GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 35 - June 2016

shouldn’t allow “the village idiots” to have freedom of speech in the forums. Michael Corfman now wears the title “Friend to the Village Idiot” as a point of pride in the signature of his GPWA posts. “There was some censorship that took place in other places,” says Michael Corfman. “The position we tried to take, allowing people to say what they think, has its challenges. Allowing a dialogue doesn’t mean you can engage in flaming wars and obnoxious behavior, but we do support the right of people to identify is- sues with sponsor programs as long as it’s done in a respectful manner. We don’t just delete those posts because they make us or our sponsors uncomfortable.” The end result of all that freedom? Instead of dismissing the concerns of affiliates, the GPWA takes complaints seriously. Most of the time, when a program breaches the Code of Conduct, a solution can be found that satisfies all parties involved. While it may take longer than some affiliates might like to resolve issues with an af- filiate program, the end result of an open conversation is usually more productive than an instant ban when the Code of Conduct has been breached. “If there’s an issue and we are in com- munication with the program and we feel [they’re making] a good-faith effort to re- solve the issue, we will keep them listed,” says Telesca. “We will issue a warning to let people know, but we will still keep them on the GPWA during the process be- cause they’re communicating with us. If there’s a violation and there’s no commu- nication and no willingness to put things in a better place, then we will let the pro- gram know they have to respond or their account will be suspended. “It’s a process. Things can happen that are outside a program’s control. A payment processor could go down. There could be a reporting issue, or something could go wrong with the software, and if they are communicative, then we give them an op- portunity to make it right.” Sometimes, however, that’s not pos- sible, and as a result, programs have been removed as sponsors, which has cost the GPWA some short-term rev- enues. But those revenues aren’t nearly as important as the faith and trust of the GPWA community. Still a community of webmasters helping webmasters Much has changed over the 15-year his- tory of the GPWA, especially over the last decade under the current ownership. But one thing has remained the same, and will likely stay the same for 10 more years: The commitment of GPWA members to help- ing each other. “Our members, who in reality are busi- ness competitors, actually take the time to share knowledge and to help their fel- low affiliates,” says Telesca. “Working to- gether for the betterment of the industry — that’s what the GPWA is about.” “There’s no other place in the world where you can put up a site for review by your competitors and get such an in- depth response,” says Bard. “‘Here, let me teach you how to compete with me.’ That’s what the GPWA is all about. Ain’t no other place like it in the whole world.” As the Internet gambling industry moves further down the road to regulation — and as tax rates increase the costs of do- ing business and operators’ marketing budgets get squeezed — the GPWA will become an even more important resource for webmasters looking to maximize their efforts. “The affiliate industry is a tougher indus- try than it was a few years ago, and it’s not going to get any easier,” says Michael Corfman. “Having a place to share and support each other will continue to be im- portant — perhaps more important than ever before.” Aaron Todd was the managing editor of the GPWA Times Magazine for the last six years. He wrote the cover story for the first issue of the magazine in May 2007, and this issue will be his last. He now manages the marketing and communications efforts for the athletic department at his alma mater, St. Lawrence University. J. Todd (left), Anthony (center) and Steven Corfman (right). 25 The “Friend to the Village Idiot” celebrates 10 years at the helm