GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 1 - May 2007

10 By Jeremy Enke K eeping up with an industry that seems to be evolving every day can be a cumbersome task for online gaming affiliates. Many af- filiates send hundreds of players to sites each week. And it is not uncommon to promote between 25- 50 different casino and poker affiliate programs. But if you’re not up to speed on the latest industry news, rumors, and changes, it can actually cost you money in the long run. This is why participating in various industry forums is imperative for your overall success. Whether you’re an affiliate with years of experience, or a completely new, the ben- efits of being a member and participating in at least one industry forum cannot be underestimated. Participating in industry forums allows you to: 1 Keep up on the DAILY changes that are tak- ing place in the fast-paced online gaming market. With literally hundreds of casino and poker affiliates visiting and posting in the vari- ous forums each day, this is the best way to stay on top the most recent news. 2 Form relationships and partnerships. Most top affiliates in this industry didn’t get there flying solo. Many of them have great rela- tionships and business deals with others whom they initially met in an industry forum. Whether it is something as simple as a link exchange, or a full business partnership, deals are being made behind the scenes every day by forum members. 3 Generate Ideas, Ideas, and more Ideas. Affili- ates often experience what authors sometimes call “writer’s block”. There is no better place to look than a forum when looking for new ideas. The whole concept of a forum is to share informa- tion. Unlike many other competitive industries, the online gaming arena is filled with people who are always willing to share ideas, give advice and lend a helping hand. 4 Get some social interaction. Often times, as an affiliate, it is easy to find yourself staring at a computer screen, coding, writing con- tent, or doing SEO for several hours straight. Un- like a traditional job, most of can’t just get up and go the water cooler or have lunch with our fellow co-workers. Forums are a great outlet to break up the day and have discussions with others who do the exact same thing as you. 5 Attend industry events. If you’ve ever attend- ed an industry event such as CAC, then you know how much fun it can be to catch up with friends. Most of the people you see partying and hanging out at these conventions all met on an Internet forum at one point. Having industry friends with various talents from all around the world can come in very handy throughout your af- filiate career. Success in this industry, and every industry for that matter, revolves around relationships. There is no better place to develop relationships with other af- filiates and affiliate managers than in an industry forum. Many people value their anonymity in the online gaming industry. This is the beauty of participat- ing in forums. You can be a $1 million a month producer or a completely new affiliate and carry on intelligent conversations regarding the various topics and threads taking place. Unless you choose to reveal your identity, people only know you by your forum screen name. As business people, we have to use all the resources available to us to be successful. And one of our greatest assets and resources, as gaming affiliates, is without question the sharing of information and ideas that takes place every day in communities like the GPWA. Forums are your friends It takes time, but participating will help your bottom line Jeremy Enke is the head of PokerAffilliateWorld, a forum for poker affiliates. Photo by Matt Naffah GPWA TIMES | THE IMPORTANCE OF FORUMS