iFixSolutions - 11:48 pm on Mar 10, 2007 (gmt 0)

OK.. so i'm very new here.. i'm very new to affiliate sites and web marketing.

i never really thought about making money on the net.. i'm an IT guy by trade and run a side business as an Macintosh IT consultant. Over the years i learned how to code clean html and did go to design school early on. i build static/basic (non php/sql) sites for clients that need them and refer the bigger requests out to the folks that can handle that kinda stuff. but the other day i was talking to a friend of mine and she was talking about buying websites to make some side money. also, buying domain names and turning them over. so queue my hand to my forehead with a giant "i'm so stupid.. why haven't i been looking into this before."

i'm burned out on consulting.. i don't want to drive around anymore.. i don't want the stupid questions and the two hours of sitting in traffic for the one hour of work. i want to move my side business to the web and just forget about everything else. so i've been looking at affiliate sites because they seem to take the least work and your job is primarily marketing at that point.

well i burned myself. i jumped in without looking and bought a medical site that, let's just say, has been cracked down on by the DEA. so when i tried to run some cpc ads the big boys (yahoo / google) said "no no.. we won't let you run those ads." to get the traffic i want to start making commissions is going to take a lot of pushing on my part and after posting another discussion on WW have decided to hold the domain name but forget about the program. pretty much everyone said it's not worth it. (guess i'll use my enhance credits for something else.. yahoo gave me my money back)

so that's the overview. the real question is.. do affiliate programs work? what affiliate programs are good money makers? which ones should i avoid (aside from the obvious.) how do people that are making money get their traffic? cpc? like i said, i'm beyond a newbie with this stuff.. i definitely don't understand how to develop links (i read that term, i don't know what it means :)) but i do know it can't just be throwing money at it and getting a high ROI.

this article: [webmasterworld.com...] gave me hope. he's cashing in and getting out.. ultimately that's what i'd love to do too. i want to buy a bar and i don't want to get their as a consultant :)