{"id":1360,"date":"2014-02-20T10:02:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-20T18:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wheek.it\/blog\/?p=1360"},"modified":"2023-11-30T20:23:55","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T04:23:55","slug":"end-of-wheek-it-shortlinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wheek.it\/blog\/end-of-wheek-it-shortlinks","title":{"rendered":"The end of wheek.it shortlinks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Guinea

That’ll do, pig.<\/p><\/div>\n

wheek.it<\/span> operates with one goal in mind: to promote the adoption and rescue over the purchase (or purposeful breeding) of pet guinea pigs.<\/p>\n

To this end, wheek.it<\/span> launched in October 2012 as a free service to “shorten links and raise money for guinea pig rescues.” By connecting with “affiliate” merchants like Ebay.com and Target, wheek.it<\/span> earns money each time a product or service is purchased through a wheek.it<\/span> shortlink. These shortlink earnings are then donated in full to guinea pig rescues chosen by you via online polls and surveys.<\/p>\n

Since its start, wheek.it<\/span> has been able to donate over $300 to hard-working 501(c)3 non-profits that demonstrate the ability to properly rescue, shelter, rehabilitate, and rehome homeless guinea pigs.<\/p>\n

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, this is the case with wheek.it<\/span>‘s link-shortening service.<\/p>\n

Beginning March 1, 2014, the wheek.it<\/span> link shortening service will be retired. This decision has not come easily, but it is the best course of action for a number of reasons, outlined below.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

#1. Declining User Base<\/h3>\n

It’s no secret that the use of wheek.it<\/span> appeals to a niche, tech-savvy group. Shortening links, tracking analytics, and using wheek.it<\/span> in a way that brings in dollars for guinea pigs has proven to be a challenging tool to package. Whether the cause comes from the complexity of how wheek.it<\/span> works or from weak messaging, wheek.it<\/span> usage in 2013 was dismally low, and easily the #1 reason why retiring wheek.it<\/span> shortlinks makes the most sense.<\/p>\n

Without the time of a robust group of volunteers to grow the service, and without a flash-bang of new users, our current user base isn’t large enough to raise the kind of money that can justify such a large output of time for daily maintenance and security.<\/p>\n

wheek.it<\/span> started strong with over 25 loyal users. After several months, that number grew to 35. Then 45. Then things stalled towards the Fall of 2013. People began to use wheek.it<\/span> less, wheek.it<\/span> staff had less time to blog and post rescue news across our channels, and traction eventually declined.<\/p>\n

Then, at the end of 2013, came the next piece of news.<\/p>\n

#2. Unfavorable Merchant Agreements<\/h3>\n

When wheek.it<\/span> started in 2012, our negotiated merchant agreements were earning an average of 20% to 50% of the price of items purchased at participating shops<\/a> through wheek.it<\/span> links. To put it plainly, these percentages are the only way wheek.it<\/span> is able to raise money for guinea pig rescues.<\/p>\n

Today, those same agreements are earning 5% to 15%. It’s a numbers game, and, without a massive future influx of new users, our earning power has, unfortunately, flatlined.<\/p>\n

#3. Technical Considerations<\/h3>\n
\"Spam

Spam Link in Email Message<\/p><\/div>\n

Daily link monitoring and spam protection has grown far above and beyond what can be handled by wheek.it<\/span>‘s current volunteer team of two. The more spam that goes untreated means the more difficult it is to keep wheek.it<\/span> shortlinks functioning properly across channels such as Facebook and Twitter.<\/p>\n

In fact, in the past several months, wheek.it<\/span> has been flagged as a “suspicious source”, most notably on Pinterest (update: 2\/16\/2014: This has been resolved)<\/em>. This happened due to those who would rather use wheek.it<\/span> for greed and trickery rather than its intended use: raising money for homeless guinea pigs. While spam use of wheek.it<\/span> poses no threat for other users, it significantly degrades the user experience beyond staff control.<\/p>\n

We want our awesome users to be able to share wheek.it<\/span> shortlinks wherever and whenever they want. Unscrupulous spammers have made this goal increasingly difficult, and sometimes near impossible.<\/p>\n

What’s Next?<\/h2>\n

Beginning March 1, 2014 at 12:00am Pacific Time, the wheek.it<\/span> shortlink service will go offline.<\/p>\n

\n

Stay In Touch!<\/h2>\n

wheek.it<\/span> will still be around after March 1, 2014, and you never know what can change! Join us on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a> to stay up to date on any new developments for wheek.it!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What About the 2014 Rescues?<\/h3>\n

LA Guinea Pig Rescue and Wee Companions were selected to be the 2014 Featured Guinea Pig Rescues<\/a>. Each of these deserving rescues will be sent a contribution equal to the largest donation we’ve issued. Each rescue will receive a check for $80.00, which we will announce on the wheek.it<\/span> blog<\/a>. (Update 2\/1\/2014: Please read 2014 Rescue Donations<\/a> for updates.)<\/p>\n

Closing<\/h2>\n

wheek.it<\/span> has been in operation since October 1, 2012. In the nearly two years of operation, wheek.it<\/span> has issued a total of $381.20 for guinea pig rescues; generated 2,476 links on the wheek.it<\/span> domain which has raised public awareness of guinea pig rescues; and has made an earnest attempt to share stories of guinea pig rescues and their successes on our blog<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, and Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether you are visiting wheek.it<\/span> for the first time today or you were here shortening links to raise money from day one, we hope you are left with a better understanding of the merits of adoption vs buying.<\/p>\n

We will continue to make frequent cash and supply donations to our favorite guinea pig rescues. We hope you will, too.<\/p>\n

For a list of guinea pig rescues you can help, please visit the Guinea Pig Rescue Directory<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

wheek.it operates with one goal in mind: to promote the adoption and rescue over the purchase (or purposeful breeding) of pet guinea pigs. To this end, wheek.it launched in October 2012 as a free service to “shorten links and raise money for guinea pig rescues.” By connecting with “affiliate” merchants like Ebay.com and Target, wheek.it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements"],"yoast_head":"\nThe end of wheek.it shortlinks | blog @ wheek.it<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Beginning March 1, 2014, the wheek.it link shortening service will be retired. 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