Great thread Dom!
While i’m probably not saying anything new, but there needs to be a way to separate the good veteran programs from the new/unproven programs. Perhaps you can have the “certified” criteria for the elite programs, and just a “listing” for the companies still fresh off the boat. This goes in line with what Stupid said, that there are just way too many programs and they definitely are not of equal value to both affiliates and players.
While I don’t think that the wording of certification vs sponsorship make any difference that would make me sleep better at night, there should be more involvement with programs in the certification process. Perhaps companies would be expected to put up collateral in case something happens, and their fund will be used to pay affiliates. There need to be some guarantees if a program is trully certified, otherwise it’s just throwing words around. Programs should be able to prove themselves over time, and not just buy-in to the listings.
This might go in line with CAP’s business model, where they can still charge everyone for basic listings (which technically don’t mean much for the programs integrity, but do give them the additional communication channel to find affiliates), but only give a premium seal or whatever you call it to companies that have proven themselves. What this will mean is that all programs who pay will be listed, but only those who are “reputable” will make it to the next stage (for free!).