?

    Creating links is as simple as cutting and pasting. Just go to the Creating Links section, choose the link you want to create, and click the Make My Code button. Copy the HTML from the Generated HTML Code popup window and paste it into your site.

    Back to Top

    What type of links can I create?

    You can create a variety of links depending on your merchandising requirements.

    Back To Top

    Why do I have to use the tag generator?

    In order for the system to properly track impressions, click throughs, and sales coming from your Affiliate Site, the tags must contain critical tracking information. If any of this information is incorrect or missing, you won't get proper credit for sales resulting from the erroneous link. The only way to ensure that all information will be correctly tracked is to create links using the tag generator.

    Back To Top

    Why is the 1x1 pixel included in the BFAST tag?

    The 1x1 pixel is a tiny, clear graphic that is placed with each Affiliate link to track link performance. The 1x1 pixel allows Be Free to record an impression and its associated link information each time a link is viewed. This information allows Be Free to generate reports for Affiliates to show the effectiveness of individual links or Affiliate Sites. Be Free uses high-performance servers and redundant connectivity to ensure that images appear quickly. However, in the unlikely event that our servers suffer slowdowns or downtime, the download time of the Affiliate Sites will not be affected because of the small size of the 1x1 pixel.

    Back To Top

    How do I paste HTML code onto my web site?

    Select all of the HTML code in the "Make My Code" box by clicking the "Select All" button. Copy the HTML code to the clipboard by typing Ctrl-C or right-clicking on the highlighted text and choosing "Copy." Paste the HTML code into your page by typing Ctrl-V or choosing Edit-Paste from within your editing application.

    Back To Top

    My link isn't working properly. What should I do?

    If you experience trouble with your link, please consider the following:

    Back To Top

    What can I do if my code is being altered by a web-editing program?

    WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) web-editing programs will sometimes alter generated link code after you paste it into your page. This can lead to unexpected and sometimes negative results. Altering a generated link can cause tracking problems, and you may not receive proper credit for traffic and sales originating from your site.

    You can use the following procedure to ensure link integrity no matter which web editor you use:

    1. Once you have finished designing/editing the page, close your web editor.
    2. Open the HTML source file of the associated page with a text-editor (e.g., Notepad).
    3. Add the generated link code.
    4. Upload/publish the page before opening it again in your web editor.

    Depending on the web editor you use, there may be a way to avoid undesirable changes in your code within the program itself. For each of the common web-authoring tools listed below, there is at least one method you can use to keep your links intact:

    Adobe PageMill 3.0

    If you are pasting links generated from Reporting.net into Adobe PageMill 3.x, follow these steps to successfully place the link:

    1. Open the page you want to edit with PageMill.
    2. Choose Source Mode from the View menu.
      The HTML code appears.
    3. Paste the link you copied from Reporting.net into the HTML code.
    4. To view the link, choose Preview Mode from the View menu (or press Ctrl + Enter).
      The link now appears on your page.
    5. Save and upload the page.

    Allaire HomeSite 4.0

    If you are pasting links generated from Reporting.net into Allaire HomeSite 4.x, follow these steps to successfully place the link:

    1. Open the page you want to edit with HomeSite.
    2. Make sure you are working on the Edit tab in the main window.
    3. Paste the link you copied from Reporting.net into the HTML code.
    4. Click the Browse tab to view the link.
      HomeSite's Browse feature is a full-functioning web browser. It allows you to click on the link and go to the corresponding web site.
    5. Save and upload the page.

    AOL Press 2.0

    If you are pasting links generated from Reporting.net into AOL Press 2.0, follow these steps to successfully place the link:

    1. Open the page you want to edit with AOL Press.
    2. Choose Show HTML from the Tools menu.
      A new window opens containing the page's HTML source code.
    3. Paste the link from Reporting.net into the HTML.
    4. Close the window.
      A dialog box appears asking you if you want to apply changes.
    5. Select Apply.
      The new link should be visible on the web page.
    6. Save and upload the page.

    Coffee Cup HTML Editor++

    If you are pasting links generated from Reporting.net into Coffee Cup HTML Editor++, follow these steps to successfully place the link:

    1. Open the page you want to edit with Coffee Cup.
      You will see the existing HTML source code for that page.
    2. Paste the link from Reporting.net into the HTML.
    3. Choose Test with Favorite Browser (or Test with Default Browser) from the Tools menu.
      Your web page appears with the new link.
    4. Save and upload the page.

    Microsoft FrontPage 2.0/2000

    If you are pasting links generated from Reporting.net into Microsoft FrontPage 2.0/2000, you may experience difficulties because FrontPage encodes certain characters (e.g., ampersands) contained in the link code. You can avoid this problem in one of two ways.

    Option #1:

    1. Open the page you want to edit with FrontPage.
    2. Choose HTML Markup from the Insert menu.
      A dialog box appears.
    3. Paste the link from Reporting.net into the dialog box.
    4. Click OK.
      An icon will represent where the link will appear on the web page.
    5. Save and upload the page.

      NOTE: If you add links this way, they will not appear in the FrontPage editor and will only appear after you preview/publish.

    Option #2 (this option is not available for FrontPage Express users):

    1. Open the FrontPage editor and the page you want to edit.
    2. Click the HTML tab at the bottom of the page.
      This lets you modify the HTML source code directly; however, FrontPage will check the HTML you enter and may encode it.
    3. In order to avoid the encoding problem, add the code using the format below: 

      <!-- webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ---->
Add your link HTML here
<!-- webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" endspan ---->

    4. Save your web page.

    If you are using FrontPage Express, you can modify the HTML directly:

    1. Open the page you want to edit with FrontPage Express.
    2. Choose HTML from the View menu.
      This lets you modify the HTML directly; however, FrontPage will check the HTML you enter and may encode it.
    3. In order to stop FrontPage Express from encoding the generated code, add it using the format displayed below: 

      <!-- webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ---->
Add your link HTML here
<!-- webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" endspan ---->

    4. Save and upload the page.

      NOTE: If you paste links this way, they will appear in FrontPage editor.

    Microsoft Word 97/2000

    If you are pasting links generated from Reporting.net into Word 97/2000, follow these steps to successfully place the link:

      NOTE: In Word, Web Page Authoring is not installed when you select the Typical installation option during Setup.

    1. Open the page you want to edit with Word.
    2. Choose HTML Source from the View menu.
      A new window opens containing the page's HTML source code.
    3. Paste the link from Reporting.net into the HTML.
    4. Click the Exit HTML Source button.
      A dialog box appears asking you if you want to save the changes you made.
    5. Select Yes.
      Word will then preview the link.
    6. Save and upload the page.

    To see these instructions when you are creating a link, click the Help with HTML button in the Generated HTML Code popup window.

    Back To Top

    What is the difference between an Affiliate Link and an Ad Banner Link?

    Affiliate Links and Ad Banner Links are both created on Reporting.net and can both be placed on your Affiliate Site; however, there are differences between them. An Affiliate Link could link to our home page, our products, or sections of our web site. When you create the link, you choose the specific image or text you want to display as the link from the options we give you. The image and text will always stay the same until you create a new tag on Reporting.net.

    An Ad Banner Link is different because instead of choosing a specific image or text, you only choose the size of the banner for an Ad Banner Link. By only choosing a size, you will be able to receive our most current promotions and advertising banners.

    Back To Top

    What is the purpose of the space parameter in the BFIT tag?

    IMPORTANT!! The purpose of the space parameter is to ensure that the ad service URLs are unique for every location you intend to place ad banners on your site. This will reduce the probability of browser or proxy caching of the ad banners. By reducing the probability of ad banners being cached, a more accurate count of impressions can be attained for your site. The "space" parameter can be any numeric value less than 10 digits. By using the tag generators, this value is automatically created for you. However, you may substitute your own value here or (if your pages are generated dynamically) supply this number at page creation time.

    Back To Top

    What is the purpose of the Location parameter in the BFIT tag?

    This allows advertisers to target specific "locations" (sections or pages) on your site.

    Back To Top

    What is the purpose of the Dimensions parameter in the BFIT tag?

    This allows you to the display of ad banners of various sizes. This provides more flexibility to ease ad banner integration on your web site.

    Back To Top

    Reports and Payment

    What is the commission structure for eHealthInsurance.com, and when will I get paid?

    You will receive a $25 marketing fee for every major medical health insurance application that is submitted through your site and tracked properly using the automatically generated BeFree links and HTML.

    Back to Top

    How do I get paid?

    You will be paid monthly for any applications that are attributed to your account through the BeFree link tracking. There are no monthly minimums; you will be compensated every month for all applications that are attributed through your BeFree link.

    Back to Top

    I have more than one affiliate site. How will I receive payment?

    You will receive one check from each Merchant for which you are an affiliate.

    Back to Top

    How do I keep track of commissions?

    You can keep track of your commissions through the Merchant's Reporting.net area. Commission reports in Reporting.net include commission information for your site. You can organize this information by Merchant, product, date range, etc. to help you determine the most profitable marketing mix for your site.

    Back to Top

    How do I measure my site's performance?

    You can measure your site's performance through the various reports available through the Merchant's area on Reporting.net. These reports provide you with information on critical metrics such as impressions, click-throughs and click-to-order ratios.

    Back to Top

    How often are reports updated?

    Reports are updated overnight.

    Back To Top

    What is the importance of checking reports frequently?

    The sales that you generate as an affiliate can be a key factor in your site's profitability. For a few weeks after you first place affiliate links on your site, the novelty of the links will increase their performance. However, to make good performance part of your long-term profit strategy, you should plan to regularly consult the reports available on Reporting.net to help you adjust your content and advertising accordingly.

    Back To Top

    The data in reports does not accurately reflect activity originating from my link. Why?

    Data, such as impressions, click-throughs, and orders, will not appear until the next business day. Revenue or shipped sales will not be reflected in the reports until the order is shipped. If reports are showing what appear to be discrepancies, it's possible that the code for tags has been modified. If the code for the tag has been modified, reports would not accurately reflect link activity. This sometimes shows in reports when click-throughs are greater than impressions. When click-throughs are greater than impressions, it is almost always because the 1x1 pixel has been removed from the tag on the Affiliate Site. If this happens, no impression data will be recorded because the 1x1 pixel is the mechanism that tracks impression data.

    Back To Top

    Consolidating log-ons

    If I have two usernames and passwords, both of which contain an account with (program name), can I consolidate them?

    If you have multiple usernames and passwords associated with (program name), you must keep the log-on information separate.

    Back to Top

    Cookies

    What are cookies, why should I use them, and how do I enable them?

    Cookies are very small files that contain information about your visit to a web site and your use of the site. They are sent by a server and are stored on your computer. They can't access or read the files on your hard drive, and they also cannot be used as viruses. They are used to send you the information you want from a site more quickly and to automatically do things for you that would otherwise require more work on your part.

    Back to Top

    Why do cookies go to server names that I've never heard of sometimes?

    1. Advertising firms use cookies to make sure you see their ad one, two, or three times based on what their campaign requires. They do this by setting cookies in your computer that communicate with their server.
    2. Other cookies track commission information. Some Merchants use cookies to remember which affiliate site sent a customer to their site. Neither their server nor our server is used for tracking these cookies; instead, an independent server is used to track this information. That's why, as an Affiliate, you'll see cookies going to "bfast.com." Our cookies only last for four hours. Therefore, when you go back the next day, a new cookie will be set.
    Back to Top

    Can I shop online without using cookies?

    Because shopping cart systems at online stores rely heavily on cookies to temporarily remember what you've put into your shopping basket, you are almost always required to use cookies in order to shop online. These cookies usually expire as soon as you exit a shop.

    Back to Top

    What are some cookie troubleshooting tips?

    1. Make sure cookies are enabled:

      Netscape Navigator 4.x users: To enable your cookies, choose Preferences from the Edit menu. Select the Advanced Category from the Category pane on the left. In the cookie section on the right, click "Accept all cookies."

      Internet Explorer 4.0 users: To enable your cookies, Choose Internet Options from the View menu. Click the Advanced tab. Scroll down to the Security section and under Cookies, select "Always accept cookies."

    2. If cookies are enabled and the problem persists:

      Netscape Navigator 4.x users: Choose Preferences from the Edit menu. Select the Advanced Category. In the cookie section on the right, select "Warn me before accepting cookies."

      Internet Explorer 4.0 users: Choose Internet Options from the View menu. Click the Advanced tab. Scroll down to the Security section and under Cookies, select "Prompt before accepting cookies."

      If you do not receive a prompt, the browser is having difficulty retrieving a cookie.

    3. Possible solution for Netscape users:

      Try logging on to Reporting.net two or three times consecutively (without shutting down your browser). For example, log-on, and when you get the cookie error screen, go to the top right corner of the screen and click Log-on. Then try logging on again. Sometimes Netscape resolves its cookie issues itself after a couple attempted logins.

    4. If the problem continues, restart your computer.

    Back to Top

    How can I clear cookies?

    For Internet Explorer 4.0 & 5.0

    1. Go to your C: drive.
    2. Open the "Windows" folder.
    3. Open the "Cookies" folder and delete all files with "bfast" or "reporting" in the file name.

    For Netscape Navigator 4.x

    1. Go to the "Program Files\Netscape\Users\default" directory on your C: drive.

      NOTE: If you have multiple profiles for Netscape, you will need to open the folder containing your user-specific files. For example, if your profile name is "jdoe," you need to open the "jdoe" folder instead of the "default" folder shown above (the path would be "C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\jdoe").

    2. Delete the file named cookies.txt.

    Back to Top

    Contact Information

    How do I contact you?

    To contact the eHealthInsurance Affiliate Program Manager, send an e-mail to Phillip Kidwell at phillip@ehealthinsurance.com.

    Back to Top

    Miscellaneous

    I share a computer with another person, and we both belong to affiliate programs. If we want to join new programs, what do we need to do?

    Before applying to new affiliate programs in the Apply to Other Merchants section of Reporting.net, please make sure to clear your cookies (please see How can I clear cookies?). This will clear the application form of the other individual's information and will enable you to properly apply to an affiliate program. If you applied without clearing cookies, the other individual's information would appear on the application form. If you changed that information to your own and subsequently applied, you would simply add affiliate programs accounts for the other individual.

    Back to Top

    Why do you ask for/require my social security number?

    The IRS requires us to detail the commission payments we make to Affiliates. In order to deliver your commission payments to you, we need your social security number. It is used in the reporting process and will never be used for other purposes.

    Back To Top


    • (c) Copyright 1997-2004 Be Free, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Patents Pending.