Affiliate Trust

In the latter part of ‘08 the Internet marketing industry experienced an onslaught of ’cause’ affiliates working under monikers like A Good Cause, One Cause, Give Clicks, and others. Their methods are not new by any means, but their numbers are becoming pervasive. They are invading through the BHO model and they’re convincing networks to buy off on a technique that overwrites and stuffs tracking. The results are that merchants pay commissions for services NOT rendered and other affiliates lose commissions that they rightfully earned.

These ’cause’ affiliates are not your typical one man show working in a home office, but companies with employees who are aggressively promoting their wares to garner new merchants and users daily. The industry will not withstand a marketing method that profits from the process rather than the affiliate relationship. There are so many of these organizations popping up, and they are so invasive that to standby and watch could spell the end of affiliate marketing in it’s present form. As ’cause’ affiliates become super affiliates and the bread and butter affiliates begin to drop off, merchants will see dwindling returns on their Internet marketing dollars. What do you think they’ll do?

Perhaps as an affiliate you believe you can work in your little niche and avoid the merchants that are being USED by ’cause’ affiliates. Trouble is, those little niches will become fewer and further in between, to the point of no where for you to go. Unwary merchants are being taken advantage of and for various reasons turn a blind eye to your rantings.

I’m not going to standby and watch parasites take over my business in ‘09, are you?

The Affiliate Trust is open for membership. Membership is currently free. We are a project oriented organization that is now working aggressively toward informing the industry of the hazards of association with unscrupulous ’cause’ organizations. The format of our working organization utilizes forum communications as a means to develop and distribute media.

Your participation is coveted and welcome. Please visit AT.AffiliateTrust.org to join. The initial membership level is ‘Observer’. Read information there about upgrading your membership.