Need cash? Just create a Firefox plugin that injects your affiliate click into any visit to Amazon.com.
The guys at the Participatory Culture Foundation, in their effort to fund their open source video application called Miro, are shaking the Amazon money tree.
When you install Miro, you get this…
I Heart Miro is a simple Firefox extension that gives a referral fee to the Miro organization when you shop at Amazon. You’ll never notice it, it doesn’t cost you a thing…
Well right, it costs Amazon.
I tested this thing out. They do, in fact, automatically redirect a visit to Amazon.com to include their Amazon Associate ID.
http://www.amazon.com/
becomes
http://www.amazon.com/?tag=particculturf-20
They don’t appear to overwrite any existing tag= parameter, so they’re not directly overwriting affiliate clicks, but we all know by now that’s only a part of the issue.
Amazon is at least partially funding Miro’s open source efforts. I’m sure they don’t mind.
OK, I know I’m going to hell for calling out a non-profit whose mission is “to build a more open and diverse world of online video”. I’m sure they don’t think they’re doing anything out of line. But these are clearly smart guys.
Can someone please tell me what benefit Amazon is getting out of this arrangement?
(Hint: nothing.)
