Now that we're alone, I thought this might be a good time to talk about our affiliates and sponsors.
First, this site is primarily supported by commissions that I receive from affiliate advertisers. If you guys shop with our advertisers, we are compensated. Still, not everyone understands that we only get credit for the sale when you use our links here at the site to initiate your shopping. The links, found on this page here, are coded with tracking information. If you go to Amazon.com, for example, by using a properly encoded link, Amazon.com recognizes that you came from ZHPMafia.com. We'll get credit with any purchase you make.
However, if a member just throws a random Amazon.com link on the forum (and I have not coded it), ZHPMafia.com doesn't receive anything for the sale. By the way, I typically follow behind you guys and recode your Amazon.com links so that we do receive credit if someone does click the link and by something. Still, to be sure, you can always use our affiliate link page.
Going forward, I will code links whenever possible. I already do it for eBay links you guys plop in. I can only do this, though, because Amazon.com and eBay.com have provided tools so that I can code for a specific product. Most affiliates only allow me to provide a link to their home page.
I know that we all shop with many of our affiliates. However, most of you do not use the links at our site to do it. As a result, our affiliate advertising often does not cover the bills for our site. Most of the time it does, though.
Therefore, if you have benefited from your membership here at ZHPMafia.com, and feel like supporting the site, please consider using our affiliate links. For those who already do use our links, thank you. It's appreciated.
As for our sponsors, we have three of them. Detailer's Domain, Casey Withers, and Carbon Effects. These businesses pay us a monthly fee to be here. We don't receive any other kind of compensation from these sponsors. Still, these sponsors are important because they've already made a payment to be here. Their monthly payments are used to support our site every month. Without them, we'd definitely have more monthly shortfalls. (Cobywheel.com, by the way, is an affiliate advertiser. We get a commission when you guys buy something there and mention that ZHP Mafia referred you.)
To reiterate: a sponsor pays a monthly fee to be here. Affiliate advertisers pay us only when you use their links and buy something. Affiliate advertisers get a free ride -- and billboard space here -- when everyone sees their advertising but does not use their links.
Moving on, ZHPMafia.com's annual meet is tentatively scheduled for May 2012. It will be in Virginia (just like last year). Dane will be the point man once again. However, I would like to relieve Dane of any financial burdens this time around. I am waiting for Dane to get back to me on his budgetary needs for the 2012 event. In 2011, the three members of the management team (me, Dane, and Keith) pooled our money together to help make the event happen.
My goal for 2012 is to use the commissions that we get through our affiliate advertising to pay for the annual event. At this point, though, there is no way that we could do it. We don't utilize the links enough to do it. So, besides helping pay for the monthly bills around ZHPMafia.com, I'd also like to use the commissions to pay for the annual meet in Virginia. This just gives you guys more of an incentive to use the links.
As always I appreciate all of your support -- whether it be financial or otherwise.
Thanks.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Marcus-SanDiego
