Here’s the thing from my POV.
and I have learned this (often the hard way) and have learned that Lou was very wise in his approach.
there are so many different angles involved in this industry from an aff pov that it is nearly impossible to hold extreme / rigid – requirements/expectations because any seasoned aff knows that one place does well for them and yet others say they can’t give it away.
why is this? there are several theories which include selective shaving. Whether that is true or not … it IS true that some do well with certain programs while the same affs do terrible with others …. that are praised by other seasoned affs.
This to me … means who do I believe? well the fact is they are both telling the truth.
so where I”m going with this is that while I don’t claim to speak for the Prof or CAP on their policy of certified … I can say that certified at the very least means the program has a thread here where you can not only have an alternative means of contact beside email (which is much easier ignored) but also have a venue where you can force the program to answer or else look about as bad as possible … and in forcing them to answer in front of so many affs who are the base or large part of their base of income …. you will get a much more satisfactory result than if you were only corresponding via email between just the two of you.
I have often been too quick to want blood and if we’d done things my way … there’d been less money in many of your pockets. I suspect that is true of many of my peers. Its too easy to get pissed-off at impossibly believable actions … and end up letting your own impatience be the death of you. Lou is if nothing else … learned in the art of patience.
as to what programs to promote :
My experience (and I learned the hard way) is that you should pick another aff whom you trust to be both honest in talking with you and that is likely successful because that is a combination which is the best jumping off spot i have found in ten years.
then watch the program closely. if it doesn’t look promising cut it back. another month or two (its better at that point to send thru your own testers but if not … ) give that much more time for them to prove themselves … and then yank them!
NEVER continue to promote a program that doesn’t earn money!
That’s good advice.