GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 27 - February 2014

home. We have incorporated an office separate from our living space. It is the best of both worlds. It gives us the oppor- tunity to spend more time with our daugh- ter. She doesn’t need to stay at school for lunch like many other kids whose parents have a full-time job away from home. We have only been to one affiliate confer- ence to date. As our daughter gets older (she is seven now), Mike and I are more comfortable with leaving her with her grandparents or aunt for a few days. She is now able to understand that her par- ents have a job and must be away to tend to business. We look forward to attending more conventions and meeting the people we deal with online in person. What traits do you look for in an affili- ate manager? How about in an affiliate program? It is important for me that af- filiate managers answer e-mail in a timely manner and that they are not “pushy.” We always try our best to send traffic, so there is NO need to send me tons of e-mail ask- ing what can be done for more traffic, or how to get top positions, etc. A good affiliate program should provide the best statistics possible. Some show which countries your players are from, and some don’t. I find this to be very use- ful information and believe it would be good if more programs let us know things like that. I also look for clear, fair and easily un- derstandable terms, fast payments (un- fortunately there are still programs that keep the affiliate’s earned money for 20 days in their own banks) and good play- er retention. What’s your preferred method of com- munication with affiliate managers? Do you like to talk on the phone, by e-mail or via Skype? Sometimes via Skype, but I noticed that chatting on Skype always uses up a lot of time, so I am not online there much. I do prefer e-mail contact. What prompted you to join the GPWA? How has it helped you? We are fortunate to have the GPWA and some other good sites for gambling affiliates. The GPWA fo- rum is a great way to meet other affiliates, affiliate managers and operators. Many times I find really useful information on the GPWA site. I also like the GPWA member portal sites, which present a nice opportunity for gambling affiliates to get their websites listed. What do you like about the industry? You will always be busy with the indus- try. There is always something to do. When you have good, trusted programs, it makes your work more enjoyable. But then you have the bad news, and the chal- lenge to take care of it is always there. I love a good challenge. If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be? Rogue sites need to disappear. Those sites ruin it for all the reputable ones out there. As much as I’d like for all of them to disappear en- tirely, I’m afraid this will never happen. What do your family and friends think of your work as an affiliate? They know this is my job. They are fine with it and realize work comes first. Do you gamble online? If so, what do you play? Yes, I also gamble online. I love to play slots mostly, but video poker is also something I enjoy. How long do you give yourself for an- swering e-mail? What e-mail tips can you offer? I try to answer e-mail within 24 to 72 hours. I have no e-mail tips, but maybe a suggestion: The subject line could be more precise. E-mail with subjects like “An offer you can’t refuse” lands mostly in my trash. How do you manage your “to-do” lists? Do you use any special software to help you out? I do it the good old-fashioned way, writing a list and checking off things that are done. How much time do you devote to SEO and/or social networking in order to drive more traffic to your sites? I’ve been trying to spend more time on social media lately. For SEO we now have help. What’s the most difficult thing about running your sites? They’re not difficult to run at all. Frustrating? At times, but that’s what makes a good challenge. What’s the best thing about running your sites? I am my own boss and I can work from home. If someone were visiting you, what’s the one place you’d definitely take them to see? I live very near the sea, and I would definitely take them there. No matter what season, the view, the feeling and the atmosphere at the North Sea are simply fantastic. And of course they also need to visit Amsterdam; it is an amazing city. When you need to get as far away from work as possible, where do you go? To the Alps, to Tyrol in Austria. Being up there in the mountains on a nice sunny day is an incredible feeling. You see the blue from the sky touching the green from the trees and the grass. But also the winter is amazing, absolutely romantic. What’s your all-time favorite movie? There are many movies I have enjoyed. I do not really have one favorite movie, but this is definitely a good one: The Day After Tomorrow. Such movies make you think, and hopefully many people watch- ing it make up their mind to help keep this planet alive. If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be? • Michael Jackson – I believe he was one of the greatest artists. • Nostradamus – I want to ask him why the world is still here; was he really just misinterpreted? • My dad – I never had the chance to get to know him, really. My mother finds I am very much like him. So I would like to have a conversation with him. • My life partner, Mike, and my daugh- ter, Sarah – They are my love, my life, my everything. What are three things that nobody knows about you? Do you really be- lieve I would tell you my innermost se- crets in this interview? I think not! They are what make me who I am and I keep them to myself. 53 GPWA Affiliate Interview Series