GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 4 - April 2008

GPWA Affiliate Interview Series | GPWA TIMES 49 Adrian David Carli | Continued from page 16 I manage my time by making lists of “action items” for each day of the month. I have three main categories, “study,” “work,” and Sean (my son). I map out how many hours I am going to study each day and what topics I plan on covering. I even make lists of the fun things I do with my son. I hardly ever accomplish every- thing on my lists, but it does help me manage my time. How and why did you get in- volved in the online gambling in- dustry? What about the industry intrigues you? About two years ago I wanted to get into the in- dustry because I thought that the live casino games were going to be the “next big thing.” I had no previous experience in the indus- try. I then started a white label web cam casino that failed miser- ably due to the software provider. That entire ordeal set me back a year. Afterwards, I changed my strategy and was convinced that being an affiliate was the best option for me. When did you start making mon- ey? It took about eight months to make anything. Even now the commissions are relatively mod- est compared to the industry standards. How does the GPWA help you in your work as an affiliate? GPWA has made all the difference. The community as a whole gave me some great recommendations on how to succeed in this ultracom- petitive environment. I didn’t start making any money until I became a member. I wish I’d found GPWA a year sooner, be- fore I started making all the typi- cal mistakes that set me back. If you had to pick five keys to suc- cess as an affiliate, what would they be and why? • Find your niche. Be patient and focus on your niche that interests you. When I started I made the mistake of trying to review every casino on every affiliate program I could get my hands on. It was a total waste of time. I found that I did better focusing on one specif- ic niche that I was interested in. • Integrity. Make original content based on your own ideas. The in- dustry responds to content theft rather effectively. • Be creative. The old cookie cut- ter casino banner sites just don’t cut it. Having original content that readers would actually like to read is a must. I’m still work- ing on this myself. • Don’t give up. Have reasonable expectations in terms of what you expect to get out of being an affiliate. Be prepared to spend at least a year before you make anything. I’m sure this depends on how much you already know about being a webmaster. I think this is why the majority of the new affiliates drop out. • Find the right affiliate pro- gram. This is an important one. I’ve tried different programs and found that the conversion rates vary greatly for each program. Finding the right affiliate pro- gram specific for your content is important. If you could pick someone to play you in a movie about your life, who would it be and why? The actor I would choose would be either Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) or Matt Damon depending on what kind of mood I’m in that particular day. Last question, who is your favor- ite superhero? And why? Indi- ana Jones. Yes, I realize that In- diana Jones isn’t a superhero, but it’s the closest answer I can come up with. I really never liked any of the typical superheroes like Superman or Batman. Indiana Jones is the coolest! Is your work as a portal webmas- ter a full-time job? Or is this a part-time gig? And if so, what is your full-time job? At the mo- ment, I am a full-time portal webmaster and a stock market investor. I have always been self-employed; I started when I was only 16 using the Internet to make money, doing anything and everything I could! I started a web hosting business in 2002 which was a success but I sold it in 2006 because I wanted some- thing different. How long did it take for you to start earning money? It took about one month to see money but only after about four months did the REAL money start flowing. What advice can you offer peo- ple who are just starting in the industry? When building a new site, don’t expect to see results within the first month or two. It takes a while to get the traffic and the players you want. In my first month I only got 40 unique visitors and that could have been me viewing my page once a day — lol. But after that it jumped up and in the third month I saw 3500 unique visits and it will only grow from here. So just be patient,and I can’t stress enough how important UNIQUE content is! Don’t go copy and paste your affiliate network’s ‘already made content’ and reviews. Your site won’t get a good page rank in any search engine. Create your own version of it, make it unique, and you will see results! Do you gamble online? I love gambling online and offline too! I am a frequent gambler! My fa- vorite game has to be roulette! I don’t play anything else! I am a Roulette Geek! I usually win! But I love it mostly because of its so- cial environment. You are a big fan of going to the beach. List three things you should NEVER do during a visit to the beach. Wear a Speedo (Gross) Use Oil (You’ll get sun cancer in South African weather!) Tan Naked (if you are a guy) If you had to choose between watching a cricket match and a soccer (football) match, which would it be and why? It would be soccer, and only if the team I support plays! Chelsea! Sorry, South Africa! If you could have any “super” power for one day, what would it be? And why? I would love a power whereby I can rewind time so when I’m at my second home (the Casino) playing my favorite game (Roulette) I can see which number comes in and go all in on it (lol) If you were casting a movie in which you played the lead role, who would you pick to play your romantic partner? My girlfriend won’t like my answer to this question, but it would have to be Cameron Diaz! I have always liked her! What are five things you want to do before you die? And why do you want to do these things? Well, I’m really scared of heights and sharks, so before I die I would like to face my fears and sky dive, bungee jump, shark cage dive, and paraglide. The fifth and final thing I’d like to do is, visit Hugh Hefner at his mansion, and spend time with his girlfriends.