GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 9 - June 2009

53 What would you tell someone just start- ing out in the industry to look for in choosing prospective affiliate programs toworkwith? Check at GPWA andGIA for any information on the affiliate pro- gram, and always Google the programs and their brands for complaints against them. Are there a fewminor complaints, or severalmajor complaints? If youhad topick five keys to success as anaffiliate,whatwouldtheybe,andwhy? I’d like toknowfivekeys tosuccessmyself (smile). A cleandesign for their site, user-friendly navigation, promoting reputable casinos, havinggoodcontent, goodSEOandkeep- ing a good relationship with the casino andaffiliatemanagers. That’s six. DoyouuseFacebookand/or other social networks to promote your sites? I stay away from social networks. The commu- nityboards takeupmoreofmy time than I prefer. IdoDiggandMixx, a little. Besides theopportunity tomakemoney, what motivates you to continue work- ing sohard in this industry? Makemon- ey? Are we supposed to be doing that?? [smile] The challenge! Working hours a day for weeks, latelymonths, to createa site, and find good content / information to place on it. There will always be online gam- blers, and that means issues will always happen. I likeassistingwith these issues. What’s themost difficult thingabout op- erating your sites, andwhat annoys you or distracts you the most when you’re trying toget someworkdone? Themost difficult thing lately is putting together my own design. The last two years or so, I used a premade design and altered it a little. What distracts and annoysme? The peo- ple inmyoffline life. It seemsevery time I feel likeworkingonasite, someonewants to start talking, asking for help with this or that. It never fails!! I always give them the time. What do your friends and family think of your work as an affiliate? My online friends are all affiliates except for four, and they are online players. Among my offline friends and family, only seven know about what I do. One is an ex-CIA agentandhe thinks it isOK, but showsno interest in it. Another one asks questions onhow tobecomeanaffiliate. My son says it’s risky, but he would, be- causehe’sanex-policeofficer.Mydaugh- ter isOKwith it.Mydad says, “Whatever pays your bills.” [btw, that’smy dad and mom in the photo, with one of the eight ModelA’sandModelT’smydadrestored] My uncle, a judge, says he’s glad I found something todo. My older sister isworried about the legal partof it.The restofmysiblings,wedon’t communicate. If you could visit any three places in the world,whatwould theybe,andwhy? To be truthful, there isn’tanyplace I’m inter- ested in visiting. I’ve been through every state in theU.S., but I haveno interest in seeinganypart of another country. If you had five minutes with Barack Obama, how would you convince him thatgovernment regulation,notoutright banning, is the smartway togowithon- line gambling? I’d explain to him how therewill alwaysbeonlinegambling, so it would benefit the U.S. economy by taxa- tion if itwas legalized.All theU.S.will ac- complishbyfightingonlinegambling is to drive it underground. Ifyoucouldhaveone“superpower,”what would it be? And why? Only one super power? Then that would be the power to heal.There is toomuchsuffering,physical andmental, in thisworld. Ifpeoplecango through lifewithgoodhealth, they canbe moreproductive in theirwork,whether it beon the jobor at home. Ifyouwerecastingamovie (withyourself in thestarring role),whowouldplayyour romantic interest?Andwhy? SamElliott. I love his voice, and the way he slightly bends his head and gazes up at awoman. Sexyeyes! Please tell us three things that nobody knowsaboutyou. Hmmm, there’salways at least onepersonwhoknows all things. Kissing in the snow. The sound of a gentle rain dancing upona tin roof. Lying beside a blazing fire, just relax- ingandabsorbing itswarmth. Finally,pleaseenlightenus:whattheheck is a fender lizard? Hahaha!! A fender liz- ard is a “car hop,” a personwho comes to your vehicle and takes a food order, then brings it to you. Theydon’tmake asmuch incomeasa “lot lizard,” though. [chuckle] 1. 2. 3. Age: 56 Hometown: Springfield,Missouri Currently residing in: Springfield,Missouri Favorite food: Jalapeño Chopped Sirloin One book everyonemust read: BrainDead by Eileen Dreyer Sites: americanplayersonline.com gamblingadvertisements.com (jointly ownedwith jod5413) casinosandplayersonline.com ( jointly ownedwith jod5413) GPWA Affiliate Interview Series | GPWA Times