Mammoth Blog

What is wrong with Tiger Woods?

Nothing of course, but that is always the first question out of people's mouths when the world's No. 1 player doesn't win a tournament, let alone a major.

Easy to forget that the guy has won five tournaments this season, including the trilogy of Arnie's tournament, Jack's tourney and his own, AT&T National.

So the closing instinct that has helped Woods collect 70 PGA Tour wins by the age of 33 -- third-most of all time -- is still there, but his play in the four majors this season has left a little to be desired.

Woods shared sixth place at both the Masters and U.S. Open, but missed the cut at the British Open, and what was seen from Woods over the final two rounds at the PGA Championship was something rare indeed.

There were missed putts (lots of them), poor club selection and overall, just hesitant play.

The old Woods, you know, the one who in his 20s crushed the competition in major championships by 12 strokes at Augusta, by 15 Pebble Beach and eight strokes at St. Andrews, is gone.

The one word Tiger uses more than ever in press conferences is "grinding." He grinds over every shot, which is understandable given the fact that the biggest titles are on the line.

However, you mix the grinding with miscalculating wind speeds, poor club selection or just poor execution, and you get what you saw over the final 36 holes at Hazeltine.

Woods played the final two rounds in two-over par, including a three-over 75 on Sunday that cost him his first 54-hole lead in a major. He was asked after the second and third rounds of the PGA Championship about closing in majors, and he didn't directly respond to either question.

After the second round, Woods was asked if he had ever done anything that he would consider choking in a major. He shook his head "no", shrugged his shoulders and stared straight ahead waiting for the moderator to have the next question asked.

Almost as if the press was talking him into coughing up his first 54-hole lead in a major, Woods was asked what major No. 15 would mean to him after the third round. Woods gave every golfer's cliched answer about there being a long way to go and we haven't won anything yet.

The reporter tried to follow up with "You didn't answer my question,", and Woods' response, "Yeah, imagine that."

Obviously, Woods was trying not to jinx himself by saying how great it was to have 15 major championship titles before it happened, but maybe he sensed something that no one else could.

Woods has changed his swing, his coaches and his caddie over the years. And his overall game has evolved with time and knowledge of the courses he plays.

You get the sense that Woods either no longer wants to beat the field by double-digit margins, or is no longer capable of doing so. It seems at times that he just wants to grind out a one- or two-stroke win. Or, maybe the rest of golf has finally learned what it takes to truly challenge him.

The old Woods, the one I miss, would have turned on the after-burners going into the third round last weekend and crushed the field.

The television ratings were up 150% thanks to Woods' battle with eventual champion Y.E. Yang, but I'd say the ratings would have gone even higher if he ran away and won by 10 strokes.

The difference in the grind-it-out vs. blowout strategy is that Woods, with a big lead, would be more likely to hit highlight-reel shots hole after hole. The only highlights from Hazeltine were missed putts or iron shots missing the green.
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Now, here's a nickname that really requires further exposition: Jennifer "Visegrip" Martin of Elmira, N.Y., is slated to help contest the first professional female MMA bout in New York on Saturday in Salamanca.

Because the sport still is verboten in the state, Martin and opponent Priseilla Cuevro will compete on Seneca Nation Indian territory. It has been speculated in the past that the state commission might not look favorably upon athletes who try to circumvent the system, which could come back to bite Martin and Cuevro down the road. But that's life. Live in the moment, I say.

The event, by the way, has been dubbed "There Will Be Blood 3: Severe Lacerations." Just cuts right to the chase. No metaphorical crap here. source>>>

Shane Carwin's next outing has been upgraded from contender fight to title bout, multiple trade press outlets report.

Shane Carwin (11-0) has won all of his professional MMA bouts in the first round.

Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin has been lined up for UFC 106 in November, according to MMA Madness, MMA Fanhouse and the Minnesota MMA blog, although MMAjunkie.com says bout agreements haven't been signed yet. All the reports rely on unnamed sources.

Nothing can be officially confirmed this week because UFC President Dana White is out of the office, a company spokeswoman said to USA TODAY in an e-mail message. But Carwin is a logical opponent for Lesnar's first title defense, now that No. 1-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko has signed with Strikeforce.

As the No. 7 heavyweight in the USA TODAY/SB Nation consensus rankings, Carwin is the highest-ranked foe challenger readily available.

No. 3 Josh Barnett, in the wake of his third positive test for steroids, won't be fighting for anyone in the United States anytime soon. No. 4 Frank Mir needs to climb back up the ladder before getting another title shot. Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, No. 5 and 6, already are scheduled to square off nine days from now.

The 34-year-old Carwin, an NCAA Division II wrestling champion, could be a dangerous challenger. He might be one of the few MMA competitors who can match Lesnar's size and power, and has a killer instinct to match -- the undefeated Carwin has yet to go past the first round in 11 professional fights, with six knockouts or technical knockouts and five submissions.

But he has shown a few vulnerabilities. At UFC 96 in March, Carwin was rocked badly by a combination before he recovered to knock out Gabriel Gonzaga.

If Carwin is moved to UFC 106, that would likely change plans for No. 11 Cain Velasquez, who was lined up to fight Carwin at UFC 104 in October. source>>>

Seattle Children's began test vaccinations of kids Wednesday for swine flu.

The federal government gave a green light for those test vaccines on children Tuesday, and the hospital had more than the needed 120 volunteers 17 years old and younger signed up, said hospital spokeswoman Teri Thomas.

Seattle is one of eight places nationwide where the federal government is testing a new H1N1 vaccine on roughly 600 adults and is one of the places where the vaccines will be tested on a few hundred children.

The tests come as public health officials issue new warnings about the flu and an expected second wave of infections.

Group Health Cooperative and the University of Washington are already testing the vaccines on 268 adults.

The test vaccines are roughly the same as current influenza vaccines, only with different disease strains within them.

Blood tests will look at the antibody levels in the blood, which will determine whether the new vaccines work as intended.

The blood work should provide a good indication in a few weeks on whether the new vaccine is good, although it will likely take about seven months for all the final reports are finished.

If the initial results are good, the new vaccine might possibly be available in the fall.

So far, two people have died this summer from swine flu in King County -- a young girl and person in his or her 70s. source>>>

Most Minnesota Vikings fans are celebrating Brett Favre's arrival as the missing link between their team and the Super Bowl glory that has been absent for the franchise's 48 years.

Officials in the team's ticket office said more than 3,000 season-ticket packages and 10,000 single-game seats were sold in the first 24 hours after Favre signed Tuesday.

But even Favre doesn't know how much he has left.

"I'd be the first to admit that I don't think I'm capable of making some of the plays that I used to make," the 39-year-old said. "My mind may tell me I can. But I don't know if physically I can do that. So understanding my limitations, how it pertains to what I can do, is all part of this process.

"I'm not going to sit here and make predictions. But I didn't come here to lose." source>>>

Brandon Marshall called himself "disgruntled" Wednesday. He didn't need to say it out loud.

The Denver Broncos' receiver was banished to the scout team offense for both practices. He never took a repetition with the normal offense in 11-on-11 work. When he was out of those drills, he usually stood by the defensive players, which was unusual. Offensive players and defensive players stand on separate sides of the sideline during practice. After the morning practice, he didn't do fly patterns with his fellow receivers as part of the team's conditioning. Then after practice he admitted the situation with the Broncos might be irreconcilable.

And why was Marshall never taking repetitions with the offense? As he said, he is "not even close" to learning the playbook.

"You can't go out there and take reps with the 'ones' if you don't know what you're doing out there," Marshall said.

Broncos coach Josh McDaniels didn't explain why Marshall was only on the scout team.

"I'm not going to sit here and narrate the practice for you guys," Marshall said.

Marshall has been upset since the offseason and requested a trade. Then Friday, he was upset when he said a public-relations staffer told the players not to act happy to the media about Marshall being found not guilty for a misdemeanor battery charge. Now he wonders if the relationship might be beyond repair.

"Unfortunately, sometimes it gets to that point," Marshall said. "There are trust issues on both sides. source>>>

The Philadelphia Eagles' sponsors are standing by their team. That doesn't mean anyone is ready to put extra money in Michael Vick's pockets.

The Eagles had prepared for a backlash after signing the convicted dogfighting ringleader last week. But while Vick is disgraced in the court of public opinion -- the one that drives lucrative endorsement deals -- his addition has not jeopardized the team's corporate support.

None of the more than four dozen Eagles sponsors had pulled out as of Wednesday, said Marlyse Fant, Eagles vice president of sales and service.

The Eagles heard from about 15 to 20 sponsors on Friday, a day after Vick signed, most simply wishing they had been given advance notice to pass on to their customers.

"Our clients have been in close contact with us to stay up to date on information coming from the team, and most have noticed a significant reduction in their own volume of customer inquiries since Friday," she said on Wednesday.

The Eagles took a proactive approach, sending a letter to their top customers last week asking them to have faith that the team was not acting recklessly.

"We appreciate the complexity this creates for some partners and premium clients and ask that you join us in our support and optimism for Michael as he commits himself to showing Philadelphia and the country he is a changed human being," team president Joe Banner said in the letter.

Reaction from Eagles sponsors has varied. Radio rights holder 94-WYSP said it has had "little to no reaction" from the station's sponsors. PepsiCo Inc. said in a statement that Vick's illegal activities were "cruel and degrading" but backed the team.

"As sponsors of the NFL, we have the utmost confidence that the senior leadership at the NFL will continue to appropriately address this issue," Pepsi said.

Sponsors understood the move from a football standpoint.

They do not hold the same view of Vick. The brutal nature of his crimes -- which included electrocuting, drowning and hanging dogs that underperformed in fights -- are not likely to soon fade from the public's memory.

"He's too toxic for most companies to even consider taking a chance on him," said David Scott, who specializes in sports business and marketing as executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute.

Once a $130 million player, Vick was a corporate America favorite as the star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. His image was used to market everything from sneakers to sports drinks, usually aimed at the coveted 18 to 34 male demographic.

The Falcons paid Vick $23 million in 2005 and Forbes estimated his total compensation that year at $37.5 million with endorsements.

Only 26 and at the pinnacle of his career, Vick's life and marketability imploded amid the graphic details of a dogfighting operation he helped bankroll and participated in.

One of his most lucrative deals had been with Nike, which signed him as a rookie in 2001 but terminated his contract after he pleaded guilty in federal court in August 2007, ultimately serving 18 months in prison.

Nike offered only a terse comment on Vick this week.

"Michael Vick does not have a contractual relationship with Nike. We will have no further comments at this time," the company said through spokesman Derek Kent.

Given the cruelty inherent in dogfighting, and the general public's emotional attachment to pets, endorsements for Vick are almost unimaginable at this point.

"When it comes to athletes' behavior, the fans have very short memories or don't seem to care," Scott said. "This one might prove to be different. It might be forgive and remember instead of forgive and forget, and that's a very big distinction."

Vick isn't being completely ignored, simply because he's back in the NFL. He was on the cover of the Madden NFL 2004 video game and was not included this year only because it was completed before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally lifted Vick's suspension.

EA Sports made Vick available as part of a roster update on Wednesday and said there was no debate about including him.

"We're not judge and jury," EA Tiburon spokesman Rob Semsey said. "If he's approved by the NFL to come back and be signed by a team, he's just like any other player. We make sure our game is as authentic as possible. Adding Vick was a no-brainer."

Vick's replica Eagles jersey, which retails for $79.99, was the top seller on NFLShop.com as of Wednesday. Jersey maker Reebok did not return calls for comment.

But Dick's Sporting Goods, a Pennsylvania-based company, said Wednesday it is not currently selling Vick's jersey in any of its 300-plus stores.

"It is strictly a business decision, not at all a political statement of any kind. We are only in the business of meeting the needs of our customers," Dick's chief marketing officer Jeff Hennion said. "I personally have not heard any retailers with stores in the Philadelphia area talking up the demand for the jersey."

It's not inconceivable that Vick could one day return as a pitchman, following the path of Kobe Bryant and Ray Lewis. Both bounced back from legal woes to serve as spokesmen for makers of athletic apparel.

Scott said Vick first needs to rehabilitate his image. He must follow through on promises to get involved in animal rights' work and the public must believe he is genuine.

"It's going to be a nontraditional type company, one that doesn't mind the controversy," Scott said. "They would enjoy the notoriety and buzz created by signing him. You might see an upstart, maybe an apparel manufacturer with a real edge. But edgy and animal cruelty don't go together. It's going to have be one whose targeted consumers are more interested in his athletic appeal than his overall body of work." source>>>

Paul "Duke" Hogue, a star center on Cincinnati's back-to-back national championship basketball teams, has died at age 69.

His wife of 43 years, Patti Hogue, said he died Monday of heart and kidney failure.

The 6-foot-9-inch center helped lead the Bearcats to NCAA championships in 1961 and 1962, both times defeating Jerry Lucas-led Ohio State squads in the title games.

Hogue was chosen the most outstanding player in the 1962 NCAA tournament. He scored 36 points against UCLA in the semifinals.

Hogue was a first-round pick of the New York Knicks in the 1962 NBA draft, playing two seasons for the Knicks and the Baltimore Bullets.

He later was a board of education member for Princeton Schools in suburban Cincinnati. source>>>

Missouri senior guard J.T. Tiller was named a preseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award given annually to the top player in college basketball.

The list features 50 of the top players in college basketball who, based on last year's individual and team performances, are considered to be the early frontrunners for one of the top honors in college hoops this season.

Tiller, the Big 12 Conference's co-defensive player of the year last season, enters his senior season as the Tigers' top returning scorer after averaging 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds as a junior. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard, who played much of the year with a wrist injury that required offseason surgery, was even more productive during MU's NCAA Tournament run, averaging 13 points in four games, including a career-high 23 points in the team's Sweet 16 victory over second-seeded Memphis.

But Tiller's most significant contributions last season came on the defensive end and as a distributor. He led the Tigers with 68 steals and 138 assists and finished with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.3-to-1.

Here is a list of the other candidates (Big 12 players in bold):

Solomon Alabi, Florida State, 7-1 sophomore center
Cole Aldrich, Kansas, 6-11 junior center
Al-Faouq Aminu, Wake Forest, 6-9 sophomore forward
Luke Babbit, Nevada, 6-9 sophomore forward
Talor Battle, Penn State, 5-11 junior guard
Trevor Booker, Clemson, 6-7 senior forward
Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga, 6-5 senior guard
Craig Brackins, Iowa State, 6-10 junior forward
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia, 6-7 senior forward
Sherron Collins, Kansas, 5-11 senior guard
Ed Davis, North Carolina, 6-10 sophomore forward
Devan Downey, South Carolina, 5-9 senior guard
Jerome Dyson, Connecticut, 6-3 senior guard
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia, 6-9 sophomore forward
Corey Fisher, Villanova, 6-1 junior guard
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, 6-8 senior forward
Manny Harris, Michigan, 6-5 junior guard
Gordon Hayward, Butler, 6-8 sophomore guard/forward
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, 6-5 junior guard
Robbie Hummel, Purdue, 6-8 junior forward
Damion James, Texas, 6-7 senior forward
Sylven Landesberg, Virginia, 6-6 sophomore guard
Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech, 6-9 junior forward
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State, 6-0 junior guard
Tasmin Mitchell, Louisiana State, 6-7 senior forward
Greg Monroe, Georgetown, 6-11, sophomore center
E'Twaun Moore, Purdue, 6-3 junior guard
Raymar Morgan, Michigan State, 6-8 senior forward
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt, 6-11 junior center
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky, 6-9 junior forward
Jerome Randle, California, 5-10 senior guard
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, 6-2 senior guard
Samardo Samuels, Louisville, 6-8 sophomore forward
Larry Sanders, Virginia Commonwealth, 6-11 junior forward
Jon Scheyer, Duke, 6-5 senior guard
DeShawn Sims, Michigan, 6-8 senior forward
Kyle Singler, Duke, 6-8 junior forward
Tyler Smith, Tennessee, 6-7 senior guard/forward
Isaiah Thomas, Washington, 5-8 sophomore guard
Deon Thompson, North Carolina, 6-8 senior forward
J.T. Tiller, Missouri, 6-3 senior guard
Evan Turner, Ohio State, 6-7 junior guard/forward
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State, 6-9 senior forward/center
Greivis Vasquez, Maryland, 6-6 senior guard
Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati, 6-1 senior guard
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, 6-1 sophomore guard
Willie Warren, Oklahoma, 6-4 sophomore guard
Terrico White, Mississippi, 6-5 sophomore guard
Nic Wise, Arizona, 5-10 senior guard
Chris Wright, Dayton, 6-8 junior forward

- MU sophomore guard Kim English and senior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon have a competition to see source>>>

When it comes to online auto sales, there are no smiling, smooth-talking salespeople to help seal a deal.

So how can General Motors Co. sell more cars on EBay?

It may be as simple as running a lot of photos, having short, spiffy descriptions and responding to e-mails quickly, according to EBay "power sellers" who earned their title by selling at least $1,000 worth of merchandise each month.

"The most successful sellers create great listings, with clear, concise titles and lots of quality pictures," said Brad Schepp, coauthor of several books about selling on EBay, including "EBay PowerSeller Secrets."

In a monthlong experiment that started last week, about 225 GM dealers in California are teaming up with the auction site to sell new vehicles. Buyers can check it out at gm.ebay.com.

EBay Inc. and GM are not releasing preliminary sales figures until the experimental period ends Sept. 8. But the auto manufacturer said Wednesday that dealers received 2,400 offers to buy new vehicles in the first week of a pilot program. GM is considering rolling out the program nationwide if it's successful.

To do well on EBay, dealers must first know their audience, experts said. Online buyers are not tire-kickers. They have done their research, weighed their financial options and are looking for deals.

EBay buyers are "suspicious by nature, and some will test a seller by sending messages to gauge response time, friendliness, eagerness and willingness to bargain," Schepp said.

Responding to these sorts of inquiries might seem annoying and time-consuming, but it is a big part of doing business on EBay, said Debbie Imlay, who sells about $100,000 in merchandise a year. She said dealers need to call potential buyers back or send them an e-mail within an hour or two, just to let the buyers know that their requests aren't falling into a black hole.

"It's important to get back to your customers. It says, 'I'm here and I value your business,' " Imlay said. "It gives your business a personal touch."

Imlay runs Debs Couture in Chatsworth, selling designer lingerie and clothing. Imlay also teaches adults how to sell on EBay at Canoga Park High School once a month. She stresses that online customers want to feel as though they have more control of their purchases.

"People don't want that pushy salesperson in their face," she said. "They want things on their own terms. That's why they're online."

Clayton Stanfield, manager of auto dealer training at EBay, agrees. Stanfield travels around the country and holds classes twice a week, teaching dealers how to sell cars on EBay. In each city he visits, Stanfield's class attracts about 30 managers from local dealerships.

"The puzzle to selling online isn't that difficult," Stanfield said.

It begins by giving buyers what he calls a "virtual test-drive." Stanfield said dealers should post 20 to 30 pictures of the vehicle so that someone can get to know the car inside and out.

But do not just put up stock photos, he said. Take pictures of the car that is being offered.

Stanfield said most dealers are putting up stock photos, which customers are less inclined to click.

A person's emotional connection with a car is important, Stanfield said. If the dealer doesn't do a good job of conveying the vehicle to a buyer, an emotional attachment won't be made.

"Buyers online know what they're looking for," Stanfield said. "As a dealer, your responsibility is to show them that car. Bring it to life through the pictures."

Some pictures may seem obvious, but buyers want to see them. "If it has a sunroof, take a picture of it. If it has a leather interior, take a picture of it," he said.
Linda Lightman agrees that photos are essential but says text can make or break a deal.

Lightman expects to do about $6 million in sales this year on EBay through her Linda's Stuff store. She sells designer items that can cost about $50,000, including products by Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Fendi.

"Any information that can help buyers visualize the product is important because they can't inspect it personally," she said.

Lightman urges dealers to write a paragraph describing the vehicle, shading in whatever features the pictures can't cover.

But dealers need to fight the compulsion to use age-old phrases in their listings, such as "All sales are final," Schepp said. This turns EBay buyers off, he said.

Listening to customer feedback is also crucial, said Nicole Easton, Internet director at Foothill Ranch Chevrolet in Orange County.

Foothill Ranch began selling cars on EBay more than a year ago, but sales didn't start picking up until after the dealer's customers began posting positive comments, Easton said.

As word of mouth spread, the dealer started getting more interest from a wider audience, she said.

With the new EBay-GM partnership, Foothill Ranch has sold several cars and has seen a 20% jump in leads, Easton said.

"People are calling up and coming in from all over," Easton said.

"We haven't been this busy in a long time." source>>>

Online auctioneer eBay Inc. has said it will soon be adding incentives for top-rated sellers.

The San Jose, Calif.-based online auctioneer said sellers who deliver the highest level of customer service -- as rated by buyers -- will get discounts of 20 percent on their final value fees and be elevated in search.

The company added that top-rated sellers earn their status based on how buyers rank the quality of a sale through eBay's ratings feedback system. eBay said it expects to immediately qualify at least 150,000 sellers in the U.S. when the program goes live in October. The program will also launch in the United Kingdom and Germany.

Any seller with as few as 100 transactions a year and $3,000 annual in sales volume can qualify based on buyer feedback, the company stated. source>>>

eBay sellers, have you ever looked at your buyer's feedback comments on your feedback page? Do you read them carefully? If you read them closely, you can find valuable information to help you grow your eBay store, venture into new niche products, or increase your sales. eBay buyers are telling you what to sell, but are you listening?

Comments like, "fast shipping, good seller" are nice, but those are not the comments that give you clues. Here are some recent examples from my eBay feedback page.

1) "Brilliant product! We can't get that here."

2) "Thanks for offering this, our stores don't sell this anymore."

3) "Been looking for these for ages, not available here."

These types of comments should make bells and whistles go off in your head. When you hear from a customer that you are selling a hard to find product, you know you have hit on something worth selling. You can assume that if one customer can't find the product where they live, many others are having the same problem. Don't assume that everyone has access to the same consumer goods that you do. You can be the solution, and make money at the same time.

Case in point. I once found several boxes of Monistat cream (used to treat feminine yeast infections) at CVS marked down to $1 on clearance. Normally these items sell for $15 - $20 retail, so I bought a few boxes as an experiment to sell on eBay to see what kind of profit I could make. After making several sales on eBay, I began seeing feedback comments from international customers stating that the product was not available in their country, it was much cheaper to buy it on eBay, or it was only available by prescription in their country. American customers also informed me that due to the personal nature of the product, they were much more comfortable buying it on eBay rather than buying it in a store where they might see someone they know, or they just prefered buying personal items online rather than in public.

By reading and paying attention to my buyers' comments, I discovered a new product I could sell relatively easy on eBay. I also learned that customers will come to eBay to purchase products of a personal nature since eBay provides more anonymity and privacy than shopping in a retail store. All very valuable information that helped my sales, and all available right on my feedback page.

Your customers are giving you all kinds of helpful information absolutely free. eBay is uniuqe in that we have a feeback page for customers to tell us what they think. Big retailers spend unknown millions of dollars paying market research firms to gather this type of information from consumers, but this information is available to eBay sellers at the click of a mouse, if you just take the time to read it.

Are you paying attention? Click here for another article about how your customers can provide valuable insight into what to sell on eBay. Be sure to subscribe to the eBay Examiner for more tips like this delivered via email. source>>>

It's been 7 years since the Performance Marketing Summit on adware, and the debate raged for quite some time afterwards.

But do newer affiliates know about the issue? And if so, do they care?

When I asked more than four-hundred and fifty affiliates their opinion on the subject for the 2009 Affiliate Summit AffStat Report, only 19% said they choose the affiliate offers they promote based on whether or not they allow affiliates that use adware and/or toolbars.

Another 22% indicated this sometimes factors into their decision, 13% rarely consider it, and 46% don't care at all.

Opinions on adware and toolbars by affiliates

Have affiliates become too complacent, or has this issue become irrelevant?

This data point and more are in the 2009 edition of the Affiliate Summit AffStat Report - get your free copy at http://affstat.com/.
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Onehub, Inc. today announced the launch of its affiliate program that will reward IT consultants, web consultants, bloggers, industry associations and Onehub devotees who recommend Onehub with commissions of 100% the first month's subscription fee. Affiliates can earn up to $499 per customer by recommending Onehub.

Onehub Affiliate Banner Ad
Onehub Affiliate Banner Ad

We have ensured that the Onehub Affiliate Program is an easy way for small and medium-sized IT consultancies to recommend Onehub and earn money
We've even provided marketing tools with built-in lead and opportunity tracking to make the entire experience seamless and uncomplicated for the affiliate.
Onehub empowers virtual teams with online tools for collaboration, file sharing and project management. Over 25,000 business users rely on Onehub to help them work smarter and more efficiently -- connecting them to customers, coworkers and partners around the world.

The Onehub Affiliate Program is designed to provide all affiliates support and marketing tools to help them be successful recommending the world's most flexible web-based collaboration platform. Once a company or individual becomes a Onehub Affiliate, access will be provided to text advertisements, links and banner graphics to help them generate activity from their own website.

"We have ensured that the Onehub Affiliate Program is an easy way for small and medium-sized IT consultancies to recommend Onehub and earn money," said Charles Mount, Onehub founder and CEO. "We've even provided marketing tools with built-in lead and opportunity tracking to make the entire experience seamless and uncomplicated for the affiliate."

The Onehub Affiliate Program gives affiliates the added advantage of following up with leads themselves as they will have access to lead information. In addition, affiliates will have the ability to check their commission earnings in real-time through the Onehub application.

For companies or individuals interested in earning considerable revenue right away, visit http://onehub.com/affiliates to sign up.

About Onehub:
Onehub is the world's most flexible web-based collaboration service that empowers virtual teams with online tools for collaboration, file sharing and project management. Onehub allows companies to easily create custom intranets or extranets in just a matter of minutes. Onehub is a privately held company founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Bellevue, WA.

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Unfortunately, affiliates do not always abide by the rules and requirements of your program. For example, you may specifically prohibit keyword sponsorship of your best terms or your brand terms. You may look to keep your affiliates from co-promoting you alongside of your competitor(s) on the same landing page, you may have restrictions on paid search regarding rank, or you may have restrictions on ad copy (e.g. affiliates cannot use the phrase "official site" or make superfluous claims about your product). These terms may be explicitly defined in your affiliate agreement, but regardless of your contract, your affiliates want to make money and that is inspiration enough to break or bend your rules when it suits their needs.

The good news is that the affiliate industry is trending toward recognizing that these issues exist and need to be resolved. I attended Affiliate Summit East earlier this week in New York. I was pleased to see two sessions specifically dealing with issues of compliance and regulation of affiliate marketing activities.

Hot topics in marketing compliance and enforcement. This session dealt with the complexities and liabilities of false advertising, affiliate advertising practices and enforcement of the laws and regulations in the USA. Speakers included a representative from the Federal Trade Commission, a law firm and several industry insiders.

Bullet-proofing your affiliate agreement. This session was conducted by an attorney who explained the varieties of business rules that are important to lock down in your affiliate agreement in order to protect yourself from liability, enable the merchant to control commission payments when the affiliate is out of compliance and to control affiliate messaging and marketing efforts to stay within the boundaries of the law.

There is also an emerging trend in the industry among the top affiliate networks who either offer or are openly talking about offering network quality services to their largest brand customers. Some are considering options for their smaller and medium sized customers as well. Overall, the trend seems to be pointing to a desire to provide merchants with more control over the quality of their affiliate programs.

The good thing is that you are in control when it comes to defining the rules and requirements of your own program. Without rules in place, you put your ad dollars in jeopardy. Examples of issues that will confront you in the event of your affiliate quality is out of control:

Increase in CPC If you are battling your affiliates on your key terms, you run the risk of driving up your CPC as you essentially compete against yourself.

Decrease in ROI. When a consumer clicks on your affiliate's ad they receive a cookie that will give the affiliate credit for any sale that occurs within the cookie expiration time frame (usually 7 or 30 days). If the consumer also clicks on your PPC ads, and winds up buying something, your affiliate will get credit for the sale -- not your marketing department or agency. When this occurs, affiliate sales can under-value your keywords so that the revenue is lowered, causing an unwarranted appearance of decline in ROI for specific keywords or media properties.

Decline of your good will. In this instance, messaging is key. Being shown on the same page with competitors, or allowing affiliates to promote old offers, or to make false or grandiose claims will diminish the good will of your brand.

A carefully crafted affiliate legal agreement is important to your success in avoiding channel conflict, to ensure your CPC costs are contained and that your ROI is not falsely deflated.
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