Scam or income stream ?

[neena]

Looking at all the information available on the Affiliate programmes, I've been toying with the idea of joining one. Most of them seem like scam to me, how do I identify the genuine ones from the fradulent ones ? I want to make some money from my blog but adsense doesn't seem to be working big time either. Can you recommend a good affiliate programme which has worked for you and isn't too expensive to join? Thanks.

[hwang]

Go for the reputable ones. Maybe you should consider joining some of the established sites like Commission Junction, Azoogle, Amazon and Clickbank which pays well.

[life31]

The ones Hwang mentioned are preety descent and known to pay. However till today I only joined CJ and got paid from them too. But lots of people preffer clickbank more I suppose.

Anyways if you could nake a few in which you were actually intrested then it would be easy for us to comment on they being legit or not, or may be find out more about them.

[hwang]

Well as long as it is from the 4 main affiliates program, I think you can trust them. I've never come across people complaining that CJ or clickbank are scam, expect when you are using blackhats method for cheating.

[Llamalord]

Best bet is to visit forums which mention them, you will see people either praising it or slagging it off, for the good reviews just read carefully, alot of scam ones will have 1 person posting under different names and every post can sound the same, clear indication

[neena]

Thanks for all your advice guys. I didn't want to give my hard money to a scamster.
Since you've asked me if I had any specifics in mind, this is one that I saw recently and nearly joined, looking at all the money that they displayed, and yet something kept me back. Let me know what all you affiliate gurus think of this one

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[life31]

Affiliate Junction??? You mean the one which provided a free affiliate site with its affiliate account??? If its the same then I have heard some bad reviews about it.

I think you need to sign up for hosting with iPOWER or something and not quiet sure if they pay for it or you need to pay for it. And then then provide you the site to host there. Heard people saying that they did not have the site hosted till date.

BTW please confirm from some other professional marketeers regardin it.

[neena]

Yeah its the same one. You have to sign up with ipower, a web hosting co, once you do that they say they'll reimburse you with $75, making your hosting free. So I thought so far, so good. But what got to me was that the hosting is only for one year, something which they dont specify unless you look carefully at ipower. Plus its automatically renewable.
I have looked up a few forums and again the view is conflicting. Some say they have made really good money out of it, the rest are like its a scam. Who do you believe ???

[hwang]

Better be careful, hope there's no hidden charges whatsoever after signing up. Sometimes they offer free for certain thing but behind has certain conditions attached which make the whole package sounds even worse.

[liowkc]

Read the fine print with the magnifying glass and take a screen shot of the terms and conditions. I have heard about slimy buggers changing the terms and conditions later on and there is no proof of the original.

[hwang]

I just did a simple search but did not find anything useful about the program. Maybe another best bet is to visit affiliate forums and find out further information. Most of the time, previous users could be able to tell you a lot and share their experience on using it.

[neena]

I've dropped it for now hwang. Somehow like you I haven't found anything useful either and there are people who say they are making thousands of $$ every month. But then these days everyone boasts of it, somehow I find it hard to believe them. If they were that great, they could have absorbed the hosting costs instead of asking people to join ipower, and then paying back the money you get charged there.

[liowkc]

I think affiilate marketing is neither a scam nor a steady income stream; it is a legitimate way of making money but not as easy as it was made out to be. And as usual, only few affilate marketers make big bucks.