As I announced at Affiliate Voice LLC, we are holding another Educational Conference Call. This webinar is part of a series called “Affiliate Education and Protection”. The title for this call is “How to Evaluate a Merchant Program”. During this call we will discuss the variables affiliates use in choosing which programs to join and promote. We’ll examine how to evaluate a merchant’s website and program offer. Also on the agenda is how to use the statistics and information provided in program description.

To help get the conversation going we have a panel that includes:

• Carolyn Tang, Director of Client Services, ShareASale Inc.
• Kevin Webster, President, 72 Kilowatts
• Melanie Seery, President, Affiliate Voice LLC & NY Affiliate Voice

This call is designed to be attended by affiliates, merchants and other members of the affiliate industry with any degree of experience. This webinar offers affiliates the opportunity to discuss and share their thoughts and ideas. By sharing their thoughts and opinions, not only can we help newcomers and each other, we can begin to talk about standards. Affiliates can help shape future offers. Merchants are also welcome to participate with their thoughts and questions. Having the opportunity to listen to affiliates perspective can be priceless in helping to maximize your program.

We encourage everyone to participate and add their thoughts but it is not mandatory to speak. If you know anyone new to affiliate marketing please feel free to share information about this call.

To facilitate communication and maximize the benefits attendance may be limited. You must register in advance. Though open to all in the industry preference will be given to Affiliate Voice members.

As always Affiliate Voice LLC members may submit questions in advance by using the contact information provided in their welcome email.

Title: Affiliate Education Call: Evaluating Merchant Affiliate Program

Date: Thursday, October 1, 2009
Time: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM EDT
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/644907419

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Affiliate Voice LLC  will have a legislative update call on September 15 at 12:30 EST.  The purpose of the call is to update everyone on the status of legislation in states. We anticipate more activity in upcoming legislative session and it is important to share information and prepare.  The purpose of this call is to educate and increase awareness of the likelihood of legislative actions and prepare for legislation that will impact the affiliate  marketing industry in the upcoming year. We will have a  special guest lobbyist to provide us with updates on legislative actions and answer questions.

This call is open to everyone in the affiliate industry but preregistration is required.  Attendees will have a chance to ask questions during the call. As always, Affiliate Voice members may submit questions in advance by using member contact information provided in welcome email.

Topics to be discussed:

- Update of states reported to be planning legislation and states likely to take action
- The importance of identifying your legislators and establishing contact prior to the start of new legislative sessions.
- How to contact or initiate conversation with legislators
- How to monitor legislation
- How to voice your opinion on pending legislation
- Writing your Senators and Representatives

Title: “Affiliate Voice LLC Internet Sales Tax Legislative Updates and Prepare for 2010″
Date:  Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Time:  12:30 PM – 1:30 PM EDT

Register now by clicking the link below:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/669521394

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

This information was first announced at Affiliate Voice LLC September Legislative Update Call

The first Affiliate Day will be held on September 14 2009. Missy Ward and Shawn Collins, co-founders of Affiliate Summit, have organized Affiliate Day for two reasons; to acknowledge the importance of affiliate marketing and to increase awareness. To mark the day there will be several promotions and giveaways including passes to Affiliate Summit West in January 2010.  Contact Affiliate Summit if you have a prize you’d like to donate.  Entry to win prizes will be simple – tweet on Affiliate Day (9/14) using hash tag  affday09 (#affday09) to enter and then random drawings from entries will be conducted on September 18 to yield winners. Find out more information by reading Affiliate Day and AffiliateTip.

The concept of Affiliate Day is a good one. We do however need to expand it beyond our industry to really reap the benefits. We should seize this opportunity to educate and inform those outside of our industry about what we do and how we do it. Of course Twitter will help but why not take it one step further.

Part of the problem with recent legislation is a lack of understanding of what we do and how we do it. From Governors, State Senators and Representative to those that serve on the Federal level, education is the key to fair legislation. All one has to do is read any of the recent quotes from our legislative “leaders” to see how woefully uninformed and uneducated they are about affiliate marketing. Perhaps if they understood that we are involved in advertising and not really sales people or affiliates (as in affiliate companies) they could enact fairer legislation. Perhaps, with education on our industry, they would see the need to address Internet sales tax on the Federal level.

If every one in our industry who has a blog or traditional website (isn’t that all of us?) took the day to write about one aspect of our work wouldn’t that help educate the general public and legislators about what we do?  Post the article on your blog, tweet about it. More importantly, get your information out to those outside our industry. Letters to the editor, email/write legislators and if you have contacts use other media to help spread the word. Use your Affiliate Voice to educate!

 Put Affiliate Day in front of a larger audience to reap even more rewards.

I already have two articles and emails planned, how about you?