Question
Tom writes:
" What are affiliate programs" ?

Answer
08/02/99

Affiliate programs or associate/partner programs as many refer to them, are programs that allow you to make money off your web site without the need to sell anything.

An affiliate program works as follows: you sign up with a company that offers such program and then link to the company's e-commerce site, and when one of your visitors buys something (a book, CDs, toys, etc), you earn a commission.

There are hundreds of affiliate programs out there. Most of them are good and some are bad. The best way to find out which program is good for you, is to do a lot of research on the program you intend to sign up with, and to get references from as many people as you can (there are many newsgroups or message boards where you can ask about such programs).

Affiliate programs are also a good way to promote your site, that is is you hook up with the right program.