Another one bites the dust!

These are the words that ring in my mind as I'm removing the dead affiliate programs from my directory.

Last year has really been a shake out for online businesses. Many have had to close their doors due to bankruptcy, inability to gain additional funds from the Venture Caps, or both.

The impact that this has had for me is that it now seems that I spend just as much time removing discontinued affiliate programs from my directory as I do adding new ones.

I firmly believe that this underscores the importance of taking the time to do the research and find yourself a few really decent programs and focus on promoting them. Some of the programs that I have removed have been from big companies that anyone that had done their due diligence on would have felt were solid companies. This is unexpected and may not be avoidable, but the important thing is to realize that the many 'fly-by-night' companies and programs should definitely be avoided.

It also helps me realize just how great the 'little guys' have it. Huh? That's right, as one of those 'little guys', I know that if one of my websites fail, I can shut it down and start a new one on a different topic. I don't have to worry about risking bankruptcy, and since I've never gotten a loan so far,

I don't have to worry about them saying "here comes that Chuck-guy wanting to borrow more money that we know he won't pay back!" Many companies don't approach the Internet from this perspective. They figure the more money they throw at it, the better their chances for survival.

The thing to realize is that the Internet is still first and foremost a content and information provider. It is trying to become a new medium for retailers to push their wares, but its not there yet. Even though the number of online shoppers is steadily increasing, the reports and statistics seem to show that people are using the Internet to research their larger purchasing decisions, and then buying them at a bricks and mortar store close by. So, if my theory holds true (yes these are my opinions and may be incorrect) why are the numbers of shoppers increasing?

Personally, I think that more purchases are being made because customers are being introduced to products while they are surfing through their favorite content sites. The steady increase in the number of affiliate and partner programs allows website owners to offer their visitors products that those visitors may not have gone online looking for, but yet just might purchase because of a strong recommendation.

Here's an example: In this issue I mention a book that I recently purchased and read. I bought that book at Amazon.com. I bought it because my favorite investing tips site that I visit a couple of times a week recommended it.

A few days ago I went back to Amazon.com to see if I could find another book as good as that one had been. After about 30 minutes of reading customer comments and "People that bought this book also bought...", I gave up. So I went back to my favorite site that had told me about the first book and clicked his Amazon.com affiliate link for his second "Best pick" selection. I bought it and am currently enjoying it as well.

The point I'm trying to make with this story is that Amazon.com with all of its millions, or billions of dollars was unable to sell me a single book, yet this guy that is probably spending $50 bucks a month on hosting fees made the sale, not only once but twice! Granted, Amazon made the money as well but I would just as easily have bought the books from Barnes and Noble had they been an affiliate of them instead of Amazon.

Under this situation the affiliate would have made a commission off of me and Amazon would have gotten nothing. So don't think that you have to have millions in the bank or a staff of 50 employees to make it on the Net.

Get started part-time and focus on creating a really great site with tons of useful information and content, and watch your business grow and grow.

And definitely don't be in such a rush to add your name to the list of: Another one bites the dust!