Affiliate Internet Marketing | Building an Online Affiliate Business

Is the go-it-alone gold rush affiliate internet marketing prospector dying? The symbol of “I did it myself and survived the odds against me” American myth has a link to the 1840’s California gold rush. Lone 49′er prospectors seeking fame and fortune left family and friends to travel west, looking for shiny golden nuggets in the streambeds of the American River.

The Gold Rush started at Sutter’s Mill, near Coloma, California. On January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall, a foreman working for John Sutter, a Sacramento pioneer, found pieces of shiny metal in the tailrace of a lumber mill Marshall was building for Sutter.

The property was next to the American River. Marshall quietly brought what he found to Sutter, and their tests revealed the metal to be gold. Sutter was dismayed by this; he was afraid that his business plans for an agricultural empire would be disrupted if there were a mass search for gold.

However, rumors soon started to spread. In March 1848, news appeared in the San Francisco newspaper and local entrepreneurs flocked to the area. On August 18, the New York Herald reported the gold rush in California and President James Polk confirmed the discovery of gold in California to Congress. Soon, immigrants from around the world sought their fortune as a Forty Niner.

The myth of being the first and only prospector to stake a claim was shattered when an immense wave of fortune seekers flooded the area. San Francisco was a settlement of 1,000 people in 1848; two years later, it was a town of 25,000 people. Remember, this happened well before there were cars, planes, trains and the Internet. In the course of seven years, through 1855, more than 300,000 people came to California.

A community grew to support the miners. Alliances and new businesses were formed. Merchants imported goods like silk and porcelein from China and ale from Scotland. Roads, schools, and churches were built. The agricultural system of California blossomed and started on a wide scale throughout the state. A vibrant community developed from those first lone prospectors.

How does this relate to affiliate internet marketing? The myth of “do-it-yourself” entrepreneurs on the Internet is dying. Oh yes, you do have to work to succeed in an online business. However, it takes a community of customers, sellers, marketers, manufacturers and distributors to create that success.

An online affiliate business relies on merchants who willing share commissions for those who direct buyers to their web sites or portals. The profits that affiliates earn depend upon the amount of sales made through their affiliate links from those vendors.

Panning for gold online through affiliate sales is much easier now than five years ago. E-commerce is growing dramatically, to multi-billion dollar marketplace serving every imaginable need and desire. Yet at the same time, there are challenges to the trust underlying the building of community. Dr. Robert Putnam of Harvard University published a recent landmark book about the decline of trust and community in America.

In “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community,” Dr. Putnam shows research how families have fewer picnics together, spend less time in social networks, including bowling teams or attending churches. The level of trust has spurred a new sense of isolation from other people. In his book, and in his lectures, Dr. Putnam calls for new forms of community bonding and bridging to revive the social capital that comes from networking.

Done well, an affiilate internet marketing business can be a tool to serve not only the online entrepreneur, but also forge new links of service and community. The Internet was built upon the principles of collaboration, mutual cooperation and service.

Building a solid foundation for a successful online affiliate business requires a system that supports your efforts. Do yourself a favor and check out Portalfeeder for yourself or you can read my detailed review by clicking here.

Dave Pipitone, www.portal-profits.com