Affiliate program growth

[emmanuelle]

I'm happy to read these thoughts from you guys. For us it's never been a question of being able to afford it, but of trust & convenience. Nobody can question the integrity of Ccbill's stats, nor that of a program relying on them. I am also not convinced that any of the big cascading scripts are tamper proof. "Shave" has a fluid definition, and I don't really want to risk being associated with something that might one day reveal itself to be vulnerable.
Finally, we specialize in tiny niches. When someone signs up to our program, they are often experimenting, and don't necessarily want to commit to $100 minimums. Our sites take a special touch to promote and we accept that we're not for everyone.

I worry about some of the newer programs out there that use these scripts. It's far too easy for them to simply disappear with everyone's money, since it's sitting in their bank account rather than a 3rd party's.

[SirMoby]

Originally Posted by emmanuelle

I am also not convinced that any of the big cascading scripts are tamper proof.

The only people that worry me are the ones that say their system cannot be shaved. Either they know they're blowing smoke up my ass or they don't understand the issue.

[emmanuelle]

Originally Posted by SirMoby

Either they know they're blowing smoke up my ass or they don't understand the issue.

I suspect that the very fluid definition of shaving gets manipulated an awful lot.

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by emmanuelle

...When someone signs up to our program, they are often experimenting, and don't necessarily want to commit to $100 minimums...

Not that I'm trying to defend them, but I think they they do offer at $50 minimum payment option (and who knows, it might be an option the program owner can set to whatever amount they desire)

[hollywood376]

Originally Posted by emmanuelle

I worry about some of the newer programs out there that use these scripts. It's far too easy for them to simply disappear with everyone's money, since it's sitting in their bank account rather than a 3rd party's.

As a very new program owner (less than a week), I would like to know what I can do as a program owner to gain the trust of the affiliates. I come to the adult world from the mainstream ecommerce world. To me, there is no gain by cheating an affiliate. Paying affiliates for what they do is a cost of doing business, just like buying advertising or paying your light bill. The only thing you can accomplish by cheating your business associates is damaging your reputation.

I can tell you as a program owner why I chose to go with NATS:

Because I have the same fears that you have - If an affiliate sends in fraudulent joins, gets paid and then suddenly I am struck with a great number of chargebacks and credits, it could cripple my ability to stay in business.

Because I only have so many hours in a day - The features in NATS that allow me to create the hosted ad tools, etc. saves me time. If i save time, i can do more. Using NATS gives me the ability to give my webmasters the tools they need faster, and managed in a way that is easy and flexible.

Because I don't shave - Now, I guess anyone can just say that, but it's just not part of my character to cheat someone. Your reputation is all you have in business. If you don't have a good one, you have nothing.

All that being said, if anyone is interested in signing up, feel free to visit the site at Frogbucks.com and I'll make you this promise: If we ever cross paths, be it in my hometown, at a show or anywhere, you are free to take a look at your account through my admin.