This post is so long overdue! To begin, I would like to thank Shawn Collins, and the entire team of Affiliate Summit. In the past I have hoped to attend this great conference however things were getting on the way- from health issues to a law suit, something seamed to always stand on the way. This year was no different, I had no plans to attend the Summit because I could not budget for it. After canceling my attendance in the past- it id not feel right to ask for a “press pass” again. I am however easy to persuade, if you don’t believe me – ask Shawn. So thank you guys!

Going there as an affiliate, coming back as an affiliate manager…

I wish to be able to to last through half of all the sessions at Affiliate Summit TrishaLyn is planing to attend, still I can hardly wait for August to be here!

Last two years I have been helping a dear friend of mine, and the owner of The Chocolate Belles, in Brick, NJ. Not only have we launched a successful online store, we are also just few months (I hope) away before launching an affiliate program.

The Chocolate Belles is a candy making and cake decorating supply store. In addition to selling hundreds of candy making and cake decorating tools they also make custom cakes and offer class decorating classes. They teach anything from making chocolate cowered strawberries to decorating elegant fondant cakes:

On one hand it is very easy to work with well established and very successful business. However, an affiliate program will be the next HUGE step for both, myself and The Chocolate Belles. If you plan to attend the Affiliate Summit, and have experience in managing affiliate programs, I would absolutely love to hear from you and to meet with you at the Summit. Feel free to drop me a line or two so we can plan.

Mine is. Help me to fight for my freedom of speech and protect yours!

Amazon is at it again, working hard for their affiliates by providing cool widgets. I have been grated an exclusive access to preview and test the new widget that you see on the right. All I can say is WOW!

With this new widget you will be able to create an MP3 Clips for your website. You can add entire albums or single songs. If you are writing a blog about music, you should definitely give this widget a spin when it is released in a week or two.

From playing around with this widget, I like it more than the carousel widget. It is fast and very easy to configure. I am myself look forward when the widget is released, so maybe I can make a some $$$ with it. What can I say?!!! Great job Amazon!

I have originally planned to write individual posts about each and every blogger who took me up on my Thanksgiving Offer. However tomorrow I am leaving for San Francisco, CA and will not be back until Friday. Knowing myself, it will become more challenging to fulfill my promise if I postpone it even one day. I am sure my readers will find following blogs worthy of their attention:

1. Bluefrogx- this blogger was the first to take me up on my offer. Although there is very little on his(or maybe her) about page- the page exists thus it had qualified for this post. When you visit this blog (and I hope you do) there seams to be a beta video downloader- a tool that can be quiet useful if a user would prefare to download a YouTube video to watch at a later time. I hope to see this project materialize and hopefully above links would serve as an encouragement.
2. Case Stevens- the author of Affordable Internet Marketing Blog. Needless to say I encourage you o subscribe to his blog if your are into Internet marketing. While at his blog make sure to check out Article Tutorials and Resource pages for some great tips and advise.
3. Warren Whitlock- the author of Daily Warren Blog and Book Marketing Strategy. If you think that writing a book is a thing of the past, you must check out Warrens websites. You never know he may help you to become a best selling author.
4. Clement Nyirenda – he is a lecturer, researcher and consultant in Electronics and Computer Engineering at the Malawi Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University of Malawi.I am specifically involved in the development of Computational Intelligence based software for communication networks and other dynamic environments.Of late, I have developed a huge interest in Wireless Sensor Networks and Grid Computing.
5. Nazar- the author of Real Ukraine. He stopped by to let me know that some of my pages were not functioning properly. However if you would like to learn about the country I am from, visit his blog.
6. Alex Sysoef- the author of WordPress Web 2.0 Guide For Social Networks Age- the name of the blog says it all.
7. Sam Freedom’s Internet Marketing Controversy Blog- while I am just discovering Sam’s blog, it had captivated me from the start. While the name of the blog implies that a reader may find some sort of controversy there, I personally think Sam’s style makes him stand out from the crowd. Take a look at his Controversy Blog Meme. Great job Sam! Even though I am saying good bye to “full time” in affiliate marketing, I will continue to read your blog- very informative and with a hit of humor. We can have fun while doing the things we love!
8. Matt- the author of The Fantastic Site and Imaginary Hyperspace of Lord Matt. We have crossed our paths many times in the space of blogs and social bookmarking websites. Matt is a great blogger – the kind that makes you think. I am sure he cringed times and again over my grammar, so I am honored he continues to read my writing. Make sure visit his blog!
9. Last but not least Chris B- she writes for Mark Houstong Recovery Blog. Mark Houston Recovery Center is a male resident only recovery center where men can find professional help dealing with alcohol and drug addictions.

Thank you every one for letting me write about you. I wish you much success!

The purpose of this post is manifold. On one had I would like to announce a change of direction that my life is taking (which will be reflected on my online activity), on the other hand I would like to address something I was told and advised by many well respected leaders in the affiliate marketing. Finally if you find yourself in a predicament similar to mine, I hope this article will help you in some ways.

“Find What You Are Passionate About- And Monetize It”

With all due respect to every one who offers such advise, in my experience this is most ridiculous advise I have ever read. I think my problem lies in the manner in which I understand what passion is. Unfortunately what I am truly passionate about has nothing to do with widgets, products, games memorabilia and all other sorts of things. To me this advise just an empty saying.

Your Passion Can Be Greater…..

Lets presume for a second that you are passionate about something that truly can change the world. Not in a Kawasaki-Truemors manner, but in a way that would help thousands of men and women around the world. What if your passion is such that you do not feel right about monetizing it?

Can I Successfully Sell A Product/Service Without Being Passionate About It?

Absolutely! It all has to do with knowledge and numbers as simple as that. You can learn about the product, the potential customers, the best way to promote the products and numbers will help you to determine your success or failure. That is basically all you need in affiliate marketing. If you are intelligent enough to read understand (despite my terrible grammar) this post, you are intelligent enough to learn things in order to succeed online- keep that in mind next time you read the “monetize your passion” sorts of articles. If I made good money selling products through affiliate programs without being passionate about them, so can you.

Following My Passion…

There is a certain satisfaction that comes from following your passion. This satisfaction can not be brought about by money and success. It comes from realizing that there maybe at least one person who’s life you have touched. It comes from realizing that your life is not spent in wane.

We often think that we have plenty of time to follow our passion. The truth is can not be more contrary.

My adventure as an affiliate marketer is coming to an end. I probably will continue to earn some (passive income) from the websites I’ve built so far. I may even sell some in the future.

As my passion has nothing to do with affiliate marketing I see no point to link to my new blogs and websites. If you are my friend on any of the “social networking” communities, you will be noticing some changes in my profile.

Because of these changes, my blogging here is going to diminish and may completely stop in the future. Unless of course I decide to overhaul this website completely. I will however fulfill my “Thanksgiving Gift to Bloggers”.