| http://www.refer-it.com |

Thursday, April 19, 2001

                                    internet.com's
                           REFER-IT.COM INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER
                       "Affiliate Resources, Revenue and Tips"

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Sponsored by NEBS.com, ReferBack.com and Building Dynamic Web Sites

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[welcome new sponsor]
   NextCard

[featured articles]
   A Thousand Words are Worth More than a Picture
   David McKenzie, Brisney.com

   Revenue Sharing 101:
   Understanding Affiliate Commission Structures
   Cynthia Arko, Refer-it.com

[affiliate of the month]
   BumpStop.com 

[new merchant affiliate book]
   Successful Affiliate Marketing for Merchants
   Frank Fiore, Shawn Collins 

[april webmaster tips]	
 
[program news]

[3 star programs]

[contact us]

[refer-it sponsors]

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[welcome new refer-it sponsor] 				      
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We are pleased to welcome NextCard as a new Refer-it.com top sponsor!

The NextCard Affiliate Program is one of the best, highest paying
affiliate programs on the Internet. Earn commissions of AT LEAST
$20 per booked account. The NextCard VISA offers APRs as low as 2.99%
Intro and 9.99% ongoing with approvals in 30 seconds or less.

[join program link]
http://www.refer-it.com/countprograms.cfm?id=1443&type=2

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[featured articles]

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[a thousand words] 				      David McKenzie
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A Thousand Words are Worth More than a Picture!

In fact 10 words are better than a picture on the internet. In the offline
world pictures often sell much better than words. But in the online world,
words often sell better than pictures. Especially when promoting your web
site or affiliate programs. Text Sells! 

[full story]
http://www.referit.com/main.cfm?screen=articles&id=136


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[revenue sharing 101] 				     Cynthia A. Arko 
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Understanding Affiliate Commission Structures

If you want to get paid, you need to understand affiliate commission 
payments and the many different commission structures that exist.  

[full story]
http://www.referit.com/main.cfm?screen=articles&id=137

[submit an article]
mailto: carko@internet.com

Refer-it.com is now delivered to more than 14,000 subscribers.
Submit an article on an affiliate marketing topic and we'd be
happy to promote your site or service.

********************** s * p * o * n * s * o * r ********************

NEBS is a leading direct marketing company that helps small businesses 
grow and manage their companies by supplying the highest quality 
business-building products and services. As of March 23rd, affiliates 
can now earn 10% commission on ALL sales that originate from their site. 
And, best of all, there's NO enrollment fee! 

http://referit.com/countads.cfm?id=447 


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[affiliate of the month]                                BumpStop.com     
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[Program Name:] 
BumpStop.com - The Coolest Rides on the Net!

[General description:] 
BumpStop.com is your number one source for 
custom car enthusiasts! Lowriders, sport trucks, customs, classics and
more. We cover it all.  We offer the largest FREE custom car classifieds,
automotive chat, car club listings, car show listings, interactive
TechTalk
forums, and much more!  Our site is dedicated to the love of the car. 
Our gallery of over 600 viewer rides range from Pintos to Ferraris. 

[Please tell us a little about yourself and how you came with the idea 
for your affiliate site?]
It started many years ago before the well known Yahoo! was born.  
My friends and I were into custom cars in college and we could not find
any
information about customs cars on the web.  We decided to start a site 
showcasing our rides, just like mainstream magazines. We started off 
with our own two cars, but the site flourished into the 600 cars and 
thousands of viewers today.

[What is unique about your site?]
BumpStop.com focuses on the everyday custom car enthusiast.  It 
was created for the love of cars, by and for, car enthusiasts! Metal
coffins, hunks of metal, rolling sculptures, and magic carpets rides. 
We believe cars become members of the family, mechanical pets. We give
them names, we preen them in our driveways, curse them when they fail 
and lament their passing at trade-in time. These cars are extraordinary 
and that's REALLY what the BumpStop is all about!

[Do you have any competitors?]
We have many competitors.  Many of them tried to mimic our style and ideas
but BumpStop.com still continues to grow among these high dollar sites.

[How many people on your affiliate team?]
Our team is great.  We work long and hard to create a unique site.  
Oh yeah, I refer to the team as myself.  It sounds much bigger and better
to my viewers if you tell them to contact the BumpStop Staff.

[Is this is a full or part time committment?]
Part time at present, but hopefully one day it could become full time.

[How many hours/week do you spend in the site?]
I usually spend 7-10 hours a week, updating and adding features.  
I could easily work on it 40-50 hours.

[What has been the single most effective method for driving traffic 
to your site?]
Our number one referral is word of mouth.  We have high positions in 
all major search engines, newsgroups, etc., but if your site caters to
viewers needs, then they will come.

[How many affiliate programs have you joined?]
I've joined many of the years, but I have widdled back down to just 3.  
I make sure affiliate programs meet the goals and needs of my viewers.

[Which are your top revenue-generating programs?]
Carparts.com - automotive parts
Ep.com  - free classifieds/auctions
Enews.com - magazines

[What is your average monthly commission revenue?]
My main revenue is advertising, but on a good month, we can pull upwards 
of $1,500 from the affiliate programs.

[Have you been able to negotiate higher rates from merchants?]
Yes, if you bring the sales, you can negotiate better rates.

[What are the most important factors in choosing an affiliate program to
join?]
Make sure the affiliate meets your viewer's needs and you can convert 
on the lost advertising space. If not, an affiliate program is useless.  
Another major factor is the ease of use of the affiliate program. 
You don't want viewers to have a bad experience using the affiliate 
site because you'll loose your return viewers too.

[Is your site profitable? If so, How long did it
take for your site to become profitable?]
BumpStop.com is profitable in that my revenues greatly exceed 
expenses.  If I calculate the time and work I have put into it,
then it's about breakeven. BumpStop.com is VERY good pocket change.  
It's nice to have the spare cash.  

[What is your projected revenue for 2001?]
Confidential.

[Do you have any final comments for people looking to start their own
website?]
If you have the desire and passion along with creating a beneficial site,
your site will be successful even though it doesn't make money.  If
you stick with it, you can expect some nice returns.

[Plans for the future?]
If I had more time, money and skills, I would take my site to a new 
level and blow away the competition.  Right now, it's a love and a hobby
and I plan to keep it that way as long I keep receiving the positive 
feedback. Some day though...

Garret can be reached at: elite@bumpstop.com


********************** s * p * o * n * s * o * r ********************

With an average payout of $10,700 in March, ReferBack.com is not only 
proving to be one of the Top Affiliate Programs out there, but one of 
the most beneficial to their Affiliates as well. With a commission 
structure ranging from 22.5% to 32.5% it is not difficult at all to 
start earning extra income for yourself. Furthermore, they’ll give 
you $50 free once you have generated your first $100 for yourself. 

To find out more visit: 
http://www.referback.com/index.asp?s=ReferitNews20010401U

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[new merchant affiliate book]				     
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There's never been a better time to reap the benefits of a
100% performance-based affiliate network.

Successful Affiliate Marketing for Merchants is a merchant guide to help 
plan, implement, and manage a successful affiliate marketing program.
Written by Frank Fiore and Shawn Collins.

Successful Affiliate Marketing for Merchants will show anyone conducting 
business online, how to plan, implement, and manage a successful 
affiliate marketing program. Find Web resources such as tracking software
and contract templates with the guidance of this book. 

It also provides case studies of successful programs as well as
failures and scams to demonstrate and teach the lessons of
building a successful program.

[get your copy today]
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789725258/referit00


********************** s * p * o * n * s * o * r ********************

Building Dynamic Web Sites * April 25 * Chicago, IL

Still building Web sites the old fashioned way with 
static HTML pages? This one-day crash-course April 25th 
in Chicago will show you how to move from a flat-file 
nightmare to an easy-to-manage database-driven set up. 

For more information and to register:
http://seminars.internet.com/webdev/chicago01/index.html

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[april webmaster tips]				     
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This month's offerings include titles for beginners and advanced 
users alike. Subjects range from Flash cartoons to cutting-edge design, 
Photoshop instruction and more. 
http://www.gif.com/WebDesign/Books/Guides/April_Graphics_Digest/

10 New Jumbo Fonts this Week:
http://www.jumbo.com/mm/fonts/sections.asp?x_sectionid=8645&ord=d

Color plays a critical role in graphic design. Different color schemes 
convey different moods, with psychological and cultural subtleties 
that can have a strong impact on viewers. Several recent books on 
color offer a helping hand. 
http://www.gif.com/WebDesign/Books/Reviews/Color_Harmony/


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[program news]
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Barnes & Noble.com, together with Barnes & Noble, Inc., now own a 
majority of enews.com!  This will enable enews.com to serve you better.  

Click here for more information about this exciting news:
http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article/0,1471,8471_735561,00.html

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Attention GORP Affiliates:

Effective 4/5/01 GORP.com will be lowering the compensation paid 
to affiliates. Going forward affiliates will be paid one cent per 
click and/or 10 cents per registration. 

[join program link]
http://www.refer-it.com/countprograms.cfm?id=5218&type=2


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eBay - the world's largest online trading community, has launched an 
affiliate marketing program to drive increased online registrations 
for its business through Commission Junction. Earn $4 per registration. 

The current ebay program through BCentral still live:
http://www.refer-it.com/countprograms.cfm?id=5715&type=2

Other exciting news: eBay to Evolve with Storefronts:
http://ecommerce.internet.com/ec-news/article/0,,4_731361,00.html 

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Earn an extra $5 for each of the following enews.com subscriptions 
sold in April: 

National Enquirer - Business 2.0 - FHM - House & Garden - Real Simple
The Sporting News - Travel & Leisure - Ranger Rick

Affiliates using enews.com Super Specials auto-rotating graphics report 
an incredible increase in commissions and sales. 

Get your Super Special links today: 
http://www.refer-it.com/countprograms.cfm?id=289&type=2

[Read TOP 10 MAGAZINE MARKETING TIPS:] 
http://www.referit.com/main.cfm?screen=articles&id=138

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URGENT NOTICE TO CapitalOne Affiliates. 

All email creative must be cleared with CapitalOne * in writing * 
before implementing an email program for CapitalOne. Violators of 
this requirement we be terminated. 

[join program link:]
http://www.refer-it.com/countprograms.cfm?id=4013&type=2


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Half.com launched the following four new categories today:  
sporting goods, electronics, computers and trading cards. 

More choices for customers means more affiliate earnings for you!

[join program link:]
http://www.refer-it.com/countprograms.cfm?id=3714&type=2


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Don't miss your last chance to take advantage of the largest savings 
ever at Vitaminlab.com.
 
ANY ORDER take 25 percent OFF: use coupon code IB25
Orders over $50 take 30 percent OFF: use coupon code IB30
Orders over $100 take 35 percent OFF: use coupon code IB35

EVERY ITEM is on sale. Inventory is limited so don't delay visiting 
www.vitaminlab.com to take advantage of these tremendous deals 
and feel free to forward these coupons to your friends, family
and affiliates! Coupons can be used as many times as you desire 
until April 30th.

[join program link]
http://www.refer-it.com/countprograms.cfm?id=2903&type=2


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NBCi has closed its affiliate program as of April 13 and if you 
haven't earned a minimum of $150 in valid click-through
referrals, then you won't be paid. Rotten deal.

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[3 star programs]
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New three star programs include RainCity Footwear, Payless Shoes, 
FishUSA.com and GadgetUniverse. 

Check out the latest 3 star rated programs at:
http://www.refer-it.com/countads.cfm?id=315


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[cancelled programs]
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CompuBank has sold its deposits to NetBank.  As such, CompuBank is no 
longer operating its Marketing Affiliate Program.  As per Section 11 
of its Marketing Affiliate Agreement, CompuBank is terminating its 
relationship with all affiliates effective immediately.  

For a list of cancelled programs, visit:
http://www.refer-it.com/main.cfm?screen=articles&id=112

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**ATTENTION MERCHANTS:
Running an affiliate promotion? Increasing commissions?
Creating new coupons or discounts? Let us know about it!
Contact refer-it@internet.com


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[contact us]
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As always, contact the Refer-it team with any questions or comments.

Advertising or Affiliate Solutions Questions?
Contact: Cynthia A. Arko, Product Director
mailto:  carko@internet.com

Advertising Questions?
Contact: Brian Farrell, Sales Manager
mailto:  bfarrell@internet.com

Webmaster Inquiries and Merchant News?
mailto:  refer-it@internet.com


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[refer-it sponsors]
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Qwest Dex (Services)
http://www.qwestdex.com
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One & Only Internet Personals (Classifieds)
http://www.oneandonly.com/associates/welcome.htm
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Stamps.com (Postage/Shipping)
http://www.stamps.com
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DellHost.com (Web Hosting)
http://www.dellhost.com
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DreamMates.com (Matchmaking)
http://www.DreamMates.com
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Dot TV (eCommerce)
http://www.tv
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NextCard (Credit Cards)
http://www.nextcard.com
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eHealthInsurance.com (Insurance)
http://www.ehealthinsurance.com

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Copyright 2001 internet.com Corporation All Rights Reserved.
Legal Notices: http://www.internet.com/corporate/legal.html
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Copyright 1999 internet.com Corporation All Rights Reserved. Legal Notices