Smax0r – great reply! I always enjoy reading what Network owners have to deal with, and I do agree that the Affiliates who jump around are definitely a problem for any Owner. It makes total sense. But what Marc (above) mentioned seems to be an issue in this industry, too. You always hear about this network or that network handing some big named affiliate some ridiculous (never deserved, IMO) prize for doing nothing more than promoting them, and then you have other networks who aren't really doing anything to keep their Affiliates around. Pay on time? Great, that should be a given. Weeklies? That's a start. But with so many other Networks giving incentives, I can imagine that Affiliates (I know I do and will continue to) will never stop. This industry has a lot of shady networks and very few are run like a true Business, but rather like a back alley craps game.

I do hope that the bigger named networks continue to become more transparent and start treating their businesses more like a REAL business. It's sad to say, but very few do.

Not saying I want something expensive, but here and there something that shows their appreciation would be sweet, in the end I not even received xmas cards anymore. Why? I guess because I live in europe and my network is in the US.

Regarding your first point, why don't you send out an email about specific offers you know can make some coin? Personally I'm blinded by emails with a list of "hot" new offers. However, if there were an email sent out about one specific offer then I'm sure people would more likely to pick it up and run it. Or do you not do that because you prefer to reward your top affiliates with it?

"If affiliates stuck with their networks I don’t think you’d see networks driving as hard to do the buys themselves." You don't think networks buys were started for other reasons than just trying to cover cost of affiliates leaving them for another network?

Your network seems to have benefits that other networks just don't offer. I don't know of many networks that hand over campaigns to their top affiliates. But most networks just don't offer any incentives for 90% of (middle class) affiliates to stay loyal. I may be completely wrong. 3 cent more EPCs is a ridiculous reason to change networks. If you look at the perspective of most affiliates, there is more reason for them to split test networks than wait around for a secret prize they never know they will get by being loyal to a network.

First of as you know I own a network so the internal campaigns we run are 3 different situations.

1. I have an offer on the network no one is touching and I know can make some good coin. So I build a campaign and hand it to the guys I know that are good and can scale.

2. I have an offer I've got I know I can murder and cap out myself. If I have time I'll run these campaigns occasionally. They're typically the really high ROI deals cause there is 0 competition in a high volume niche. Some times I'll let 1-2 of our better aff's run these deals with me.

3. I'm running a campaign that my affiliates won't/can't maybe there is cloaking involved and no one can do it. Maybe it's and offer that has someone else with a competing offer on another network that's a little better. So no one runs ours, so I'm not directly competing my affiliates running. Another case for this would be there is someone running on a smaller traffic source and can't run on bigger ones. So I'll negotiate with the affiliate and give them all the data and sometimes cash for the campaign to run on a bigger source.

Only time I'll ever directly compete against my affiliates is if I came up with the concept and they copied me.

Now that we have my stuff laid out on the table. I think there's definitely a jump around attitude affiliates affiliates have. Oh this network has a deal that makes me 3 cents more epc I'm going to go run with them instead. I think this is what's driving networks to compete directly with their affiliates. They're getting sick of being dependent on people that aren't loyal to them. If affiliates stuck with their networks I don't think you'd see networks driving as hard to do the buys themselves. I know I talk with a lot of affiliate network owners and they're frustrated.

One thing I know happens and I absolutely disagree with is networks threatening to steal the affiliates campaign if they don't keep running with them. There's 2 networks I've heard of that are doing this. Seems pretty hardcore and short sited and honestly can't believe it's going on.

Build a relationship with who you work with. Be loyal whether that's us or whoever you work with. I think the more loyal and less transient affiliates are will really lower the amount of this that goes on.

Thanks for the heads up.

I know your network foots unpaid bills. Some do, some just can't.

Just my 3c.