Comments on: Coming Soon: MLM / Affiliate Marketing Convergence? – By Debbi Ballard http://feedfront.com/archives/article001888 FeedFront Sun, 20 May 2012 14:50:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Debbi A. Ballard http://feedfront.com/archives/article001888/comment-page-#comment-631 Debbi A. Ballard Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:10:30 +0000 http://feedfront.com/?p=1888#comment-631 Chuck, so glad you will be attending my session in New York, Chuck. I'm really looking forward to meeting you. Yes, because the mlm network marketing industry has undergone so much legal scrutiny and challenges over many decades, there is much the affiliate marketing world can learn from what we experienced to avoid similar problems. That's why I invited Kevin Grimes, a leading mlm attorney, to join me at the session. He will be addressing some critical legal issues impacting both worlds. Kevin and I have both done volunteer work over the years to help educate people about ethical and legal issues so that their businesses, and the consumers they serve, are protected. Chuck, so glad you will be attending my session in New York, Chuck. I'm really looking forward to meeting you. Yes, because the mlm network marketing industry has undergone so much legal scrutiny and challenges over many decades, there is much the affiliate marketing world can learn from what we experienced to avoid similar problems. That's why I invited Kevin Grimes, a leading mlm attorney, to join me at the session. He will be addressing some critical legal issues impacting both worlds. Kevin and I have both done volunteer work over the years to help educate people about ethical and legal issues so that their businesses, and the consumers they serve, are protected.

]]> By: Allan Gardyne http://feedfront.com/archives/article001888/comment-page-1#comment-616 Allan Gardyne Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:19:58 +0000 http://feedfront.com/?p=1888#comment-616 Debbi, I hope you're wrong. I hope the "upcoming convergence" you predict is just wishful thinking. From what I've seen in more than a decade of affiliate marketing, multi-level marketing generally has a bad image online, quite a bit worse than affiliate marketing's image. I believe this is why MLM companies sometimes call their programs "affiliate programs" and use all sorts of imaginative descriptions of their compensation plans while avoiding using the words "multi-level marketing" or "MLM". They're trying to disguise what they really are. When I launched the AssociatePrograms.com affiliate directory in 1998, at first I included MLM companies. It was a mistake. I soon discovered that many affiliates don't want anything to do with MLM companies. Many affiliates took the time to email and congratulate me when I decided to dump MLM programs from the directory. Both industries include people who are sadly lacking in ethics. From what I seen while dealing with thousands of affiliates and merchants, the percentage of those lacking ethics is considerably higher in the MLM area. There's a big difference between the two industries. Any push for a melding is most likely to come from the MLM side. It's been rejected for more than a decade online. I fervently hope that state of affairs continues. If a major point of difference is that people have to pay to join an MLM company, that's just fine with me. My advice as an affiliate and affiliate merchant: With many thousands of affiliate programs to choose from, avoid any that asks you to pay to join. Affiliate merchants that do try asking for a joining fee usually disappear very quickly. Debbi, I hope you're wrong. I hope the "upcoming convergence" you predict is just wishful thinking.

From what I've seen in more than a decade of affiliate marketing, multi-level marketing generally has a bad image online, quite a bit worse than affiliate marketing's image. I believe this is why MLM companies sometimes call their programs "affiliate programs" and use all sorts of imaginative descriptions of their compensation plans while avoiding using the words "multi-level marketing" or "MLM". They're trying to disguise what they really are.

When I launched the AssociatePrograms.com affiliate directory in 1998, at first I included MLM companies. It was a mistake. I soon discovered that many affiliates don't want anything to do with MLM companies. Many affiliates took the time to email and congratulate me when I decided to dump MLM programs from the directory.

Both industries include people who are sadly lacking in ethics. From what I seen while dealing with thousands of affiliates and merchants, the percentage of those lacking ethics is considerably higher in the MLM area.

There's a big difference between the two industries. Any push for a melding is most likely to come from the MLM side. It's been rejected for more than a decade online. I fervently hope that state of affairs continues.

If a major point of difference is that people have to pay to join an MLM company, that's just fine with me.

My advice as an affiliate and affiliate merchant: With many thousands of affiliate programs to choose from, avoid any that asks you to pay to join. Affiliate merchants that do try asking for a joining fee usually disappear very quickly.

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