If you think I am going at it again bashing WidgetBucks- I am not. In fact I am experiencing the change of heart. And of course I would like to apologize to some bloggers for overly criticizing them for getting involved with WidgetBucks.

I am not putting the widget on my website, but there are signs that WidgetBucks may address the areas of TOS that I had the biggest issues with.

Just to underline again, the biggest problem that I have with WidgetBucks is the hidden html link, which can not be removed from the widget according to TOS. Quick fix would be to allow publishers removing/nofollowing the link if they wish, and make the link clearly visible in the widget.

I have no problem at all with the fact that they have changed terms and referral structure just hours after the products launch. Working with Commission Junction merchants I receive at least one notice each day that some merchant decided to change the terms, so I can live with that.

Well, I am not surprised. Evidently Google has decided to punish me as well. At least this may be looked as a consolation to other bloggers out there. Noticed I said consolation not justification.

The drop in page rank from PR4 to PR2 is significant I would say. So am I a bad neighborhood? I wish Google would put out a list of websites that are qualified as “bad websites to link to”. There are about 500 blogs out there that link to me, some have a site-wide blogroll links pointing my way. If you are one of those please consider to remove your link to my website. I am very serious about it- no offense will be taken.

I hate to disappoint a friend and a fellow blogger, but some bloggers will write more that twice on the subject. I wish I had it in me to approach every possible angle when writing first time on the subject. But when it comes to this WidgetBucks, there is also an element of being bewildered at how easy some us will jump all over a guy who dared to call Google evil yet in the same breath create promotional frenzy around a widget that is as sneaky as it can be.

Yes I have a HUGE problem with that hidden link. No matter where do you stand on paid links, in the light of what WidgetSucks has done to paid links not only more ethical approach to SEO, paid links indeed are noble.

But there is something more that bothers me about WidgetBucks. Since every one had read TOS by now and realized that he or she can not talk about CTR and earnings- it opens a way to suspicious claims that WidgetSucks is out performing both AuctionAds and Adsense. It is very easy to make such claims now that you can not don not have to prove by backing them up with some hard statistics.

WidgetBucks seams to take lightly your integrity. Do you???

I had in mind to link to few blogs, but I really hate to give away any juice that will eventually help WidgetBucks. If you followed the events you know what I am talking about without links.

As I was going to write a follow up on my initial WidgetBucks post, I was surprised to find out that TechCrunch and Problogger ranking in the first and second places for the term “WidgetBucks”. Did someone at Google actually noticed that WidgetBucks was hiding links?

This definitely puts an interesting spin on things. It may be just one day episode where not all of the Google’s data centers indexed WidgetBucks, however it can very well be another John Chow case.

Now the question would be if Google would see WidgetBucks as a bad neighborhood and what about all bloggers linking to it?

But do you really think Google punished WidgetBucks for hidden links?

Being subjected to the latest linking kindness by The Fantastic Lord Matt, reminded me again that I can do a better job linking to other bloggers.

In the past I have have attempted to do so via speed linking or as some may call it slow linking. Not finding a way to link out in a manner that not only would please the ego of recipients of such links but also would provide some good insight to my readers, I have completely abandoned such attempts. I t should be mentioned that the fear of doing nothing else but writing these “speed/slow linking” posts kept me from attempting to find my own way of linking out to other bloggers. So todays post is an attempt for me to (re)discover my own way of linking to other bloggers. So there we go…..

1. Do You Have An Amazing Affiliate Program?- Scott lays it out for every one for easy understanding that some affiliate programs along with their incentives a are bunch of crap. If you are an affiliate manager this is definitely one of those articles you can not afford to miss.
2. Top 11 Reasons NOT to Link an A list blogger- the title says it all. Don’t waste your time and effort to link to blog that is more known and popular that your own, even if it has some relative information that your readers may find useful. Great job Lucia!
3. ReveNews Goind WordPress- Welcomed announcement that affiliate blog of affiliate blogs is switching to WordPress. Movable Type really stinks when it comes to commenting/trackbacks/pingbacks if youa re considering it for a platform for your own blog learn from other’s mistakes.
4. Another BlogRush Post- Don’t Puke- In the attempt to cut down the spam on BlodRush 10,000 bloggers were kicked out. Unlike Josh I have signed up for BlogRush, only to get nauseous when the “Shocking Changes” were announced.
5. Jason Calacanis Under Fire By A Supper Affiliate- Jim asked Jason some tough questions, I hope there will be a Q&A session with Jason at Affiliate Summit.

These are not the only blogs I read but for some reason I really enjoyed the posts above.