Dealminded FAQ
FAQ
Is dealminded a blog or a forum?
Well, it's both. If the page you are currently view looks like a blog, you are at my (admin's) automatically generated blog (http://www.dealminded.com/user/admin/). However, I posted this entry in the forum.
Give it a try:
Blog
Forum
How can I earn money for posting deals?
Let's start with the way other deal sites earn money. They sign up for a bunch of affiliate programs, demand their users NOT user their own affiliate links, demand their users post the most direct link to the product as possible, and then programatically alter the link to include their own affiliate information. They then receive a percentage of the earnings that the merchant makes.
How much are we talking?
OK, here's an example: I have another site. It started getting about 1,000 users a day (most deal sites get tens to hundreds of thousands of users a day). I posted 2 quality deals over the span of 3 days and made $1,000. Just think how much deal sites are making!
So, how can I start earning revenue on the deals I post?
You do the EXACT same thing that other deal sites do. Sign up for affiliate programs, but when you find a deal, post the link here with your affiliate information included in it.
That's allowed? I can post affiliate links here.
Absolutely. That's the point!
Don't I need a website to join most affiliate programs?
Problem solved. You get a blog that basically creates itself when you join DealMinded with your own unique URL. Keep reading.
So why don't I just start a blog somewhere else and post deals there?
You could. But we're advertising for you for free (feeds on the main page, featrured deals/blogs on the main page, rss feeds, etc) on a site that should generate some pretty heavy traffic. And the posts in the forums are essentially advertisements as well.
Plus, our blogging system has been designed to help you earn revenue easily - and you have all the freedom of other blogging sites (site statistics, banner ads, affiliate links, custom URLs, etc.). For example, we automatically parse any Amazon links and add your affiliate information (if you've given it to us). That way, you don't have to use their "link generator" everytime you want to post a link.
Why shouldn't I just spam the forums then with links that would earn me the most money?
Well, first of all, the forum is self-moderated. If the deal isn't hot, it will be voted down. Second, if you earn the reputation for posting these kind of links, no one will keep track of your deals (see below), and you certainly will never be "featured" on the main page - which has the potential for providing a lot of traffic your way. Plus, if I consider it abuse, you'll get banned.
Why have both blogs and forums?
Some people like socializing in forums. Others like socializing in blogs. The latter offers the audience a chance to say, "Hey, this review is great! I wonder what else they've posted about?" They can then keep up with the poster via their personal site
h t t p : / / w w w . d e a l m i n d e d . c o m / u s e r / u s e r n a m e /
or via an RSS feed of their entries, so they'll be notified whenever the user posts something new.
Do I have to market my blog then?
Of course not. A significant portion of users will be using the forum/RSS feed (of all of the site's deals and reviews) to find what they're looking for. I'm pretty sure that alone will get your deal enough exporsure to make it profitable for you. Along with that, we have updated deal and review feeds on the front page, and the featured deal/blog of the [interval of time yet to be determined - probably day].
But, I bet if you post quality deals, reviews, and other entries, you may gain a following on your blog. Or, you can start thinking about a theme for your blog from the get-go and send the link to your friends.
So, even if you don't plan on marketing it, there are plenty of "free advertisements" that are built into the site automatically, but the possibility is there for it to bring in added revenue.
How do I, the registered user, get paid?
The affiliate programs that you sign-up for will pay you. If you post banners on your blog, the banner program will pay you. Dealminded will never pay you.
What if they don't pay me, can I sue Dealminded?
No. You cannot. Think about Dealminded as a hosting company for your blog. That's all we are. If for some reason, they refuse to pay you - say, you violate the terms and conditions of the affiliate program you signed up for - you have to bring that up w/ them, not us.
How do you earn money from the site?
I post deals. 
I'm a geek and want to know what technology you used to build the site.
This is a FAQ - it stands for frequently asked questions, not frequently stated desires.
What technology did you use to build the site?
There ya' go. I used PHP, (X)HTML, JavaScript, and a MySQL database. The backend of the site is a heavily customized version of PunBB. I'm using the Tango Caching class to make static some of the computationally heavier pieces of the site. I work on a Powerbook G4 with Mac OS X. I use Textmate for all of my coding.
Who designed the look of the site - it's terrible!?
The main look of the site is my design; the logo is my design. I am not a graphics designer by trade or training, so I did the best I could. If you have suggestions, let me know. I do like to consider I know a bit about user interface design, but I also welcome suggestions on that.
The blog designs are customized WordPress templates (credits for those on the blogs themselves). They look very nice because I didn't design them. The icons on the front page are actually from a Gnome/KDE icon set called NuoveXT. The feed icons are Matt Brett's.