notsosmart - 8:56 pm on Aug 16, 2004 (gmt 0)

It should be noted that most of those affiliates that have been caught using those techniques we do not allow had mediocre and inconsistent sales at best, and most woudl not even rank in the top 50% of our affiliate sales force.

You're right of course. Short-sighted thinking is what leads one to implement these techniques, and short-sighted thinking never leads to anything good.

I would never dream of doing anything that would jeopardize the long-term viability of my rankings/sites, and usually, this type of approach goes hand-in-hand with what a merchant wants to see. So it's never even an issue.

One thing that I do have a problem with: overzealous legal departments crafting long intellectual property (IP) clauses for the aff agreement. IP is important, to be sure, but I don't want to have to get someone's permission every time I use a logo, or write a descriptive paragraph on a product or service.

And one thing that I prize above all: a dedicated account rep, a live person, whom I can call or write anytime, who will address my problems/questions immediately while being able to look at things from mine, and not just the merchant's POV.