YouTube Bans, Affiliate Firings and More


youtube bans

It’s time again for our weekly community news and announcement roundup. Whether it’s a new trend, a new website launch or a particular insight from entrepreneurs and small business owners across the Web, you’ll find it here. We’d love to have you participate. If you have a suggestion or a post you think would make a good addition to the kinds of stories we share here each week, check below to learn how you can get involved.

Now let’s get started.

One Online Entrepreneur Talks About Being Banned from YouTube (EasyM6)

We hear these stories every once in a while. Though those who tell them haven’t always lost their YouTube account. Sometimes they’ve been shut out of Twitter or banned from Facebook. But Liudas Butkus’s story of getting booted off the video site is an important reminder. Pay serious attention to a site’s terms of service and never count on a third party channel for your entire business.

Think Before Firing Under Performing Affiliates (Affiliate Marketing Blog)

And while we’re on the subject of giving people the boot, affiliate marketing consultant Geno Prussakov talks about how to deal with affiliates who aren’t bringing in sales. If you have an online business with an affiliate program in which only 5 to 10 percent of sign-ups are active, getting rid of the rest may not be the answer.

Choose the Affiliate Program Best Suited for Your Niche (SiteSpring)

From the standpoint of a website owner seeking  a possible revenue model, it’s also important to pick the right affiliate program in the first place. Blogger Salini Dinesh gives this overview of some of the programs you might consider. But when it comes to evaluating the best option, Dinesh insists it isn’t the affiliate network you choose, but how well it fits your niche.

Don’t Let Your Online Business Venture Put You in the Hospital (BizSugar Blog)

Crazy as it might sound, entrepreneurs sometimes push themselves too hard. Yes, it’s important to have the drive necessary to be a success. But it’s also critical to have some balance and stability. In this post, Dhiraj Das, founder of Linktons.com, tells us how driving himself too hard and with too many projects in his online venture became unhealthy.

Facebook Makes Promotion Efforts Easier. (Blue Powered by Cox Business)

Old regulations on the world’s biggest social media site were once pretty strict when it came to online promotions. Specifically, businesses were forbidden from hosting any contest or giveaway directly on Facebook. This forced most businesses to rely on third party apps, writes Adam Naide Executive Director of Social Media at Cox Communications. But all of that has now changed.

Social Media Success is Not a Matter of Luck. (Jenn’s Trends)

Last week, just in time for Friday the Thirteenth, Jenn Herman posted this clever warning. Don’t make the mistake of relying on good luck for social media success. Like every other business strategy, social media marketing is hard work. Don’t be superstitious about your social media efforts, Herman advises.

Mistakes Your Business Might Already Be Making With Social Media (XEN)

Assuming you are already using sites like Facebook and Twitter, here are things some companies still get wrong. Tech writer Kerry Butters shares some of the obvious mistakes. These are things like just failing to post enough or failing to respond to comments. But there are also subtler mistakes any business can make that negate the benefits of a digital presence.

Follow the Golden Rule (Ace Concierge)

Forget all the advice you’ve heard from social media gurus out there. Suzie Poirier insists the best tip for building a great community is the simplest. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Above all, Poirier advises, “acknowledge the voice of your community.” Have conversations with your audience. Thank them when they share your content with others.

The Absolute Number of Social Media Followers Doesn’t Matter

Author and social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk is all fired up in this video shared by Kumail Hemani of the BizSugar community. Vaynerchuk is commenting about the impact of a recent British Airways passenger who paid for a sponsored tweet to complain about the airline’s service. The number of followers you have on social media doesn’t matter, says Vaynerchuk. It’s whether your message reaches the right people.



Hope you’ve enjoyed yet another edition of the small biz community insights roundup.


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Also, if you’d like to suggest a story, please email us at sbtips@gmail.com or share it on BizSugar.com. If we think it would be interesting to our community, we’ll use it. Thanks for reading!

News Photo via Shutterstock

6 Comments ▼

Shawn Hessinger Shawn Hessinger is the Executive Editor for Small Business Trends and a professional journalist with more than 20 years experience in traditional and digital media for trade publications and news sites. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and has served as a beat reporter, columnist, editorial writer, bureau chief and managing editor for the Berks Mont Newspapers.

6 Reactions
  1. Thanks for the mention, Shawn! 🙂

  2. I like “Follow the Golden Rule” – Treat others as you would like to be treated. Above all, “acknowledge the voice of your community.” On social media, we are not to disagree with others but to contribute our thoughts in a positive way.

  3. thank you for the mention 🙂 shared this post

  4. The great thing about this list is that you don’t need to commit these errors in order to learn. You can learn a lot by simply reading what other people have gone through. And just to comment on Youtube, you will not really get banned if you pay close attention to the ToS.