The number one problem with CPC advertising of Affiliate Programs is that it can be very difficult to do tests(specifically split tests) on conversions.  I've began to see a growing trend amongst digital goods providers that allows an affiliate to add their tracking code to the vendors 'Thank You' page.  Let's look at why this is necessary and how this one simple action could seal the deal on choosing a product to affiliate for.

Out of the box digital product conversions on cost per click advertising cannot be tracked.  You can of course setup an affiliate landing page and track your own CTR's and even how many outgoing clicks your links generate.  However, often times visitors do not complete a purchase, click the link multiple times, etc.  To properly track a conversion a tracking code needs to be attached to a linking page and on a transaction completion page.  Since the affiliate doesn't own the product the tracking code can not be placed on the final transaction page.

Some companies are working closer with affiliates by allowing an affiliates tracking code to be placed upon their final thank you transaction page.  One digital product of note is the wildly popular MoviesCapital on Clickbank.  They openly accept tracking codes to be placed on their pages, which can help you fine tune your Adwords campaigns.

Tracking and testing to an affiliate is priceless.  Helping with tracking, to me, is the #1 thing an affiliate program manager can do to help their affiliates.  Although on certain scales this is not possible, coming up with a method to allow this interaction could pay off in spades to the right affiliate network.

Reddit is starting to make me cross  eyed and the internet memes are getting out of hand.  So what do I do, I join the herd and add my own taste of funny pie chart link bait.

I'm always game for finding a way to simply my work and currently I'm using a number of helpful scripts to get my job done. Often times finding a script that makes adding affiliate links to Word Press blog posts is just what the Dr. ordered, which is why I utilize phpBay. I've also discussed the benefits of using phpBay, how it can also help with unique content and getting search traffic for long tail keywords.

Today I came across a new plugin that I'm hoping will make my life easier, WP-Amazon. This neat little plugin makes configuring my Amazon Associates ID and searching items to add to posts a breeze. WP-Amazon adds an Amazon search bar to the side of your 'Write' post screen, where you can find an item, select options and automatically add it to your posts. I'm eager to see how this will save me time and convert visitors to affiliate sales.

Perhaps the maker of WP-Amazon should look into creating a similar plugin for big CJ affiliates as well. There is no doubt I could find a use for a similar wp plugin for NewEgg and others.

See below for an example of what an Amazon product added to a blog post with WP-Amazon looks like.

The E-Code: 33 Internet Superstars Reveal 43 Ways to Make Money Online Almost Instantly---Using Only Email

I'll be coming up with a full review of this plugin, along with other suggestions in the next few days.  After my first post I'm noticing a few bugs that screw with my display, but no big deal.  Furthermore, having a nice template print out instead of a drag and drop image and title would be beneficial as well.  I'll do some searching and be back later.

With Hussein getting the nomination yesterday, it's got me thinking a lot about how he actually made it as far as he has. Is the American public so confused on real topics, so disgruntled, that it's easier to just judge a candidate on his ability to appeal to the masses? I mean, it's easier to understand when an individual is speaking your language, saying what you want to hear, than actually focus on topics that matter and can lead to confrontation.

I'd compare the democrat campaign trail this year as a herd of zebras, dazzling the American public with black and white stripes, to distract from the individual.  A voter can get lost in the stripes because they can't focus on one and that one gets away.

That one would be Hussein and his ability to motivate people, draw huge crowds, yet still say nothing.  Meanwhile traditional news outlets hold him up as a minority leader, yet he truly stands for nothing.  Attend one of his many rallies and tell me one thing he stands for, besides hope and change.  I mean, I can preach hope and change, but does it really do any good unless there is actual character behind the charisma?  Does it do any good if there is no goal, specific topic on which to stand proud on either side of the fence?  What defines character, how well you say things, or how well you do things?

I'm afraid that Hussein is living in a delusional world, one that many of us grew up in and were sheltered by.  After all, if we say things enough they become true, if we want something enough, we'll get it, right? Wrong!  The liberal ideal is what is corrupting us now and will get even worse if one gains control of the highest seat our country can offer.  Not everyone is equal and the government should not play the great equalizer.

Rush Limbaugh brought up a phenomenal point today in regards to Martin Luther Kings great speech.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

We are simply not judging Hussein on his character, which speaks volumes to how far we have come since MLK's dream.  We are talking up his race, his religon, the way he speaks, the way he holds himself, but not on his character.  When bringing up his character, based on association with his preacher, we are shot down.  So again, what defines character?

I think we all know, but are afraid of the race card, because character takes a back seat.

It was announced yesterday that IsoHunt's servers were raided, seized, and a victory cry was heard over the airwaves. The MPAA was quick to announce the success of their operation, all to similar to The Pirate Bay in Sweden. However, unlike TPB, IsoHunt's servers were located in the US where the MPAA and FBI have legal jurisdiction.

In a statement on their website, Isohunt administrators posted this "Lawyers from our primary ISP decided to pull our plug without any advance notice, as of 14:45 PST. No doubt related to our lawsuit brought by the MPAA, but we don't have more information at this time until people responsible comes to work tomorrow. We will be back in operation once we sort out this mess with our current ISP, or we get new hardware ready at our new ISP."

I was unaware that the MPAA was a standalone policing agent, apparently I was wrong. Lobby enough and you too can control the nations police force. pfft

I'm usually the person to break a forward and have everlasting bad luck for the rest of my life, but this time I'm gonna play. Yesterday I received note that I had been blog-tagged(not to be confused with bag-tagged) and I needed to post 5 things about myself others might not know.

Thanks for the tag Mrs. Bailey.

1. I quit smoking 1 week after getting married. Still clean, which others thought I couldn't do and I'm on month 4 at this point.

2. I'd rather drink my mothers warm urine from a rusty bucket than play a board game.

3. I think racial profiling is a good thing.

4. My house received some damage a few months ago due to flooding. My house is not in a flood plane and the city I live in has already received over 20" above normal rainfall. No flood insurance.

5. Although tentative, my 5 year goal is to earn enough from Adsense and Affiliate Sales that I will not have to work for someone else, ever again. I set this goal 4 months ago and it looks like it will be sooner than 5 years.

I'm willing to bet these people will not follow suit, mainly because I'm too lazy to PM all of them like Cricket did, but maybe they will see me in their stats. Just maybe.

Ok, now I need to tag a few peeps to keep this viral seobs rollin:  Cass Knits, irregular, bullet proof, webpuffs, wonova

Looks like the long awaited retail release of Windows Vista will be the end of January of 07. The OS, which took about 5 years to create, is supposedly going to be "rock solid". Please excuse me if I'm a bit skeptical.

Too help keep sales moving for big name computer developers like Dell/Gateway, Windows offers a free or discounted upgrade cost for any computers bought between now and January 30th. Toward the last few days of January all new computers will be preloaded with the Vista OS. Lucky us, I guess it's gonna be time to upgrade...again.

For many P2P users the Vista or LongHorn edition of the Windows OS has been readily available. For the past year or more different versions of the OS have been available on bittorrent, newsgroups, etc... Third party applications have been somewhat slow to support the OS, but now that we have an official launch hopefully developers will get a move on.

The Inquirer.net published an interesting article about the MPAA's response, or lack thereof to Guba. Guba an usenet indexing site offering feature length movies for $.99 and TV shows for $.49 is apparently completely protected by the MPAA, rather the MPAA is not interested in their illegal offerings.

BitTorrent trackers and ED2K indexing sites as of late have been the focus of the MPAA's wrath, but they are ignoring Usenet. Why? Is there an unspoken rule, is there a deal striked up somewhere that makes Guba and usenet untouchable? Yet another reason why I love my newsgroups and newsleecher.

"They've been working with us in good faith, and they'll continue to do so. We have a relationship with Guba, and they have a commitment into making sure that they don't offer copyrighted content. We'll continue to monitor the situation, and if for some reason it doesn't happen we will talk to them," a spokesMPAA said.

The article goes onto describe how evidence was shown to the MPAA proving that there was no filtering and that illegal downloads were readily available. However, the contact at the MPAA was trusting enough to ignore all evidence and go on faith alone that the network was operating properly and within legal ramifications. pfft

This past week I spent from Saturday to Saturday down in the Smokey Mountains. While there I got hitched, ate, drank, and was merry. Everything was done, was done at the pace my wife and I wanted. Therefore, the wedding lasted 8 mins and the rest of the time was spent chillin and hanging with the handful of friends that attended.

In addition, we managed to visit WonderWorks, an educational and hands on activity center. There were plenty of flight simulators, virtual reality machines, and neat little tests that you could do. Truly a good time, but now I'm back to what I do best....surfing.

So, look forward to more daily updates and a general good feeling.

The RIAA is at it again, this time their focus is not on BitTorrent sites, Kazaa, or even newsgroups, no, they are after YouTube.

YouTube is known for featuring prepubescent videos of kids dancing to NSync, setting each other on fire, and even fecal jokes. It's obvious why the RIAA would be interested in shutting such an immoral site down. Not to mention the millions of dollars they are losing because the kids aren't paying for the rights to republish their work, STEALING the RIAA's property for a quick joke.

More on RIAAssholes after YouTube