Do you love FeedFront magazine? You do have your free subscription right? Over 40,000 copies are sent out over four times a year to the top movers and shakers in the Internet marketing community.

So now that you’ve subscribed, how’d you like to see your face on the cover of the magazine? We just launched the “I Love FeedFront” contest on Facebook. Click here to enter now.

All you have to do to enter is upload a picture of yourself, or your team, or anything with a copy (any copy) of FeedFront in the picture. The winner will be chosen in July of 2011 and will grace the cover of the magazine in a future issue.

Imagine being able to call your Mom and tell her you’re on the cover of a magazine? Imagine mounting a framed picture of the cover with your face on it in your lobby? Imagine how much fun it would be to show your kids how awesome you are?

All you have to do is go to ILoveFeedFront.com and click “like”, then enter the contest.

I get a lot of requests asking me what conferences I recommend to folks that are into affiliate marketing, search marketing and social media.

There’s certainly a lot to choose from and since every dollar counts these days, I decided to put a list together of conference and tradeshows that I personally recommend and plan on attending this year.

If I run out of steam based on this schedule, my wonderful business partner Shawn will be there in my place.

PubCon South – March 11-13 – Austin
SXSW Interactive Show – March 13-18 – Austin, TX
Search Engine Strategies - March 23-27 – New York
BarCamp Orlando – April 18 – Orlando
Ad:Tech – April 21-23 – San Francisco
SOBCon – May 1-3 – Chicago
Inbound Marketing Summit – May 27-28 – Dallas
Internet Retailer – June 15-18 Boston
Linkshare Symposium East – June 22-23 – New York
BlogHer – July 24-25 – Chicago.
Affiliate Summit East 2009 – August 9-11 – NYC*
Gnomedex – August 20-22 – Seattle
Avon Breast Cancer 40-mile Walk – September 12-13 – Los Angeles
IzeaFest – October 1-4 Orlando
SMX East – October 5-7 – New York
a4Uexpo – October 13-14 – London
BlogWorldExpo – October 15-17 – Las Vegas
Ad:Tech NY – November 4-6 – New York
Social Fresh Cruise – November 12-16

If you’re going to be at any of these events, let’s make plans to meet up. I just love seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

If you’re not going to make any of these, look for coverage of the events in upcoming issues of FeedFront Magazine.

Lastly, if you know of an established conference not listed here, that you think I should be attending, let me know. I’m always looking for new opportunities.

*Shameless plug. But hey, it’s my blog, I can do whatever I want.

The next issue of FeedFront will be coming out in April 2009.

The deadline for article submission for Issue #5 is February 14, 2009.

If you are interested in writing an article, go to the FeedFront contact form to submit a one sentence summary on what you’d like to cover. (Do not send a complete article – just a one sentence summary.)

Articles are a maximum of 500 words – no exceptions. Submissions that are longer will be kicked to the curb as we’re on a very tight schedule this time around.

Questions? Email me at missy@feedfront.com

Tim Storm, the owner, founder and Chief Mucky Muck of FatWallet.com, an online community and shopping resource, is no doubt, a cornerstone of the affiliate marketing industry.

Known for his technical savvy, his strong emphasis on his employee’s welfare, his hands-on approach with his site visitors and yes, his relentless quest for the perfect golf swing, Storm epitomizes all that is good in affiliate marketing – ethics, innovation and commitment.

Back in 2002, Storm made headlines when he squared off against retail giant Wal-Mart. After one of the FatWallet.com forum members posted product pricing information scheduled to appear in the retailer’s Black Friday advertisements, Wal-Mart sought the identity of the member, invoking sections of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Storm refused to provide the personal information of the forum member, and solidified his reputation as an advocate for the rights of consumers to gather and share information.

Since FatWallet’s launch in 1999, Storm has been featured in numerous media outlets, such as the New York Times, MSNBC, Fast Company, National Public Radio, and more. His vision and leadership is the driving force behind FatWallet’s outstanding growth.

In 2006, Storm’s contribution to the affiliate marketing industry was recognized as he became the second affiliate marketer to receive the Affiliate Marketing Legend award during the Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Awards Gala.

I recently talked with the inspirational Storm about his business, and his views on life and affiliate marketing for FeedFront Magazine.

Missy: So, talk to me about your childhood. What was young Tim’s life like growing up?

Tim: When I was finishing 5th grade, my parents told me that they had signed me up for summer school. I had no idea what I did wrong. I thought I was getting decent grades.
Then they told me it was for a computer class. My next question was “What is a computer?”

A few years later, when I was in my early teens, I wrote a bulletin board program and took over my sister’s phone line when she moved out to college. It was my first online community, before I could drive, on a 300 baud modem and a Commodore 64.

Missy: And as I understand it, you still live close to where you grew up. Correct?

Tim: Yes, I live in a small rural community. I literally have cows in my neighborhood. It is close to where I grew up, and close to family. It takes me about 12 minutes to get in to the office in the morning, even though Google Maps says it should take 21.

Missy: So tell me about your first Web site and how you got started on the Internet.

Tim: While my online interactions started back in the 300 baud Compuserve days, I don’t think I did my first official Web site until the mid-90’s, when I was designing loudspeakers as a profession. I was working for a consumer electronics company (Mitek Corp) at the time, and built out their entire Web site in my “spare” time, and ended up taking over all the Internet projects across their brands.

Missy: How did you make the leap into affiliate marketing?

Tim: My first connection to affiliate marketing was through the Amazon Associates program, where I had added some links to some reference books to back up the content that I had been creating in a technical support area for the audio brands I was working on.

Missy: How did you come up with the idea for FatWallet.com? What were some of the first affiliate programs that you joined?

Tim: One day I was going to place an order at an online retailer that had previously sent me an email coupon. I didn’t have access to my email at the time, so I did an AltaVista search for coupons, and came across sites that weren’t current or didn’t look professional.

Amusingly enough, I recouped my $100 investment back in my first month in business.

Missy: When did you realize that you couldn’t run the whole site by yourself? What were some of the challenges that you faced when it came to juggling creativity and business?

Tim: Before I started working on FatWallet full time in September of 2000, my wife had been helping out while I was earning a steady paycheck at my “real job”. We started bringing on employees in 2001 to help keep the site up to date.

I learned early on that it was easy for me to gloss over some important details. I also began recognizing my strengths and I wanted to spend more time on those. It was then that I hired people that were better than me at the things that I would rather not do, or wasn’t good at.

Missy: When did you realize that FatWallet had “arrived” and what is the secret to its success?

Tim: While I do see FatWallet as successful, I still believe that we have yet to “arrive”. There is so much opportunity out there, so much room to grow, so many people that we haven’t been able to serve yet.

Our core values of Integrity, Commitment, Change, Respect, Balance and Passion will keep us on course toward our 10 year goal of 10 million engaged citizens.

Missy: Shifting gears here. How would you characterize the current state of affiliate marketing?

Tim: I see affiliate marketing as “maturing”. There is so much opportunity here, but unfortunately, there are also opportunists looking to make a quick buck . Luckily, I can usually sniff them out quite quickly.

It is important to me, and FatWallet that we focus on long term mutually beneficial relationships.

Missy: In your opinion, what are some of the biggest hurdles facing affiliate marketers right now?

Tim: Affiliate marketing is challenged by the view of it being a “second class citizen” in many corporations, despite being the most measurable and highest ROI methods of customer acquisition and retention.

Because it is still relatively new, it often isn’t understood by some folks in the “C suite” and dictations are made without understanding the implications.

Missy: So how does a company go about doing affiliate marketing “right”?

Tim: The key to doing affiliate marketing “right” is to understand the value of a customer, finding affiliates that understand what customer you are looking for, communicating that clearly, and compensating the affiliate for accomplishing the goal you have set out to do.

Missy: What is the biggest piece of advice you would give an affiliate just starting out?

Tim: Don’t get wrapped up in the “turmoil” of the day. Look for your opportunity to serve a customer, find the right business case and start it. If it doesn’t work the way you want, don’t waste a lot of energy complaining about it. Find the fit that works… the answer is out there!

Missy: What do you see as the 3 trends affiliate marketers should have on their radar in the next few months?

Tim: Mobile, offline integration, technology.

Missy: What is your vision of affiliate marketing 5 years from now?

Tim: I see increased transparency, and reduced feedback time. Companies will need to have deeper integration of their affiliate marketing program with their core business processes.

Missy: Let’s break it down personal here. What are some of your other passions other than affiliate marketing?

Tim: I’ve had a long term love/hate relationship with golf. I love the challenge of taking on something you can never truly master. I stopped playing for a couple years due to a thumb injury.
A few years ago, I started playing again and became an investor in the golf course right behind the office.

I see my passion for business in general, not just affiliate marketing. I am certainly a student of the game – something that can never be mastered. One of the most rewarding elements for me is that I know that I’ve helped create great jobs for great people.

Missy: OK – now really personal. Tell me something about you unrelated to the internet, that people would be surprised to know.

Tim: I don’t consider myself a thrill-seeker, but so far this year I have taken part in a zero gravity flight, a mock air combat mission, and plan to try bobsledding in December as part of a group I belong to called Maverick Business Adventures (www.maverickbusinessadventures.com).

Missy: Check you out Mr. Daredevil! Now give me the skinny. What do you really want to do in the future, outside of FatWallet.com?

Tim: Wow, I have no idea when that time will come. It isn’t on any timeline that I am aware of!

I don’t think I could be satisfied if I wasn’t constantly learning and helping people live better lives. I have found that creating jobs is one of the most satisfying results of starting FatWallet.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 4 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue4.pdf

Not getting Feedfront in your mailbox yet? Subscribe for free: http://feedfront.com/free-subscription/

Affiliate Summit is going to be exhibiting at booth # 919 at Ad:tech in New York City next week.

I’ll have a full post later this week of all the parties going on and where I’ll be going.

In keeping with tradition, we’ll be giving away a some goodies and copies of the current and past issues of FeedFront Magazine.

Shawn and I will also be having some fun with the Green Screen, so swing by to get in on the video action.

One of the things we’ll be giving away at our booth is a crisp $100 Missy Buck. This li’l diddy will allow you to take $100 off of any registration type for the upcoming Affiliate Summit 2009 West in Las Vegas.

If you’re not going to be in New York for Ad:tech, don’t sweat it. I’m happy to email you a $100 Missy Buck. Simply complete the information below and I’ll send off to you.

I hope to see you in NYC!

Commission Junction, a division of ValueClick, Inc. announced their winners of its CJYou Awards, (formerly the Horizon Awards) which were presented at the annual Commission Junction University.

The award winners are advertisers, publishers and agencies of Commission Junction and were chosen for their outstanding network performance metrics.

And the winners are:

– Rookie of the Year, Advertiser
Abe’s of Maine
Awarded to a new advertiser who has achieved the highest total revenue
– Rookie of the Year, Publisher
ShopDiscover
Awarded to a new publisher who has achieved the highest total revenue
– Advertiser of the Year
Yahoo! Affiliate Program
Awarded to an advertiser who has achieved the largest year-over-year increase in revenue and greatest percentage of growth
– Publisher of the Year
RetailMeNot.com
Awarded to a publisher who has achieved the largest year-over-year increase in revenue and greatest percentage of growth
– People’s Choice, Advertiser (tie)
BuyCostumes
GoDaddy
Chosen by the publisher community and awarded to an advertiser who demonstrates the best partnership qualities and excellence in supporting publisher needs
– People’s Choice, Publisher
CouponCabin
Chosen by the advertiser community and awarded to a publisher who demonstrates the best partnership qualities and excellence in delivering value to an advertiser’s affiliate program
– Innovator of the Year
Intuit
Awarded to an advertiser or publisher who demonstrates the most successful use of emerging technologies
– Agency of the Year
iMarketing
Awarded to an agency that has excelled at fostering relationships between its clients and Commission Junction

Congratulations to all the winners and the folks that were nominated.

Now, I personally don’t understand the reason for the name change from Horizon Awards to CJYou Awards. I thought that CJ had some good branding going with the original name, but that’s just one woman’s opinion.

I didn’t attend CJU this year because it started the day after my 60-mile breast cancer walk and a couple of days before BlogWorld. As I didn’t receive a press pass for it, I decided to spend a couple of days home with my family and head off to BlogWorld instead.

That being said, I don’t have pictures to share with you nor will their be any coverage of the event in the next FeedFront Magazine.

You can however get more information on the 2008 CJYou award winners, by going to www.cj.com/affiliatemarketingawards.

Without any further ado,
Here’s FeedFront, Issue 2:

Download FeedFront, Issue 2

The online version is whopper size, topping out at over 107mb. So be patient, it will load.

Why don’t you go grab yourself a cup of coffee or an ice cold beer. You deserve it.

Better yet… sign up to get a free copy of FeedFront sent to your door to read at your leisure.

Enjoy.

Want to have your picture in the next issue of FeedFront Magazine?

Getting featured is as easy as 1-2-3:

1) Get yourself a free Green Affiliate sticker
2) Pop it onto your laptop (don’t worry, it’s comes off)
3) Take a picture showing you and the sticker, and upload it to Flickr with the tag: feedfront

Pictures must be uploaded by June 27, 2008 to be considered.

I hope to see your smiley face!

Get a free subscription to FeedFront Magazine at http://feedfront.com/free-subscription/.

After a 20-something year stint as a blonde, I decided to get back to my roots — my brown roots, that is.

While I will not miss sitting in the salon chair every three weeks for touchups, I will miss my hair colorist. Hopefully, my grey will not be coming in any time soon.

Let me know what you think.

Shawn and I just gave birth to our new love-child, FeedFront Magazine. It’s something that we’ve talked about for a long time, and to see it come to fruition is nothing less than exciting for me.

FeedFront Magazine, the Official Magazine of Affiliate Summit, is all printed and in the mail now to subscribers.

If you attended Affiliate Summit this past February in Las Vegas or last August in Miami, and live in the U.S. (and your address hasn’t changed), you should be getting the first issue in the coming weeks.

The magazine is dedicated to bringing ideas, resources, and opinions from Internet marketing innovators to you before your next project or venture.

FeedFront is for the futurists; the next-gen marketers; the early adopters in affiliate marketing.

That’s you, right? Get your free subscription.