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Getting involved in affiliate marketing is a very attractive activity for many. You can promote products with effective and cheap advertising methods. You may be working a full time job, and want to make more money without having to grind out an 8 hour shift. Working full time can be a draining activity!

You may be interested in affiliate marketing online, but are not sure where to find quality affiliate programs. A good place to find affiliate programs and products is on an affiliate network like Linkshare or Clickbank.

So what are affiliate networks? An affiliate network brings merchants and affiliates together. An affiliate network is a place that merchants place their products, acting like a marketplace for affiliates. So if you wanted to find an affiliate product or program to promote, you could check an affiliate network for a list of affiliate products.

There are many advantages to going with an affiliate network like Linkshare or Clickbank. Here is a list of a few benefits.

' Affiliate networks handle money issues with merchants. You focus on marketing, and the affiliate networks will make sure you get paid when sales are made.

' Working with an affiliate network allows for fewer checks to cash. If, for example, you promote 10 products with one affiliate network, your monthly check will come in one check instead of 10. This makes it easier to get money and keep track of things.

' Affiliate networks provide statistics on all products. You can research which products are converting sales. So once you pick a product with a good sales page, you'll be rest assured that the sales page will do its job, once you send visitors there.

' Affiliate networks provide monthly reports that allow you to track commissions. The monthly reports will help you decide whether it's worth continuing to promote certain products.

Two of the biggest affiliate networks are Linkshare and Clickbank. You can browse these two affiliate networks, and compare products and commission rates. One thing you need to know is that affiliate networks like Linkshare and Clickbank pay lower commission rates to affiliates, because they have to pay for the costs of running their business.

So do you need to sign up with an affiliate network? The answer to that is situational. You can sign up directly with a merchant and possibly get higher commission rates, but this isn't something you can always do. Certain merchants have their products available only on affiliate networks.

Overall, joining an affiliate network is not a bad idea. Whether you start earning serious money is more dependent on your marketing strategies and how hard you work, rather than the commission rate differences between an affiliate network and signing up directly with a merchant.

To your success!

Lee