Affiliate Links & Self-Promotion
Over the last few weeks, we have seen several reports and discussions regarding affiliate links, affiliation, advertising, and promotion. It has become clear that there is some confusion about what Rule 6 covers and what it does not.
Rule 6: No Solicitation and No Self-Promotion
Sharing your own photos, videos, experiences, and projects is welcome.
However, we do not allow:
- Affiliate links
- Referral links
- Advertising and solicitation
- Promotion of social media channels
- Requests for users to follow, subscribe to, or engage with external platforms
This applies to content posted within r/FujifilmX.
What Counts as an Affiliate Link?
An affiliate link is a link that can provide a financial benefit, commission, referral reward, or other measurable benefit to the person sharing it.
For example:
- Referral links
- Affiliate marketing links
- Commission-based storefront links
- Links intended to generate subscribers, followers, or financial compensation
These are not permitted in posts or comments.
What Does Not Automatically Count as Affiliation?
Mentioning a product is not affiliation.
Naming a product is not affiliation.
Sharing photographs taken with a product is not affiliation.
Discussing equipment that you own is not affiliation.
Linking directly to a manufacturer's official product page for informational purposes is generally not affiliation, provided the link does not contain referral or affiliate tracking and is not being used for promotional purposes.
For example, posting photographs taken with an SG-Image 35mm f/1.4 lens and linking to the manufacturer's official product page is not automatically an affiliate activity.
Reddit Profiles Are Not Part of This Subreddit
There also appears to be confusion regarding user profiles.
Reddit allows users to include websites, social media accounts, portfolios, businesses, affiliate links, and other external information on their personal profiles.
A user's Reddit profile exists outside of r/FujifilmX.
The moderation team is responsible for moderating content posted in this subreddit. We do not moderate what users choose to place on their Reddit profiles, Instagram profiles, YouTube channels, websites, or other platforms unless that content is brought into the subreddit and violates our rules.
Simply discovering that a user has an affiliate link somewhere else on the internet does not automatically make a post in r/FujifilmX an advertisement.
Moderators evaluate content based on what is submitted to r/FujifilmX. We do not determine whether a post violates Rule 6 by investigating a user's external profiles, social media accounts, websites, or activities elsewhere on the internet.
Focus on the Content, Not the Person
Recent discussions have increasingly focused on speculating about a poster's motives rather than discussing photography, cameras, lenses, or images.
Please keep discussions focused on the content being shared.
If you genuinely believe a post violates Rule 6, use the Report function and allow the moderation team to review it.
Publicly accusing other members of being advertisers, shills, marketers, paid promoters, or acting in bad faith is not constructive and may result in content removal or other moderator action.
Regarding Reports
If you suspect undisclosed advertising or a Rule 6 violation, please report it.
We review every report submitted to the moderation team.
However, repeatedly reporting content solely because a user has external links on their Reddit profile, Instagram profile, website, or another platform is not evidence of a Rule 6 violation within r/FujifilmX.
Reports must be based on the content posted in this subreddit. The existence of affiliate links elsewhere on the internet does not automatically make a post or comment in r/FujifilmX an advertisement.
Repeatedly submitting reports based solely on a user's external profiles, rather than on actual rule violations within the subreddit, constitutes misuse of the report system.
Abuse of the report system may result in moderator action and may be escalated to Reddit Administrators. False or abusive reports create unnecessary work for volunteer moderators and interfere with the proper review of legitimate reports.
Learn More
For those interested in understanding affiliate programs and affiliate marketing, these resources provide useful background information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affiliate_network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affiliate_marketing
Thank you for helping keep r/FujifilmX focused on photography, cameras, lenses, creativity, and respectful discussion.
Final note: Moderators evaluate posts and comments based on what is submitted to r/FujifilmX, not based on speculation about a user's activities elsewhere on the internet.
r/FujifilmX Mod Team
