All these posts have had me wondering why the trouble, so here’s my assessment. Apparently, the links don’t work unless they are accompanied by a web request for the banner.
Using bb1’s codes, here’s the proof:
First, visit the link bb1 provided, and you’ll see a blank page:
http://www.brightshare.com/clickscounter.php?compaign=108&groupid=5&bTag=ajpm41&affid=155
Now, view the banner with the same tracking codes:
http://www.brightshare.com/impcounter.php?compaign=108&groupid=5&bTag=ajpm41&affid=155
Now, visit the first link again, and you’ll be directed to the casino:
http://www.brightshare.com/clickscounter.php?compaign=108&groupid=5&bTag=ajpm41&affid=155
To me, this seems needlessly restrictive, and I can foresee a number of legitimate ways it can cause tracking errors. I assume that it is IP-address based, meaning that the same IP address must request the banner and the redirect, or it doesn’t work.
What if the browser software uses a locally cached copy of the image upon a return visit to the affiliate’s site? (I expect most browsers know not to cache stuff with all those parameters, but you never know.)
More troubling is the idea that users with some ISP’s like AOL may actually generate requests from a variety of IP addresses, all in the same page view. Proxy devices can cause all sorts of odd behavior like this.
I don’t see a legitimate reason for this restriction, and it seems likely to cause tracking trouble.