GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 3 - January 2008

GPWA Affiliate Interview Series | GPWA TIMES 45 gramming skills, it may take you lots of time at first, but when it’s done, you will get things done faster. You also need to prioritize all tasks and projects. I have a spreadsheet in which I’ve kept track of everything for years – Web site upgrades, content creation, etc… I separate everything by site, by type of task and by priority. You clearly love 3D graphics. What about them fascinates you? 3D graph- ics are a passion because of their abil- ity to create an artistic and virtual en- vironment from your imagination. I’m very interested in things like space and universe as well — I think they expand the limits of your imagination. With 3D graphics, you can visually create images on this theme with an artistic touch. The artistic touch is the harder thing to get because creating 3D images is a very strict thing with very strict tools. You’ve been a GPWA member since 2002. How has the GPWA helped you? The GPWA has helped me a lot. I started mastering the dynamics of this mar- ket after joining the GPWA. Interacting with helpful webmasters and discussing various issues was particularly interest- ing and very informative. It helped me to have a global view of this market. I was already skilled technically, although I also learned things at the GPWA on this side, but from a human / relational perspective it was my best time invest- ment. I also learned the basics of how to market products to the players from the GPWA. And the GPWA was offer- ing support concerning problems with some affiliate programs, which was very helpful. What advice can you offer people who are just starting up in the industry? First, know the audience you’re mar- keting to. It’s very important to know the needs of people. Second, don’t lose too much time on SEO. Concentrate on your content and your visitors. And frankly, don’t pay attention to Google’s PageRank. It’s completely useless and it constricts webmaster relations when it comes to partnerships and linking. Third, never despair or give up. Be obstinate. And do not be afraid to try doing things differently and to fail. Failing at times and making mistakes will provide your best lessons. Fourth, be strict and rigorous. Man- age your time, make lists of tasks, prioritize, organize and optimize your office, automate repetitive tasks and most important, do not forget to have breaks and enjoy life! How long did it take for you to start earningmoney? Three months. Do you gamble online? If so, what’s your favorite game andwhy? I gamble one or two times a week – and my fa- vourite game is blackjack. I like black- jack because in life I never get things easily with luck, so slot machines are not really for me. In blackjack, even if it’s still a game of chance, there’s a bit of control in it. But I consider myself lucky for three things in my life: for finding my exceptional wife, for having an amazing family in good health and for recovering from cancer detected in 2005 (it was caught and treated very early). In your GPWA profile, you list women (twice!) among your interests. If you could onlymeet four more women for the rest of your life. Who would they be, and why? Ahh, women are a long story. It’s maybe because I have Italian blood! Four more women? Hmm, my wife won’t appreciate you a lot… Famous ones? Nicole Kidman (looks very glacial and mysterious, I love that); Catherine Zeta Jones (hot temperament); Julia Roberts (seems very pleasant); and Jes- sica Biel (just amazing…). Robin Morris-Kendrick | Continued from p.14 Cedric Amedei | Continued from p.12 with a ton of words to express myself, but it has not been an issue. The forum has definitely lived up to my expectations and more. I started out on ezboard, but my forum was hacked and completely wiped out for- ever due to the fact that ezboard did not have a backup and I lost 1,700 members. I started over by view- ing cached files on Google and other search engines, but then in 2005 ez- board was hacked and I lost every- thing again. I decided that vBulletin was the best forum software to use, so in June 2005 I started from scratch for a third time in four years. As of today I have over 7,500 members, a staff of six who work daily at the fo- rum, and my mom takes care of book- keeping and affiliate program data. You mentioned in the forums that you quit your “day job” several years ago. What were the reasons behind this decision? I knew that if I was ever going to accomplish my goal of being self-employed that this was the best way to do it, so I took the leap of faith. Each month I would pray to just earn enough to pay my rent, util- ities and food. After awhile I was able to start saving money. One month I made so much I decided to get a CPA to create a Limited Liability Corpora- tion and not worry about Uncle Sam. One of the things that kept you in on- line gaming was the love you have for your site. Can you explain what that love is and where it comes from? Be- ing that I had no kids and got married