Do you sometimes feel like you’re waiting around for someone’s approval?   When it comes to affiliate marketing you can sit and sit and sit waiting around to be approved for affiliate programs.  Over at Commission Junction I’ve got 2.  I’ve got one sitting there from January 2006.  Umm.. that’s 2 years of waiting!  Then I’ve got another one that’s been sitting there since December 2007.  I’m sorry I just don’t understand.  You spend big bucks to use their affiliate program to promote your services.  You then do not bother checking the potential applicants?  How does that work - I mean how would that be a smart marketing idea by the companies that are using CJ.  I just don’t get it.

There are other programs out there where I’m still waiting for some sort of feedback, and I decided to pick on a couple from CJ… since I was just in there a minute ago checking my clicks, etc.  Realizing that I’m STILL waiting for those yahoos.  I mean - if I’m setting up a site offering what they have, and I depended on them - perhaps because they’re super exclusive… I’d be sitting around with an empty site - hoping that they’d approve.  Luckily for me that’s not the case and there are other affiliate programs available.  But what if there wasn’t… what would you do?  I suppose I could go knock on the door of the affiliate program’s email and say “hey whazzup?”.  But I haven’t … it hasn’t gotten to that point that I care enough.  But past the email - is there anything we can do?

I guess the next step if we don’t get an email back is to go directly to the source - that being Commission Junction and asking that they intervene and see what’s up with that affiliate program.

It’s a frustrating game… the waiting game.  Has anyone had the same sort of dilemma with any affiliate program they’ve come across?

Another thing that kind of bugs my butt is those affiliate marketing programs that phone and then want you to return the call to be approved.  I had one of those recently as well.  I emailed them - to tell them it’s easiest to get a hold of me through email.  I don’t answer my phone all that much to “unknown numbers”.  Sorry I don’t.  I have yet to hear back from the person I emailed.

Yes, that’s frustrating too.

I’m starting this week working on a new domain I picked up - and it looks like there might be a bit of potential with it.  I have to find some good content to use/create and then put in the links.  It should be interesting

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Well, as you can see from the header above, my Sponsored links are done.  I’m not all that sad actually.  I’ve left things the way they are for a long time now with just one sponsor who was with me pretty much from the beginning when I started using Text Link Ads.    So now that they’re done - I’m going to be doing a little overhaul of the the site’s look I think.  Time for change.

Time perhaps for a bit of a different direction - because honestly - I’ve not really been doing much in the way of affiliate marketing for a long, long time.  It’s not that I’ve gone off-line or fell off the face of the earth.  It’s just that my interests have shifted a bit.

I still keep up for the most part (ok not really) with the fansites I created.  I really love them and some of the other sites I’ve created are just sitting there.   With the occasional hit from Adsense or the odd sale, which is now becoming a bit rare.  So I’m not sure if I should start reviving some of those sites that do have potential and I’ve been terribly neglecting - or if maybe I should just keep focusing on the new things I’ve got myself into and go from there.

Ah it’s a bit of a dilemma.

With the drop in Adsense, which to much bemoaning, is my main income source currently for my sites.  This I don’t think is a great way to be - since with the fluctuations lately has really put me behind in my goals.  Which is odd, since I’ve been mostly neglecting it all - I guess I just had hoped that while I was doing my”other” things that this would maintain some sort of status quo until I got back to it.

So I’m not really sure what to do next…

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Hmmm… I’m not really sure if it’s just me but has anyone else noticed a drop in their Google daily money?  I’ve been having the usual amount of page views and the clicks are alright (nothing out of the ordinary that’s for sure) - but my money earned per day is definitley lower.  Most days lately the earnings have been cut in half.  Now, I’ve not done anything weird or out of the ordinary that would lob this one back on me.  This is just bizarre.

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Well what do you know… this little blog of mine is now off PR exile island.  I’m kind of happy about that - because it’s been a really, really long time since I’ve seen any green on that little google bar.  I’m sitting at a PR2.  Woo..!  LOL.

Has anyone else had their ban lifted?

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Late last week I was asked to do a sponsored review of a website’s products.  There were mighty beautiful products and I thought why not - I know, I know - that age old debate we’ve had over and over again about sponsored reviews and all that.  Today’s my last day to submit it and guess what… I’ve decided not to.  It basically has to do with the fact that this product HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TOPIC OF THIS BLOG.  Yes.  That’s the only reason.  I could definitely use the money they were going to throw my way.  I have to admit that I spent the last 4 days on and off thinking about how I could incorporate that article into the site.  Should I feign interest in the products… and then go from there - and try to place it with the upcoming festivities this month with Mother’s day.  I’m thinking that it would have been possible.

If only I had the right words to write it.  If only I didn’t feel like a piece of crap for even thinking that it was a good idea.  It was the money offered - plain and simple.  I had promised myself long ago that if the topic was unrelated… don’t do it.  But time has gone by… the incentive was good $$ - cha-ching.  But I can’t with all honesty do it.  I don’t feel right swerving right off the topic of this blog to that article - which, did I mention before, has nothing to do with this site’s topic.  They’re looking for exposure on the ‘Net and I don’t think it really matters where they get it from.

So that was my dilemma of the last few days.  I am not going to write it and they can keep their money.

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