Converting an Existing BANS ePN Site to a BANS PepperJam Site
August 21, 2008
With the recent rash of affiliate account eliminations, I have been asked how easy it is to convert a site to the PepperJam Network. Fortunately, it is a very easy process and will take less than 5 minutes per website assuming you have made no changes to your FrontControl.php file.
Edit: This update is designed to take a BANS 3.0 EPN to store to a BANS 3.0 PJN store. It WILL NOT take a BANS 2.0 to 3.0 and those updates must be performed first.
This process is the same whether you have a BANS Blog site, or just a BANS site.
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Sign Up to the
PepperJam Network and once approved, write down your “PepperJam Affiliate ID Number”, which is listed in the upper right-hand corner of your account in the PJN system. It is a 4-5 digit number (for now) that will be used on ALL sites you convert. Yes, the same number for all sites.
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Join the PJN eBay Program by searching for it from the advertisers list, read, understand and agree to the terms, then click apply. Please be aware it may take a few days to get approved. I’m sure they are overwhelmed with sign ups right now.
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Visit the
BANS Update sectionand enter your clickbank receipt number to download the “BANS 3.0 EPN to BANS 3.0 PJN” update files.
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Optional: You may want to login to your cPanel and create a backup folder in your site. Please the following files into the folder as a backup:
/index.php
/item.php
/admin/images/logo.jpg
/cont/frontcontrol.php
/cont/pages.php
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Upload the files in the BANS Update to the appropriate folder, replacing your existing BANS files. The files are the same as those listed in step #4.
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After you have the files in place, login to your BANS admin and go to the setup tab.
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Enter your “PepperJam Affiliate ID Number” into box #4, Affiliate ID and click on Save.
That’s it!
It will likely take longer to be approved to the PepperJam Network, than it will to update all of your affiliate sites with the new files!
Mark
Comments
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Thanks Mark for the directions.
I will be needing this as soon as i’m (hopefully) approved by ebay at pepperjam.
Also don’t forget to convert your creatives/widgets and links to pepperjam and create your links with pJN - or you still send traffic to ebay without getting paid…
Hi all,
Mark, your right when you say it could take longer to get PJN approval than to do this update. I have been waiting about 8 weeks, and yet still nothing except what basically amounts to a “don’t call us, we’ll call you”
@ Steve -
Try logging into your PJN account and click on the icon to email Mandy @ PJN, she is quite responsive and got mine approved the same day I had emailed her.
Mark
Hi Mark:
Thanks for the help in all of these things. Seems like one thing after another is happening.
One question.
Now that I’ve become a PJN person and converted my sites to PJN, what now? And maybe I should have gotten it a long time ago but, why did I do this? Is pjn going to pay me for people going on ebay and buying? I’m sorry but I’m a little dense on this.
Thanks for the help.
w,.
@ Ben -
Once you are a member of PJN, MAKE SURE you also apply to their eBay program, otherwise your links wont be tracked.
Its just a third party tracking mechanism, like CJ used to be.
Instead of being paid directly from ePN, you are paid from PJN.
Mark
Mark - I decided to go ahead and convert some of my sites to PJN. I have one new site set up under PJN from the start with no problems.
The site I converted this morning worked at first. I clicked on a link to make sure it was tracking with PJN. I went back to the site a little while later just to make sure all was still well and found this error message at the top:
Warning: file_get_contents(http://rss.api.ebay.com/ws/rssapi?FeedName=SearchResults&siteId=0&language=en-US&output=RSS20&fss=1&sasl=&sacat=0&ftrt=1&fbd=1&sabdlo=&sabdhi=&saprclo=&saprchi=&floc=1&saslop=1&fsop=1&fsoo=1&from=R6&fss=0&sacur=0&afepn=5978 &customid=mountain%2Bbikes&saslc=0&fcl=3&saaff=afepn&catref=C5&frpp=100&satitle=+mountain+bikes%2B&ftrv=1&fts=&salic=0&sascs=0&fspt=0&fpos=&sadis=25&frts=0) [function.file-get-contents]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 400 Bad Request in /home/sherrin/public_html/shopmountainbikes/index.php on line 1186.
Any suggestions? Site is http://www.shopmoutainbikes.com
Thanks,
Sherrin
Now, after not working all day, the site is back up. Still don’t know why it stopped or why it is suddenly working, but I won’t question it unless it goes down again.
@ Sherrin -
Its not uncommon for the feed to be cached or stop working for awhile on some accounts.
Mark
Thanks for your reply Mark.
I went to PJam and looked for BANS or Build A Niche Store then did a search for both and nothing came up.
I saw an affiliate for eBay but they have lots of different things like that so I didn’t sign up for that.
I’ve left a ticket and also called them and emailed Mandy and tried to chat but nobody is there till monday.
Hi all,
Mark, I have spoken to her twice, and both times, “we will let you know”.
Hey Mark Russ,
I switched over one on my Bans Stores to PJ about two months ago and it was a very simple process.
# Manuel Merz on August 22nd, 2008 2:37 am
Also don’t forget to convert your creatives/widgets and links to pepperjam and create your links with pJN - or you still send traffic to ebay without getting paid…
Mark, there seems to be more to this than meets the eye. I signed up for eBay and the note said they would check into it. That was Sunday. This is Monday night and still no message from Pjam on eBay or from Mandy or anybody.
BTW, when does one get cut off from epn after you do this. Do I have to have more on my site than Pjam’s number for them to know what’s happening with my site and with eBay?
I’m sorry for all of these questions but there is nothing on Pjam that tells you anything about what to do and there blog is worthless to find out anything on.
Hope you can help.
Pepperjam will probably be at LEAST 30 days if not more for approval on Ebay.
I also wouldn’t terminate your EPN account….I’d keep both as a just in case.
This whole tihng was blown so far out of proportion that it’s simply mind boggling.
Don’t misunderstand….I feel terrible for those caught up in the dragnet but 300 out of 90k is certainly not a sky is falling type scenario.
Bill, how can you keep both?
You have to replace the epn number with the pjn number.
If pjn takes a month or more to get you set up how do you get paid for this month that your in limbo?
Have I made a big mistake?
I signed up for Pjam and converted all my stores with my number and that was 2 weeks ago.
Still no word from Pjam if they will approve me or not. Have contacted them and have gotten no results.
Mean time I’ve flat lined in ebay.
“0″ for 2 weeks.
Any comments would be great.
Should I re-up with EPN?
@wiben
you said: “Still no word from Pjam if they will approve me or not. Have contacted them and have gotten no results.”
As Mark mentioned above, even if you are signed up with PJ, until they have approved you for their eBay affiliate program, they are NOT tracking your clicks.
Sorry to tell you, but if you want credit for what you are sending eBay’s way, you need to get those sites switched back to ePN quick! (or get PJ to approve you for their eBay program quick, and that doesn’t sound likely)