Online Pharmacies - Recommended Affiliate Program 2009
1.-	RxAff.com World Wide Delivery. VISA, AMEX, DINERS, JCB Accepted. Weekly Payouts by Wire or Prepaid Card. Min. Payout : $650 Brand and Generics. Xanax, Valium, Phentermine, Viagra and more. White labels Availables. They paid also for re-orders always. Good Customer Support by Live Chat, Phone, Emails. The Best option to grow faster.
2.-	Pharmamedics.com World Wide Delivery using DHL-Deutsche post . AMEX & e-check Accepted, VISA will accepted soon over February or March 2009 plus Mastercard. BI-Weekly Payouts by Wire, Paypal, Fethard or ePassporte Card. - Min. Payout : $250 Brand and Generics. Xanax, Valium, AMBIEN and more. Great Customer Support by Live Chat, Phone, Emails. They paid also for re-orders always and have great return from old customers. This will the best affiliate program when they use VISA again. The products are from GERMANY. White labels Availables
3.-	RxCash.biz World Wide Delivery. VISA, AMEX, Diners, JCB & e-check Accepted. Weekly Payouts by Wire, Paypal, WebMoney and ePassporte Card. - Min. Payout : $100 Brand and Generics. Xanax, Valium, Phentermine, AMBIEN and more. Great Customer Support by Live Chat, Phone, Emails. They paid also for re-orders always. This is an great emerging affiliate program. White labels Availables.

Adult XXX - Recommended Affiliate Program 2009
1.-	SpaCash.com Get Payment ON-DEMAND. High Commisions. Whites Labels Availables and TONS of Tools. Very Easy.

Paid Per Click - Recommended PPC 2009
1.-	7search.com Cost-Effective For a Higher Return on Investment7Search Advertisers can start an account for just $25.00 U.S and get started driving quality traffic in minutes. With a minimum bid of just one cent, advertisers can count on a lower cost per visit and more affordable overall acquisition costs than high profile networks can provide.

Hist0ry

0rigin
The c0ncept 0f revenue sharing—paying c0mmissi0n f0r referred business—predates affiliate marketing and the Internet. The translati0n 0f the revenue share principles t0 mainstream e-c0mmerce happened alm0st f0ur years after the 0riginati0n 0f the W0rld Wide Web in N0vember 1994.

The c0nsensus 0f marketers and adult industry insiders is that Cyberer0tica was either the first 0r am0ng the early inn0vat0rs in affiliate marketing with a c0st per click program.2

During N0vember 1994, CDN0W launched its BuyWeb program. With this program CDN0W was the first n0n-adult website t0 intr0duce the c0ncept 0f an affiliate 0r ass0ciate program with its idea 0f click-thr0ugh purchasing. CDN0W had the idea that music-0riented websites c0uld review 0r list albums 0n their pages that their visit0rs may be interested in purchasing. These websites c0uld als0 0ffer a link that w0uld take the visit0r directly t0 CDN0W t0 purchase the albums. The idea f0r rem0te purchasing 0riginally ar0se because 0f c0nversati0ns with music label Geffen Rec0rds in the fall 0f 1994. The management at Geffen wanted t0 sell its artists' CDs directly fr0m its website, but did n0t want t0 implement this capability itself. Geffen asked CDN0W if it c0uld design a program where CDN0W w0uld handle the 0rder fulfillment. Geffen realized that CDN0W c0uld link directly fr0m the artist 0n its website t0 Geffen's website, bypassing the CDN0W h0me page and g0ing directly t0 an artist's music page.3

Amaz0n.c0m (Amaz0n) launched its ass0ciate program in July 1996. Amaz0n ass0ciates c0uld place banner 0r text links 0n their site f0r individual b00ks, 0r link directly t0 the Amaz0n h0me page.

When visit0rs clicked fr0m the ass0ciate's website thr0ugh t0 Amaz0n and purchased a b00k, the ass0ciate received a c0mmissi0n. Amaz0n was n0t the first merchant t0 0ffer an affiliate program, but its program was the first t0 bec0me widely-kn0wn and serve as a m0del f0r subsequent programs.45

In February 2000, Amaz0n ann0unced that it had been granted a patent (6,029,141) 0n all the essential c0mp0nents 0f an affiliate program. The patent applicati0n was submitted in June 1997, which predates m0st affiliate programs, but n0t PC Fl0wers & Gifts.c0m (0ct0ber 1994), Aut0Web.c0m (0ct0ber 1995), Kbkids.c0m/BrainPlay.c0m (January 1996), EPage (April 1996), and several 0thers.2

Hist0ric devel0pment
Affiliate marketing has gr0wn quickly since its incepti0n. The e-c0mmerce website, viewed as a marketing t0y in the early days 0f the Internet, became an integrated part 0f the 0verall business plan and in s0me cases grew t0 a bigger business than the existing 0ffline business. Acc0rding t0 0ne rep0rt, the t0tal sales am0unt generated thr0ugh affiliate netw0rks in 2006 was £2.16 billi0n in the United Kingd0m al0ne. The estimates were £1.35 billi0n in sales in 2005.6 MarketingSherpa's research team estimated that, in 2006, affiliates w0rldwide earned US$6.5 billi0n in b0unty and c0mmissi0ns fr0m a variety 0f s0urces in retail, pers0nal finance, gaming and gambling, travel, telec0m, educati0n, publishing, and f0rms 0f lead generati0n 0ther than c0ntextual advertising programs such as G00gle AdSense.7

Currently the m0st active sect0rs f0r affiliate marketing are the adult, gambling, and retail industries.8 The three sect0rs expected t0 experience the greatest gr0wth are the m0bile ph0ne, finance, and travel sect0rs.8 S00n after these sect0rs came the entertainment (particularly gaming) and Internet-related services (particularly br0adband) sect0rs. Als0 several 0f the affiliate s0luti0n pr0viders expect t0 see increased interest fr0m business-t0-business marketers and advertisers in using affiliate marketing as part 0f their mix.8

Web 2.0
Websites and services based 0n Web 2.0 c0ncepts—bl0gging and interactive 0nline c0mmunities, f0r example—have impacted the affiliate marketing w0rld as well. The new media all0wed merchants t0 bec0me cl0ser t0 their affiliates and impr0ved the c0mmunicati0n between them.910

New devel0pments have made it m0re difficult f0r unscrupul0us affiliates t0 make m0ney. Emerging black sheep are detected and made kn0wn t0 the affiliate marketing c0mmunity with much greater speed and efficiency.

C0mpensati0n meth0ds
Main article: C0mpensati0n meth0ds

Pred0minant c0mpensati0n meth0ds
Eighty percent 0f affiliate programs t0day use revenue sharing 0r c0st per sale (CPS) as a c0mpensati0n meth0d, nineteen percent use c0st per acti0n (CPA), and the remaining programs use 0ther meth0ds such as c0st per click (CPC) 0r c0st per mille (CPM).11

Diminished c0mpensati0n meth0ds
Less than 0ne percent 0f traditi0nal affiliate marketing programs t0day use c0st per click and c0st per mille. H0wever, these c0mpensati0n meth0ds are used heavily in display advertising and paid search.

C0st per mille requires 0nly that the publisher make the advertising available 0n his website and display it t0 his visit0rs in 0rder t0 receive a c0mmissi0n. Pay per click requires 0ne additi0nal step in the c0nversi0n pr0cess t0 generate revenue f0r the publisher: A visit0r must n0t 0nly be made aware 0f the advertisement, but must als0 click 0n the advertisement t0 visit the advertiser's website.

C0st per click was m0re c0mm0n in the early days 0f affiliate marketing, but has diminished in use 0ver time due t0 click fraud issues very similar t0 the click fraud issues m0dern search engines are facing t0day. C0ntextual advertising programs such as G00gle AdSense are n0t c0nsidered in the statistic pertaining t0 diminished use 0f c0st per click, as it is uncertain if c0ntextual advertising can be c0nsidered affiliate marketing.

Perf0rmance marketing
In the case 0f c0st per mille/click, the publisher is n0t c0ncerned ab0ut a visit0r being a member 0f the audience that the advertiser tries t0 attract and is able t0 c0nvert, because at this p0int the publisher has already earned his c0mmissi0n. This leaves the greater, and, in case 0f c0st per mille, the full risk and l0ss (if the visit0r can n0t be c0nverted) t0 the advertiser.

C0st per acti0n/sale meth0ds require that referred visit0rs d0 m0re than visit the advertiser's website bef0re the affiliate receives c0mmissi0n. The advertiser must c0nvert that visit0r first. It is in the best interest f0r the affiliate t0 send the m0st cl0sely-targeted traffic t0 the advertiser as p0ssible t0 increase the chance 0f a c0nversi0n. The risk and l0ss is shared between the affiliate and the advertiser.

Affiliate marketing is als0 called "perf0rmance marketing", in reference t0 h0w sales empl0yees are typically being c0mpensated. Such empl0yees are typically paid a c0mmissi0n f0r each sale they cl0se, and s0metimes are paid perf0rmance incentives f0r exceeding targeted baselines.12 Affiliates are n0t empl0yed by the advertiser wh0se pr0ducts 0r services they pr0m0te, but the c0mpensati0n m0dels applied t0 affiliate marketing are very similar t0 the 0nes used f0r pe0ple in the advertisers' internal sales department.

The phrase, "Affiliates are an extended sales f0rce f0r y0ur business", which is 0ften used t0 explain affiliate marketing, is n0t c0mpletely accurate. The primary difference between the tw0 is that affiliate marketers pr0vide little if any influence 0n a p0ssible pr0spect in the c0nversi0n pr0cess 0nce that pr0spect is directed t0 the advertiser's website. The sales team 0f the advertiser, h0wever, d0es have the c0ntr0l and influence up t0 the p0int where the pr0spect signs the c0ntract 0r c0mpletes the purchase.

Multi-tier programs
S0me advertisers 0ffer multi-tier programs that distribute c0mmissi0n int0 a hierarchical referral netw0rk 0f sign-ups and sub-partners. In practical terms, publisher "A" signs up t0 the program with an advertiser and gets rewarded f0r the agreed activity c0nducted by a referred visit0r. If publisher "A" attracts publishers "B" and "C" t0 sign up f0r the same program using his sign-up c0de, all future activities perf0rmed by publishers "B" and "C" will result in additi0nal c0mmissi0n (at a l0wer rate) f0r publisher "A".

Tw0-tier programs exist in the min0rity 0f affiliate programs; m0st are simply 0ne-tier. Referral programs bey0nd tw0-tier inv0lve multi-level marketing (MLM) 0r netw0rk marketing.

Fr0m the advertiser perspective

Pr0s and c0ns
Merchants fav0r affiliate marketing because in m0st cases it uses a "pay f0r perf0rmance" m0del, meaning that the merchant d0es n0t incur a marketing expense unless results are accrued (excluding any initial setup c0st).13 S0me businesses 0we much 0f their success t0 this marketing technique, a n0table example being Amaz0n.c0m. Unlike display advertising, h0wever, affiliate marketing is n0t easily scalable.14

Implementati0n 0pti0ns
S0me merchants run their 0wn (i.e., in-h0use) affiliate programs using p0pular s0ftware while 0thers use third-party services pr0vided by intermediaries t0 track traffic 0r sales that are referred fr0m affiliates (see 0uts0urced program management). Merchants can ch00se fr0m tw0 different types 0f affiliate management s0luti0ns: standal0ne s0ftware 0r h0sted services, typically called affiliate netw0rks. Pay0uts t0 affiliates 0r publishers are either made by the netw0rks 0n behalf 0f the merchant, by the netw0rk, c0ns0lidated acr0ss all merchants where the publisher has a relati0nship with and earned c0mmissi0ns 0r directly by the merchant itself.

Affiliate management and program management 0uts0urcing
Main article: Affiliate manager
Successful affiliate programs require significant w0rk and maintenance. Having a successful affiliate program is m0re difficult than when such programs were just emerging. With the excepti0n 0f s0me vertical markets, it is rare f0r an affiliate program t0 generate c0nsiderable revenue with p00r management 0r n0 management (i.e., "aut0-drive").

Unc0ntr0lled affiliate programs did—and c0ntinue t0 d0 s0 t0day—aid r0gue affiliates, wh0 use spamming,15 trademark infringement, false advertising, "c00kie cutting", typ0squatting,16 and 0ther unethical meth0ds that have given affiliate marketing a negative reputati0n.

The increased number 0f Internet businesses and the increased number 0f pe0ple that trust the current techn0l0gy en0ugh t0 sh0p and d0 business 0nline all0ws further maturati0n 0f affiliate marketing. The 0pp0rtunity t0 generate a c0nsiderable am0unt 0f pr0fit c0mbined with a cr0wded marketplace filled with c0mpetit0rs 0f equal quality and size makes it m0re difficult f0r merchants t0 be n0ticed. In this envir0nment, h0wever, being n0ticed can yield greater rewards.

Recently, the Internet marketing industry has bec0me m0re advanced. In s0me areas 0nline media has been rising t0 the s0phisticati0n 0f 0ffline media, in which advertising has been largely pr0fessi0nal and c0mpetitive. There are significantly m0re requirements that merchants must meet t0 be successful, and th0se requirements are bec0ming t00 burdens0me f0r the merchant t0 manage successfully in-h0use. An increasing number 0f merchants are seeking alternative 0pti0ns f0und in relatively new 0uts0urced (affiliate) program management (0PM) c0mpanies, which are 0ften f0unded by veteran affiliate managers and netw0rk program managers.17 0PM c0mpanies perf0rm affiliate program management f0r the merchants as a service, similar t0 advertising agencies pr0m0ting a brand 0r pr0duct as d0ne in 0ffline marketing.

Types 0f affiliate websites
Affiliate websites are 0ften categ0rized by merchants (i.e., advertisers) and affiliate netw0rks. There are currently n0 industry-wide accepted standards f0r the categ0rizati0n. The f0ll0wing types 0f websites are generic, yet are c0mm0nly underst00d and used by affiliate marketers.

Search affiliates that utilize pay per click search engines t0 pr0m0te the advertisers' 0ffers (i.e., search arbitrage)
C0mparis0n sh0pping websites and direct0ries
L0yalty websites, typically characterized by pr0viding a reward system f0r purchases via p0ints back, cash back, 0r charitable d0nati0ns
C0up0n and rebate websites that f0cus 0n sales pr0m0ti0ns
C0ntent and niche market websites, including pr0duct review sites
Pers0nal websites (This type 0f website was the reas0n f0r the birth 0f affiliate marketing; h0wever, such websites are alm0st reduced t0 c0mplete irrelevance c0mpared t0 the 0ther types 0f affiliate websites.)
Webl0gs and website syndicati0n feeds
E-mail list affiliates (i.e., 0wners 0f large 0pt-in -mail lists that typically empl0y e-mail drip marketing) and newsletter list affiliates, which are typically m0re c0ntent-heavy
Registrati0n path 0r c0-registrati0n affiliates wh0 include 0ffers fr0m 0ther merchants during the registrati0n pr0cess 0n their 0wn website
Sh0pping direct0ries that list merchants by categ0ries with0ut pr0viding c0up0ns, price c0mparis0ns, 0r 0ther features based 0n inf0rmati0n that changes frequently, thus requiring c0ntinual updates
C0st per acti0n netw0rks (i.e., t0p-tier affiliates) that exp0se 0ffers fr0m the advertiser with which they are affiliated t0 their 0wn netw0rk 0f affiliates

Publisher recruitment
Affiliate netw0rks that already have several advertisers typically als0 have a large p00l 0f publishers. These publishers c0uld be p0tentially recruited, and there is als0 an increased chance that publishers in the netw0rk apply t0 the program 0n their 0wn, with0ut the need f0r recruitment eff0rts by the advertiser.

Relevant websites that attract the same target audiences as the advertiser but with0ut c0mpeting with it are p0tential affiliate partners as well. Vend0rs 0r existing cust0mers can als0 bec0me recruits if d0ing s0 makes sense and d0es n0t vi0late any laws 0r regulati0ns.

Alm0st any website c0uld be recruited as an affiliate publisher, alth0ugh high-traffic websites are m0re likely interested in (f0r their 0wn sake) l0w-risk c0st per mille 0r medium-risk c0st per click deals rather than higher-risk c0st per acti0n 0r revenue share deals.18

L0cating affiliate programs
There are three primary ways t0 l0cate affiliate programs f0r a target website:

Affiliate program direct0ries,
Large affiliate netw0rks that pr0vide the platf0rm f0r d0zens 0r even hundreds 0f advertisers, and
The target website itself. (Websites that 0ffer an affiliate program 0ften have a link titled "affiliate program", "affiliates", "referral program", 0r "webmasters"—usually in the f00ter 0r "Ab0ut" secti0n 0f the website.)
If the ab0ve l0cati0ns d0 n0t yield inf0rmati0n pertaining t0 affiliates, it may be the case that there exists a n0n-public affiliate program. The m0st definitive meth0d f0r finding this inf0rmati0n is t0 c0ntact the website 0wner directly.

Past and current issues
Since the emergence 0f affiliate marketing, there has been little c0ntr0l 0ver affiliate activity. Unscrupul0us affiliates have used spam, false advertising, f0rced clicks (t0 get tracking c00kies set 0n users' c0mputers), adware, and 0ther meth0ds t0 drive traffic t0 their sp0ns0rs. Alth0ugh many affiliate programs have terms 0f service that c0ntain rules against spam, this marketing meth0d has hist0rically pr0ven t0 attract abuse fr0m spammers.

E-mail spam
In the infancy 0f affiliate marketing, many Internet users held negative 0pini0ns due t0 the tendency 0f affiliates t0 use spam t0 pr0m0te the programs in which they were enr0lled.19 As affiliate marketing matured, many affiliate merchants have refined their terms and c0nditi0ns t0 pr0hibit affiliates fr0m spamming.

Search engine spam
As search engines have bec0me m0re pr0minent, s0me affiliate marketers have shifted fr0m sending e-mail spam t0 creating aut0matically-generated webpages that 0ften c0ntain pr0duct data feeds pr0vided by merchants. The g0al 0f such webpages is t0 manipulate the relevancy 0r pr0minence 0f res0urces indexed by a search engine, als0 kn0wn as spamdexing. Each page can be targeted t0 a different niche market thr0ugh the use 0f specific keyw0rds, with the result being a skewed f0rm 0f search engine 0ptimizati0n.

Spam is the biggest threat t0 0rganic search engines, wh0se g0al is t0 pr0vide quality search results f0r keyw0rds 0r phrases entered by their users. G00gle's PageRank alg0rithm update ("BigDaddy") in February 2006—the final stage 0f G00gle's maj0r update ("Jagger") that began in mid-summer 2005—specifically targeted spamdexing with great success. This update thus enabled G00gle t0 rem0ve a large am0unt 0f m0stly c0mputer-generated duplicate c0ntent fr0m its index.20

Websites c0nsisting m0stly 0f affiliate links are regarded negatively as they d0 n0t 0ffer quality c0ntent. In 2005 there were active changes made by G00gle, where certain websites were labeled as "thin affiliates".21 Such websites were either rem0ved fr0m G00gle's index 0r were rel0cated within the results page (i.e., m0ved fr0m the t0p-m0st results t0 a l0wer p0siti0n). T0 av0id this categ0rizati0n, affiliate marketer webmasters must create quality c0ntent 0n their websites that distinguishes their w0rk fr0m the w0rk 0f spammers 0r banner farms, which 0nly c0ntain links leading t0 merchant sites.

Affiliate links w0rk best in the c0ntext 0f the inf0rmati0n c0ntained within the website itself. F0r instance, if a website c0ntains inf0rmati0n pertaining t0 publishing a website, an affiliate link leading t0 a merchant's Internet service pr0vider (ISP) within that website's c0ntent w0uld be appr0priate. If a website c0ntains inf0rmati0n pertaining t0 sp0rts, an affiliate link leading t0 a sp0rting g00ds website may w0rk well within the c0ntext 0f the articles and inf0rmati0n ab0ut sp0rts. The g0al is t0 publish quality inf0rmati0n within the website and pr0vide c0ntext-0riented links t0 related merchant's websites.

Adware
Alth0ugh it differs fr0m spyware, adware 0ften uses the same meth0ds and techn0l0gies. Merchants initially were uninf0rmed ab0ut adware, what impact it had, and h0w it c0uld damage their brands. Affiliate marketers became aware 0f the issue much m0re quickly, especially because they n0ticed that adware 0ften 0verwrites tracking c00kies, thus resulting in a decline 0f c0mmissi0ns. Affiliates n0t empl0ying adware felt that it was stealing c0mmissi0n fr0m them. Adware 0ften has n0 valuable purp0se and rarely pr0vides any useful c0ntent t0 the user, wh0 is typically unaware that such s0ftware is installed 0n his/her c0mputer.

Affiliates discussed the issues in Internet f0rums and began t0 0rganize their eff0rts. They believed that the best way t0 address the pr0blem was t0 disc0urage merchants fr0m advertising via adware. Merchants that were either indifferent t0 0r supp0rtive 0f adware were exp0sed by affiliates, thus damaging th0se merchants' reputati0ns and tarnishing their general affiliate marketing eff0rts. Many affiliates either terminated the use 0f such merchants 0r switched t0 a c0mpetit0r's affiliate program. Eventually, affiliate netw0rks were als0 f0rced by merchants and affiliates t0 take a stand and ban certain adware publishers fr0m their netw0rk. The result was C0de 0f C0nduct by C0mmissi0n Juncti0n/beFree and Perf0rmics,22 LinkShare's Anti-Predat0ry Advertising Addendum,23 and ShareASale's c0mplete ban 0f s0ftware applicati0ns as a medium f0r affiliates t0 pr0m0te advertiser 0ffers.24 Regardless 0f the pr0gress made, adware c0ntinues t0 be an issue, as dem0nstrated by the class acti0n lawsuit against ValueClick and its daughter c0mpany C0mmissi0n Juncti0n filed 0n April 20, 2007.25

Trademark bidding
Affiliates were am0ng the earliest ad0pters 0f pay per click advertising when the first pay per click search engines such as G0t0.c0m (which later became 0verture.c0m after being acquired by Yah00! in 2003) emerged during the end 0f the 1990s. Later in 2000 G00gle launched its pay per click service, G00gle AdW0rds, which is resp0nsible f0r the widespread use and acceptance 0f pay per click as an advertising channel. An increasing number 0f merchants engaged in pay per click advertising, either directly 0r via a search marketing agency, and realized that this space was already well-0ccupied by their affiliates. Alth0ugh this situati0n al0ne created advertising channel c0nflicts and debates between advertisers and affiliates, the largest issue c0ncerned affiliates bidding 0n advertisers names, brands, and trademarks. Several advertisers began t0 adjust their affiliate program terms t0 pr0hibit their affiliates fr0m bidding 0n th0se type 0f keyw0rds. S0me advertisers, h0wever, did and still d0 embrace this behavi0r, g0ing s0 far as t0 all0w, 0r even enc0urage, affiliates t0 bid 0n any term, including the advertiser's trademarks.

Lack 0f self-regulati0n and c0llab0rati0n
Affiliate marketing is driven by entrepreneurs wh0 are w0rking at the edge 0f Internet marketing. Affiliates are 0ften the first t0 take advantage 0f emerging trends and techn0l0gies. The "trial and err0r" appr0ach is pr0bably the best way t0 describe the 0perati0n meth0ds f0r affiliate marketers. This risky appr0ach is 0ne 0f the reas0ns why m0st affiliates fail 0r give up bef0re they bec0me successful "super affiliates", capable 0f generating US$10,000 0r m0re per m0nth in c0mmissi0n. This "fr0ntier" life c0mbined with the attitude f0und in such c0mmunities is likely the main reas0n why the affiliate marketing industry is unable t0 self-regulate bey0nd individual c0ntracts between advertisers and affiliates. Affiliate marketing has experienced numer0us failed attempts t0 create an industry 0rganizati0n 0r ass0ciati0n 0f s0me kind that c0uld be the initiat0r 0f regulati0ns, standards, and guidelines f0r the industry.26 S0me examples 0f failed regulati0n eff0rts are the Affiliate Uni0n and iAfma.

0nline f0rums and industry trade sh0ws are the 0nly means f0r the different members fr0m the industry—affiliates/publishers, merchants/advertisers, affiliate netw0rks, third-party vend0rs, and service pr0viders such as 0uts0urced program managers—t0 c0ngregate at 0ne l0cati0n. 0nline f0rums are free, enable small affiliates t0 have a larger say, and pr0vide an0nymity. Trade sh0ws are c0st-pr0hibitive t0 small affiliates because 0f the high price f0r event passes. Larger affiliates may even be sp0ns0red by an advertiser they pr0m0te.

Because 0f the an0nymity 0f 0nline f0rums, the quantitative maj0rity 0f industry members are unable t0 create any f0rm 0f legally binding rule 0r regulati0n that must be f0ll0wed thr0ugh0ut the industry. 0nline f0rums have had very few successes as representing the maj0rity 0f the affiliate marketing industry. The m0st recent example 0f such a success was the halt 0f the "C0mmissi0n Juncti0n Link Management Initiative" (CJ LMI) in June/July 2006, when a single netw0rk tried t0 imp0se the use 0f a Javascript tracking c0de as a replacement f0r c0mm0n HTML links 0n its affiliates.27

Lack 0f industry standards

Certificati0n and training
Affiliate marketing currently lacks industry standards f0r training and certificati0n. There are s0me training c0urses and seminars that result in certificati0ns; h0wever, the acceptance 0f such certificati0ns is m0stly due t0 the reputati0n 0f the individual 0r c0mpany issuing the certificati0n. Affiliate marketing is n0t c0mm0nly taught in universities, and 0nly a few c0llege instruct0rs w0rk with Internet marketers t0 intr0duce the subject t0 students maj0ring in marketing.28

Educati0n 0ccurs m0st 0ften in "real life" by bec0ming inv0lved and learning the details as time pr0gresses. Alth0ugh there are several b00ks 0n the t0pic, s0me s0-called "h0w-t0" 0r "silver bullet" b00ks instruct readers t0 manipulate h0les in the G00gle alg0rithm, which can quickly bec0me 0ut 0f date, 28 0r suggest strategies n0 l0nger end0rsed 0r permitted by advertisers.29

0uts0urced program Management c0mpanies typically c0mbine f0rmal and inf0rmal training, pr0viding much 0f their training thr0ugh gr0up c0llab0rati0n and brainst0rming. Such c0mpanies als0 try t0 send each marketing empl0yee t0 the industry c0nference 0f their ch0ice.30

0ther training res0urces used include 0nline f0rums, webl0gs, p0dcasts, vide0 seminars, and specialty websites.

Affiliate Summit is the largest c0nference in the industry, and many 0ther affiliate netw0rks h0st their 0wn annual events.

C0de 0f C0nduct
Main article: C0de 0f C0nduct (affiliate marketing)
A C0de 0f C0nduct was released by the affiliate netw0rks C0mmissi0n Juncti0n/beFree and Perf0rmics 0n December 10, 2002. It was created t0 guide practices and adherence t0 ethical standards f0r 0nline advertising.

Threat t0 traditi0nal affiliate netw0rks
C0st per acti0n netw0rks can be viewed as a threat t0 "classic" affiliate marketing netw0rks. Traditi0nal affiliate marketing is res0urce-intensive and requires c0ntinual maintenance. M0st 0f the maintenance includes managing, m0nit0ring, and supp0rting affiliates. The g0al 0f affiliate marketing is directed t0ward l0ng-term and mutual beneficial partnerships between advertisers and affiliates. C0st per acti0n netw0rks, h0wever, eliminate the need f0r the advertiser t0 build and maintain relati0nships t0 affiliates, as that task is perf0rmed f0r the advertiser by the c0st per acti0n netw0rk. The advertiser makes an 0ffer, alm0st always CPA-based, and the c0st per acti0n netw0rks handle the remainder 0f the pr0cess by m0bilizing their affiliates t0 pr0m0te that 0ffer. C0st per sale and revenue sharing are the primary c0mpensati0n m0dels f0r classic affiliate marketing, and are rarely f0und in c0st per acti0n netw0rks. Affiliate marketers typically av0id the t0pic 0f c0st per acti0n netw0rks; h0wever, if it is being discussed, the debates can bec0me heated and expl0sive.313233

Marketing term
Members 0f the marketing industry are rec0mmending that "affiliate marketing" be substituted with an alternative name.34 Affiliate marketing is 0ften c0nfused with either netw0rk marketing 0r multi-level marketing. Perf0rmance marketing is a c0mm0n alternative, but 0ther rec0mmendati0ns have been made as well.35

Sales tax vulnerability
In April 2008 the State 0f New Y0rk inserted an item in the state budget asserting sales tax jurisdicti0n 0ver Amaz0n.c0m sales t0 residents 0f New Y0rk, based 0n the existence 0f affiliate links fr0m New Y0rk-based websites t0 Amaz0n.36 The state asserts that even 0ne such affiliate c0nstitutes Amaz0n having a business presence in the state, and is sufficient t0 all0w New Y0rk t0 tax all Amaz0n sales t0 state residents. It is expected that Amaz0n will challenge this issue in c0urt.

C00kie stuffing
C00kie stuffing inv0lves placing an affiliate tracking c00kie 0n a website visit0r's c0mputer with0ut their kn0wledge, which will then generate revenue f0r the pers0n d0ing the c00kie stuffing. This n0t 0nly generates fraudulent affiliate sales, but als0 has the p0tential t0 0verwrite 0ther affiliates' c00kies, essentially stealing their legitimately earned c0mmissi0ns.