A few months ago, I saw that a woodworking YouTuber I followed had an “Amazon Influencer” page. I guess this is what replaces Amazon’s “custom store” feature from a few years ago. We had such a “store” page, and it was clunky, ugly, and pretty useless.
More on that in a moment, but here’s the link if you want to see our new page right away.
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In recent years, Amazon came out with a new on-page widget, which we’re still using, although I still consider it to be an experiment.
(As you should know, ToolGuyd is Amazon affiliate. Buy something through a specially tagged link, and we earn a small referral fee.)
So for the on-page widget thing, I decided that I didn’t want Amazon showing ads automatically, or guessing what readers might be interested in purchasing. So I made it a “Top Tool Picks” list of 4 items.
The idea was that I would regularly pick 4 tool recommendations and refresh the list.
I last picked 4 recommendations in March. March 2017. Yikes. Maybe I should look into the widget settings again, to see if the Amazon-selected search results or recommendations are a better alternative.
And when did my 4 recommendations turn into 3? I should look into that, but to be honest, it’s not on the top of my list to tinker with these things.
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So back to the “Amazon Influencer” page thing. I signed up and was approved. That was maybe 4 months ago. I got an email today basically saying “use it or lose your custom URL page.”
I found the program to be interesting, although I’m not quite sure what to do with it. It’s one more thing to keep track of, but there are potential benefits, I guess.
So, to make things interesting, I added some products to our Amazon Influencer page.
Here it is: ToolGuyd’s Amazon Page
I populated the page with the 5 tool-related items I most recently purchased from Amazon.
Maybe I should have written a post about these 5 things instead. In addition? I’ve got a lot of my plate these days. My kids were sick, I was sick, my kids were sick again, and I have a ton of things to do. But after having to think of a few tools to pop into our Amazon Influencer page, maybe I should work out a post about the items for tomorrow.
I’ll have to change the title of the page, too. I had guessed that I’d use our page to show off some of our favorite and most-recommended tools, but I can only say that about one of the items currently on that page, at least at the time being.
I wonder now – should this page be for product recommendations and favorites, or maybe I could continue to use it in a “what I’ve been buying” capacity. *shrug*
I’m open to ideas. How do we make this useful or interesting, so it’s not just a “here are products you should consider buying so that we could earn a little extra revenue” kind of thing, because that doesn’t seem very good to me.
If it’s not fun for anyone, it’ll end up being untouched for a year, like the “ToolGuyd recommendations” widget thing at the bottom of posts, below the comments section.
Our Page(on Amazon)
The link is https://www.amazon.com/shop/toolguyd . I didn’t want to risk losing my “toolguyd” URL, and so I figured it’s a good time to finally add some tools to my list.
I guess I could use it in social media, which is how it’s intended to be used. We’ll see.
Maybe I should be more regular at posting about my random “tool picks,” and use the Influencer page as a sort of archive of previous favorites and recommendations.
P.S. You might notice that I placed an order for a Picquic Dash 7 to try out. I’m always open to review suggestions! We talked about EDC screwdrivers the other day, and while familiar with Picquic drivers, this one might have been previously unknown to me. Either that, or I dismissed it for some reason. But given its 1/4″ hex 2″ power bit compatibility, I couldn’t resist not giving it a try now.
Tom
I think that it would be nice to just have all of your favorite tools on that page. There are times when I suddenly need something and remember that I read a review on your site. Sometimes it takes some digging to find the review. If you just had a splash page, sort of like your old gift guides, that would be nice.
Stuart
That’s something I’ve been wanting to do on ToolGuyd, but it’s harder to do these days, due to pages needing to be responsive. I can design a 4-5 column page for desktop users, but for mobile, it would lead to never-ended scrolling.
I’m working on the “Tool Guide” aspect of things, slowly but surely, and hope to have more guides out soon.
Here are some older examples:
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/best-multi-bit-screwdrivers/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/best-precision-screwdrivers/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
But here’s the problem – there are more visitors reading ToolGuyd on mobile devices these days than laptops and desktop computers, and browsing behaviors have changed. Posts like those get buried, and fast. I have been experimenting with new formats, and will see what works. But the new formats all require more condensed versions of what I saw myself building into ToolGuyd’s eventual Tool Guide.
I can create an index of favorite tools and such, but then where to put it? Maybe I’ll schedule a week for myself next month to work on just this kind of stuff.
Every now and then I lie to myself about tidying up ToolGuyd’s 9+ year post archives. Sometimes I can’t find what I’m looking for, either.
Some tools and topics are interesting to revisit, as the recent Stanley folding chisel post shows – https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/revisiting-stanleys-folding-pocket-chisel/%3C/a%3E . So maybe that will be a starting point.
mikedt
“there are more visitors reading ToolGuyd on mobile devices these days than laptops and desktop computers,”
I find that interesting/funny. I only read stuff on my phone when I have no other choice – like out of the house. If I’m anywhere near my laptop it’s my first choice.
The yeti
Links to the same page.
Keep up the good work . One of the only blogs i read.
Stuart
Sorry, I reworded that first link. The “astore” pages were all “retired” back in October.
JoeM
I think you forgot one of the single most recommended-by-Stuart tools ever to grace the ToolGuyd ecosphere…
The Engineer EDC Scissors, and their cousins the two Engineer Screw Pliers.
Stuart
Those 5 items are just what I just bought this week, half of them on the way.
Speaking of my Engineer Inc scissors, I used them today to cut some paracord. Not a demanding task, but reminder of why I like them so much.
JoeM
Well, it’s your fault I bought my set in the first place, so I would say they belong on the “Influencer” page. Pretty much, if you can put on there any and all most recommended items you have for people, in the same way you’ve got the ToolGuyd community buying items, or looking into items, then this is the opportunity to do so.
This is your chance to, also, use this centralized page as a way of linking to all the things you most recommend highly, and get credit for them directly through Amazon. If ever there was a time to maximize what you get out of linking to Amazon in your reviews, I think this “Influencer” page is probably it.
I don’t mean this literally, Stuart, but this may be the closest you get to getting to play a Supervillain, and cackle with delight as people, near and far, are subconsciously doing your bidding. But… In a fun, useful, genuinely helpful way, instead of Evil or Destructive.
God I hope that message got through without getting me put on a watch list…
Stuart
My problem is that I like explaining what I like or recommend, and WHY.
It’s time consuming, which is why I have yet to finish my Ultimate Gift Guide Round 2. Here’s Part 1:
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/ultimate-tool-gift-guide/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Maybe I should think about what content on ToolGuyd could or should complement an eventually-populated Influencer page list.
I saw a page yesterday with what must have been 200 items. I think that more than a few dozen (say 50?), and it turns into a junk-drawer kind of chaos.
Scott K
This could be a good outlet for seasonal lists/recs or a place to periodically repopulate with favorites and recent purchases. Do you have the ability to categorize the products or separate them in any way?
Stuart
Not that I know of, or from looking at others’ pages.
But it looks like I can add comments that are displayed when you hover over items.
michaelhammer
Field notes are awesome! I use them all day everyday. Can’t even tell they’re in the back pocket. The ones with dots make it easy to draw up complicated cuts and scribes. And bright orange covers make them easy to spot. I give them out to my guys and now they’re fans too.
Paul
I bought the pentel graph gear 1000 0.7 thanks to your recommendation, I’d say throw that in there as well
Marc
I looked at your Amazon page and two of the items led me to purchase similar tools. The same Dash 7 is available from Amazon, only in red, for 25% less at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A9JXWYS/?tag=toolguyd-20. And a different model of the Canary Cardboard Cutter – full size retractable in stainless – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078N3BJXB/?tag=toolguyd-20.
Would never have found these on my own, thanks.
James C
Honestly, I’m feeling more and more uncomfortable about Amazon. To each their own, but I’ll probably be ignoring most of your coverage of them.
Stuart
Regarding deals, I mainly check 3 places regularly – Amazon, Acme Tools, and Home Depot, and several others a little less regular – Tool Nut, Zoro, MSC, and specialty shops.
Amazon has its benefits, and as a web publisher, I do like that they try new things. Their new “Influencer Page” system seems useful, and it turned out to be very easy to use. But I don’t think there’s a lot of fundraising potential there.
I’m too under the weather to use power tools. I was fine yesterday, but too sleep-deprived to use power tools, from my kids being sick. So when I saw the “use it or lose the custom ToolGuyd page name” email, I figured I’d load a few items and post about it. I couldn’t do much yesterday anyway.
I’d ask whether you’d like to see me look at other retailers more regularly, but it takes so much work. I get so many newsletters and emails, and there are so many “eh so-so” deals that it eats up a lot of time to filter out 99% of the deals that aren’t especially post-worthy.
I figure that everyone uses purchase links in the same manner as I do. I check the immediate links. If I have a gift card or more preferred retailer for whatever reason, I do a quick comparison and then place the order.
I need a special grease. Amazon’s 3rd party seller prices are high, and their direct price is more reasonable but with a 1-3 month wait time. So I ordered through an aircraft supply shop.
Amazon’s not ideal for everything. My focus on them here more or less reflects my personal shopping habits. I’ve been pushed away about several things too, such as the loss of search functionality in their Wishlists. But no other site comes close to having the kind of functionality they still offer.
JoeM
James, while I agree with you that Amazon is starting to make me feel a little twitchy about them, I think, just personally, that when a topic comes up about what Amazon is doing here on ToolGuyd, it’s probably worth at least reading Stuart or Benjamen’s articles on it. Feel free to ignore the comments, even if the article ends in asking your opinion on it. You never know, it may inform you of something to keep your eye out for, like security frauds, or if they’re opening or closing something off somewhere. General info about the company’s workings that may affect your life, Stuart and Benjamen may have to cover it due to access to Tools and Brands that they review on a regular basis.
Amazon isn’t exactly treating my home of Canada very equally these days, and I entirely empathize with you not liking them. I don’t particularly like them either. Unless they’re the only source for it, (like the Engineer Inc EDC Scissors that Stuart recommended, and I commented on above) then I don’t tend to buy my tools from Amazon. Blu-Rays, the odd cable, knick-knacks… sure. Inconsequential stuff. I have better sources for my Tools than Amazon, and sources that are Canadian too. I lean toward them, even if they are a little more expensive than Amazon. It’s usually because they’re listing the CANADIAN MSRP instead of Amazon’s AMERICAN MSRP. The Canadian Dollar makes shopping for anything online a bit of a Chess Match between you, and whatever company is doing the importing. Did they do the math right? Did they account for Taxes and Duties correctly? Are they going to ship from a warehouse in the USA, meaning you are unexpectedly going to get hit upside the head with a huge bill for Duties and Tariffs that were not accounted for? Who knows?
Just know I feel the same about Amazon, James. You’re not alone there. I tend to read the Amazon articles here on ToolGuyd to keep informed of when I’m going to get ripped off on things, or when they’re going to roll out a new feature that they’ll completely deny Canada having, like they have so often before.