Louis,
>rescue some sort of face for the affiliate marketing industry
>>Is that your assesment of where the industry is?
I was referring to the fact that Sue had made a leap of faith to add on an entire day to GIGSE to help promote affiliate marketing in general.
What impression do you think she now has of an industry that thanked her by torpedoing her efforts?
>Why has the affiliate marketing industry been defaced? Because we reject scumware? Because we are holding a scumware free meeting in the same town as the RCG show?
No, not at all. I agree with you 100% percent that affiliates are being ripped off. I disagree with you that you had to air your grievances by attempting to scuttle a previously scheduled RCG event.
>Why was Sue so adamant that a scumware merchant was indespensible at an affiliate event? Did you even try to persaude her that it really wasn’t in good taste to push affiliates together with an organziation that had been actively stealing from them simply for the sake of sensationalism?
Sue and I discussed it at length. We decided to try a different tack and tackle the enemy in the open. If you had a problem with that, you should have been respectful and refrain from staging a competing event, in the same town and at the same time. Your prerogative of course to do that, but I fear it has tarnished the professional image of the GPWA as a result.
Louis, please understand me clearly and don’t imply otherwise with your rhetoric here and in other forums…. I, as an individual, affiliate and merchant alike …. am TOTALLY APPOSED to predatory marketing tactics. It’s the single biggest reason I started >> http://iAfma.org
Having stared the enemy in the face for several years now, I can clearly smell the diesel of the juggernaut that threatens to roll over the smaller, honest affiliates.
Does that mean we should capitulate to this evil. NEVER. “We shall fight them in the trenches….” as someone once said.
However, frothing at the mouth and getting all upset is only going to work for so long, then the juggernaut is going to roll right over the unhappy affiliate clan. (Look what happened to the smaller shops back in the 50s, 60s? ….. You may not recall, but I remember long lines of small merchants calling boycotts and walking around in circles crying foul against the supermarket juggernauts. All I see is large supermarkets now. At the end of the day the manufacturers put their wares on the shelves that were moving stock. Suppliers loved the little guy, but they cared for profits more. The little guys were left to die out. Look around, all you see is supermarkets…
Here’s a wake up call ….. Gator et al are not going to go away.
Do I want them there? NO. Should we stop them? YES!!!
I was done frothing at the mouth months ago. I have a different vision on how to help in this fight. Please respect my opinion as I do yours.
I sincerely hope you guys have a good gathering. I would love to be there and sink a few beers with you. However, I have elected to stand behind Sue and support RCG in their gracious effort to help promote affiliate marketing by placing it onto the center stage at GIGSE.
Have a beer for me.
Cheers,
Herby