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Online Nature Mall - Frequently Asked Questions
click to join the Online Nature Mall
Earn 10% - it's FREE
Give me a quick overview.
OnlineNatureMall.com is a secure web site (run by Yahoo.com) offering 8,500 nature related items. Online Nature Mall will pay you 10% of all sales made. There is no cost to you. An independent third party called ShareaSale monitors sales and sends you a check. To begin, go to ShareaSale.com and sign up as an Affiliate. Respond to the email they will send you. Then select Online Nature Mall as a Merchant. Then paste HTML code into your web site to create text links or banners that will take your visitors to the Nature Mall. (This last step is explained in detail below.) You will receive a check the month after a sale. There is a $50 minimum check amount -- otherwise your earnings carry forward until you earn $50. This is all absolutely free to you. There are no costs of any kind and you can quit whenever you like.
Trustees must approve this at my organization. Help me.
Print out the Executive Summary for them. Or copy and edit this text yourself. Present this to the Board of Directors or Trustees at your Organization. Call us at 800-865-2473 if you have any questions.
Can individuals sign up as an Affiliate?
Yes.
How do I sign up as an Affiliate?
<-- Click this button and then scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.
Complete the Affiliate application. This takes about 3 minutes. ShareaSale will then send you an email.
Respond to the email you will receive from ShareaSale.com. Check the boxes accepting the Affiliate terms.
Now you are an Affiliate. The next step is to select Online Nature Mall (in the Shopping Mall section) as a Merchant. Once you do that, click on "Get Link" and select a banner or text link to use on your web page. Finally, paste the HTML code for that banner or text link into your web site. This creates buttons and text links that your visitors will click to get to the Online Nature Mall.
Can I see how much I earned so far?
Yes. After you sign up as an Affiliate at ShareaSale you will select Online Nature Mall as a Merchant. (You may also select other Merchants at ShareaSale.) To see how much you earned, you will visit the ShareaSale web site to see your earnings from each Merchant on a daily, monthly or cumulative basis. You can see which of the links on your web site were clicked that ultimately resulted in a sale. You can see the page in your web site that they where on when they clicked a text link or banner that took them into the store. You can see the number of "hits" you received and what percentage of those resulted in a sale.
There is an enormous amount of information at ShareaSale that is available to Affiliates. You will receive a check once your earnings reach $50. ShareaSales looks at all Merchants and combines the total. So if you earn $40 from Online Nature Mall and $10 from another Merchant, you will be sent a check.
Why should I become an Affiliate?
1. Receive 10% of any sales made at the Nature Mall. Your visitors click a banner or link on your web site to enter the Nature Mall.
2. There is no cost to sign up as an Affiliate. It just takes a few minutes.
3. The Online Nature Mall has over 8,500 items for sale -- arranged into eight different shops. Shopping is fun and easy.
4. The Online Nature Mall offers only the highest quality items -- from binoculars and scopes to bird feeders and books.
5. We make it easy to attract shoppers with our colorful banners for your web site.
6. A portion of the profits go to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
7. Product descriptions are written by nature-lovers just like you.
8. You receive a check each month. Checks are sent out when your earnings exceed $50.00
Code? HTML Code? Why do I need this?
You MUST put a banner or text link on your web site in order to get paid.
The HTML code you get from ShareaSale makes a banner or text link appear on your web page. When visitors click the banner or link, they jump to the Online Nature Mall. If they buy something, you get paid. The code allows ShareaSale to track the visitors that come from your web site and eventually buy something.
You cannot simply put a link on your web site that points to www.OnlineNatureMall.com.
ShareaSale will have no way to keep track of the visitors at your web site that click this link. They will not be able to pay you.
OK, I need this "Code" - Where is it?
Go to ShareaSale.com and log in as an Affiliate (do NOT log in as a Merchant). In the middle of the page, near the top, look for Get Links (in orange type). Just below this click on >>Get a Link/Banner. Scroll down until you see the section for Online Nature Mall. If you signed up with just one Merchant at ShareaSale, this is the only one you will see.
Now click on Get Links. You will see different types of links and link categories. Click one and scroll down until you see a text link or banner you like. Then copy the HTML code in the box. All HTML code starts with "<a" and ends with "</a>"
Paste this code into a page on your web site. If you place the banner near the top of a page, your visitors will be able to find it easier. This HTML code will automatically make a banner or a Text Link appear on your page. The banner images are stored on the ShareaSale web site, so you will not see the banner until you visit your own web site page.
Note to New Webmasters: The HTML code needs to be pasted on to a page with other HTML code. Dreamweaver and FrontPage and other web master tools usually have a "Code" view and a "Design" view. The Design view shows what your page looks like. The Code page shows the actual HTML code that makes all this happen. You paste the ShareaSale code on the "Code" page, NOT the "Design" page.
[To copy and paste this code, highlight all the HTML code in the box. Do this by clicking the mouse cursor at the beginning of the text. While holding down the left mouse button, drag the cursor to the end of the text. Release the mouse button. Make sure you include the beginning <a and the ending </a>. Then hold down the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard and click "C" on the keyboard. To paste into your web site, hold down the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard and click "V" on the keyboard.]
How do I see if the HTML code I added is working?
Good question! After you add the code for a banner or link to your web site, you need to test it.
To do this, go to your web site, find the page where you added the HTML code and click on the banner or link that appears there. You should then jump to the OnlineNatureMall. The specific banner or link you select will determine exactly where in the Mall you end up.
ShareaSale tracks every single click of a banner or link for you. These are recorded as "Hits". You will want to check to see how many "Hits" and how many sales you are getting from your web site. Your ShareaSale "Hit" count will go up each time you click on one of your banners. Your "Hit" count will be zero if you have not put any banners or links on your web site yet.
If you do not see the banner or you see it but your "Hit" count does not increase by one at ShareaSale, check your code to see if there are any obvious problems. The code should appear only when you view your web site as HTML code. When you look at your web site using a browser, you will not see code -- you will just see a colorful banner or words that link to the Nature Mall.
It is easy to check the number of "Hits". Go to www.ShareaSale.com and log in using your Affiliate name and password. Then click Reports/Stats (in orange type) and then click >>Activity Summary. You will see a report that shows your "Hits" as well as sales for the month.
How do I make a simple text link on one of my web pages? I want to edit the text.
This is extremely easy to do. Start with the code shown below. This code will display the words "Nature Mall" on one of your pages. Just type this code exactly as it appears into your web site. Then insert your own ShareaSale User ID where it says 123456789 and insert any text you want where it says Nature Mall.
<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=34838&u=123456789&m=7670&urllink=&afftrack=">Nature Mall</a>
If you want the text to be bold, the end of the code would look like this: afftrack="><b>Nature Mall</b></a>
Be sure to test this to make sure it is appearing the way to want it to.
[Note: We will use banner 34838 in all of our examples. This is actually a very simple text link that makes the words "Nature Mall" appear. As long as you use a valid banner, such as 34838, you will be able to create all the "improved" links shown below. We also use Merchant 7670 in all of our examples, which is the merchant number for the Online Nature Mall.]
How do I link to just one of the eight shops in the Nature Mall?
This is also easy to do. Use the code shown below. Just copy and paste this code exactly as it appears into your web site. Then insert your own ShareaSale User ID where it says 123456789.
Here are the correct links:
Bird Software: <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/birdsoftware">Bird Software</a>
Bird Songs: <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/birdsongs">Bird Songs</a>
Bird Books: <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/birdbooks">Bird Books</a>
Binoculars: <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/binos">Binoculars & Scopes</a>
Bird Feeders: <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/birdfeeders">Bird Feeders</a>
Nature Books: <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/naturebooks">Nature Books</a>
Plush Birds: <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/plushbirds">Plush Toy Birds</a>
Gifts: <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/giftsmore">Gifts & More</a>
How do I link to a specific "Aisle" within a Shop in the Nature Mall?
This is also easy to do. Start with the code shown below. This code will display the words "Reptiles & Amphibians " on one of your pages. Just copy and paste this code exactly as it appears into your web site. Then insert your own ShareaSale User ID where it says 123456789.
<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/naturebooks/reptile.htm">Reptiles & Amphibians </a>
This link is for a specific aisle - the Reptiles & Amphibians aisle in the Nature Books Shop. You can find the proper link to any aisle in the Mall by visiting www.OnlineNatureMall.com and resting your cursor over the aisle name on the left side of the page. The link will appear in the lower part of the screen. Or you can left-click on the name of the aisle and click Properties to see the link. Enter this link in the code shown above. Start with www.onlinenaturemall.com. Do NOT include the http:// part of the link.
Here are examples of correct links to aisles:
Medium-priced Binoculars : <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/binos/250to500.htm">Binoculars $250 to $500</a>
Butterflies: <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/naturebooks/butterfly.htm">Butterflies</a>
Hummingbird Feeders: <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/birdfeeders/hummingbird.htm">Hummingbird Feeders </a>
How do I link to a specific book or product in the Nature Mall?
This is also fairly easy to do. Start with the code shown below. This code will display the words "The Sibley Guide to Birds" on one of your pages. Just copy and paste this code exactly as it appears into your web site. Then insert your own ShareaSale User ID where it says 123456789.
<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/Products/com2938.html">The Sibley Guide to Birds</a>
This link is for a specific bird field guide by David Sibley. You can find the proper link to any item in the Mall by visiting www.OnlineNatureMall.com and resting your cursor over the "Tell me more" link for that item. The link will appear in the lower part of the screen. Or you can left-click on "Tell me more" and click Properties to see the link. Enter this link in the code shown above. Start with www.onlinenaturemall.com. Do NOT include the http:// part of the link.
Here are some examples of correct links to specific items (just change the User ID):
<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/Products2/tbs1887148892.htm">Thayer's Guide to Birds of North America </a>
<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/Products2/clo6.html">Bird Songs of Florida CD </a>
<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/Products3/gld16.html">Yankee Flipper Bird Feeder </a>
<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/Products4/eag3.html">Stokes Vortex 8x42 Binocular </a>
<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/Products2/plush-cardinal.html">Plush Toy Cardinal </a>
<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34838&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/Products/com8119.html">Butterflies of North America </a>
How do I make a specific book image and title appear on my web site?
If you want to include an image with any of your links, you will need to add additional code in order to make the image display on your web site. Again, this is not that hard to do.
To find the image code, hold your mouse over any small picture in the Online nature mall and right click. [Do not use image links that are on the "Tell me more" page and that are extremely long and begin with "us.st11."]. Everything in the Mall has a thumbnail image that is about 100 pixels wide. These are all found in the "thumbs" folder at OnlineNatureMall.com. Please note that the thumbnail images all have an underscore and the letter s near the end. You can also use images from other sources if you like. (Please note: there is a space between IMG and SRC in the code below.)
To show this on your web site...
.... Enter this code:
| <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=34696&U=123456789&M=7670&urllink=www.onlinenaturemall.com/Products/com2938.html"><IMG SRC="http://www.onlinenaturemall.com/thumbs/com2938_s.jpg"><br>The Sibley Guide to Birds</a> |
Once the image and name appear on your web site, you can alter the font or add alternate text so the image will display a caption when you rest the cursor on the image. We moved the book's title underneath the image by inserting a line break in the code (<br>).
Remember to replace 123456789 with your Affiliate number. [The Sibley book image and text shown above will actually work -- the User ID code is for our own Affiliate account. Feel free to buy the book. I could use the 10% commission!]
How do I make a banner link using my own banner images?
Option #1: Once you have received your first check from ShareaSale, you may create up to three banners for use on your web site. Please make sure the banner image is in a jpg or gif format. Banners under 10KB work best. You may email your banners to Affiliates@onlinenaturemall.com. Be sure to tell us your Affiliate name. We will upload your banner to ShareaSale and place it in a folder that only you have access to. You would then visit ShareaSale.com, log in and click on "Get Links, Banners, and Referral URLs". Then scroll down until you see your banner. Copy the code and paste it into your web site.
Even Better Option #2: You may override the banner image that appears on your web site by using an image stored on your own web site. In the example shown below, the black text is what you might copy from ShareaSale. The red text displays an image from your own web site called "nature_store_button.gif. The green "alt" text is optional and is used to display text when the mouse is over the image. The height, width, border and alignment (in pixels) is also set to make the new image appear properly.
<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=34838&u=123456789&m=7670&urllink=&afftrack="><img src="images/nature_store_button.gif" alt="Online Nature Store button" width="85" height="70" border="0" align="BOTTOM" vspace="2"></a>
Can I have a Custom made "Home" page?
We can create a separate custom entrance page into the Mall for you. We will create this for you when your ShareaSale commissions from Online Nature Mall reach $250 within a twelve month period. There is no charge for this. If you would like a private entrance before your commissions reach $250, there is a one-time fee of $150.
See the private entrance for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, American Bird Conservancy or Roger Tory Peterson Institute for examples.
A Private entrance is ideal for those of you who would like to feature items by a single author (maybe you?). Private entrances are also recommended for organizations that have a large number of visitors. You may want to coordinate the look and feel of your private entrance with the colors and type style of your web site. You can also personally welcome your visitors before they begin their shopping spree.
1. Read the Affiliate Newsletters we send and the e-Tips in each Newsletter.
2. Add more links to your web site. Do you have links like
this at the bottom of EVERY page on your web site?" | Home | Nature Mall |
3. Test your links. The "Activity Summary" at
ShareaSale will record a "hit" every time you or anyone else clicks a link on
your web site. If these numbers are not increasing by one each time you click a
link, then you need to check to see that each link has the proper code
associated with it.
4. Add colorful banner links near the top of your most popular pages.
5. Tacky but effective: Use multiple links on the same page to attract attention... like this:
6. Ask members of your organization to place links on
their web sites using your ShareaSale code. You will still receive
the 10% commission on anything their visitors buy!!
7. Place a banner near the top of your main page. If visitors have to scroll down to see your banner, they probably will not click it.
8. More web site visitors = more store sales. Therefore, attract more visitors to your web site. The best way to do this is to load your site with interesting, original content.
9. Remember selling Girl Scout cookies or having a car wash to raise money? You may be a bit older, but your friends and relatives are still the best prospects you have -- no matter what you are selling. Tell all of them about your new store. Ask them to tell their friends. Word-of-mouth really works.
10. Don't forget to shop at your own store! Birthday presents, graduation gifts, Christmas presents -- you can find them all right here.
11. Tell your employees and volunteers about your new store. They will want to shop there on a regular basis.
12. Publicize your new store in your newsletter or in emails. Direct folks to your web site so they click on your banners and links. It doesn't do any good to send them directly to www.OnlineNatureMall.com since we have no way of tracking where they came from. (Please note: ShareaSale has strict rules against spammers. Spammers will be kicked out of the ShareaSale Affiliate program immediately.)
13. If you move, be sure to update your address at ShareaSale so they can send you your checks!
14. Check your web site to make sure that any old links to WithoutBricks.com are now replaced with banners or links that send folks to the OnlineNatureMall. Online Nature Mall replaced WithoutBricks.com in June 2005.
How can I create entire pages that are customized for my web visitors?
Each of these link to Online Nature Mall AND each link includes your ShareaSale code !!
Here are the steps to add a page just like this to your web site:
1. Go to www.ShareaSale.com and log in as an Affiliate using your affiliate name and password.
2. Click on "Make a Page"
3. Click on the Merchant tab and select Online Nature Mall, as shown below.
4. Enter one to five words in the "Search Terms" boxes. You can enter more than one word in a single box, such as "Florida birds ".
5. Select a "Search Term Type". If you select "Default - Intersection (AND) Search" then items that will appear must contain ALL the words you selected. In this example, we will see only items that have the word "Birds" and "Florida" in the title. If you select "Union (OR) Search" then you will see many more items because it will show anything with the word "Birds" or "Florida".
6. You can change many of the search parameters: You can click on Advanced Search to limit the price. You can change the number of items appearing per page. You can check boxes in the Display field to display prices and other things.
7. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "View Results".
8. You will then see a new screen with HTML code and an example of what the page will look like.
9. Click the blue button that says "Select all HTML code" and then copy the text.
10. Create a new page on your web site and paste this HTML code there.
11. Create a link to this new page on your web site.
Please note: you may have more than one page of items. In that case, after you have finished creating page one, you will need to go to page two and select that HTML code.
If you have additional questions, please
email us at
Affiliates@OnlineNatureMall.com
or call 800-865-2473.
