mayor - 3:38 pm on Aug 7, 2002 (gmt 0)

I first tried building a site around a passion fueled by affiliate programs (Drastic's method B). I worked hard and optimized pages to draw search engine traffic (since "passion" visitors aren't big spenders). Just when I started making real income I must have stepped over the line and Alta Vista booted my site (a disaster at the time). Nevertheless I kept building and after about another year started making real income again from Google and Inktomi traffic. Just then my key affiliate merchant went belly up and revenues plunged. I began building again with new merchants and then Google booted my site ... taking with them the valuable google.yahoo traffic. Not one to give up easy, I kept building just on Inktomi, AJ and Lycos traffic. Just as income was building again, Inktomi booted my site.

Well, you say, I must be tired of the bread lines and park benches by now (I do this affiliate stuff full time). But the fact is, I do reasonably well at this business. I do well because I learned two years ago that Drastic's method A (Build a site for the sole purpose of making coin) is the real way to go. I kept working my flagship "passion" site but began building smaller, potentially throw-away sites, on the side and I diversified heavily among affiliate merchants. If a small site gets booted from a search engine, my losses aren't so catastropic. If an affiliate merchant goes belly up or decides to quit the affiliate game, my losses are contained. My flagship "passion" site has bit the dust while my small, merchant-diversified, highly themed revenue sites have become the workhorse team.