The balance between affiliate programs and tracking users

Our Approach to Online Shopping

As a website owner, I have a natural instinct to avoid buying from big box stores like Amazon. However, sometimes it's difficult to find alternative options or better prices. Additionally, the commission from Amazon affiliate programs can be a tempting way to offset the costs of running a website.

The Problem with Affiliate Programs

However, we're not fans of the way affiliate programs track users around the internet. This kind of intrusive behavior has contributed to the internet becoming a "cesspool of data harvesting." We're not willing to engage in this kind of behavior, even if it means missing out on potential revenue.

Respecting Your Privacy

So, how do we respect your privacy? We use an analytics app called Matomo, which is specifically set up to strip all identifiable information from visitors at the front door. This means that you can browse our website without us ever knowing who you are. We've also turned off tracking on our newsletter and instead rely on direct feedback from our readers through Nostr, email, and comment boxes.

Covering Our Costs

So, how do we cover the running costs of our eco-commerce store without tracking our valued visitors? We provide non-tracking, no-commission links to all products listed, and we ask shoppers who appreciate our stance on privacy to support us with a small tip in sats (bitcoin cents). This way, we can maintain our commitment to privacy while still covering our costs.

Getting Started with Sats

If you're interested in supporting us with sats, you'll need a lightning wallet for sending and receiving small amounts. There are loads of wallets for novice users available on your favourite app store. For simplicity, I use Blink on Android. Once you have a wallet, you can earn sats, listen for sats, or buy them from a friend or an exchange. This section walks you through the process.

Once you are more au fait with how this works, check out custodial wallets as recommended by Matt Odell: Phoenix, Breez, Zeus, Mutiny Wallet, or Blixt Wallet.

Thank You for Your Support

Thank you in advance for supporting our efforts to re-establish a privacy-respecting internet. If you have any questions or suggestions for improving our privacy policy, let me know.