Ever since the PMA blog started, I’ve purposely stayed quiet and not discussed our research and discovery efforts on Affiliate Classroom properties so as to not create a misunderstanding about the link between the two (AC and PMA). But it seems that there have been some concerns as of recent regarding Affiliate Classroom’s role in the formation of the Performance Marketing Alliance.

I believe most of it is just due to misunderstandings, so I wanted to take a minute to clarify…

As you know a few weeks ago Affiliate Classroom started the “discovery and research” process for a professional organization for the affiliate marketing industry, it’s being called the “PMA – Performance Marketing Alliance.”

AC did this because…

• We believe the industry needs an association sooner rather than later.

• No one else was stepping up to take on the task so we thought we would help.

Therefore we committed our own resources – Rebecca Madigan, plus large chunks of time from other people on our team to start the research.

You can read the blog for more information – the entire process is being spelled out publicly: http://www.performancemarketingalliance.com

To date, we’ve contacted well over 100 industry leaders and put together a nomination list for a formation board of advisors, to simply help move this from a concept to a reality.. The industry leaders nominated the people on the list, none were chosen by us – no one from Affiliate Classroom can even be nominated.

Additionally, Affiliate Classroom cannot even nominate anyone outside of AC, this way we can’t influence the makeup of the organization in any way. Working groups have been created to help develop recommendations on forming the PMA. The FAB – not Affiliate Classroom – will collectively determine the structure and launch of the organization.

The nomination lists are going to eventually lead to elections of the board for this new organization. The board – not Affiliate Classroom – will collectively determine the policies, standards and structure of the organization.

Basically AC has no special rights reserved for us in this organization. No one from Affiliate Classroom, including Rebecca, is on the FAB.

The minute the PMA initiative was announced, everyone began to discuss and take sides. Most are very excited about it and are encouraging the movement.

And, obviously there are those that immediately decided to attack the initiative, even going as far as saying that this was a “conspiracy” to take over the industry.

Don’t get me wrong – having those who object and question the initiative is not a problem, it’s actually needed (it provides balance). However, saying that it’ a conspiracy may be taking it a bit over the top.

All comments and suggestions are being heard and we’re trying our best to continue moving forward in a fashion that appeases everyone. Again, I want to remind you that we’re making NO substantial industry-related decisions; this is simply the “project management” stage.

It’s the board that will make any and all substantial decisions; AC’s goal is simply to facilitate the industry in creating that board by providing a venue where the voting can take place. AC’s goal is simply to facilitate the creation of an organization that will benefit the industry. We have no say in its governance.

There have been a couple of concerns that have surfaced:

1. Collection of anonymous answers through a survey on the PMA site.
2. Hosting of PMA blog on same server as Affiliate Classroom.

It’s because of these concerns that I feel I should make it very clear what it is that Affiliate Classroom is doing.

Affiliate Classroom has absolutely NO GOVERNANCE rights in this organization. We are acting as a “project management” company to help the PMA take shape. Someone has to do it, it’s more than a full-time job, and no one else had stepped up recently.

1. Collection of anonymous answers through a survey on the PMA site.

The anonymous answers we’re collecting will be given to the working groups to help them make decisions. The surveys never ask for an e-mail address or any contact information. Furthermore, all of the questions are very specifically linked to determining interest in the PMA.

It seems the suspicion is that AC may use this data for commercial use; however, there would be very little (if any) “commercial” use here especially since the information collected only has to do with interest in the PMA.

2. Hosting PMA Blog on Affiliate Classroom Server…

Creating a professional organization means a lot of financial, legal and accounting expenses. Affiliate Classroom has already spent thousands of dollars in just the research and discovery process – we do not currently have any outside financial support to date.

We want to see the PMA get on its own feet, elect a board and get its first set of donors. At that point, the organization can legally purchase its own hosting and go wherever it wants.

So, yes, until then, it only made sense to host the PMA blog on a server we already own.

Affiliate Classroom is only doing this because we felt that for the future, especially as things like the New York State law begin to spread, affiliate marketing NEEDS a professional organization with lobbying power and some consensus or we risk losing a lot.

I want to officially clarify that Affiliate Classroom has absolutely NO COMMERCIAL goals from this other than the side-benefit that comes from having the industry grow (a benefit which we all share). The domain and ALL assets of the PMA will be transferred to the PMA the minute it becomes a real organization with a board of directors.

We’re proud to lead this effort and we’re very thankful of the amazing support we’re receiving. Many of the top industry experts have volunteered their time and energy to make this vision a reality for the industry.

To all of you who are supporting this with your time, energy and good thoughts, we thank you. To all of you who are questioning the decisions, cheers to you as well for caring enough about the industry to worry. In the end, we all have the same goal – to see performance marketing grow and prosper and I am committing Affiliate Classroom to doing our fair share.

Successful affiliates often want to expand their business model beyond selling people’s products. Multiple streams of income are never a bad thing, and multiple revenue channels – affiliate sales, lead payments, ad revenue, and selling your own products – can act as powerful “insurance” should one of your income streams dry up.

Does the whole idea of creating your own product sound intimidating? It needn’t be. Here are three easy and relatively risk-free ways to experiment with offering your own product:

1 – Buy a resale rights to a top quality product in your best niche. A low-to-medium cost reprint rights license can be a way to acquire your first “real” product. The key is to acquire rights to a product that’s a good fit for your most profitable or highest traffic niche – you’ll have a ready audience.

Just don’t buy resale rights just because it’s hyped as the best opportunity ever. Buy the retail product first, examine it carefully to make sure it’s quality, and check to see how many competitors may already be offering the product.

2 – Create a video or audio tutorial product. With just a little practice and the right software, you can teach your customers how to use software, accomplish do-it-yourself projects, or perform other “how tos.”

For example, resale rights to software are available everywhere. But many marketers shy away from selling software because they don’t want to get stuck with tech support questions. A solution is to create video tutorials with a program like Camtasia, in which you walk users through everything from installation to explaining all the menus to doing a sample project. Doing this with photo editing or graphics software, for example, can turn a $29 product into a package with a price tag of $100 or more.

Or let’s say you’ve got resale rights to an ebook of dessert recipes. Tape a series of home videos in which you demonstrate basic cooking techniques the recipes require, such as beating egg whites and folding them into a batter. The videos don’t have to be studio quality – just good enough for the picture and sound to be clear. By selling a downloadable video of just five tricky cooking skills, you could turn a $10 ebook into a $35+ product.

3 – Create a physical version of a digital product. Burn resale rights software to CD, or turn an ebook into a printed book or an audio book on CD. Add unique packaging, and you’ve got a product with a high perceived value. This method is relatively easy and can be highly profitable, since physical products can be sold for 5 to 10 times their digital price.

Just make sure you check your resale license CAREFULLY before you go to the expense of creating physical products. Some licenses prevent you from changing the way the product is reproduced.