The Beginning

I have officially begun my new life as an Affiliate Princess. One day, I will have learned enough to earn the title of Queen, but for now -- I'm still in training.

I admit that I am brand spanking new to affiliate marketing. With all the websites I have had over the years, I have never tried it before. I am excited and determined to be successful with it. I would like you to learn with me though, okay? I welcome your comments and hope that you will share some of your experiences, tips and encouragement.

All right, it's time for a little background. I used to have this HUGE website called MelsAttic. Then a year and a half or so ago, I went through this rough depressive episode where I just didn't want to be me any longer. I had tons of visitors, a nice little mailing list going and some really great friends. I don't know what happened... my dad's cancer had come back (successfully fought off a second time, thank goodness), there was no direction in my life, and along came a really bad PMS (no joke) and I quit being MelsAttic. Stopped being me in hopes of finding myself. I shut down my wonderful website, screwed up on a Secret Pal thing which I still haven't forgiven myself for, lost contact with almost all of my online friends and eventually got hooked on Everquest II for awhile.

I worked hard mentally to get through it. Wonderful things began to happen: my dad got better (though he just went through another major health crisis), we got out of our tiny apartment into a fantastic real home and I wanted to get back into the swing of things. I tried creating a couple of sites, but they didn't work. Then I realized I had to go back to being me. Since I couldn't get the original domain name, I am re-born as Mel's Attic and I'm loving it. The new site has some new sections and I've added affiliate marketing into the mix which brings us nicely around to the point of this blog.

I have signed up to affiliate for Amazon.com, Commission Junction, Google's AdSense, PayLoadz and ClickBank. The majority of products and services will things I have either read or experienced personally, though there will be a small percentage that will be random. Most programs do not allow for folks to share specifics. I will try to abide by that and still share with you as much as I can.

The first thing I did was try to match the ad to the content on the page. For instance, on the article on ADD, I am promoting the book I read "Driven To Distraction". I did this because if you suspect you have ADD or have already been diagnosed with this, then I really, really, really want you to read that book. It helped me tremendously and I want you to be helped to. On the main page on my graphics sections, I have an ad for Poser. I absolutely LOVE the work that people create with the product and if you are artistically inclined, I believe it is something you need to try because I think you'll love it too. But on the site map page, I allow Amazon to choose products at random. This is because there is really nothing to tie in with that page.

To sign up with these programs, all it takes is time. You do not pay a fee. You shouldn't have to pay a charge to promote someone else's products when you aren't receiving any material in return. This differs from direct sales, because when you start up with a home party plan company, you are purchasing training and marketing material from them. You will be giving them your personal information including your social security number for tax reasons. This is safe only when you see the little lock on the bottom of your screen letting you know that the site is secure.

Okay, that's it for now. I'll be honest and say that in the past, I haven't had good luck with blogs in that sometimes I forget to post to them. My goal is to at least pop in every Friday to let you know if I have made any money and if so, from who and how fast I actually get paid. So, I'll see you soon and feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I'm so new at this -- I don't know what to ask. =)

Hugs,
Melissa