unbelievably there's NO taco bell in Thailand!
the only taco bell in all of Asia is in Singapore.

keep trying to talk my wife into opening one here lol

or at least a knock off, since everything in Thailand is a knockoff or pirate copy.

:2 cents::2 cents:

Not in the affiliate game. They would do better licensing content, and doing clip stores. You can still easily do $100.00 a day if you are doing updates, and know how to market some.

:2 cents:

Jay, how much traffic did you loose? What did you do to get it back on the same level as it was? OR did you focus more on OCcash and was hoping the same tricks would still work for you as it did before for the link site?

Don't get me wrong I am not bashing you, just wondering. We also see a drop in sales but we still work hard with all 10 of us at the office (plus 5 parttime from home) here to make sure we all can continue to make a living out of this.

Times are changing and people need to get of their ass, this is not 1999 anymore and times are getting harder. The days of putting up a banner and see the sales flood in are over for a while already.

Is it harder, yes it's harder. I do a LOT of traffic and my ratio this month is creeping towards 1:3500, some programs that gave a few sales a day have simply not converted for weeks on end with ratios of 1:10k even some over 1:20k from SE traffic since thats most of my traffic.

Though I also partner in 2 paysite programs and have access to the reports. One of the main reasons I am sure is the huge CC declines, some guys even trying 3-4 legit cards before finally getting their join through. I can no longer signup to ccbill using any 5 of my cards, and have trouble with other processors too! Declines are up 300-400% from where I am sitting across the 4 processors we use, and thats not even mentioning the rebill declines from longstanding members!

Can you still make money as an affiliate? Fuck yeah! Sales are still being made, and traffic is still growing, and while we are in a bit of a rutt at the moment it will not always be like this. Quality porn sites are still making sales, people are still buying porn in droves and with so many big players getting out of the industry there is opportunity! Hell you can still make the magic $100k a year within 1-2 years with some hard work and dedication, and by hard work I mean not posting on the boards all day, and chatting on icq, I mean getting your hands dirty, pumping out 2-3 good sites a day, trading, tweaking, submitting, pushing and networking hard.

I joined with 3 other still very successful webmasters to start a free newbie training project, mostly because we all had family and friends keen to get into the biz. We have around 50 participants now, many how started from absolute scratch with almost no knowledge and in the space of a couple of months many of them are starting to make sales! Some do a site every few days, some maybe a blog a day, some are charging ahead really using the methods that we teach, the methods that work for us and are starting to see a weekly rise in traffic and sales. On top of that they work together, doing projects and trading links and helping eachother. The future of the affiliate model isn't in an isolated affiliate fighting against everyone else, its in cooperation and working together! There IS room in this industry for the affiliate, especially the affiliate who simply doesn't insert him or herself infront of an easy traffic source and traffic destination and hold out their hand for payment!

Regardless of the complaining about the shitty state of ratios and signups, this is still a pretty easy industry to get into in comparison to many others! It's still very easy to make $100k a year within 1-3 years, all it takes is some work, something which adult webmasters until recently haven't had to do.

I am a full time affiliate, and you won't believe: i am submitting galleries. i can feed my little family, i am not complaining, but sales do suck at the moment, hands down. i am not sure about the future, but i will diversify for sure. more attention to blogs, etc. but this current situation is motivating me to improve my work on a daily basis. I can't honestly pick any of the above options, as a mix of 2-3 is true for me.

You need to very seriously look into getting a merchant account. And, if you already have one then get a new one. This is a much easier way to make more money than getting more traffic. If you have people wanting to pay, you must find a way to let them.

We do through paysquare, though you are right declines are lower on that. Then again fraud screening is a pain in the rear end for them too, been getting hit by carders hard for the last 6 months.

Yeah I think THIS is the big problem. Thanks for verifying what I also see. I have NATS progs that are selling ok lately. Yet CCBill progs are not converting for shit.

I don't know about any other affils but I am not going to continue to send traffic to CCBill when there are NATS progs I am not using that I know can't do worse!

I know there are a lot of good folks in the industry promoting sites using CCBill and some of the sites are quite good so I try not to beat on CCBill too bad but damn.

Maybe if in a year us affils are sending 1/8 the traffic to CCBill they'll wake the F up. 5 cards declined is just rediculous.

I am at 1 in the last 24,000 hits to CCBill. WHY in the hell haven't I yanked links?

I don't know, I guess I hope suddenly CCBill will wake up tomrrow and lift the scrub.

Anyhow just venting. Pulling all CCBill links is a hell of a step back for me.

I didn't really lose any traffic. Traffic level is not proporional to drop in sales. Of couse, I know what worked a link time ago doesn't work now, trust me I caught a tn of shit for the old linklisters for starting snizzshare.

Like someone else in this thread said, when the median ratios for a paysite go from 1:400, go to 1:2000, to however bad they've gotten now, there is your problem.

A flux in the ratio hurts a lot more than a dip in traffic.

:2 cents:

If it effects the affiliates, it effects the site owners too.
Contact the site owners, find out if they are seeing the same problem. If they are, encourage them to use another processor. If you are losing money, they are losing money!
Don't sit quietly.

If you are getting hit by carders, your processors have the scrub on extra hard for your account and that's why your conversions took a dive. Get rid of the carders (seek professional help) and then have a chat with your billers.

And I just joined a real good looking CCBill prog yesterday because the sites look good, the content of the sites is stuff I know I can convert BUT, I also know I wont convert because it is CCBill prog.

No wonder I am cranky lately.

But I am putting links up today, why. Because the surfer will like the sites, maybe I'll get a sup, AND because Steve Lightspeed (in his honor) told me (in his 20 questions a month back) to be nice to the surfer. :)And Ya know I tried blind links lately and that shit is dead. So I'm going with Steve's advice and give em a freebee.

OK not that cranky. :)

With all due respect RK, I figure they see what I see.
I'm not the only guy on the boards bitchin about CCBill.

I guess deep down I hope CCBill will hear the one, annoying, whining cat and throw a little more milk in the bowl. Or I won't snuggle up no more and will go over to the neighbor Mr. Nats for good. :)

The question is how to make a living as an affiliate? If you want to make a living being an affiliate marketer, you need to find out and embrace some tactics and put everything in their respective place. Anyhow, webmasters must be honest, especially to themselves.

If ya have one good sponsor who converts decently you are still in the game. And I think most of us have that. The problem is we used to have 20 good sponsors. Now we are doing good if we have 5.

Shit still sells. Just less shit sells.

back in the day money used to grow on trees or just fall like snow flakes - you just had to pick 'em
nowadays you have to work for it.

1 golden age is over.. there will be plenty of others tho

name that sponsor with ratio 0:7k

great position :thumbsup

btw be sure to check for some underpromoted sites in your niches: http://www.signbucksdaily.com/

we got the biggest list of all aff programs in every niche up to date. all programs messing with surfers or affiliates are being removed instantly

good luck

If Artie Lange were a paysite owner he would say

"waaaaaahhhh I'm an affiliate, waaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh" :)

Ok, say you are a paysite owner? Where exactly is your money supposed to come from? Not just for the paysite owner, but for everyone else down the line. Now the money trail goes dead, where is the money to shoot new content supposed to come from. I guess you just stop production and just have a web full of old content and adult dating ads.

Shit, we are over half there now.

Only in this the only business could people be robbing each other blind and somebody thinks it is a good thing.

I just don't get it.

:Oh crap

Jay, I was aiming that at me because when I read my post back I came across as whining. :)

I don't know what to tell ya but, what I see is only a few sites sell and a lot don't. Now this is prob related to my traffic so this whole damn thing is moot.

I think the surfer is more picky in a nutshell and competition for paysites is through the roof.

I just signed up as I say for a CCBill prog (no I can't mention it) but it is new on the scene and looks good to me. With hungry young bucks getting into the paysite game it is great for me.

My business is finding winners. Simple as that.

And as RK open my eyes a bit.. I can run with the winds and promote who sells while a paysite venture is a hell of an undertaking.

I have always said publicly (and I use to name names) that I LOVE my sponsors who convert and of course I am dead loyal to them and them to me. As are you to your winners.

THAT is one of the nicer things about this game. The sponsor-affil relation is great when it is working.

I have no reason to bitch and no affil does. We can play the game with very little investment. And if we can invest thats even better.

So I appreciate paysite owners who could buy and sell me allow me to speak my piece as you always have. :thumbsup

Jay. Sorry I couldn't give you a more direct answer to your question. I would look like an even bigger fool if I start tackling complex problems like tubes ruining paysites ect.

I do know times are very tough out here in affiliate web land. I hope the paysite can survive because if it can't. I can't.

But I know the guys in this biz will get it done. They always have. And I'll continue following them as I always have.

This thread is an excellent read, very insightful really. Our income shrunk by 50% within less than a year as affiliates ( ie: we cannot live out of it ) Luckily ee are involved into other ventures that make up for the loss, but still are looking for new ideas to build up more for when the economy gets better.

Hit me up about some traffic trades. [email protected] or 62835707

Fact is the brightest minds in the world are in this biz. Everyone would want to stay at home in your shorts and earn a living.

I've got some schooling in Technology but most guys on this board could run cirles around me when it comes to modern wm'ing. I just survive because I've been around a while.

What i am saying is the brilliant minds in this biz competing for the big bucks on top (paysites) is a great thing for you and me who only want a little bucks. :)

As long as they SELL you and me contiune to live how we want.

Maybe being a low risk affil in such bad times isn't so bad. I can't imagine some of the real big companies who these tubes are hurting.

Some very passionate posts lately by brilliant guys who understand the biz. You can tell it's getting serious.

I'm going to be taking this advice.

Left you a message on you icq ;)

Damn it Nicky no! We want you around here. :)

C'mon we've seen Pr0s stats. I'd hide away too if I had half his stats.

OK I swear I'm going to quit posting now and do something this "day". :)

Aah fuck it I recently pulled some links it took me a month to install.

Might as well have been posting.

hate when that happens.

Oh well, GFY will still get It's share of Nicky love. I'm just going to work harder. :)

good tip :thumbsup

I hear ya man. I got so much stuff to do too. Gotta get some fuck off time in tho. Guy can only cut and paste so much. :)

We affils (or at least me) do this shit 7 days a week. So it may seem like I fuck off but I worked 6 days prior. ;)

Sausage, Damn nice post. Everything you said is true. I kind of got sidetracked by the CCBill thing but, it is encouraging to see guys give really decent posts that truely help out guys, esp affils, in this biz who are struggling now.

Ya know the guy who is willing to work should at least make enuff to get by.

Posts like that are, to me, why I come to GFY.

No response needed, I am not really hear to smooze or stroke anyone, but i do call am as I see em and that is a damn fine post.

ya im seeing this on the dozen or so paysites i manage. massive increase in declines, even on a 10 year old site ;)

YO CCBILL - MAN UP AND STRAIGHTEN THIS SHIT OUT.

The number of retards in this thread is about what I expected.

I didn't vote in the poll as there wasn't an answer that pertains to me. I'd choose something like "I'm still full time but yeah, sales suck."

On my best programs, ratios are approaching twice as bad as they were two years ago, and I get many many many fewer rebills than I did two years ago. The worst programs -- ones that used to provide solid sales at ratios I was content with -- simply don't make sales now no matter how much traffic I send them.

I consider this to be good advice, and I'm following it, but I'm aware there's an element of "whistling past the graveyard" in it.

Now, I should clarify that I'm not complaining. At my peak as an affiliate, I was only "working" about two hours a day and making twice (or more) as I ever made as a salaried professional. These days, I'm working something closer to a full time job, and still making enough to support my family comfortably -- and I'm not working anywhere near as hard as I'd have to do in a suit-and-tie office with a pointy-haired boss. It's night and day, and I'm still here chillin' in pants-optional land. I still love it, and my main concern is to make sure I can carry on in the face of the current unpleasant trends.

I should note that I'm also pretty close to the economy out in the meatspace world, because there's a long train of distaff relatives who are unemployed and *really* hurting; I'm hearing a lot of desperate "can I borrow eighty bucks to send on my car payment so they won't take my car before my unemployment check gets here" noises around here. Lest anybody here was not clear on this point, the mainstream economy really really really sucks right now.

I know we'll never see that old Red Rock Candy Mountain again, but there's no way in HELL things won't get a lot better for the survivors during the next economic boom cycle. It's just that we could do like Japan did, and take ten or more years to get there.

No shit... and being paid a commission of 50% on a 40 dollar membership will put food on the table for a week down there! Look how thin they are.. they are fucking hungry! :2 cents:

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

Good One.

It's the opposite. The fact is that the majority of big players got into this industry and made a killing, not by skill, but by luck and being unemployed at the right time. They might have very good technical expertise but have ZERO business expertise. It's very hard to lose money when you're working on thousand percent margins. Now capatilism has reared its ugly head and like any industry in history that started out with insane profits you have real competition. Competition breeds lower margins and less room for being a fuck up.

I'm sure my post will be swallowed by everyone else here but:

I came from mainstream to adult because I believe the entire industry has fallen behind in terms of user experience. For me, I see a way to take a percentage of the affiliate market through doing what I do best. If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't be here.

I'm not looking for an overnight success, my roadmap is planned out to a year from now and I don't plan on making any money other than to pay for the business expenses until around June of 2010...

but that's just me and no new road is every easy to traverse ;)