If it is, it's quite concerning.
I purposefully don't touch my old videos. I'm aware there might be ways to improve their search engine rankings, but they might as well drop after changing stuff around.
I guess you didn't have a choice really.
If I may know, what was the change specifically?
Sorry for the delay. I was on a week long cruise. To answer your question. As an amazon affiliate, I am required to make it known that the some or all of the product links I place in the description of the video may be affiliate links. The question is how you can say it. Their are two forces at play here, Amazon's rule and the FTC rules. The FTC is extremely serious about affiliate marketers being Open and Honest about what they are doing. Amazon on the other hand prohibits you from "Soliciting" or "Incentivizing" people click on your links. So it is kind of like walking on a razors edge trying not to fall off either side, to comply with both of these sets of rules.
I actually did not write my previous disclaimer, I copied it from another very large youtuber's channel that offers advice on how to use affiliate marketing links on youtube and stay within the guidelines. Here is what it said.
"DISCLAIMER: The product links in the description of this video may be affiliate links. Using them to make a purchase may earn me a small commission. These commissions help to support this channel and enable me to continue making content."
This disclaimer is what might be referred to as a "Fact and Effect" disclaimer. It simply states the facts of what the links are and the effect they will have if used. It does not "SOLICIT" or ASK people to do anything. Amazon's email to me stated the following:
"You are incentivizing others to visit the Amazon Site via your Special Links by offering rebates, cashback, discounts, points, donations to charity, or other incentives, or by stating that customers can support you by shopping through your Special Links."
Now obviously, nothing in my disclaimer can clearly be stated as overtly be doing what Amazon claimed I was doing. No where did I offer "
rebates, cashback, discounts, points, donations to charity, or other incentives". I also, did not say, "Please use my links to help support my channel." I simply stated the FACT that they do, which is 100% true, Open and Honest, which is what is required by the FTC.
So what this boils down to once again is, "OPINION". Just like YT, Amazon does not care what the literal facts are and proper interpretation of the English language. All that matters to them is what their "
Emotional Opinionated Interpretation" is. After talking Amazon support about the issue, they said that they "
FEEL" that my disclaimer "
IMPLIED" that people should use the links to support my channel. So it was not about what my disclaimer ACTUALLY SAID! It was about what they FELT it IMPLIED, which is exactly what I said it is, "
Emotional Opinionated Interpretation".
What is laughable about these companies a=is that they treat with this level of extreme injustice and tell us if we don;t like it to get off the ship, but when the Government comes after them, they stream and whine like little babies that they need "CLEAR RULES to follow that are not subjective to opinion", like YT did in it's recent letter to the FTC about COPPA. They are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites!
Anyway, my new disclaimer just reads:
"DISCLAIMER: The product links in the description of this video may be affiliate links." This is far less than what the FTC demands, but I see no way of telling people what the links actually do, without running afoul of Amazon's bipolar, schizo moderators that have emotional diarrhea.
PS. My channel continues to decline at a time that traditionally was the period of greatest growth.
