OIOpub Blog
It’s been one of the (few) criticisms of OIO recently; the lack of documentation. Whilst there is help provided within the application itself, it doesn’t cover everything, and so updated help docs has been on my list for sometime.
Instead of a full-blown documentation library, I’ve instead opted to write a series of tutorials, which you can find in the support forum. This also means that if you make a search in the forum, you’re more likely to find a solution.
You can also request new tutorials, which I’ll then write up and put with the others.
February 23, 2009 under
Beta
Is now available for download.
Main Changes:
- 3 new payment options added
- fixed multiple errors when using php strict error mode
- forgotten password routine added to standalone mode
- any links to OIO now include affiliate ID
- various fixes from user feedback
Unresolved Issues:
These new options are now available in the latest beta release.
I’ve been a bit delayed in getting the next beta release out, but was able to spare a bit of time this evening to work on a few payment modules that have been requested. They have not been released yet as all need testing, but I hope to package them with the next beta release.
The payment methods being tested are:
2Checkout and Authorize.net are both relatively straight forward, and will work much in the same way as the PayPal module (with automatic payment notifications to update the database). However, nethier method will support subscription payments initially, as both require an SSL certificate to utilise the features required for recurring billing.
It also looks as though Google Checkout requires an SSL certificate to receive any automatic payment notifications to the database (although I’m still checking on that fact), so it will most likely be a manual option to start with, where the user will get notified by email of a payment, and then enter the admin area to mark it as paid.
Please note that this entry refers to the affiliate program used to sell the OIOpublisher ad manager, as opposed to the affiliate module offered with the script.
As mentioned in the previous entry, we’ve been looking at different ways to improve the affiliate program for users. We’ve now come up with an initial proposal, which we will be sending out to affiliates to get their feedback.
Proposal, Draft 1:
(a) Aims
- to provide better incentives to affiliates
- to reward affiliates on the basis of their work
(b) Description
- each affiliate can create unique coupon codes within their account
- max discount level dependent on the sales volume for the previous 30 day period
- discount amount selected by affiliate will be matched by OIO (1:1 ratio)
- eg. affiliate puts $2.50 of their commission towards discount, OIO will do the same
(c) Discount Levels
- under 5 sales per month = coupon worth max of $5 off
- 5 to 10 sales per month = coupon worth max of $10 off
- more than 10 sales per month = coupon worth max of $15 off
- these levels are inclusive of the OIO discount matching
(d) Limitations
- only those who have purchased the product themselves can create coupon codes
- a code will expire after 30 days, to enforce any changing discount levels
- a code’s value cannot be changed once set, even if the max discount level changes
So, now it’s over to you. As an affiliate, what do you think about this proposal? If you suggest changes, please include a reason for them.
January’s 90% commission offer is now over, and I can safetly say we learnt quite a bit about our affiliate program during the month! We had some good points (including lots of sales) and a few not so good points, but overall it was a positive experience.
All affiliates will be credited with the standard 50% commission for any future sale, and the January coupon codes sent out have now expired. Our focus has now turned towards working on an improved affiliate structure, based on feedback from existing users, and some extra incentives – we’ll be running it past all users for further feedback before deploying it later this month.
Congratulations to all those who made the most of the 90% offer!
