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(December 11, 2008) — I’ve spent the past two weeks trying to obtain support from Dell for my Dimension 5150 (e510) computer. I’ve finally concluded that Dell will not provide support, for any price. Read more »

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October 6, 2008 — I’m angry today, because I’ve just wasted two trips to LensCrafters, and now must start over from scratch looking for new eyeglasses.

I wanted to buy new glasses. I knew what I wanted, and I had my prescription (written by the nice lady at the EyeExam office inside LensCrafters, for the bargain price of just $59.95). However, the salespeople I spoke with (and the general manager) kept trying to pitch me on “upgrades” — featherweight lenses, anti-reflective coating, and the “new thing” called AVP (for “Advanced View Progressive,” not “Alien Vs. Predator”). Read more »

Comments Off on Web Site Checklists for Merchants (draft)

This is a “work-in-progress” checklist that I created in December 2007, but never finished. It is essentially a list of “issues” to consider when evaluating a merchant’s web site. Read more »

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In the movie Akeelah and the Bee, a quotation is displayed on a framed certificate in the home-office of a main character, and the words are incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela, as part of his 1994 Inauguration Speech as President of South Africa. Read more »

Comments Off on Types of Affiliates (Web Publishers)

Most merchants find it useful to divide prospective and current affiliates into major categories, which usually have different performance characteristics and concerns. Read more »

Comments Off on Selling the Affiliate Program

Here is a typical outline of issues that a merchant (advertiser) should consider when explaining to prospective affiliates (publishers) why they should consider participating in the merchant’s “performance-based advertising” program (affiliate program). Read more »

Comments Off on Outsourced Program Management (OPM) for Affiliate Programs

1. My usual recommendation is that merchants should hire a full-time in-house affiliate manager to administer the program. However, you should be aware that there are a number of “outsourcing” options for administration of an affiliate program. Read more »

Comments Off on Affiliate Program Policies

This is a quick summary of the “program policies” that I frequently recommend that advertisers (merchants) consider when creating or updating their “affiliate program.” Read more »

Comments Off on Captive and Stealth Affiliates

In every niche, there are “opportunities” that seem open for exploitation, and usually the affiliate manager can identify several such opportunities. For example, she may say, “There should be a web site that compares pricing or service levels for [these products/services].” Or she may identify one or more “acquisition targets,” such as content sites which are “stale” and which are either available for purchase or due for expiration. Read more »

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Once a new affiliate program is launched, these are the most common strategies for recruiting new affiliates; I assume this work will be done initially by a single full-time affiliate manager. Read more »