I was joined today by a five year veteran of affiliate marketing who has made a name for himself in the coffee niche. He’s also the founder and director of Zynali Marketing Solutions, specializing in social media. You may know him as @CoffeeNate; he is Nate Smith.

Nate and I got into his beginnings in the affiliate marketing industry, where he’s from, and why coffee is such a great niche for him. I was unable to stump him on the QAQN Coffee Quiz – unsurprisingly.

1. This fictional character appears alongside his mule, Conchita, representing Columbian-grown coffee. (Juan Valdez)
2. In what part of the world did coffee originate? (Ethiopia)
3. True or false: instant coffee is worth drinking. (very, very false)

We also talked about Nate’s company, Zynali Marketing Solutions, and how that came about. We wrapped up with a mention of his new podcast, Affiliate Boys of Summer, and the way he takes his coffee: black (though he’d really prefer a proper espresso).

Learn more about Nate at Zynali.com, on Twitter, Facebook and CoffeeNate.com. c[_]

My guest this week is accomplished author Jim Kukral. A fifteen-year veteran of internet marketing, Jim is leading the charge into self publishing on the Amazon Kindle platform. 

Jim’s new book is Business Around a Lifestyle, available now at Amazon.

Not content to simply write books, Jim is at the forefront of teaching others about the opportunities that Amazon and self-publishing present for entrepreneurs that have the ability to write. His new service, Author Marketing Club, is open for membership (it’s free to join) and his book cover design service, Digital Book Launch, is accepting new clients all the time. In this episode you’ll hear why Amazon is the only game in town, why the “book” as we’ve known it for centuries is on the way out (permanently) and why you should be building a business around the life you want to lead (even if you think it can’t be done). It’s a rock-solid 40 minutes.

If you think that a book might be in your future, you don’t want to miss this interview!

Learn more about Jim at JimKukral.com and follow @jimkukral on Twitter.

I’m joined this week by Deborah Carney, who is on the show to talk about a new charity project to benefit Affiliate Marketers Give Back, in support of breast cancer research.

The affiliate marketing industry is known for its fundraising efforts on behalf of the Avon Walk for the Cure, which benefits breast cancer research and support. What better time of year than Valentine’s Day to show your love? This week affiliate marketers are using their book revenue to help raise money for Affiliate Marketers Give Back. Debbie shared with me the roots of the project, who is involved and what the group hopes to accomplish. I have long been a fan of Missy Ward and AMGB, so I hope that all of my listeners can spare a few minutes to look at the list of participating books and consider making a purchase or three. Prices start at only 99 cents! Check out the full list after the jump.

Purchase any of the books listed below between February 12 and 18 and the authors will donate their profits to AMGB. Although many of the books focus on business, affiliate marketing, and blogging, you will also find children’s books, photography books, and more.

Join us in helping spread the word about Affiliate Marketers Give Back and this Book Hop for the Boobies!

Books About Business:

Internet Marketing From the Real Experts (Shawn Collins, Missy Ward, and The Gang of 88) Collection of affiliate, email, blogging, podcasting, video, search engine, and social network rock stars that break down the how and why of Internet marketing in a clear, easy to understand way.

It’s All About the Cookies (Mary Poiley, Missy Ward, and Jen Goode) A mouth-watering collection of recipes and thought-provoking insights affiliate marketers learned on their road to success – an interesting read and a wonderful addition to your own kitchen.

Internet Marketing for Business Answers (Jim Kukral) The absolute best way to learn how to grow a successful business is to pay attention to how the experts have done it before you. Internet Marketing for Business Answers, the Small Business Expert Interviews edition puts you into a private one-on-one session with over 16 of the most successful business owners and entrepreneurs on the Web.

No Publisher Needed – Crowdfunding Your Book – How I Raised Over $30k in 30-Days To Pre-Fund My New Book (Jim Kukral) You don’t need an agent or a publisher to make your new book a success. You can use the power of the crowd to pre-fund your book and create your own virtual signing bonus. That’s what I did. I raised over $30k in 30-days for my new book series. Want to know how to do it? That’s what this book is all about.

The Basics of Affiliate Success: Running a Business (Top Secrets of Successful Affiliate Marketing) (Billy Kay) Affiliates always joke that they make money in their bathrobes, and that affiliate marketing is “easy money”! But in reality, it IS… a business. If run it like a business, it can succeed. Billy offers these business tricks and tips to help establish, grow and sustain your affiliate marketing career.

Follow Me: Making Money with Blogging, Facebook Marketing & Twitter for Business (Dave Cupples) Former NSW Young Entrepreneur of the Year, SMX Idol Winner and International Speaker Dave Cupples shares leading Social Media case studies from around the world and the most effective tools and actionable cutting edge tips for businesses to skyrocket new leads and supercharge revenue using Facebook, Twitter and Blogging. Includes Tips & Tools to incentivize Facebook Likes, Twitter Followers & Blog Subscribers, How to spy on competitors and copy their most effective tactics, Tips & Tools to get your content shared by influencers and much more!

Affiliate Marketing: The Complete Guide for Beginners (Affiliate Marketing – Mastering Internet Marketing) (Todd Farmer) This guide is designed to teach you the basics of Affiliate Marketing. I want you to understand how it works, who the players are, and how you fit in.

MyContentPro’s Cheap-Ass Guide to Online Content (Online Content for Marketers) (Todd Farmer) Content for your website or online marketing project is a critical component for success.  The goal of this eBook is to help you get the content you need, at the lowest price.  Many of the sources and strategies uncovered in this eBook provide content for your websites, 100% Free.

Best Practices for Coupon Sites (Deborah Carney, Vinny O’Hare, Kim Salvino, Amy Ely, and Jeannine Crooks)

Best Practices for Creating Your Affiliate Agreement (Deborah Carney, Vinny O’Hare, Eric Nagel)

Choosing the Scope and Structure of Your Blog (Deborah Carney, Tricia Meyer, Liz Fogg)

Facebook + Email = Success (Deborah Carney, Vinny O’Hare, Dave Cupples and David Iwanow)

SEO for Blogs (Deborah Carney, Vinny O’Hare, Eric Nagel, Tricia Meyer)

Children’s & Young Adult Books

W is for Woofer (Leslie Nazarian, Sharon Nazarian) A rhyming picture book with words that all begin with the letter W.

Woofer Works Out (Leslie Nazarian, Sharon Nazarian) Get kids excited to move and exercise with this illustrated rhyming book that showcases activities and sports for every season.

Winnie McGoo’s Museum Adventure (Leslie Nazarian, Sharon Nazarian) A museum can be an exciting place. Just ask Winnie McGoo. Whose adventure in a museum one night isn’t something many people do. From eating pizza with Mona Lisa to swimming on the Isle of Grande Jatte, Winnie’s museum adventure creates an interesting plot.

Block Boy (Alec Ababon) Short story about a boy that is different from the others and is bullied in school.

Animal Kingdom: Jaguar is Reborn (Eric Carney, Deborah Carney) Workaholic Jason Peters is an average sales rep with a suburban house and wife, Jennifer. One day Jason spills coffee in his car and finds a gold coin that changes their lives forever.

Inspiratonal and Photographs:
Blue Honeycreepers (Deborah Carney, Vinny O’Hare)

Flowers With Wings (Deborah Carney, Vinny O’Hare)

Inspirational Quotes for Writers – Coffee Table Book (Deborah Carney)

Poetry and Peonies: Japanese Tree Peonies (Deborah Carney)

Buddha Beach: Sedona, Arizona (The Southwest Gallery Series) (Deborah Carney, Liz Fogg, Alec Ababon)

What is Inspiration? (Thoughts on Life) (Alan Loren) –  a mini-anthology of poetry drawn from the pages of a writer’s workshop called MWW (My Word Wizard).

An assortment of other books:
Bike – A Short Story (Eric Carney)

Slay the Demons (Daniel Fogg, Deborah Carney) When a random act of violence forces him to hide a  corpse, Brent Fischer finds himself confronted with horrors long forgotten and horrors he longs to forget.  In the end he must either face down his demons once and for all or let them chase him off a cliff.  Sex, Drugs & Murder

Weirder Than Marshmallows (Daniel Fogg, Deborah Carney)

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My guest this week is an internet marketing specialist with over 12 years of sales and marketing experience. Sarah Bundy has been a top performer for more than a dozen multimillion dollar corporations, has won multiple awards for sales and service, and has founded four companies of her own. She’s the CEO of All Inclusive Marketing (AIM) and the brand new Affiliate Management Trainers (AMT). Sarah has written for FeedFront magazine and ReveNews and she speaks at conferences such as Affiliate Management Days and the Online Marketing Summit. She also teaches at the Online Marketing Institute.

Like many of my guests, Sarah was thrown into the industry as part of a different position. She quickly started learning as much as she could “like a sponge” and worked her way into a situation of influence that afforded her the opportunity to focus on an important goal: education. Growing out of her work with AIM, her new team at Affiliate Management Trainers works to educate online retailers.

Big thanks to Sarah Bundy for coming on the show! You can follow her on Twitter and learn more about her at AIM and AMT. Sarah can also be reached by email: sarah(at)allinclusivemarketing.com

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This week is part three of a three-part series leading up to Affiliate Summit and my session, Affiliate Improv!. My guest is Mike Buechele, one of the panelists from Affiliate Improv!, and he’s here to chat about our session, Summit, and a few other things. Heading to Las Vegas for Summit? Make sure you check out Mike and me on Affiliate Improv! along with Trisha Lyn Fawver and Eric Souza.

“Four industry veterans brainstorm marketing ideas for items/services with audience participation. Ideas to actionable solutions in one fun, lively hour. Come get your creative juices flowing!”

Affiliate Improv! happens on Sunday, January 8th at 3:30pm in the Augustus V room at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas. Space is limited, so get there early! This session is open to Gold, Platinum and Diamond passholders and is geared toward beginner and intermediate attendees.

Affiliate Improv! will have Office Hours on Tuesday, January 10th at 2pm in the Exhibit Hall. Exact location in the hall TBA.

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My guest this time is Jeremy Schoemaker, known throughout the industry as Shoemoney. Never one to shy from any topic, Jeremy is on the show to give a follow-up to the PMA discussion, dish on Fast Company and personalities in the internet marketing space, and offer up his personal philosophy: sharing experiences.

Jeremy also talked about how he got his start online, how the Shoemoney blog came together, and how he became the brand that he is today. As the closing keynote of Affiliate Summit coming up in January, he is sure to entertain and offer something to think about. Going to Summit? Do not miss that keynote. Trust me.

If you don’t know Shoemoney you’ll get to know him over the course of 75 packed minutes. When you’re done, connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and at Shoemoney.com where Jeremy shares more of his experiences.

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My guest this time is Sam Harrelson, longtime blogger and affiliate marketer, and recent nominee of an Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Award! Sam’s up for Best Blogger at Affiliate Summit West 2012.

Sam and I talked about a range of industry topics, including:

• The de-evolution of forums and the evolution of social media
• The democratization of industry resources
• Twitter vs. Facebook vs. LinkedIn
• His beginnings in the industry
• CPA vs. CPS – can they be brought together? Are they really that different?
• The Amazon or “Ad Tax” and forthcoming Federal laws
• The PMA and the unionization of the industry
• Labels! Performance? Affiliate? Mobile? CPA, CPS, PPC – how many little kingdoms do we need?

Most importantly perhaps, we debated the effectiveness of business cards vs. apps for contact info transfer.

You can find Sam at his industry blog, PayPerTrends and on Twitter.

Thanks for listening!

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This week is part two of a three-part series leading up to Affiliate Summit and my session, Affiliate Improv!. My guest is Trisha Lyn Fawver, one of the panelists from Affiliate Improv!, and she’s here to chat about our session, Summit, and a few other things. She’s number 37! (Insert Kevin Smith joke here)

“Four industry veterans brainstorm marketing ideas for items/services with audience participation. Ideas to actionable solutions in one fun, lively hour. Come get your creative juices flowing!”

Affiliate Improv! happens on Sunday, January 8th at 3:30pm in the Augustus V room at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas. Space is limited, so get there early! This session is open to Gold, Platinum and Diamond passholders and is geared toward beginner and intermediate attendees.

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This week is part one of a three-part series leading up to Affiliate Summit and my session, Affiliate Improv!. My guest is Eric Souza, one of the panelists from Affiliate Improv!, and he’s here to chat about our session, Summit, and a few other things in his own… unique… way.

“Four industry veterans brainstorm marketing ideas for items/services with audience participation. Ideas to actionable solutions in one fun, lively hour. Come get your creative juices flowing!”

Affiliate Improv! happens on Sunday, January 8th at 3:30pm in the Augustus V room at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas. Space is limited, so get there early! This session is open to Gold, Platinum and Diamond passholders and is geared toward beginner and intermediate attendees.

Affiliate Improv! will have Office Hours on Tuesday, January 10th at 2pm in the Exhibit Hall. Exact location in the hall TBA.

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My guest this week is Jen Goode, my partner in the management of the Affiliate Summit Newcomer Program. Jen had been managing the program for both Summits each year but needed to focus on her art business in January, so I was tapped to handle the program at that event. In this episode, Jen and I team up to explain exactly what the Newcomer Program is, who is invited, and what participants can expect.

To sign up – either as a newcomer or as a veteran volunteer – please visit the Affiliate Summit Newcomer Program sign-up page.

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This week I’m welcoming two guests to the show, Eric Nagel and Kevin Webster. The topic is analytics, the measuring and analyzing of web traffic, and these two guys are extremely knowledgable. You will learn a lot from this episode, guaranteed.

Eric Nagel is an award-winning blogger and a six-year veteran affiliate marketer. He is an expert in SEO, analytics and tracking, programming and marketing. His blog at EricNagel.com is one of the most well-regarded sites in the space for the teaching of web tactics. Eric is @EricNagel on Twitter.

Kevin Webster is a master of affiliate marketing, web analytics and search engine optimization. In addition to consumers, Kevin is an expert in the B2B aspect of analytics and his blog at KevinWebster.us is a low-frills, get-down-to-business treasure trove of knowledge. Kevin is @levelanalytics on Twitter.

Open your note-taking program of choice or grab an old-fashioned pen and paper because you’ll want to take notes on this episode. Honestly, these guys are talking on a level so far above my own that I can’t do them justice here in the show notes – which isn’t to say I won’t try.

We kicked of the show with introductions and an explanation of why I sounded like Redd Foxx gargling molten asphalt.

Eric dived into the analytics discussion with the idea that more traffic does not equal more revenue, unless you’re running an AdSense site, which can operate a little differently.

Google Analytics is the big package that gets the most attention, but what about hosted solutions like StatCounter and pMetrics? Kevin and Eric got into the differences and the pros and cons between Google and the hosted services. There was a great discussion about Piwik here. Piwik feels a little different than Google but does many of the same things – including eCommerce and conversion tracking – and it has an API.

It’s one thing to get an analytics package set up, but it’s vital to sit down and learn to really use it to its full potential. Kevin warned against “data puking“, which really can’t be stressed enough. If you’re looking at a spreadsheet full of numbers without context, it’s almost worthless.

Eric made a great prediction about the future of analytics as compared to SEO at about the 19 minute mark. He believes that we’ll start seeing services for analytics implementation and interpretation the way we see that kind of service for search engine optimization.

Are you interested in real time Google Analytics? You will definitely want to hear the next segment, where Kevin and Eric walk users through the basics of getting it set up and running it. Kevin is also a Woopra user for real-time tracking.

Google recently made some changes to the type of data that it provides, right on the heels of announcing a paid version of Analytics. No longer will free users get keyword data if it was generated by a logged-in Google searcher. Kevin and Eric went over this is good detail.

Eric brought up a great point, that you should ideally be tracking visitors in three stages. How did they get to your site? What are they doing while they’re on your site? What are they doing when they leave your site (and where are they going)?

Lastly, make sure you are examining your data weekly. Make sure someone internally owns the account and knows how to use it. And thanks to Eric for plugging the Affiliate Summit Newcomer Program at the end of the show! It’s a great program for newcomers and veterans alike, so from Eric and I both, go sign up!

Great thanks to Eric and Kevin for coming on the show and blowing my mind with a lot of this stuff!

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Joining me this week is someone I met for the first time at Affiliate Summit East 2011. I knew right away that I’d like to have him on as a guest. Eric Schwarzer has a pretty extraordinary mind; he is an idea guy, smart as a whip, sharp as a tack, clever as a… um… something that’s clever (unlike me right now, apparently). Listen as Eric deftly turns the interview around, this guy should be doing his own shows.

Eric “From Canada” first got into affiliate marketing about five years ago or so, and found that it really fits well for his family and lifestyle. We talked a lot about working from home, traveling on business and Las Vegas. While we were talking about Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas, Eric mentioned Defcon, which also happens there. We really jumped into an in-depth discussion about computer security, passwords protection and the future of everything. How secure are the companies we work with?

One of Eric’s great projects right now is 8-10 minute site reviews. For only $5 via Fiverr.com, Eric will review a page (or several pages) from your sites and offer his critiques. He did it for this site and my newsletter sign-ups doubled. No lie. Doubled, just by taking his advice and moving my sign-up form to a better place on the page. Go check out Eric’s SEO and site design reviews, it’s absolutely worth [more than] a fiver.

Also of note is the Beta version of CBHUD, an upcoming ClickBank insights tool. Go sign up!

Follow Eric on Twitter and at his site, AllSpun.com.

Recorded October 6, 2011.

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Last week I was contacted about providing a platform for Jeremy “Shoemoney” Schoemaker and the Performance Marketing Association to have a discussion in the wake of some recent comments. I couldn’t be happier to have as my guests today: Jeremy Schoemaker, Rebecca Madigan and Peter Bordes. I know you’ll find this educational as Jeremy asks some tough questions and gets some great answers.

The formation of the Performance Marketing Association was not without bumps in the road. Jeremy began at the beginning, asking Rebecca and Peter to explain the involvement of Anik Singal, the nature of the organization and how the membership levels affect the direction of the organization.

Trust is a key factor in the success or failure of an organization like the PMA. How much data does the PMA collect and what does it do with that data? Is that data kept confidential or is it sold or given to third parties?

Much time was spent on the nature of the “Amazon tax” or “Affiliate Tax” and how many people it has affected – and in what ways. Jeremy asked some very pointed questions about what the PMA has been doing about the state and national tax issues and how the PMA has been funded.

Rebecca explained what paid roles exist within the PMA and noted that most of the positions are staffed purely by volunteers. She and Peter also answered Jeremy’s concerns about how the board is elected and whether or not a seat on the board can be bought. There were also concerns about the people making up the board not having enough direct experience as affiliates, which Rebecca spoke about.

The most enlightening part of the episode was, for me, the discussion about the overall value of affiliate marketing to companies like Amazon. The insights that Jeremy shared were eye-opening.

You really don’t want to miss this episode, folks. If you have any stake in the affiliate marketing industry, you need to hear this open, frank discussion.

–

Jeremy “Shoemoney” Schoemaker is one of the most successful internet marketers of our time. He has proven his skills online in the PPC community, time and again in affiliate marketing, and is legendary for his $133,000 Google AdSense check. Whether its his blog or any of his companies ShoeMoney has proven that he has the dedication, drive, and at times the audacity to get the job done.

Rebecca Madigan, executive director of the Performance Marketing Association. Since leading the formation of the PMA in 2008, Rebecca has built the PMA to be the only trade association representing performance and affiliate marketing. She has collected 25 years of leadership experience in product management and marketing. She has had the pleasure of working with many very talented people in pioneering industries such as wireless data, voice-over-IP, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, and online affiliate marketing.

Peter Bordes is the founder and executive chairman of MediaTrust and is on the board of directors of the PMA, of which he is also a Founding Charter Member. He has been involved in technology and affiliate marketing since the early days of the industry and is a frequent speaker at events such as ad:tech, PubCon, AffCon, and more.

Big thanks to my guests for the fantastic show today!

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I have the honor of welcoming one of the most inspirational people I’ve ever met tot he show this week. If you haven’t met her yet, there’s a piece missing from your life. Hyperbole? Possibly – but you really should get to know Kim Ann Curtin.

My guest this week is well known as The Wall Street Coach and The Miracle Worker. She’s been called a trust agent, engaging & powerful, and a catalyst for possibility. Drew Bennett and I talked about her behind her back on a recent episode of Geek Dads Weekly and I’m thrilled to have her here with me on the show.

Kim gave me the low-down on who she is, where she comes from and her unique and inspiring points of view. She related to me a story that she told at Affiliate Summit East about one of the best ways to get over nerves when meeting new people, and stressed the importance of creativity in the success of a business. I can’t tell you enough what a great guest Kim was, you just have to listen. You’ll be glad you did.

Kim can be found at the aforementioned Wall Street Coach site as well as The Coach Shoppe and on Twitter.

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Joining me this week is Karen Garcia, a long-time member of the affiliate marketing community. Did you know she’s a physicist???

Karen, a co-founder of GTO Management, is an award winning outsourced program manager. She’s a 12 year veteran of affiliate marketing and is a frequent speaker at industry events like the Performance Marketing Expo and Affiliate Summit. She’s been published in FeedFront magazine, and is a major supporter of Affiliate Marketers Give Back, the wonderful breast cancer awareness organization.

I find it’s best to begin at the beginning, so I asked Karen how she got her start in affiliate marketing. I was floored when she told me that she has a science background and is a physicist. Karen and I talked about why she’s hopeful about the industry, what drives her and the symbolism behind the GTO Management name and logo.

Every year at Affiliate Summit West, GTO Management puts on, with partners Things From Another World and BowlingShirt.com, a midnight bowling event. Proceeds from the event go to Affiliate Marketers Give Back! If you’ll be joining us in Vegas in January, Karen & company will be putting on the bowling night once again, and I’ll be there. We’d love to see you there. Once I have details to share I’ll pass them along!

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Liz Gazer has been involved with affiliate marketing since about 2004. She’s the driving force behind Growthspurt Media, an Affiliate Program Management and consulting business. She has been nominated for awards in her position as an affiliate manager, and is a regular attendee and speaker at industry events like Affiliate Summit and CJU.

Liz and I got started with a bit of history; we began with where she hails from, how she got into affiliate marketing and what kinds of things she’s done in the industry. It was pretty soon into the interview that I touched on one of Liz’s big passions: ethics.

Liz believes, as do I, that in order for our industry to move forward in a positive, meaningful way, that ethics needs to be addressed at all levels: from the affiliate to the merchant to the networks and agencies. She also has some great insight about what it means to be able to call your competitors friends, as she is able to do.

You can learn more about Liz Gazer at Growthspurt Media and follow her on Twitter.

Big thanks to Liz for coming on the show today!

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In the fourth installment of the Affiliate Summit recaps, I’m joined by Wade Tonkin of Fanatics.com.

Wade has been to 13 Affiliate Summits and has a wealth of experience to draw from when he gives his recap of Summit East ’11. We touched on Wil Reynolds’ excellent keynote address, Eric Nagel’s whiteboarding sessions and other panels. Those session videos are available for Gold pass holders and above and should be ready in the next couple of weeks.

An emphasis on mobile was a big takeaway for Wade this time and we wrapped up with a recap of our Vegan Smackdown evening and how that connected to the purpose and vibe of Summit itself.

You may have noticed that I skipped from episode #20 to #28. I had previously been publishing “Short Shots” and special editions with their own numbering, but that was goofy. It was clunky and confusing for many of you, and it would have only gotten worse over time. I decided to merge all the numbering from here on out.

Thanks for listening! Interested in being a guest on Inside Internet Marketing or know someone that might be? Shoot me an email and let me know!

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My guest this time is Jill Swartwout of Girly Checks and the Carousel Checks family. She offered her unique insights and thoughts about the Meet Market, the power of working the floor, and why she wears pink.

Branding is important. I’ve got my Kangol hat that I’m recognized for, and Jill Swartwout is all about the color pink at these events. Pink plays an especially important role this time, as Girly Checks – along with TicketSizzle – sponsored the Saturday night buy.at party: buy.at’s Give Back Event. For every person that wore pink to the party, each sponsor donated $2 to Affiliate Marketers Give Back, the excellent charity championed by Summit co-founder Missy Ward.

Jill shared the results of the party along with her thoughts on Affiliate Summit, the Hilton hotel and the quality of swag.

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Another in the series of Affiliate Summit East 2011 recaps, my guest this time is Jeannine Crooks. A veteran of Summit, Jeannine is with buy.at and shared her ASE11 experiences from that perspective.

We were plagued by a Skype echo issue (not that you’ll notice), but Jeannine stuck it out and we ended up with a great episode. Her point of view is upbeat and positive, and if you’re looking for reasons to attend future shows, look no further. She’s a big fan of the exhibition hall and Meet Market, and the value that they provide to affiliates and networks like buy.at. We also covered a bit of Summit history and our own personal stories over the years.

You heard it here first: Shawn Collins in the chat room during the show mentioned that there might be another Affiliate Summit show in between West and East next year! How great would that be?!

Thanks for listening!

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Affiliate Summit East 2011 is but a memory, and my guest, Eric Souza, is here to share some of his.

I met Eric Souza in the Blogger Lounge on Sunday, the first official day of Summit. We had some good conversations (he’s intent on figuring out what the letters QAQN could stand for). Yesterday I took to Twitter to ask who would like to come on the show with me, and Eric was the first to respond.

Eric and I covered some great ground in just under twenty minutes, from the food to the sessions to the networking opportunities and more.

Coming up in episode 19, a recap with Jeannine Crooks of buy.at and in episode 20, the always awesome Jill Swartwout shares her thoughts about the Meet Market and her Summit experiences.

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This week I’m all about the cookies, plus a rundown of the Affiliate Summit sessions I recommend and podcast consulting in-person at Summit.

The big news this week is the release of the new book by Missy Ward and Mary Poiley (and contributors), It’s All About the Cookies: Affiliate Marketers’ Recipes for Yummy Deserts and Success. It’s over a hundred pages, it’s full of awesome recipes (including one of mine!) and it’s illustrated by the very talented Jen Goode. Want some reasons to buy this book right now? Here’s five:

• All proceeds benefit Affiliate Marketers Give Back to fight the good fight against breast cancer.
• The price is $19.99, very reasonable for a quality cookbook/business book.
• Rock solid business advice from 90 affiliate marketers, affiliate managers and network & agency folks.
• Rock solid deserts… no, wait. That’s not good. Really great deserts from that gang of 90, too.
• How about a free pass to Affiliate Summit West 2012?!

For a limited time (before August 31st, 2011) pick up a copy of It’s All About the Cookies and redeem the coupon inside for a free Gold Pass to Affiliate Summit West 2012 in Las Vegas. How awesome is that? Seriously. Buy it. Now, please. Go on, I’ll wait.

Got it? Okay, let’s move on.

Next up on the show, the day-by-day, hour-by-hour breakdown of sessions that I recommend checking out at Affiliate Summit East 2011 coming up in a couple of weeks. Not surprisingly, I strongly recommend Affiliate Improv! on Monday afternoon at 2pm. You know, ’cause it’s my session and all. No biggie. It’s just really awesome, that’s all.

Lastly, a call for podcasters. If you’re interested in working one-on-one with me for an hour during Summit, I’m booking consultations while we’re there. Skype is great, and I love consulting people from all over the place, but in-person is fantastic. If you’re up for it, head over to the consulting page and shoot me a message. Or, heck with it, just send me an email. That’s my direct email there. I’d love to hear from you. Oh, and if you make an appointment with me and want to bring a friend to split the cost with? Totally cool. I’ll consult two for the price of one.

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Affiliate Summit East is right around the corner and here you’ll find information about the conference, the venue, the parties and more.

This episode was broadcast live. Check out QAQN Live! for show schedules and live chat.

Rather than type up everything again, I’m going to give you the outline that I created prior to recording. This is far more detailed than I usually get with my prep, but I had a lot of things I wanted to cover and I definitely needed a bullet list to make sure I did. I strayed a bit from the outline so this isn’t completely a replacement for listening to the show ;) Here you go:

What is Affiliate Summit?

• conference for affiliate marketers and the companies they work with
• founded by shawn & missy in 2003
• the first conference was on a cruise ship and hosted 200 people. earlier this year in vegas, there were 4,627 attendees
• education is a big part
• networking is perhaps a bigger part
• four pass types – Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond
• silver: meet market, exhibit hall, keynotes
• gold: everything from silver plus educational sessions on Sunday, all the powerpoint presentations and recorded session videos (usually a few months after the show) – even though you get the videos, you don’t get the sessions in-person
• platinum: all the gold items plus breakfast and lunch on monday and tuesday, all the educational sessions on all three days, participation in the newcomer program
• diamond: all platinum items plus your company logo on your name badge, express check-in and DVDs of all the recorded session videos
• all of this info can be found at affiliatesummit.com or qaqn.com/summit (affiliate link)

The Hilton

• not quite as much walking as in vegas because the elevators go from the upper floor rooms right down into the conference area. in vegas, things are more sprawled. new york, things are more vertical.
• laguardia is the closest airport, about 8 miles away
• central park is a few blocks away
• Mediterranean restaurant, a Cafe, a bar and a lounge and a starbucks
• as of today, July 28th, they have rooms available, the lowest price is $279/night

Newcomer Program

• Started a few years ago, it’s been run by Jen Goode since, i think, 2009.
• great resource for people who haven’t attended before
• NOT for getting advice about business, affiliate marketing or general work-related stuff, it’s just a way for people who have been to Summit before to take someone under their wing a little bit, show them around, introduce them to a few people and be generally helpful.
• jen’s always looking for summit veterans to help the program out, or if you’re a first-timer and want to join the program, the address is http://www.affiliatesummit.com/affiliate-summit-newcomer-program/ OR qaqn.com/newcomer – and yeah, that’s an affiliate link… i wouldn’t be much of an affiliate marketer if I didn’t use an affiliate link to point folks to affiliate summit, would I?
• Sunday, 6:30pm Newcomer Meetup

Sessions

• things like How to Pitch Your Company, How to Maximize Your LinkedIn Presence, and Killing the Affiliate Nexus Tax Dead
• sessions begin Sunday and run from 10am to about 5pm through Tuesday – Tuesday shuts down a little earlier
• Affiliate Improv – Monday, 2pm! BE THERE!
• Interactive scheduling tool: ase11.sched.org/danielmclark
• and while you’re not in a session, if you’re a blogger, stop by the blogger lounge, being run by Heather Smith, HeatherinBC on twitter

Parties

• ShareASale Under the Stars – The ShareASale Barn Dance! At the Hilton on Sunday night from 8 to midnight, open bar, mechanical bull, live band, square dancing and more. Apparently there will be a chicken coop. I don’t know where they’re going to get live chickens but… it’s New York City. I’d be surprised if they couldn’t get live chickens.
• Buy.at is always awesome. This time, the party is called “Buy.At’s Give Back Event”. It’s Saturday night, 8-11 pm at the Kimberly Hotel penthouse lounge. Here’s the coolest part – if you wear a pink item (clothing, accessory), Buy.at will donate $2 to Affiliate Marketers Give Back. Even better than that, GirlyChecks.com and TicketSizzle.com have agreed to match that amount! Plus there’s going to be a silent auction between 8 and 10.
• Karaoke monday night, more low-key, great for people that want a break from the loud parties. don’t think there’s a url for this yet, but keep an eye on the affiliate summit blog and forum, you’ll see an announcement about it.

Podcast Consulting

• qaqn.com/consulting - slots still open for consulting at the conference

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My guinea pig – I mean guest – this week is Jared Saunders, affiliate manager at Jensen USA. Jared was kind enough to bear with me during my first Ustream live broadcast with a guest!

Like a lot of people, Jared didn’t plan on jumping into affiliate marketing, but when the opportunity presented itself, he really made a splash. After taking over the program at JensenUSA, a fantastic retailer of bikes and gear related to cycling, Jared found himself the recipient of a 2009 ShareASale Exceptional Affiliate Manager award. Why? How about a tenfold increase in affiliate sales? His personal touch has made that program one of the most pleasant to work with on the network.

Jared is also an avid cyclist and you can count on several tweets a week that note the miles he racks up. Cycling was an enthusiasm as a child but he ratcheted it up to a passion while living in New Zealand – and really, when you’re trying to avoid the orcs that roam New Zealand, a bike is a great thing to have.

He’s a bit of a personal inspiration to me. Fitness is a major part of Jared’s life. Like me, he once clocked in at 250 pounds and has dropped all the weight that I’m hoping to drop – he’s down to 190. A challenge was issued and accepted in this episode. We’re each going to aim for losing 15 pounds before Affiliate Summit. There’s a trophy involved. I’m not scared! Bring it!

Big thanks to Jared for coming on the show – follow him on Twitter and check out the JensenUSA program on ShareASale!

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My guest this time is Missy Ward, one of the most prominent women in the internet marketing industry. She is the co-founder of Affiliate Summit and all that that entails: the conference, FeedFront magazine, GeekCast.fm, a series of webinars, a published book and much more. I didn’t talk to her about any of that today.

Inside Internet Marketing is a podcast devoted to the men and women of the affiliate marketing industry. It’s about the people, not the industry. It’s about what makes the people who they are. It’s in that spirit that I waited until now to invite Missy on the show because there is one topic that is so near to her heart that I couldn’t not devote an episode to it.

This weekend, Missy will be participating in the Avon Walk For Breast Cancer in Colorado. She and her team, Affiliate Marketers Give Back, will be walking to raise money for this very special cause. To date, the team has raised nearly $300,000 and it is thanks, in large part, to the tireless efforts of one Missy Ward.

Please enjoy this episode of Inside Internet Marketing and if you’d like to support Missy’s efforts, it’s never too late to make a donation.

Follow Missy on Twitter and visit her sites at MissyWard.com and AffiliateSummit.com.

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On Monday, March 27th, I did the 3+ hour drive from home (south of downtown Houston) out to Austin. My destination was the state capital building – on the agenda for the Ways & Means Committee was HB1317. Similar (almost exactly the same, really) to the bills passed in other states, HB1317 aims to force out-of-state retailers to collect and remit sales tax on purchases made by Texans based on the re-definition of “nexus”.

Under current law, a company with “nexus” is defined as having a physical presence in the state. Apple collects sales tax on online purchases because they’ve got Apple stores here in Texas. Headquarters, distribution centers, retail locations – physical presence is the test. HB1317 seeks to redefine “nexus” to include affiliate marketers.

In this special episode of Inside Internet Marketing, I recap my trip to Austin to protest that bill, and I’ve got a great interview with Rebecca Madigan of the Performance Marketing Association.

Even if a bill isn’t being brought up right this second in your state, watch out. I didn’t think there would be one here, either.

In this short episode of Inside Internet Marketing, I’m joined by Greg Hoffman to talk about his new guide to launching an affiliate program. Too often, merchants hear about affiliate marketing and launch an unmanaged program without knowing what they’re really getting into. Greg’s eBook aims to help those merchants succeed in the space despite the odds – unmanaged programs from new merchants tend to have a very high failure and/or very low growth rates.

Being an affiliate for Greg’s book, you can help support QAQN by purchasing the book through my link. Please, this book is for prospective affiliate managers and merchants, if you’re an affiliate, your money is better spent elsewhere.

My guest this week is a 12 year veteran of affiliate marketing – she’s been an affiliate, an affiliate manager, a merchant, and a recruiter. Jeannine Crooks is well versed in areas like Pay Per Click, SEO, SEM and much more. An advocate for the industry, Jeannine has testified before the House and Senate in her home state of Colorado in the effort to protect Colorado-based affiliates. She recently joined buy.at as an Account Manager here in the US.

Jeannine began with a company called Giants, a company for motorcycle parts and accessories, and she helped start their affiliate program at a time when she didn’t even know that that’s what such a program was called! After much success, she found herself in affiliate manager roles in several companies over the next decade or so – such is the nature of our industry. As Jeannine says, it’s easy to switch from one company to another, and she’s even been sold from one company to another!

I asked Jeannine about staying afloat in an industry that’s always changing, and she’s had some great experience that led to some great responses to that question. Stay current. Network. Make connections. The industry is really about personal relationships, more than some people may realize.

We chatted a bit about the affiliate tax (or ‘Amazon tax’) issues, and if you’re not 100% sure about what’s going on and what’s at stake, listen to Jeannine in this segment. Her insight is astounding, and if you – like me – are planning on attending any hearings in your state capital, you’ll want to take notes.

Next, we talked about passion and entrepreneurial spirit. We have tremendous opportunities working in this industry. Jeannine has some great ideas for resources for learning about the industry – and even an inside tip to share.

We wrapped with the story of how she ended up working for Buy.at and what differentiates Buy.at from other affiliate networks. Her enthusiasm is fantastic!

Thanks for coming on the show, Jeannine!

Follow Jeannine Crooks on Twitter and check out Buy.at!

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My guest today is an online content strategist, focusing on internet marketing, branding and social media. Lisa Picarille is a veteran journalist who began her career as a professional sports writer, and headed the news departments of such major organizations as Wired.com, TechTV.com and CRN.com. Her work has appeared in Rolling Stone, PCWeek, MacWeek and Computerworld, to name a few. Lisa is a tireless advocate for the internet marketing industry and a frequent speaker at industry events – and she’s a fellow podcaster at GeekCast.fm.

Lisa and I had a great half hour talking about her beginnings in journalism and affiliate marketing, then a significant segment of the show was devoted to the recent passage of the “Amazon tax” in Illinois. If you are affected by that bill or by similar bills in other states, you’ll not want to miss this discussion.

We finished up with a segment about My Content Pro, a project that Lisa is working on with Todd Farmer. Is content really king? Lisa has an opinion about that.

Thanks Lisa, for coming on the show!

Visit LisaPicarille.com and MyContentPro.com.

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My guest this week is an outsourced program manager with 6 years of experience in the affiliate marketing space. He and the programs he manages have been nominated for awards at ABestWeb and have won twice. He’s also a podcaster, the host of Affiliate Juice (along with my Geek Dads Weekly co-host Joe Magennis). He’s the marketing gorilla, he’s Greg Hoffman.

Greg and I covered his beginnings in the affiliate marketing industry and how he went from discovery to opening his own OPM consulting firm – and how he came up with Marketing Gorilla as a brand.

We talked about the importance of face-time to his business and to success with affiliate marketing in general. Relationships and trust are the key components to the viability of business, and affiliate marketing is not excluded. To that end, I asked Greg what he thought of the recent Revenews article that posed the question: can a person be both an affiliate manager and an affiliate at the same time? Greg has some great insight into that conundrum.

Next up, the Affiliate Juice podcast and why Greg feels that podcasting is so awesome (I happen to agree!). There’s another show in the works called Affiliate Voices as well.

Thanks for coming on the show today, Greg!

Follow Greg on Twitter and visit his site at GregHoffmanConsulting.com.

My guest this week is the recipient of several awards and recognitions for his work as an affiliate manager. Matt McWilliams been involved with affiliate marketing since around 2005 and has recently made a move back to a company that he helped launch in the early 2000′s.

Matt and I started with his beginnings in the industry with HometownQuotes.com – like many, Matt sort of fell into the role of affiliate manager and ran with it. He ran with it so well in fact, that when he moved to Legacy Learning and began managing their program, he earned a 2010 Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Awards Affiliate Manager of the Year award and a pair of awards from ABestWeb for Affiliate Manager of the Year (2009) and Most Improved Affiliate Program (2009).

We spoke about the industry at length – what Matt likes and dislikes about it, and that led to a great discussion about both FTC regulation and internet taxation and how they relate to his job as an affiliate manager.

Matt has recently moved back to Hometown Quotes where he will bring his personal touch and extensive skills to their affiliate program.

Thanks Matt for coming on the show!

Follow Matt on Twitter, and check out the Hometown Quotes affiliate page to learn more about their program.

My guest this week is Trisha Lyn Fawver, an experienced affiliate, affiliate manager, podcaster and more. She’s been online since ’99 and involved with affiliate marketing since 2007. In just the past few years she has become a bit of a touchstone in the industry, speaking multiple times at Affiliate Summit and being published in FeedFront magazine.

We kicked off the interview by clearing up a common misconception. While her professional name may be Trisha Lyn Fawver, she prefers to be addressed as Trisha. Lyn is just a middle name, not part of a first name. I confess, I still slip up occasionally and call her Trisha Lyn. Once we got that out of the way…

We talked about how she got her start in affiliate marketing and what her current business, ForMeToCoupon is all about. I asked her what she loves most about the industry (the people) and what she hates most about the industry (the people – well, some of them). We covered traveling for industry events and how important face-to-face interaction is. I asked her what she’d most like to be known for.

Thanks to Trisha for coming on the show this week! Be sure to follow her on Twitter and she blogs at TrishaLyn.com.

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My guest this week has been involved with the internet since 1997 and with affiliate marketing since about 2004. Mike Buechele is a frequent speaker at industry conferences like Affiliate Summit and was on my team for Affiliate Improv at Summit West 2011 last month. In addition to affiliate marketing, Mike is involved with online ad buying and offers consulting services.

Mike and I talked about passions and how they influence the work we choose to do. We also covered the daily life of an online marketer when I asked Mike how many hours he generally puts in per week. Much to the chagrin of some folks, Mike prefers the term “performance marketing” to describe what he does, rather than “affiliate marketing”, and we wrapped with a discussion of the current round of internet taxation efforts and how they’re affecting affiliates around the country.

I’d like to thank Mike for coming on the show this week!

Follow Mike on Twitter and view his profile on LinkedIn. If you’re into comics and related things, he co-hosts the Comic Book Fury podcast.

My guest this time recently published a list of more than 40 Amazing Women in Affiliate Marketing. Though it would have been weird to list herself, she certainly fits in. Tricia Meyer is the exceptional marketer and community builder behind Sunshine Rewards.

We started with her beginnings in the industry, and moved into what it’s like being a coupon/cash-back affiliate. Coupon and cash-back affiliates are perhaps one of the more misunderstood kinds of affiliates, and Tricia was happy to explain why – and why they’re not all bad. We discussed her day-to-day running of Sunshine Rewards, social media efforts and community building.

As the owner of several affiliate sites that monetize pop culture trends, Tricia was eager to talk about niches that correspond to your passions. We wrapped up with the importance of industry conferences and what we get out of them.

All in all, a great interview – thanks for listening, and thanks to Tricia for coming on the show!

Follow Tricia on Twitter.

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This time out I welcome the blogger who won the Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Award for Best Blogger two weeks ago: Eric Nagel. Eric has been involved in affiliate marketing for about six years and went full time with it two years ago. Since going full time he has been nominated for and won awards and recognition throughout the industry as a true authority.

Eric shared with me his story: how he became involved with affiliate marketing, his programming background, and his philosophies of blogging and affiliate marketing. We talked about his reaction to winning the Pinnacle award (“a complete shock”), his podcast (Both Sides of the Tracks with Jason Rubacky) and we wrapped with a brief discussion of his excellent Christmas lights display.

Links!

• Eric’s blog
• Both Sides of the Tracks podcast
• The Church of SEO
• Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Awards 2011
• ProgrammableWeb.com

Thanks for listening, and thanks Eric for coming on the show!

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My only regret is that I didn’t record this episode days ago! It’s just me, sans guest, giving my thoughts and opinions about one of my most positive conference experiences ever: Affiliate Summit West 2011. Here’s my brief summary of my recap… how very meta. Quick, someone excerpt my summary, let’s see how far we can distill this thing.

The premier affiliate marketing conference

I arrived in Las Vegas on Thursday, January 6th – a little early, to say the least. I don’t like to be rushed, so I enjoy getting to town a day earlier than most (a lot of my friends and colleagues come in on Friday and Saturday). I checked into Harrah’s (big mistake – I’m staying at the conference hotel, wherever that may be in the future, from now on) and relaxed. Did a bit of walking, but generally relaxed and enjoyed quiet time (calm before the storm).

Friday I met up with my Geek Dads Weekly co-host Drew Bennett. We went to Cali Lewis’ meetup at Planet Hollywood, then had dinner at the Flamingo. Meh. Not great. Kinda like one small step up from a Denny’s. After that, we went down to the Wynn and met up with Jill Swartwout at B Bar. Drew went back to get some sleep after a bit, but I walked over to Treasure Island to say hi to Leslie Nazarian and her sister Sharon, who had arrived in Vegas late that night.

Saturday, Drew and I went to CES, courtesy of XShot (extremely cool people and a great product). We spent the majority of the day at CES and ran into Heather Smith and her daughter Crystal while we were there. Check out BenSpark.com for some cool videos that Drew shot there. After CES, it was back to hotel, did an episode of Geek Dads Weekly, then dinner at Red 8 at the Wynn, then off to the buy.at party (awesome).

Yet another A+ event from ShareASale

Sunday, Affiliate Summit started! We had our Affiliate Improv! session at 11am and it was awesome. We had really good feedback from everyone we heard from, which is fantastic. There was lunch, a quick trip through the Meet Market, and before I knew it, it was time for dinner with Leslie Nazarian and the Purpose, Inc poker tournament. (I neglected to mention in the podcast that right before the tournament was the Newcomer meetup that Jen Goode organized.) I busted out of the tournament, got to the ShareASale party just a bit too late, and went to Gold Coast for bowling. The charity bowling event to support Affiliate Marketers Give Back was once again sponsored by GTO Management (thanks Karen and Joel!), Things From Another World (props to Andrew and Dale!) and BowlingShirt.com. It was a great time, despite my blisters preventing me from putting on the bowling shoes and throwing a few. I got back to my hotel around 2am.

Monday and Tuesday were spent almost exclusively in the Blogger Lounge, when I wasn’t out having breakfast or lunch. I had my podcasting gear set up in there and had some great discussions about it with various people. Didn’t get much recording done, but made some invaluable contacts that more than made up for the lack of new content. Monday night was Trivia Night at the Wynn, which was awesome, despite my team’s loss – me & Shawn’s winning streak was broken by Tricia Meyer’s team. All good things must come to an end, I guess, but we’ll be back for another round in New York! Tuesday night, a group of us had dinner at the MGM Grand buffet, then a few of us met up with another group at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill at Harrah’s. It was the perfect near-end to a nearly perfect conference.

Wednesday I had a wonderful breakfast with Jen Goode, Lisa Picarille and Brad Waller, then… nothin’. Packed up my room… had lunch before heading to the airport… and home. Exhausted, but in the best kind of way. I do love this industry!

See you all in New York!

My guest this week is Jill Swartwout of GirlyChecks.com. Jill has been around the industry for about five years, after being introduced to it by her father, Bill. Recently nominated for awards at ABestWeb (Girly Checks, Best Affiliate Program and Best Affiliate Manager (together with Bill)), Jill is quickly making a very positive name for herself and her program.

During our interview, Jill revealed how she got involved in the affiliate marketing industry and what keeps her in it. We discussed Affiliate Summit West 2011 and previous Summits that she has attended, and Jill went into great detail about the Girly Checks program: why it has been so successful, why affiliates love it and what customers can expect when shopping with Girly Checks.

Learn more about Jill through social media on Facebook and Twitter and find out more about Girly Checks on ShareASale, at GirlyChecks.com, and at GirlyChecksAffiliates.com.

Thanks for listening, and thanks Jill for coming on the show this week!

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I’m joined for the second Affiliate Summit West 2011 Short Shot by Wade Tonkin of Football Fanatics. Wade and I were part of a session on Sunday, January 9th called Affiliate Improv. Wade shares this thoughts about that session as well as Summit, working for Football Fanatics and helping to raise money for Affiliate Marketers Give Back.

Thanks, Wade!

Wade can be found at FootballFanatics.com and is on Twitter as @Affile8Warrior

In this first of two Short Shots recorded at Affiliate Summit West, I’m joined by Adam Riemer for a brief chat. Adam shares his thoughts about Affiliate Summit – why he attends, what he gets out of it, and his advice for people planning on coming to future Summits.

Thanks, Adam!

Adam’s website is AdamRiemer.me and he’s on Twitter as @rollerblader.

It’s the end of 2010 and my guest for the final show of the year is Jason Rubacky, Affiliate Development Manager with ShareASale. Jason has been around the industry for about 8 years and in that time has made quite a name for himself. His whiteboard sessions, speaking engagements, Facebook presence and active Twitter stream have captured the attention of thousands.

Jason and I talked about his beginnings in the industry, his efforts at testing SEO methods and his passion for paying it forward by teaching those methods to others. He’s got some really great ideas – and some very strong opinions – about exact match domains and working the SERPs. If you’re into SEO at all, you’re going to enjoy what Jason’s got to say about this.

Other notable items we talked about: at the upcoming Affiliate Summit West 2011, Jason has a session. Also, the Church of SEO Facebook group is amazing, and though not everyone is guaranteed an invite, it’s absolutely worth applying for.

You can learn more about Jason at various places online, including Twitter, Facebook, his blog, via Skype (jasonrubacky) and email (jason -at- shareasale.com).

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Joining me today is one of the most well-known people in the industry. As the co-founder of Affiliate Summit, the largest affiliate marketing conference in the world, Shawn Collins plays host to thousands of people in our industry twice yearly.

In addition to, and sometimes in conjunction with, Affiliate Summit, Shawn is also the co-Editor in Chief of FeedFront Magazine, the founder of the GeekCast.fm podcast network, a book author, blogger, podcaster, video producer and recipient of many industry awards. *whew* On top of all that, he’s married with children, and I honestly don’t know how it manages it all so well.

Shawn gave me an excellent interview in which we talked about his beginnings in affiliate marketing and management, the foundation of Affiliate Summit, the techie scene in Austin vs. Jersey, podcasting and more. Don’t forget to book your travel to Summit in January as soon as possible; Shawn expects the show will sell out (as it always does) in about two weeks or so!

Follow Shawn on Twitter

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Jim Kukral is my special guest this week as we come back from a week off for Thanksgiving. I hope you all had a great holiday. Jim has been involved in internet marketing since 1995 – before, he likes to say, tables were even introduced into HTML. Jim is a prolific speaker, blogger, video producer and author of both e-books and printed books. His excellent Attention! This Book Will Make You Money is on store shelves now.

In the space of 20 minutes, Jim and I talk about his beginnings with online business and his move into live speaking engagements with his advice for those that want to do the same. His advice is indispensable for anyone considering adding live presentations to their repertoire.

We also cover Jim’s decision to quit blogging and why that has worked out well for him as well as our This Book Will Fight Breast Cancer project that’s culminating with the silent auction at Affiliate Summit West in January. It’s an honor to have Jim on the show this week, and you can learn more about him at JimKukral.com.

Links!

• Jim’s camera of choice is the Kokak Zi8 (affiliate link)
• Squarespace
• Fiverr
• FiveBuckEBook.com
• the site with the annoying ad was Zamzar.com – good site, bad advertising.
• BuyTheFlip.com

Follow Jim on Twitter

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The focus of the show this week is affiliate marketing and the key component of that industry: the affiliate. My guest is Leslie Nazarian, an experienced affiliate of several years. Leslie has some fantastic thoughts on what it’s like to work in the industry from an affiliate’s point of view – what’s good about it, what’s bad about it, what kind of tools and methods work well and what doesn’t. If you’re someone who would like a bit of insight into the affiliate mind, Leslie’s is a great mind to pick.

In addition to her affiliate marketing efforts, Leslie is a prolific artist and writer, and her work can be seen, among other places, in her two shops: Lesruba Designs and Lesruba Weddings.

Follow Leslie on Twitter

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My guest for episode three is Jen Goode, a work-at-home entrepreneur that’s been working online since the mid-90′s. Jen has a vast array of talents: graphic design, site building, coding, affiliate marketing, social media, and she somehow has time to raise three great kids. Her latest venture is joining Money Minded Moms as a contributing writer.

In this episode of Inside Internet Marketing, Jen and I talk about her penguins – she’s “The Penguin Lady” to a lot of folks – as well as her thoughts on the industry, doing what you love, and Affiliate Summit. Jen is the Newcomer Program organizer for Summit, and if you’re attending Affiliate Summit West 2011 in January as a first-time attendee, I personally highly recommend joining the Newcomer Program.

Jen can be found at JGoodeDesigns.com, ProjectsforPreschoolers.com, and she blogs at JGoode.com as well as writing for Examiner.com.

Follow Jen on Twitter

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My guest this time is Deborah Carney, a longtime veteran of the affiliate marketing industry. Deborah, better known as Loxly to more than a few people, began her current career as an affiliate more than ten years ago and has since explored many positions within the industry – affiliate, consultant, affiliate manager, OPM and educator. Along the way she’s made an indelible mark on the lives and careers of many, many people – myself included – and I’m thrilled to have her on the show.

Deborah can be found at ABC’s Plus and all over various social networking sites.

Follow Deborah on Twitter

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In this inaugural episode of Inside Internet Marketing, I chat with Todd Farmer, a 14-year veteran of the industry. Todd has been around since the earliest of early days and has seen a lot of things come and go. He shares with me his story and views on the industry as well as what he’s got going on with Lisa Picarille at MyContentPro.com.

Some of our topics include: the early days of Amazon and affiliate marketing, Google, email list building in the late 90′s/early 00′s, Affiliate Summit and Shareasale.

Thanks Todd, for coming on the show today!

Follow Todd on Twitter

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In this Short Shot, I have lunch with Greg Hoffman (Greg Hoffman Consulting) and Tricia Meyer & Cindy Ballard (Sunshine Rewards) at La Bamba Mexican Restaurant in Half Moon Bay, California. It was Monday, October 18th, and we had all just arrived for the Shareasale Think Tank event. The question put before the group is: why are you here?

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