FreeHelpings.com

[moosie]

Mag00, I am in the process of challenge Snailrider and any other website to a contest to see who can get 250 affiliates before September. First of all, do you think that is possible and secondly how do I manage to get good affiliates that don't have sneaky codes with pop ups or pop unders? So far, I have been staying away from marketing companies as I now they really don't have the host sites best interest in mind. Any idea on how I can accomplish such a thing?

[mag00]

I have a feeling that the snailrider (http://snailrider.com) is sneaking along, and you may very well be in trouble. Remember the Myspace surprise?

Moosegal (http://moosegal.com) is moving along nicely, but to incorpoarate 150 affiliates into the site will be time consuming. You could have a tacky affiliate page and list 150 sites, but that is so not creative.

There are a few sites that list affiliates, one being Commission Junction. Be warned, that if you sign up with them, and do not convert traffic to sales, they will dump you.

Affilliate Guide, is another place.

The difference between these is that CJ will collect the commissions from all of your affiliates and send you one check.

With other affiliates, each one requires a sign up, and each one sends a seperate check, usually after your comission earnings reach a threshold of $50-$100

But there is no law that says you cannot use both and use affiliates you find from other places that have products that will be of interest to your visitors.

I think Eventually I will ad a section where our members can leave affiliate links for their sites.

[mag00]

As far as finding sites that do not use smarmy tactics, that is on the webmaster to check out before promoting them. Also a good reporting system for when a visitor complains about a link you provide, so you can deal quickly with the infractions.

[moosie]

The one thing I have ran into with affiliate programs is that they want too much information. Here in Canada, we are advised not to ever give out our Social Insurance Number unless it is to an employer and only after we are gainfully employed ... and even then ... practice good judgment. How do I go around this application process asking for information I am not willing to reveal?

[mag00]

Well, my problem is all the typos that I make during sign up (hint hint).

First off, it is not against the law to not give a social security number. The privacy act states that SS is not used for identification. If a company does not get a SSN, it is a $50 fine.

If they get an inaccurate number, at least they tried and there is no fine.

Taxes are on you to pay, but an affiliate company for tax purposes needs to prove that the checks they send out are legitimate tax deductions, and thus the IRS can research the numbers provided.

If your tax ID (not just SSN) is not accurate and the IRS decides to dig in deeper to find out what is going on, you could get in bigger trouble.

The Birth Date, that is what you may want to be more concerned about. But in reality, with info so generous on the net, if someone wants to, they can get all this anyway. It is a matter of public record, and disclosure laws make this info available to anyone who wants it.

You would want to give your name and addres (so you can cash the check) SSN to stay on the level with the big bad IRS, and possibly a phone number.

Most affiliate program signups just need you to fill in the fields to continue, and nobody really ever checks it's accuracy.

So rest easy, typos do happen you may have to pay the fiddler later for the mistake, but it is an honest mistake

[moosie]

I think there is something that should be addressed and that is the fact that different countries work in different ways. Canada ... number one rule, do not give out your Social Insurance Number. Here we do have what is known as peace work and it is up to the person to report their income. People are generally honest and if they should be caught being dishonest ... they will face a very stiff punishment. Actually the worst offense here would be ripping off the government. The other thing is that, Canada ties a lot to your social insurance number and unless you are employing a person, you do not have a right to ask for that number .... affiliate programs are not employers but only affiliation. Might be wise that people refuse to give out such information to these cyber strangers.
_________________
Nothing is foolproof to a talented fool.
Watch the snail.

[mag00]

Good point Moosie,

In the USA, the main reason for asking is for if the afilliate sends you a check, they need to have a record of who they sent money to for tax deductions.

In a strange way, they are your employer, as they send you money for services, but not really, as it is advertising money.

Unfortunately, some of the best affiliates require it so you can finish the signup. Again, I am a lcumsy yterper, I mean my fingers are so big and sluggish, I make mistakes all the time.

If you really want to sign up, and don't want to do the form online, you can contact the affiliate and ask them where to fax or email your exemption along with your info on who to write the check to.

One thing to consider is the reputation of the affilliate. If it is just some company that looks like it has a nice product, but has no track record, be very cautious.

If it is a major company, well they have a somewhat more stable program, and thus, you are at their mercy so to speak.

Alway do your research