LinkShare February News
Welcome to the February Publisher Newsletter! If you weren't at LinkShare Symposium West 2009 in San Francisco last month, no worries! We are pleased to announce the first ever LinkShare Symposium UK to be held in London this April! Between now and then we have some new deep linking tools to help you further maximise your commissions. There are also some great publisher promotions on offer this month. Plus, if you'd like some extra assistance with using the LinkShare interface and optimising your site, we offer online Publisher Training: Web Seminars.

LinkShare Symposium UK 2009 Announced

Registration is now open for the first ever LinkShare Symposium UK which is being held in London on Thursday 2nd April 2009.

LinkShare events have been running now for over ten years and advertisers and publishers have used the events to forge new partnerships and grow relationships over the years.


This one-day event has been designed to combine some industry thought-leadership through expert speakers and a panel, alongside our popular DealMaker trade show which provides the opportunity to form winning and profitable partnerships face-to-face during the afternoon session.

Please visit the LinkShare website for more information.

REGISTER
This event is currently open exclusively to LinkShare's UK advertiser and publisher base, so be sure to register your interest ASAP. However places are limited so please ensure that you are free to attend on 2nd April before you register.



GET MORE INVOLVED
There are opportunities to get more involved and have a bigger presence at this event - from having your own DealMaker table to use as a branded meeting spot to provide company information and giveaways, and to meet current and prospective partners face-to-face - to taking one of our sponsorship packages to enhance your presence. Please contact ukevents@linkshare.com for more information.

Don't miss this chance to make connections with the right people and solidify better partnerships!

We look forward to seeing many of you there.

Penny Mather, Marketing Manager

Deep Linking: LinkBuilder vs Bookmarklet
Would you like to link directly to the page on which your customer may purchase a specific product? We understand that deep linking is crucial to your success and are working on new ways to help you create deep links quickly and easily. Until now, you've been able to use LinkBuilder to generate individual links for your partnered advertisers. Now we have a new tool called the LinkShare Bookmarklet that allows you to build a deep link without even being signed in to the LinkShare Publisher Dashboard!

Coming Soon
In March we will release a new feature in the Publisher Dashboard that will allow you to create "deep links" to any page on an Advertiser's website. In preparation for the March release, this month we are providing a review of LinkBuilder. Tune in next month for details regarding how to use the new product.

LinkBuilder
LinkBuilder is a tool that allows you to easily create a LinkShare tracking link to any page or product on an advertiser's Web site. This is a popular tool among publishers in the LinkShare network because it allows publishers to select the links that are most relevant to their site. It also makes it easier for you to promote niche products while giving you the flexibility to focus on just what you need. LinkBuilder also makes it easier for you to match the content of your site with the right products, and can be helpful in promoting the "long tail" of a product line. Ultimately this could lead to higher sales and more commissions.

Bookmarklet - New!
The "bookmarklet" tool makes it much easier to use the LinkGenerator service to create a commission-paying link for any merchant with whom you are partnered. Think of a bookmarklet as a web browser bookmark with some built-in functionality. For example, many social sites use bookmarklets to allow users to share sites from around the web. This tool will make it easier than ever to create deep links on an advertisers site, without having to log in to the publisher dashboard. The tool will only work with advertisers you are partnered with, and sales generated will report as LinkBuilder links. Please note that this is just a beta tool that we are testing. When the bookmarklet has passed the testing stage successfully, we'll launch it to a wide audience; this may require you to "rebuild" the bookmarklet.

How to Use LinkBuilder: Click Links > Get Links from the Publisher Dashboard and select an advertiser-partner who offers LinkBuilder links. Click LinkBuilder in the Links section at left. Find the image or text that you must click on to arrive at the desired product page on the advertiser's Web site. Copy the URL of this image or text by moving your cursor over it and right-clicking your mouse (or holding your mouse button down if you are a Mac user). You will see a scroll box. Select "Copy Link Location" (Netscape) or "Copy Shortcut" (Internet Explorer). Type Ctrl-V to paste this URL in the field under "Step Two." Decide if you would like to link to this page through a text link or a graphic: If you would like a graphic link: Move your cursor over the desired image and right-click your mouse. You will see a scroll box. Select "Copy Image Location" if using Netscape. To copy the Image URL in Internet Explorer, select "Properties," then highlight and copy the "Address (URL)" from the pop-up window. Type Ctrl-V to paste this URL in the first field in "Step Three." If you would like a text link: In the second field in "Step Three," type in the desired text. Click "Generate Code." We will generate the code for your chosen product. Copy this code and paste it into your site. In most cases the code will be live within five minutes, however please note that during busy times, you may need to allow up to half an hour for the new link to be updated into our database. Until it gets updated, the link will redirect to the advertiser homepage instead of the product page.

How to use Bookmarklet... Easy Install: Get your token from your LinkShare account on this page. Paste it in the Token box on this page. This will turn into a link when you input a token with 64 characters. In Firefox drag this link to your toolbar. In IE, right-click and add to favorites. Generate Link Code: Look for items by browsing through the websites of your partners. (This will only work if you're approved by the merchant.) Click on the LinkGenerator button that you just created on your toolbar. A window with the URL will appear. You can cut and paste it wherever you like. The link code that is generated will be instantly updated in our database and will redirect the user to the product page immediately. When your readers click on this link, they'll be taken to the partner's page and you'll receive a commission when they purchase.

Advertiser Spotlight

Cath Kidston: 5% Commission on all goods - Cath Kidston specialises in vintage inspired prints for the home, distinctive fabrics and home furnishings, fashion, kidswear, accessories and outdoor products. Become order active for Cath Kidston in your first full calendar month on the programme, and you will earn 7.5% commission exceptionally that month, rather than 5%! Join now!	French Connection: 5% - 7% Commission on all goods - French Connection offers well-designed, stylish clothing that appeals to a broad market. Get increased commission on the French Connection programme during your first full calendar month on the programme. If you joined in February, you will get 7% commission in March! Join now!	Goldsmiths: 12% - 20% Commission on all goods - Goldsmiths is the premier on-line retailer of watches, jewellery and gifts, carrying prestige brands such as Tag Heuer, Gucci and Omega. If you haven't driven any orders for Goldsmiths over the past 4 months, become order active in March 2009 and you will earn 15% commission per order - giving you a 3% bonus over basic commission! Join now!

• Publisher Training Seminar 101 - User Interface: Overview
• Publisher Training Seminar 102 - User Interface: My Account
• Publisher Training Seminar 103 - Joining Programs
• Publisher Training Seminar 104 - Creating Links
• Publisher Training Seminar 105 - Beginner Reports