Ben NATS WalkThrough I

Introduction

NATS - Next generation Affiliate Tracking Software

NATS is used to track surfers, internet users, as they navigate through your site. The tracking is done via a NATS linkcode which is appended to the link for your tour's landing page. A NATS linkcode identifies, in this order, the affiliate, the program, the site, the tour, the campaign, the adtool, and two (2) optional values identified as subid1 and subid2. There are three (3) types of NATS linkcodes, all of which contain the same information; encoded (common), un-encoded (rare) and shortname (rare).

Most implementations of NATS linkcodes are encoded. The encoded linkcode uses the numeric ID for all values and generates a seemingly random assortment of characters to represent that information. The un-encoded linkcode comma seperates the required information using the affiliates username, instead of the affiliate ID, and the numeric IDs of the rest of the values. The un-encoded (shortname) linkcode comma seperates the required information using the affiliate username, program shortname, site shortname, tour shortname, and the numeric ID of the rest of the values.

A surfer clicks a link via an adtool with a specified NATS linkcode which directs the surfer through a tracking script. This script writes a cookie on the surfer's browser that identifies the affiliate that should be credited with any future action from said surfer. Once completed, the specified tour's landing page will be displayed to the surfer. The tour landing page will have a join button that directs the surfer to your tour's join page. On the join page, the surfer will have payment options which will be specified by the billing cascade. Once the join page is completely processed, the surfer is converted to a member.

The first part of the NATS Walk through will cover the following NATS areas:

• Affiliates Area
• Skins and Templates Admin
• Billers Admin
• Programs Admin
• Sites Admin
• Payments
• Admin Overview

Billers Admin

• Displayed by clicking the button from the Admin menu at the footer of Affiliates Area
• Displayed by clicking the Billers Admin link from the header menu of any Admin area

Now that you are able to get affiliates and customize the look and feel of your NATS install, you will want to set-up Billers that will handle the monetary transactions your affiliates and professional looking website will generate. This is handled in the "Billers Admin". The "Billers Admin" consists of two (2) important concepts; setting-up billers and creating cascades.

Set up Billers

Billers provide NATS with integration into their system. Therefore, you can only use the Billers that NATS provides. So, you will need to initiate a relationship with one or more of the Billers listed in the "Setup New Biller" drop-down list. Once those relationships have been established, you can associate your relationship with them into NATS. Assuming you have said relationship, you can set-up that Biller by choosing the biller from the "Setup New Biller" drop-down list and click the "Add" button under the Actions heading. This will refresh the "Billers Admin" page and allow you to enter the "Account Info" for that biller. Enter the account information provided by the Biller and click the "Save" button. Repeat this process for all Billers for which you want to do business. Once the Billers are properly set-up, you will see a list of all the Billers that your NATS install will be able to use in the NATS cascade.
Note: Adding multiple Billers to be used in your cascades will increases the chances of converting surfers.

Each Biller in NATS has the following attributes:

• ID - an internal numeric value that identifies that Biller for your NATS install
• Biller Name - a friendly name for you to identify the Biller
• Shortname - an internal alpha value that identifies that Biller for your NATS install
• Account Info - contains the information that identifies your account with the Biller
• Processing Type - contains list of available billing options for that Biller
• Last Poll - displays when NATS last requested transaction data from the Biller
• Polling Date - displays when NATS will next attempt to retrieve transaction data from the Biller
• Actions - collection of buttons that you allow to manipulate how NATS uses the Biller
  • Clicking the button allows you to change the "Account Info" attribute
  • Clicking the button allows you to set up Biller specific "Transaction" and "Deduction" fees
    • Describe Fees Here
  • Clicking the button allows you to view the "Poll" details
    • Describe Poll Details Here
  • Clicking the button allows you to remove the Biller

Cascades

Programs Admin

In order to successfully track surfers to affiliates, you need add affiliates. Once an affiliate has signed-up, he can logon to his area of your NATS install. By default, the affiliate area is divided into five (5) sections: Home, Stats, Tools, My Account, and Support. When an affiliate first logs on, his Home page will be displayed.

Sites Admin

In order to successfully track surfers to affiliates, you need add affiliates. Once an affiliate has signed-up, he can logon to his area of your NATS install. By default, the affiliate area is divided into five (5) sections: Home, Stats, Tools, My Account, and Support. When an affiliate first logs on, his Home page will be displayed.

Payments Admin

In order to successfully track surfers to affiliates, you need add affiliates. Once an affiliate has signed-up, he can logon to his area of your NATS install. By default, the affiliate area is divided into five (5) sections: Home, Stats, Tools, My Account, and Support. When an affiliate first logs on, his Home page will be displayed.

Admin Overview

In order to successfully track surfers to affiliates, you need add affiliates. Once an affiliate has signed-up, he can logon to his area of your NATS install. By default, the affiliate area is divided into five (5) sections: Home, Stats, Tools, My Account, and Support. When an affiliate first logs on, his Home page will be displayed.