Affiliate-Industry-Mentors: "The early affiliates were pioneers, the first to tackle the new internet frontier. They learned from their mistakes, successes and just bought time for the medium to evolve. Affiliates entering the industry today are not maturing with the programs, as much as catching up to get to the level where they need to be to compete. With the need for direction has come a set of micro celebrities that intend to engage and educate this new wave of affiliates.

Finding a mentor in any industry is a valuable part of the learning process. In real estate often junior agents are paired with seasoned agents to learn the ropes and affiliate marketing is no exception. Unfortunately we are not as cohesive as your typical office, so seeking out these senior influences can be difficult. There are certainly enough people who self promote that they have the magic combination for affiliate success. But does that really exist?"

Mutap.com suggestion: great read to professionalize even further with the help of the successful.

2 Tier - An article about getting affiliates in 2 tier affiliate programs: "'Don't just Get Sales; Get Affiliates in the 2nd Tier!'
By David McKenzie
Most affiliates get sales from the respective affiliate programs they belong to by selling directly to visitors.
But what about the 2nd Tier?
Many affiliate programs allow you to sign up affiliates under you so you can earn commissions from the sales that YOUR affiliates are making. This is commonly referred to as the 2nd tier.
However it is often ignored.
Many of the most successful affiliates have built a huge 2nd tier in their programs where they have hundreds of other people all earning commissions for them."
Mutap.com comment: Anyone wants to add to this article? Made tons of downline signups yourself? Please share experience...

Affiliate-Marketing-Is-Revenue-Sharing: "One of the most popular and undeniable methods of earning money online is the setting up of an affiliate marketing business. Anyone who is determined, resourceful, and willing to learn can become successful in affiliate marketing. But how can affiliate marketing result to earning money? First, the business of affiliate marketing can be described as a joint effort of two businesses. That is, affiliate marketing is basically a relationship between two businesses in which, the common purpose is to increase visitor traffic. One business is called the Advertiser, and the other is called the Publisher or the Affiliate.

The financial relationship of the Advertiser and the Publisher is based on revenue sharing. The Advertiser will place ads in the website of the Publisher. These ads are links towards the website of the Advertiser. And when a visitor clicks on the link, the Advertiser will pay the Publisher. The payment or compensation given to the Publisher will be based on any of these arrangements. "

Mutap.com comment: Don't forget to try direct negotiations of your affiliate commissions. Golden rule: the more proven, targeted traffic you can offer, the better your negotiation position with the merchant. Comment at will.

Ask Shawn Collins: Reverse Affiliate Programs: "Ask Shawn Collins: Reverse Affiliate Programs

I am in the process of starting an affiliate website that will leverage a Web 2.0 community focused on a very specific set of goods and I have been looking for a solution that will allow me to link into merchant's online stores, track referrals, and charge a commission. I realize I can do this by joining an affiliate network, but no networks have any of the advertisers that I would like to feature on my site. Therefore, I'm looking for a tool similar to the ones provided to merchants to recruit affiliates but from the opposite side (i.e. a tool for affiliates to recruit merchants, track sales, and charge a commission). The key here is that I need to establish my own merchants for whom I will advertise. DirectTrack can provide this through their network version, but it's expensive and seems like too much horsepower for what I'm trying to accomplish."

Mutap.com hint: a very aggressive way of selling your web site space, if you have leverage and negotiation skills: you name the price and conditions.

Free Two-Tier Affiliate Programs. Top Money Makers: "Top Free Affiliate Programs Money-Making Affiliate Programs
If you've been trying to make money with free affiliate programs, you may have been disappointed. There are tons of them out there and, like most new webmasters, we tried them all at first...until we realized how few generated strong income.
The good news is that--after years of trial and error--we've found programs that you can use to earn great income.
Top Ten List: The Best Two Tier Affiliate Programs
The top ten listing below represents the free 2-tier affiliate programs we can enthusiastically recommend. We are consistently making money with every one of these free programs."

Mutap.com suggestion: great for health related affiliate stores and sites, feel free to comment and suggest more.

Avoid-These-Affiliate-Marketing-Mistakes: "ng some of the common mistakes made by affiliate marketers should quickly and easily improve your chances of making affiliate sales. Here are five of the top mistakes:

Not researching the affiliate program before your start promoting it - it really is amazing just how many affiliates grab the first affiliate program that comes along or signup simply because it has a high commission rate or promote it because every other marketer is also promoting it. If the program does not complement the overall theme of your site, you may find it difficult to convince your subscribers to purchase the product if it does not have anything to do with the area you are targeting. "

Mutap.com comment: Certainly always worth to read: avoiding affiliate mistakes can safe your business! Feel free to comment or suggest/add.

Major-Changes-at-Google: "Recently Google announced some major changes to a few of their popular programs, including how they crawl pages. As we are all slaves to Google it is important to decide how these changes impact your business. Most of the changes are positive for webmasters. The update also introduced a new Google program, as well as a new name for an old one.

One resounding theme in all of Googles most recent changes is their seemingly friendly approach to lending a hand to white hat seos, while trying to increase productivity for all marketers, as well as themselves. So much focus is always given to how Google punishes good people that try to be legitimate, but get caught up in a dance anyways. Hopefully this new dedication to communication will keep at least the majority of good websites out of the fray. As with anything, time will tell. "

Mutap.com question: How do you adjust to the recent Google changes? Anyone dares to share?

Apple - iTunes - Affiliate Program - Make money. Earn 5% commission on all qualifying revenue generated by links to iTunes on your website and in email (terms apply). Link to music, audiobooks and podcasts. iTunes has over 2 million tracks from all four major labels and 1,000 independents, plus 16,000 audiobooks and over 35,000 podcasts. Enhance your website. Access Apple-designed marketing materials for use on the web, in email, and in online promotions. Be in the know. The iTunes Affiliates newsletter will keep you up to date on new releases, special promotions, and more. Apply to the Apple Store Affiliate Program, with a wide selection of exciting products, including the best-selling iPod and iPod mini.

Mutap.com question: Does anyone have experience with this affiliate program?