Content or no content?

[One_on_One]

Which do you think works better?

a. Lots of articles, content, with an affiliate store that requires a fair amount of maintenance.

b. An affiliate store you can launch in 15 minutes that requires no maintenance.

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who have tried both.

[siteseo]

Depends on how you're going to acquire traffic. If you go with (a) and have some SEO skills you can acquire free traffic. If you go with (b) you'll need to rely on PPC ads to drive any significant traffic to your site.

[zivkovicp]

whichever makes you the most money with the least amount of investment (money/time)

In general, with content and articles, you can get people to fill out surveys and submit emails (to HELP make your site even better)... this can lead to follow ups and more sales. It is better but much more work... but better. :)

[MovingOnUp]

I've found that you get what you put into it. If you slap something together in 15 minutes, you're not going to get much out of it. If you spend the time to make something useful, promote it properly, and keep it fresh, you'll have a much better shot at reaping long term rewards.

[Craig_F]

Both can work well. There's no better answer than that because you haven't mentioned your goal.

[ChrisSanderson]

Depending on time I would most likely start with "An affiliate store you can launch in 15 minutes that requires no maintenance." and then build on it as time allows until it gradually morphs into a content rich site.

Having something fast to put up at least gets the ball rolling, then you can add to it as time and interest allow.

Cheers

Chris