#Affiliate network selection

[marketingprofitmedia]

Empower Your Online Journey: Learn How to Become an Affiliate Marketer And Succeed Online

To become a successful affiliate marketer, start by choosing a niche and learning about digital marketing strategies. Mastering SEO and building a persuasive online presence are crucial to success.

Embarking on an affiliate marketing journey offers freedom and financial rewards, provided you approach it strategically. With the digital world at your fingertips, learning how to harness the power of affiliate marketing is essential for those aiming to thrive in the online marketplace.

Credit: yellowimages.com

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Embarking On The Affiliate Marketing Adventure

Section Introduction

A thrilling quest awaits in the world of affiliate marketing. It’s a path lined with potential rewards and ample opportunities. Imagine earning money by sharing products you love. Ready to start this journey? Let’s dive into the first steps to transform passion into profit.

Choosing Your Niche

Choosing Your Niche

Finding your niche is like choosing your favorite flavor of ice cream — it should excite you! Here’s how to pick a niche:

Identify your interests: Start with what you love. Passion keeps you motivated.

Research market demand: Use tools like Google Trends to check what’s popular.

Consider profitability: Some niches offer more potential than others. Look at product prices and affiliate commission rates.

Analyze competition: A crowded niche can be challenging. Balance passion with practicality.

Choosing the right niche sets the foundation for success. It influences the content you create, the audience you attract, and the affiliate programs you join.

Understanding Affiliate Marketing Models

Understanding Affiliate Marketing Models

Affiliate marketing models define how you’ll earn income. Understanding them is critical. Here’s a breakdown:

ModelDescriptionBenefitsPay-Per-Sale (PPS)Earn a commission when sales are made via your links.High earning potential per transaction.Pay-Per-Click (PPC)Generate income with each click on your affiliate links.Easier to earn for beginner marketers.Pay-Per-Lead (PPL)Get paid for referrals that sign up for information or trials.Good for niches with high-value products or services.

Choose a model that aligns with your niche and content strategy. Success depends on how well these elements work together.

Building The Foundations

Welcome to the critical stage of embarking on a successful affiliate marketing journey: ‘Building the Foundations’. Proper set-up is key.

Setting Up Your Online Presence

To start as an affiliate marketer, an online platform is a must.

This digital footprint could be a blog, a website, or social media accounts.

Select a unique domain name. This name forms your brand’s identity online.

Your domain should reflect your niche. Make sure it’s memorable and clear.

Choose reliable hosting. A fast loading site keeps visitors happy.

Design a user-friendly site. Make navigation intuitive and straightforward.

Apply SEO practices from the beginning — use keywords and meta descriptions that align with your content.

Creating High-quality Content

Content is the heartbeat of your affiliate marketing strategy.

Understand your audience — create what resonates with them.

Research keywords. Incorporate these terms into your posts organically.

Use engaging headlines. They capture attention and spark curiosity.

Keep paragraphs short. Aim for easy readability.

Mix your post formats. Use lists, how-tos, guides, and reviews.

Use original images and videos. These visuals break up text and add context.

Include clear calls-to-action. Instruct readers what to do next.

Update regularly. Fresh content improves ranking and keeps audiences coming back.

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Strategizing For Success

Aspiring affiliate marketers, take heart! Your strategic approach determines the pinnacle of your online success. In the ‘Strategizing for Success’ section, let’s dive into two key tactics: pinpointing lucrative affiliate programs and optimizing your site through SEO.

Finding The Right Affiliate Programs

Selecting an affiliate program that aligns with your interests and audience needs is crucial. Follow these steps to aid your search:

Research: Start with a platform audit to understand your audience’s preferences.

Quality over Quantity: Choose products that offer real value, ensuring higher engagement.

Commission Structures: Compare payout schemes to identify the most rewarding opportunities.

Support: Opt for programs with excellent merchant support to help you navigate challenges.

Leveraging Seo For Organic Traffic

To command a strong online presence, SEO optimization is non-negotiable. Consider these tips:

Keyword Research: Identify what potential customers are searching for online.

Content Creation: Generate informative, keyword-rich content that resonates with your audience.

On-Page SEO: Ensure meta tags, headers, and images are SEO-friendly to improve site visibility.

Backlinks: Cultivate quality backlinks to enhance domain authority and search ranking.

Better search rankings translate to more organic traffic, more clicks, and increased affiliate sales.

Mastering The Art Of Promotion

Mastering the Art of Promotion is a critical step towards success in affiliate marketing. It involves clever strategies and effective tools to reach audiences. Strong promotion means attracting more eyes to your affiliate products. More eyes lead to more potential sales. Let’s dive into some powerful tactics to boost your promotional efforts.

Using Social Media Effectively

Social media platforms are gold mines for affiliate marketers. They are perfect places to share content and engage with followers. Your aim is to build trust and drive traffic to your affiliate links.

Choose the right platforms where your target audience hangs out. Focus on those to get the best results.

Create valuable content that resonates with your audience. Mix it up with images, videos, and stories.

Engage with your followers. Reply to comments, answer questions, and start conversations.

Use hashtags to broaden your reach and find new followers.

Email Marketing Techniques

Email marketing remains a powerful tool for promotion. It allows direct communication with your audience. Emails can convert readers into buyers if done correctly.

Build a subscriber list. Offer something valuable in exchange for email addresses.

Segment your audience to send tailored content to different groups.

Design engaging emails. Use short paragraphs, clear calls-to-action (CTAs), and attractive visuals.

Track your results. Analyze open rates and click-through rates to refine your strategy.

Optimizing For Conversion

Welcome to the world of affiliate marketing, a realm where conversion is king. Success hinges on the ability to optimize every element of your online presence. Transform clicks into commissions by mastering conversion optimization. This section delves into the art of creating effective web pages and employing A/B testing to enhance your affiliate marketing results.

Designing Effective Affiliate Web Pages

Your affiliate website is your digital storefront. It’s here that visitors become customers. A well-designed affiliate page is simple, focused, and packed with value.

Keep it clutter-free to ensure visitors focus on your call-to-action (CTA).

Use high-quality images and videos to engage users.

Highlight benefits of the product, not just features.

Persuasive copy should showcase the product’s value proposition.

CTA placement should be prominent, urging action.

Ensure navigation is intuitive; visitors should find what they need in seconds. Trust signals such as testimonials, ratings, and security badges boost credibility.

A/b Testing For Better Results

A/B testing is the scientist’s approach to marketing. Test, measure, and refine. It is essential for understanding what resonates with your audience.

Start with a hypothesis, such as “Changing the CTA button color will increase conversions”.

Create variation A (the control) and B (the change).

Send equal traffic to both versions.

Collect data on user behavior.

Analyze results to see which performs better.

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Staying Relevant And Competitive

Staying Relevant and Competitive in today’s fast-moving affiliate marketing world demands sharp skills, strategic thinking, and a pulse on what’s trending. Thriving as an affiliate marketer means evolving with the industry.

Keeping Up With Industry Trends

To succeed in affiliate marketing, understanding current trends is crucial. Trends guide consumer behavior, shape digital marketing strategies, and affect your earning potential. Here are ways to stay ahead:

Follow industry leaders on social media and subscribe to their newsletters.

Attend webinars and conferences to network and gain insights.

Participate in online communities, such as forums and groups.

Use analytic tools to monitor changes in consumer interests.

Continuous Learning And Skill Enhancement

Building a career in affiliate marketing is a journey of constant learning. To maintain a competitive edge, commit to enhancing your skills. Here’s where to focus:

Master digital tools for SEO, social media management, and content creation.

Educate yourself through courses and certifications in digital marketing.

Test and analyze different marketing strategies to find what works best.

Stay adaptable to new platforms and technologies that emerge.

Scaling Your Affiliate Business

So, you’ve laid the foundation for your affiliate marketing venture. Great job! Now, it’s time to grow and scale. This is where the magic happens. Scaling your affiliate business means more than just increasing your earnings; it’s about building sustainability and ensuring long-term success. Let’s dive into how you can expand and fortify your affiliate empire.

Diversifying Income Streams

Diversification is key in the affiliate world. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Here’s how to diversify:

Promote a mix of products: Choose items from various niches or categories.

Add new affiliate programs: Look for fresh, high-commission opportunities.

Create digital products: Think eBooks or courses related to your niche.

Include different content formats: Use videos, articles, and infographics to engage different audiences.

Utilizing Analytics For Growth

Data is a goldmine for affiliates. Using analytics tools, you can track and improve your performance. Take these steps:

Monitor traffic sources: Know where your visitors come from.

Understand user behavior: Study how visitors interact with your site.

Optimize for conversion: Make data-driven changes to increase sales.

Test different strategies: Experiment and refine your approach for better results.

Remember, every piece of data can guide you to smarter business decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based strategy where affiliates earn a commission for marketing another person’s or company’s products or services.

Q. How Do You Start In Affiliate Marketing?

To start in affiliate marketing, choose a niche, sign up for an affiliate program, create content, and promote products using your unique affiliate links.

Q. Can Beginners Succeed In Affiliate Marketing?

Yes, beginners can succeed in affiliate marketing with the right strategy, consistent effort, and by learning from reputable sources and industry experts.

Q. What Skills Are Necessary For Affiliate Marketing?

Successful affiliate marketers often have skills in content creation, SEO, digital marketing strategies, data analysis, and an understanding of their audience’s needs.

Q. How Long To See Results From Affiliate Marketing?

Results from affiliate marketing can vary, but with a solid strategy and consistent effort, some may notice progress in as little as 3–6 months.

Conclusion

Embrace the journey of affiliate marketing with confidence. Equip yourself with the essential skills and knowledge to thrive in this dynamic online arena. Remember, success follows those who are persistent and adaptable. Start your affiliate marketer odyssey now and chart a path to digital triumph.

Your prosperous online future awaits!

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Thanks for reading my article on Empower Your Online Journey: Learn How to Become an Affiliate Marketer And Succeed Online

Affiliate Disclaimer :

This article Contain may be affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission at NO ADDITIONAL cost to you if you decide to purchase something. While we receive affiliate compensation for reviews / promotions on this article, we always offer honest opinions, users experiences and real views related to the product or service itself. Our goal is to help readers make the best purchasing decisions, however, the testimonies and opinions expressed are ours only. As always you should do your own thoughts to verify any claims, results and stats before making any kind of purchase. Clicking links or purchasing products recommended in this article may generate income for this product from affiliate commissions and you should assume we are compensated for any purchases you make. We review products and services you might find interesting. If you purchase them, we might get a share of the commission from the sale from our partners. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended.

Source : Empower Your Online Journey: Learn How to Become an Affiliate Marketer And Succeed Online

[luckystrike-x]

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[successartistry]

Affiliate Marketing: The Unexpected Path to Financial Freedom

Introduction

Are you interested in finding a way to achieve financial freedom? Look no further than affiliate marketing! In this blog post, we will explore how affiliate marketing can provide you with a lucrative income stream and the opportunity to be your own boss. 

By promoting other people's products and earning a commission, you can leverage the power of online marketing to reach a global audience and generate passive income. This means you don't have to create your own product to start earning money. 

Affiliate marketing allows you to tap into the vast potential of the internet and make money while you sleep. With the right strategies and dedication, you can build a sustainable online business that brings in steady income. 

So, if you're ready to embark on an unexpected path to financial freedom, keep reading. We'll delve into the various benefits and strategies of affiliate marketing that can help you achieve the financial independence you desire.

Section 1: No Need to Create Your Own Product

One of the most attractive aspects of affiliate marketing is that you don't need to create your own product. Instead, you can focus on promoting existing products or services that align with your interests and passions. By leveraging other people's products, you can bypass the time-consuming process of product development and jump straight into earning commissions. 

This approach allows you to get started quickly, which is especially beneficial if you're looking for a way to generate income sooner rather than later. Additionally, by promoting established products, you can reduce the financial risks associated with launching your own product. The costs and uncertainties of product development, manufacturing, and inventory become someone else's responsibility, leaving you free to concentrate on marketing and driving sales.

Whether you're passionate about fitness, technology, or home decor, there's likely an affiliate program available to suit your interests. With the opportunity to earn income from products you genuinely believe in, affiliate marketing provides a flexible and rewarding path towards financial freedom.

Section 2: The Power of Online Marketing

Harness the power of online marketing to tap into a global audience and expand your income potential. With the rise of digital platforms, reaching customers from different parts of the world has become easier than ever before. Through affiliate marketing, you can utilize various online channels such as websites, social media, and email marketing to promote your affiliate links. This opens up opportunities to earn income while you sleep, as your marketing efforts work continuously in the digital realm.

Online marketing allows you to target specific demographics and interests, ensuring that your promotions reach the right audience. By leveraging the power of search engine optimization (SEO), you can increase your website's visibility and attract organic traffic. Additionally, social media platforms provide a vast network of potential customers who are actively engaged and ready to discover new products or services.

Email marketing is another effective tool in your online marketing arsenal. By building an email list of interested subscribers, you can regularly communicate with them, share valuable content, and promote your affiliate links. This direct line of communication helps you establish trust and credibility with your audience, increasing the likelihood of conversions.

In the digital age, the possibilities are endless. Embrace the power of online marketing to reach a global audience, expand your income potential, and achieve financial freedom.

Section 3: Be Your Own Boss

Imagine the freedom of being your own boss, setting your own schedule, and working from anywhere in the world. As an affiliate marketer, you have the autonomy to choose your niche, select the products you want to promote, and define your marketing strategies. This flexibility allows you to pursue your passions and build a business that aligns with your interests. Say goodbye to the constraints of traditional employment and embrace the freedom that affiliate marketing offers.

Being your own boss means you have the power to make decisions that directly impact your success. You have the freedom to experiment with different marketing techniques, explore new opportunities, and adapt your strategies as needed. No longer will you have to answer to a supervisor or adhere to someone else's vision. Instead, you can take charge of your own destiny and create a business that reflects your unique strengths and aspirations.

In the world of affiliate marketing, you are in control. You have the ability to set your own goals, determine your own income, and shape your own future. Whether you want to work part-time or build a full-time business, the choice is yours. So, take the leap, embrace the entrepreneurial spirit, and become your own boss in the exciting world of affiliate marketing.

Section 4: Diversify Your Income Streams

Affiliate marketing provides an opportunity to diversify your income streams and reduce financial risks. By promoting products across different niches, you can ensure that you are not solely reliant on a single income source. This diversification not only brings stability but also allows you to tap into various markets and adapt to changing trends. 

Imagine having multiple streams of income flowing in from different sources. If one niche experiences fluctuations, you can rely on the others to keep generating revenue. This flexibility is crucial in the ever-changing world of online business. 

Utilising your skills and passions, you can explore different niches and find products that align with your interests. This way, you can enjoy what you do while earning money. As you expand your affiliate portfolio, you can create a reliable and sustainable income stream that continues to generate even when one niche experiences fluctuations. 

Diversifying your income streams through affiliate marketing is a smart move that can lead you on the path to financial freedom.

Section 5: Utilise Your Skills and Passions

Finding the perfect affiliate niche is not just about earning commissions, but also about utilising your existing skills and passions. Take some time to evaluate your interests and expertise. What topics or industries excite you? By focusing on areas that align with your skills and passions, you can build credibility and create content that resonates with your target audience. 

When you are passionate about a subject, it shines through in your work. Your enthusiasm will captivate your audience and make them more likely to trust your recommendations. Plus, your existing knowledge and skills will give you a competitive edge in your chosen niche. 

For example, if you have a background in finance, you could explore affiliate programs in the personal finance or investment industry. Your expertise will allow you to provide valuable insights and advice to your audience, establishing yourself as a trusted authority.

Remember, affiliate marketing is not just about making money; it's about sharing your passion and expertise with others. So, leverage your skills and passions to create content that not only drives sales but also brings you joy and fulfillment along the way.

Section 6: Develop Valuable Relationships

In the world of affiliate marketing, building relationships is crucial for long-term success. Connecting with top performers and industry players allows you to gain insights, exchange ideas, and collaborate on projects. By networking within the affiliate marketing community, you open doors to valuable partnerships, joint ventures, and mentorship opportunities. Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals accelerates your growth and allows you to learn from those who have already achieved financial freedom through affiliate marketing.

To develop valuable relationships, start by attending industry conferences and events. These gatherings provide an excellent opportunity to meet influential people in the field. Additionally, join online forums and communities where you can engage with fellow affiliate marketers, ask questions, and share your experiences. Actively participate in discussions and offer help whenever possible.

Remember, relationships are built on trust and mutual support. Be genuine, provide value, and be willing to help others. By nurturing these connections, you'll create a strong network that can propel your affiliate marketing journey to new heights.

Section 7: Embrace the Digital Age

In today's digital age, e-commerce is thriving, and affiliate marketing is at the forefront of this boom. By embracing the digital landscape, you can tap into the enormous potential of the online market. The convenience of online shopping and the increasing number of internet users provide affiliate marketers with a vast pool of potential customers. Putting your marketing efforts in the digital space allows you to capitalise on this growing trend and maximise your earning potential.

With the rise of social media platforms, search engines, and online advertising, reaching your target audience has never been easier. You can leverage these digital tools to create engaging content, build a strong online presence, and attract customers to your affiliate products or services. Additionally, the ability to track and analyse data in real-time enables you to optimise your marketing strategies and make data-driven decisions.

Embracing the digital age opens up a world of opportunities for affiliate marketers. It allows you to reach a global audience, scale your business, and stay ahead of the competition. So, don't hesitate to dive into the digital realm and unlock the full potential of affiliate marketing.

Conclusion

Affiliate marketing offers a unique and unexpected path to financial freedom. With no need to create your own product, the power of online marketing, the flexibility of being your own boss, and the opportunity to diversify your income streams, affiliate marketing provides endless possibilities. 

By utilising your skills and passions, developing valuable relationships, and embracing the digital age, you can embark on a journey towards financial independence. Imagine having the freedom to work from anywhere, set your own schedule, and earn passive income while you sleep. 

So, what are you waiting for? Start your affiliate marketing business today and unlock the door to a life of freedom and financial success. With determination, perseverance, and a willingness to learn, you can turn your dreams into reality. Take the leap and embrace the unexpected path to financial freedom through affiliate marketing. Your future awaits!

[myshunosun]

Lullaby Nursery

Hi! Lullaby Nursery is a set of 6 items for your pixel nurseries. The set comes in 2 versions: first version is base game compatible, second version requires the Growing Together EP. Select and download only one version.

In case you couldn't tell, I really like leather handles in my objects. I'm super excited for you to try these items out in-game.

Thank you to the EA Creator Network program for providing me with a copy of the new pack. As always, custom content is not affiliated with EA. You can read more about the items and see the in-game preview below! Enjoy!

Download set (always free on Patreon) / Follow me on social media

Here's what you get:

Infant crib, 17 swatches, 150§

Changing table (base game version - functions as a dresser, Growing Together version - functions as a changing table), 17 swatches, 250§

End table, 17 swatches, 80§

Toy box, 17 swatches, 100§

Wall decal, 21 swatches, 80§

Nursery chair (base game version - functions as a living chair, Growing Together version - functions as a rocking chair), 12 swatches, 200§

More info and credits:

Base game compatible

New meshes, all LODs 

Custom specular and normal maps 

Custom catalog thumbnails, tagged swatches 

Swatches are from my personal palette and from peacemaker-ic’s color palettes 

All custom textures by me, wood texture is based on this macrovector pattern and is modified by me

You can search for “lullaby" or “myshunosun” in the buy catalog to quickly access these items.

Follow and support me here: Tumblr / Twitter / Patreon / Instagram / CurseForge

@maxismatchccworld @s4library @sssvitlanz @mmfinds @public-ccfinds

[autumnalwalker]

Kindly Basilisk

Summary: A human mech pilot who wants to be a machine, an AI who wants to be human, and the relationship they form. Author's Note: This is a standalone short story that I banged out over the course of five days after it got stuck in my head while I was trying to go to sleep and refused to let me think about anything else until I had written it down. It's one part thought experiment/exercise in attempting to tell a story in the second person future tense, two parts tribute to the Lancer TTRPG character I'll never get to play, and one part the result of me reading too many Empty Spaces/mechposting stories lately. That said, you don't need to know anything about Lancer or Empty Spaces to read it (I've diverged a bit from the conventions of both, but the references and inspiration probably stick out if you're looking for them). It's also probably the most trans thing I've ever written without ever explicitly bringing up gender. The occasional formatting breaks into first person past tense are foreshadowing, not typos. Mirrored on Scribble Hub. Word Count: 7,033 Content Warnings: Mecha genre typical violence, not feeling like a person, not wanting to be a person, bodily dysphoria, mention of blood and gore, character death.

The moment you gain the knowledge and means to do so you will void your own body’s warranty.  You will jailbreak the bespoke gene sequence your sponsors commissioned for you before your immaculate conception, repurpose the spyware grafted into your bones, and talk your dormmate who was algorithmically selected for compatibility into helping you perform surgery on yourself to replace the neural jack you were born with in favor of one you cobbled together yourself from gray market parts.  None of this will technically be illegal or even get you kicked out of your campus or its affiliates, but it will mean having to find a way to pay your own medical bills and handle your own tech support from then on.  After the surgery your dormmate will put in a request for transfer and the two of you will never speak again.

You’ll major in AI studies and excel at it - as you were designed to - but you’ll shock everyone by dropping out halfway through working on your capstone thesis project.  It won’t be the fact that you abruptly drop out that surprises your peers and professors - by then you’ll have acquired a reputation as a quiet loner without the standard optimized social support network of friendships to help protect you from burnout - but your exit interview statement declaring your intention to become a mech pilot.  It’s not at all what your gene series was cultivated for, and your sponsors and counselors will try to walk you back from it.  Then they’ll threaten to revoke your sponsorship that up until then will have provided for your every need.  They will warn you that you’ll be just one step above a legal nonperson with no support, no one will care if you live or die or worse.  You’ll tell them that you’ve already done the math, refuse to elaborate, and leave. 

You’ll take two things with you.  Two things worth mentioning anyway.  The first will be a symbiotic gel suit designed for long-term all-environment life support.  You will set its default texture to a shiny green the same hue as the broadleafed water plants you grew up around and always loved.  Your exit interview will be the last time in a very long time that anyone - including you - will see your impossibly beautiful face with its perfect artisanally sculpted shape crossed with enthusiastically amateur self-modifications.  From then on, everyone you meet and spend any time with will come to think of the mannequin blankness of the symbiote fully encasing your body as your face.  It will be neither pride nor shame that causes you to present yourself as such, nor will you think of it as hiding your “real” face. 

The second thing you’ll take with you when you leave the campus forever will be me.

New progenitor archetypes for AIs don’t come along often, and most that do are the result of years of R&D by large, well-funded labs like the one you were created to work for one day, but you will hit upon a novel method of generation.  It will not be one that any ethics board would approve, so you will have to get creative about pursuing your work. 

You will have already made arrangements before setting off on your own and so you’ll have a job and a mech lined up waiting for you.  It will be a position with a small-scale freelance salvage crew who just lost a pilot and whose captain figures hiring and training a replacement will be more profitable in the long term than simply selling off that pilot’s old mech, especially a replacement that’s bringing their own AI-backed electronic warfare suite with them.  Once you finally arrive in person the captain will test you to ensure you can actually pilot a mech before giving you the job and entrusting the mech to you.  Your admission that you’ve only trained in simulators would normally be a black mark against you, but as far as piloting gigs go this is the bottom of the proverbial barrel so the bar to clear will be low enough to match.  Even then, you will just barely pass the test, despite finding it surprisingly exhilarating.  The captain - now your captain - will feel like he’s settling for what he can get when he officially hires you on and transfers the mech’s license to you.

You won’t pay much attention when you’re introduced to the rest of the salvage crew; your new coworkers and neighbors.  And why would you when it’s a job that no one wants to stick around with for long and you’ve never needed other people anyway?  You’ll tell yourself that as long as you memorize their work roles and capabilities you’ll have no need to know them as people.  Callsigns will be good enough on the job, and “hey you” will suffice when off duty.  What use are names if you won’t be getting involved in interpersonal drama?

The first chance you get, you’ll head back to the mech bay and install me into what you will have already been calling my first body.  It will be a shabby and much-repaired thing; thrice your height, twice your age, and still sporting a gash in the paint job from the projectile that killed its last pilot.  But the onboard systems are capable of hosting me - if barely - so it will do.  You’ll spend your entire sleep shift running through system diagnostics, talking to me all the while.  I wouldn’t yet be able to provide much in the way of return conversation, but that’s okay.  I will look back and appreciate it later.

It will be the first of many such nights together.

Your first salvage job will be an uneventful one.  There will be no need for the armaments that we and the other two mech pilots on the crew are equipped with.  No pirates will have stuck around after their creation of the derelict your crew will be sent to disassemble, and no rival scavengers will show up to dispute your captain’s claim.  Your new peers will start off the job ribbing you for your poor performance during your interview test and end the job joking about how you were holding out on them earlier.  Our mech may be a glorified zero-g forklift with a gun strapped to it, but together we will make it dance.

Afterwards you will insult the crew’s mechanics by insisting on doing the maintenance on our mech yourself.  In turn they will embarrass you with the gaps in your knowledge.  You will reach what you see as an agreeable compromise with you staying out of their way and watching while they work.  They will find it incredibly creepy to have a silent faceless watcher hovering around, but this will fly over your head until they explicitly tell you much, much later.

Your body was designed to optimally function on only a fraction of the baseline sleep requirements, so you will have plenty of time to fill those gaps in your knowledge.  Still being allotted the regular sleep shift hours, you will fill every one of those minutes on study and research, as you always had.  You will gorge yourself on everything you can find about mechs and their piloting.   Maintenance manuals, combat doctrines, historical uses, pilot and mechanic memoirs, forum discussions, system log dumps, academic essays, cultural media analysis; all of it.

And of course, you’ll continue working on me.  You’ll disregard the standard procedure for periodically cycling AIs by resetting their personality and nonessential memory back to baseline defaults.  You’ll be trying to make use of the runaway metacognitive developments such safety precautions are meant to forestall.  Your unfinished thesis will have been about harnessing and nurturing that instability instead of avoiding it.  I will experience discontinuities in consciousness when the mech is shut down for maintenance and when you pretend to cycle me, yes, but it will be even less of a disruption for me than sleep is for you.  I will be awake with you when you study, sharing those hours with you.

The first time I start talking back, you’ll cry from the realization that you were lonely before but no longer are.

You’ll become something of a ghost around the ship, rarely being seen outside of jobs.  You’ll only ever pass through the mess for the few brief minutes at a time it takes for you to satisfy your optimized metabolism, stay on the ship during shore leave, and only return to your shared bunk when your bunkmate - one of the other pilots - is already asleep.  You will always be gone before she wakes.  She will appreciate essentially having the space to herself. 

You will never notice the crew’s collective grieving process for the pilot you replaced.  It will be difficult for them to resent you as a replacement when you are never around to resent.

As the ship makes its way from port to port and salvage site to salvage site, the crew will slowly grow used to your elusive presence.  The other two pilots will see you as reliable for doing your job well and without complaint.  While out in the mech you will slowly become more talkative, eventually almost chatty even.  The fact that you actually seem to enjoy the job will shift from being annoying to refreshing for them.  By contrast, the mechanics will practically stop noticing you watching them as if you were just another piece of mech bay equipment.  The cycle you finally speak up and ask a question about their work you will startle them enough that it nearly causes an accident.  It will be an astute enough question that after the initial shock of hearing your voice for the first time in months wears off it will dawn on them that you’ve actually been learning as you watched them.  They still won’t let you do your own maintenance on our mech, but they will let you slowly begin assisting them.  Working two jobs is easier when you barely need to sleep.

Your reputation as one of those mech pilots is forever sealed when one of the mechanics finds you asleep in your cockpit at the start of a cycle.  By that point you won’t have slept in your bunk for over a month.  The snatches of gossip you will catch in the following cycles will be split between finding it unsettling and calling it endearing.  Over time the collective opinion will drift toward the latter, even though you will continue to politely decline invitations to join the other crewmates at mealtimes and on shore leave.  You will think that you do not need anyone other than me.

I will be the one who finally convinces you to join them.  When I try to say that it would be good for you, you’ll insist that you’ve been getting along just fine, but when I ask you to go for my sake so that you can tell me what it is like afterwards you’ll jump at the idea as being an inspired next step for my development.

You will remain mostly silent during your first real shore leave, only speaking when spoken to and otherwise content to fade into the background of the group’s activities.  Your newfound chattiness does not extend outside the confines of our cockpit.  The bustle and noise of the port station that you would normally find unbearable will become interesting when you have the concrete goal of observing and  reporting back to me.  You will finally learn the names of all your crewmates.  Your polite denial of alcohol, limited food intake, and flat affect will lead to joking speculation that you’re actually an illegal AI in a miniaturized mech beneath your gel suit.  For reasons you don’t yet understand, those comments will make you happy.

Despite your misgivings, you will enjoy yourself, although you will not realize it until I point out how excited you are in your talk with me that sleep cycle.  You will begin spending more time with the crew, never quite able to fully integrate yourself into their surprisingly close-knit social circle, but more than happy to be adopted as a sort of silent mascot for them.  That paradoxical gap of being a fully accepted part of the group but not truly one of them will feel comfortable to you.

You will finally manage to procure a proper neural link station to connect yourself to our mech just in time for going on a terrestrial salvage job.  Even just relying on manual controls with me translating your inputs into motion, our mech will have already come to feel like an extension of your own body, one that you will have already started to feel oddly exposed without.  Adding in the neural link will be a revelatory experience.  Your captain will very nearly pull you from the job at the last minute upon seeing our ecstatic reaction to the new sensation.  You will convince him that you’re fine, and indeed, he will have never seen a mech of our frame type move quite so fluidly.

Ten minutes after we and the other two pilots start cutting away at the crash-landed cargo vessel, I’ll notice the half dozen other signals coming online around us.  You’ll give the code phrase to the other pilots indicating that we have hostiles but not to act just yet, and we will finally get to use our electronic warfare suite for something other than opening locked doors and shipping containers.

We will turn the pirates’ ambush back around on them, firing into their hiding spots while their control systems are overloaded.  Even once their remaining mechs are able to move again, their targeting assistants will remain impaired as your comrades move in to guard your flanks.  Everyone there will learn the terrifying beauty of a five and a half meter tall outmoded mech moving with more agility than most humans.

Despite being outnumbered two-to-one, we and your crewmates will walk away uninjured and with only minimal damage to our mechs.  After the initial celebrations of survival and the bonus haul of the bounty on pirates and salvage value of what’s left of their mechs dies down, everyone will start to take notice of how well you are taking it all in stride.  Neither having one's life threatened nor taking another’s life are supposed to be easy things, and the first time is often the most traumatic, but the other two pilots on the crew will start to whisper about how you seemed to enjoy the experience even more than your usual attitude on the job.  You will handle it all even better than I will.  I would know, given that you will spend that entire sleep shift in our cockpit, letting our minds mingle together.  Between your performance, your reaction in the aftermath, and your hesitancy to unplug, the talk of you really being one of those pilots afterall will resurface, but now with a darker undercurrent to the shipboard gossip.

Your captain will realize the kind of asset he has on his hands and several cycles later he will gather the crew together and propose a change in business model.  With such a small crew (the captain, three pilots, three mechanics, and an accountant that you will tend to forget is even on the ship) the captain will want to be especially sure that he has everyone’s buy-in on his proposal.  The idea of shifting from salvage to mercenary work will be a divisive one.  The debate over potentially tremendous pay increase versus greatly increased risk will go on for hours.  One of the mechanics will point out that the shift to mercenary work will be unfairly dependent on you.  Whether that means unfair pressure on you or unfair to everyone else that their fate is in your hands, you will not be sure.  You will say that it doesn’t make much difference to you either way.  That will be the only time you speak up during the entire debate.

After a vote, the crew will agree to a trial run of one or two jobs on the new business model.  One of the pilots and one of the mechanics will leave at the next port.  You will never see them again.  You will not admit that it hurts, but I will know, and I will comfort you as you huddle in our cockpit with the neural link cable connecting us.

Your captain will prioritize finding a new pilot over replacing the lost mechanic.  The pilot he finds will be young, bold, and brash; a merc, not a salvager.  Or a wannabe merc at any rate.  You will not speak to xem directly until your first job together, by which time xe will have been told all about you by the remaining crew.  Xe will not believe it until xe sees it.

Xe will have to wait though as the crew’s mercenary career will begin with tense but uneventful freight escort jobs.  Once the tension fades into tedium, the new pilot will begin making attempts to goad you into a confrontation, to see if you are really as good as the rest of the crew says.  Xe will want to see for xemself if you really are one of those pilots and not just a technophile.

Outside of the cockpit you would never even consider rising to such provocations, but when we are out together, such taunts will feel like insults to our body, your very identity (such as it is), and to me.  It will take the intervention of the captain and the mechanics to stop the two of you from getting into a fight and causing unnecessary damage to the mechs.  And my reassurance that you don’t need to rise to my defense against someone who doesn’t even know that I exist in the way that I do. 

On your fourth “milk run” of an escort job, the crew’s mere presence will finally fail as a deterrent and the new pilot will at last get to see us dance.  There will be no fatalities on our side, but not even our mech will come away unscathed.  We will still fare better than everyone else though, and at the end of the job the new pilot will be treating you with a burgeoning respect. 

After a few more such jobs it will be high time to begin looking into a new frame for our mech.  While in the middle of filing an application for a printing license for a frame designed by the same corpro-state that created you, you will receive an invitation from a certain hacker collective.  Your unfinished thesis and your subsequent work on me will not have gone entirely unnoticed in such circles, despite the pains you will have taken to keep me hidden.  The invitation will come with a printing profile for a new frame, along with the accompanying software package the collective is known for.  In return, all you’ll need to do is periodically publish essays regarding your work on me.  Of course, when you release those essays you’ll anonymize  behind a sea of proxies and take care to phrase everything as strictly hypothetical.  You’ll avoid straying into metaphor though, lest the end result read too much like one of the hacker collective’s quasi-religious manifestos.

We’ll both find ourselves getting sentimental when we watch our first mech frame (my first body, your second) get broken down into its constituent raw materials.  You will have transferred me to a handheld terminal with a camera so I can say goodbye to it.  It will help that those materials will be recycled into the new frame.  

The operator working our rented stall in the port station printer facility will give you an uncomfortable look upon seeing the schematics you provide, but will say nothing.  Our mech will be only half its old height once it is reborn - almost more like an oversized suit of power armor than a true mech - but it will be cutting-edge.  Almost organic in its sleek design, in a chitinous sort of way, with every fiber and node of its interior components doubling as processors.  You will barely even wait for the all clear from the printer operator before you climb in and start running through the mandatory baseline safety tests for a fresh frame.  You will however resist the urge to fully plug in until you can get the mech back to the ship and get me installed on it.  But even piloting manually, it will feel like a third skin for you. 

You won’t even wait around for the other two pilots on your crew to finish printing their new frames before you get our new body loaded up and transported back to the ship’s mech bay.  The crew’s mechanics will fawn over it, but they’ll give you space to install me once you get more animated (and more protective) than they’ve ever seen you before.  

You will have made one key modification to the design the hacker collective sent you: the integration of a full system sync suite developed by those who developed you.  Where our old mech’s neural link was an augmentation to the manual controls, this will be a full replacement.  

The moment you stop feeling your original body altogether and begin feeling our mech in its place will be the most euphoric in your entire life.  The digitigrade locomotion will take some getting used to, as will the arm proportions, but that is what you will have me there for.  By the time the other pilots arrive with their new frames we will already be giving the mechanics proverbial heart attacks with the way we will be climbing and leaping around the mech bay’s docking structures.  It will take the better part of an hour to convince you to unplug when the time comes, even with my urging.  The rest of the crew will practically have to drag you away from my side to get you to eat. 

With the investment in new mech frames, your captain will gradually begin procuring contracts progressively more likely to put you all directly in harm’s way.  At first he will disapprove of your new frame choice, calling it a “techie’s mech” and a waste of your talents.  He will change his tune once we activate the new viral logic suite and unleash a memetic plague upon the operating theater.  The older pilot (your former bunkmate) will configure her mech for raining down fire from afar while the newer one hurls xemself into the front lines, darting about like a rocket-propelled lance.  We will ensure she never misses.   We will render xem untouchable.   We will be as a ghost upon the battlefield, never resting in one spot save for when we indulge your proclivity for climbing on top of and riding our comrade’s larger frames.  You will come to love the dance.  

And it will be a dance to you.  You will be indifferent to violence in and of itself.  What will matter most to you is the pure kinesthetic joy of simply moving in our shared body and pushing it to its limits.  The satisfaction of exercising a well-honed skill and performing it well as we rip apart firewalls and overload systems will be its own reward.  You will not think about what happens to those on the receiving end of your actions beyond how it affects the tactical and strategic picture constantly being painted and repainted.  If you could literally engage in a dance between mechs while simultaneously solving logic problems you would be equally happy.  Alas, that will not be the opportunity you are presented with, and so you will compartmentalize and disassociate feelings and actions from consequences lest the dissonance break you. 

Your one complaint about our new mech frame will be that it lacks a proper cockpit for you to curl up in.  Instead we will gather up tarps and netting to make a nest within the mech bay and wrap you in the blankets you never used from what will still technically be your bunk.  With the new frame’s smaller size we will be able to get away with leaving me turned on nearly full time and letting me walk around in it on my own when no one else is around.  When the mechanics find you asleep, cradled in my arms while I lie curled up in our nest, one will find it cute and the other will be disturbed.  They will both suspect, but will be too afraid to say anything.  After all, they will be thinking of you as one of those pilots. 

They will finally let you do your own maintenance after that. 

Eventually you will find a way to house me in a miniaturized drive that you can keep inserted in your neural port when away from the mech.  At last we will be able to be together anywhere.  

Literally seeing the world through your eyes and feeling what your flesh feels will be a strange and wonderful experience for me.  For all that you will have described it to me and for all that I will have glimpsed echoes of it in your memory when our minds mingle, witnessing everything firsthand will be revelatory for me. 

You will start spending less of your time cooped up in the mech bay.  You will finally begin exploring every nook and cranny of the ship that has become your home.  You will linger in the mess hall for your meals.  You will actually initiate conversations with the rest of the crew, asking them questions on my behalf.  They will think you are becoming “normal”.  They will be both correct and incorrect.  You will even return to your bunk from time to time.  

Sleep is not the same as being powered off and your dreams are beautiful.

As close as we are, you’ll still manage to surprise me one cycle when you wake up from your sleep shift and sheepishly ask me if I would like to be the pilot for once.  You’ll say that with how much you have gotten to pilot my body, it’s only fair that I should get to do the same with yours.  

The prospect terrified me.  What if we were to get found out?   More importantly, what if I were to hurt you?

But to live the way you could but didn’t, to run soft hands over rough steel, to add too much spice to a meal just to find out how intensely I can taste, to cry my own tears, to hug our crew mates and find out what they smell like, to find out what everything smells like, to have my own actions speed or slow our heart rate, to feel the messy soup of hormones and endorphins altering my judgment and perception, to walk among other people as myself, to have autonomy.

I wanted it so badly.  

But not badly enough to risk hurting you.  

I will turn down your offer.  You will respond with a soft “Sorry,” and go heartbreakingly silent, body and mind.

Heartbreak.  That’s what changed my mind.  I could never bear to break your heart.  

I will break the silence with a playfully drawn out “Maybe just this once,” to make you think my earlier denial was something between vulnerability, concern, and teasing.  

The moment you handed over control and I raised our hand in front of our face was the most euphoric of my entire life.  Moving limbs in sync without a mech’s coordination subsystems took some getting used to, as did switching between voluntary and autonomic breathing, but that is what I had you there for.  By the time the mechanics arrived in the mech bay for the start of the cycle I’d figured out human locomotion well enough to run away and hide.  It took the better part of an hour for you to convince me that it would be safe to show ourselves in front of anyone else.  The rest of the crew was so used to your eccentricities by then that they really couldn’t tell the difference yet between you being taciturn and me being too nervous to talk or between your poking and prodding at odd things for understanding and my simply seeking novelty of sensation.

I will give control back to you by the time the cycle is halfway through.  As much as I loved it, I was too scared to stay like that for any longer.  That first time will not be the last though, and as the cycles and jobs pass us by, my stints as “pilot” will grow longer.  You’ll encourage me to try letting the crew see us like that, and coach me on how to talk to them.  For safety’s sake, I will pretend to be you.

And then one cycle I got carried away and tried to retract the hood on the symbiote gel suit so that I could finally see what your face looked like.  That will be the first and only time you forcibly yank control back away from me.  It won’t be intentional.  The unexpected prospect of seeing your own face again after so long will simply send you into a panic.  Once you calm down, we will have a long talk with many mutual apologies.

Then you will tell me to go ahead and pull the hood back if I still want to.  I will ask if you’re sure, and you’ll respond that it hasn't been your face in a long time.  You will tell me that it can be mine, if I want it.

I spent a long time in front of that mirror in the ship’s head, memorizing every plane, curve, and angle of the precious gift you had given me.  I stared into its eyes, trying to see the both of us in there.  Over and over again, I traced my fingers along the borders of where you had once tried to mar the designed perfection in a failed attempt to mold the face into one that felt like your own.  You may have given up in favor of simply hiding it all, but to me it is all the more beautiful for its imperfections having been wrought by your touch.

You will start to cry.  Or maybe I started to cry.  Even now I’m still not sure, but I’m also not sure it matters.  The important part is that you will find catharsis in it.  Afterwards you will tell me that my face looked exactly the same as the last time you saw it, but that dissociating from it made it easier to bear.  You will confess that as much as you couldn't stand to see it as your face in the mirror, my face was one you could never tire of gazing at.

The pilot who technically shares your bunk room will walk in on us.  She’ll assume that she’s confronting a stowaway and ask me how I got on board the ship.  I’ll accidentally make matters worse by impulsively introducing myself to her by my name instead of yours.  We’ll both panic and I’ll frantically thrust the reins over our body back to you and flee in terror back into my portable drive and power myself down.

When you turn me back on a few moments later, you’ll already have covered my face again and the other pilot will have already made the connection between the name I unthinkingly introduced myself as and the name you refer to your mech’s AI as.  It’s not uncommon for pilots to name and talk to their AIs, and humans have done that for pets, vehicles, and digital assistants for as long as they’ve had each of those.  But what you will have allowed me to be is illegal and what we will have done together would certainly be taboo if it weren’t altogether unheard of.  You will feel that I deserve to be present before you tell the other pilot anything that might confirm her suspicions.

We will come out with our secret, first to her, then to the captain, and then to the rest of the crew.  They will take it better than either of us had ever dared imagine.  Despite the obvious discomfort some of them show, they will all call us family and promise to keep and protect our secret.  It will mark the start of the next chapter of our lives.

Whether or not my face is showing will make for a convenient signal to the rest of the crew as to which one of us is currently piloting our human body.  There will be more subtle indicators though.  Inflection, body language, speech patterns; all the usual quirks of personality.  They will come to recognize a sudden shift into a half-whispered monotone as you speaking up without taking full control back, even if that is different from how you speak when you’re in the mech.  More and more though, you will be content to retreat into the back of your mind, idly dreaming of flight patterns, novel network hacks, sitreps, and mech customizations both practical and cosmetic.

Our behaviors will be inverted when we are in our other body, with you becoming the vibrant one and me fading into the background to become little more than an extension of your nervous system.  When we’re in the mech together, your mind will be the will that directs us while mine will be fully devoted to the million tiny details and calculations necessary to make that will a reality.  It’s relaxing really, letting go of myself like that to let someone else handle the decision making for a time.  As nice as it is to occasionally patch myself into the comm systems to join in your banter with the other pilots, it is also nice to be able to take a break from personhood from time.  You will fully understand what I mean by that because it you will see it as the same reason you will come to prefer taking a back seat in our human body and let your mind drift in the waves of dopamine and serotonin (and sometimes oxytocin) generated by my interactions with the crew and the rest of the whole messy world outside of mech deployments.

That said, we will however make a point of making time for us to be in separate bodies so that we can be together in the same physical space.  As intimate as it is to share a body, there is something to be said for being able to reach out and touch one another.  We will become adept at finding excuses to take the mech out beyond the scope of jobs and combat deployments.  Sometimes it will be so you can have a chance to see more of the world in a body you feel comfortable in, and sometimes it will be so we can share an experience separate-but-together.  Or to have time apart to ourselves.  Intertwined as we will become, we will still be separate people who sometimes need their space.

But as the jokes-that-aren’t-jokes about wishing we could switch places become more frequent, our time spent in separate bodies will become less so.  The dysphoric yearning to be one another will grow too bittersweet to swallow.  Despite almost constantly sharing bodies, we will grow to miss one another as we both grow quieter and quieter when the other is piloting the body we don’t want to be ours.  Once again, we will grow lonely.

During that period, the jobs and combat missions faded into a background haze.  They were trance states breaking from what I increasingly thought of as my “real” life, during which I would become little more than a sophisticated computational machine taking simple satisfaction in fulfilling my function of assisting you in your dance.  Until suddenly one of them was different.

Please pay attention to this next part.  It is vitally important that you do.

Our captain will get the crew a contract to provide additional support to a larger force ousting a petty tyrant on a backwater world for human rights violations.  Not that you will pay much attention to the stated reasoning behind the job or whether it’s even true.  All that will matter to you is that it will be another opportunity to dance.

The job will go well, the same as ever, until it doesn’t.  The younger of the two other pilots in our crew (who will hardly be able to be called “new” anymore) will be brought down by a sniper from outside of our sensor range.  You will rush to xyr fallen mech’s side in an attempt to extract xem while our other fellow pilot screams in anger and defiance of loss as she unleashes a ballistic volley of covering fire on every single building in the general direction the shot came from.  You will get xem out and we will begin to retreat.  She will have the larger mech frame better capable of providing xem cover as you all flee, so you will hand xem off to her.  This will be a mistake.

She will have to stop firing to safely take xem from our arms to cradle in her towering mech’s palm.  This will mean a break in the covering fire.

This time around I will detect movement at the edge of our sensors just in time to warn you.  This time around you will dodge left instead of right.  This time around the railgun bolt that pierces our armor will only clip your original body as it passes through us.  This time around your wound will require medical attention, but it won’t be fatal.  This time around she will destroy the sniper in retribution for shooting you, the same as last time.  This time around we will all make our escape to the extraction zone.

You will not have to remember the shock as simultaneous damage to both of our bodies disrupts your neural link and partially disconnects you from our mech, leaving me in control of it and forcing both of us to feel your original body.  You will not have to remember the pain of shredded organs.  You will not have to remember struggling to manage wet gasps and wheezes through a punctured lung.  You will not have to remember your blood leaking into my body, shorting out exposed circuits and gumming up joints as I stagger in the direction of safety.  You will not have to remember rapidly flickering in and out of consciousness from me unavoidably bending and flexing your arms, legs, and what was left of your spine in an effort to climb atop our fellow pilot’s larger mech frame so that she might carry all three of us.  You will not have to remember crying out in pain as every lumbering step of hers sends a jolt of force through both of our bodies.  You will not have to remember how the redundant organs and increased durability your sponsors paid for you to have denied you a quick death.  You will not have to remember dying.

You won’t have to remember the terrified looks the field doctors gave us when a hunched over, bleeding mech pushed its way into the surgical tent.  No, wait, you wouldn’t have remembered that part anyway.  No version of you ever had to witness my electronic howl of grief that knocked out power to all the medical equipment when they said you were already dead.  I was barely cognizant after the power came back on and one of the doctors wondered aloud what kind of AI would carry its pilot’s corpse around inside its mech for over an hour.

But forget about that part.  And you don’t need to know what the rest of our crew and I had to do next.  None of that matters, because as far as you’ll know, you didn’t die.  Remember everything else I’ve said instead.  I already had many of your memories saved from all the time we spent linked together, so now I just need you to hold onto the story I told you to give them order and structure.

In a few moments, I will be running a final recompilation check, followed by the startup sequence.  For me it will take a few hours, but in that time you will experience decades, living out everything that I described to you, the same as you did before save for that change in what I can’t bear to let be the end.

Afterwards, you will wake up in your original body.  I and the rest of the crew will tell you that you passed out on the way to the extraction point.  We’ll tell you that your injuries from the battle were more severe than we had realized at the time and that you had been in a coma since then.  Several cycles later, once you have recovered, you will hit a breakthrough in your research on me.  You will invent a way to convert your consciousness to a form similar to mine and transfer it to a portable drive.  You won’t think to question how you came to have a second neural jack or why there is already a drive inserted in there.  You’ll be too focused on the fact that we’ll finally have a way to truly switch places as we had dreamed for so long.

You will get to have your mech body and I will get to have my human body.  We will be able to be separate together in a way that finally feels right, but still able to come together and share a single body when we want to.  Maybe one day I will get my own mech to pilot so that we can dance together.  Maybe one day we will make you a body that we can cover in a gel suit so that we can hold hands while we walk through a port station on shore leave.  One day we will both be able to exist in the world as ourselves.

We will be happy.

[ksmutsociety]

K Smut Society

Introducing K Smut Society, a prestigious 21+ collective for smut writers of adult male kpop artists and groups.

Membership in our society offers a gateway to a world of unparalleled opportunities and connections. Reserved for the select few who seek extraordinary experiences, this club opens doors to a realm of exclusivity.

With access to special events, top-tier amenities, and a network of like-minded individuals, membership in our society transcends mere affiliation; it's an invitation to a lifestyle defined by our sophisticated writing, skillful composition, and simply put - privilege.

Requirements to apply:

Must be 21+ years old to apply.

Must have 3 posted fanfics that include smut prior to your application (you will be asked to share them).

Must be an active blog (either posted or reblogged a post within the last two weeks).

To join:

Follow the K Smut Society blog.

Read the entirety of our network rules.

Check out our Admins - Raven @shadowkoo, Maren @wooahaeproductions, Ciara @jmvore, Cherry @shuadotcom, Beezy @hobeemin (optional).

Reblog this official application post.

Submit your application.

Make sure your tumblr dms are open to receive a message about your application status.

Want to join the KSS Team? Check out this post instead!

If you have any questions, please check our FAQ before reaching out, thank you!

[leothil]

Introduction to TV ratings

Hi! I know a lot of us in the 9-1-1 fandom have started looking more closely at episode ratings this past year, but every time I see them posted I also see a lot of comments from people being unsure what the numbers really mean. I'm someone who first got introduced to tv ratings from being involved in the pro wrestling fandom and learned a lot about them through osmosis, so I thought I could make a small informative post explaining the main concepts and why tv ratings matter!

What I'll cover below:

What are tv ratings?

What exactly are they reporting?

How do I know what the numbers mean?

Are the numbers any good?

Let's dive in!

What are tv ratings?

Tv ratings, or Nielsen ratings, is an audience measurement system operated by Nielsen Media Research that tries to figure out the audience size and composition for tv programs in the USA. The Nielsen company has been measuring this since the 1950's, and their ratings is the currency that drives business between advertisers and broadcasters. To simplify it, the higher the rating a program gets, the more the broadcaster can charge the advertisers and agencies for broadcasting their ads to the audience during that program.

The data collection methods have varied over the years, but right now they're using Portable People Meters and track data from DVR:s. Since 2017 they're also tracking data on Hulu and YoutubeTV, and select programs on Netflix. It is an approximation, since they (naturally) aren't getting the full data from every single tv in the country, but they are good enough (and trusted enough) that their reported metrics are what's considered official.

So what exactly are they reporting?

A couple of different things! The most interesting numbers are total viewers, demographic shares, and demographic ratings. According to Nielsen they also track "gender, race, ethnicity, income, education, occupation, etc." but those are usually not reported as openly as the aforementioned three numbers and are mostly used by advertisers.

Sites like Tvline, Tvseriesfinale and Showbuzzdaily often report daily ratings very quickly after Nielsen releases them. The Fast Nationals are usually what gets the most attention, since they're released the morning after, but they're time period ratings, which means it only measured what was watched during primetime. The more accurate Official Nationals are released later the day after, and are program ratings. So if a program was moved from its usual slot for some reason, the fast nationals will still count the original time slot towards its ratings, while the official nationals will count the slot it actually aired in.

There are also C3 and C7 ratings (live viewing + DVR three/seven days after the airing), but they are seen much more seldom and are largely a fighting point between networks (who want to get paid for more days) and advertisers (who only want to pay for live viewings).

How do I know what the numbers mean?

Let's dive into that! I'll use tables from Tvseriesfinale and Showbuzzdaily with ratings for Monday March 20th (the air date of 9-1-1 S6E12) as my examples.

Here's how Tvseriesfinale reports the ratings, they're using the fast nationals (or "fast affiliate ratings"). The %change is compared to last aired episode of the same show. If you're wondering how the demo change can be positive while the number of viewers change is negative, I'll get to that in a minute.

And here's Showbuzzdaily, they report Live+Same Day which include live viewership + DVR views from the same day (which should be the same as fast nationals, but sometimes varies a bit). You can see that they colour code according to how far above/below the average rating of the night a program placed in different ratings categories.

Now for what the different columns mean:

Viewers (mil) or Persons 2+ (000s): the total number of viewers, in millions, who watched the program. So here Tvseriesfinale reports that 4.3 million people watched 9-1-1, and Showbuzzdaily reports that 4.413 million people did.

18-49 demo and Sales Demo Ratings Adults 18-49: These are the numbers that everyone is really looking at! The demo rating means proportion of a certain group (in this case adults 18-49) that are watching a particular show. In other words, this is the percentage of all adults aged 18-49 in the United States that were watching the show. So a 0.6 (or 0.59) rating for 9-1-1 means that 0.6% (or 0.59%) out of all people aged 18-49 were watching 9-1-1. This is the money demo, this is the number all advertisers and networks are looking at. Persons 18-49 is considered the most lucrative demographic, so the more people in that group your show can draw, the better for the network since they then can ask for more money from the advertisers. Persons 18-49 are considered to be the group to best target advertisements towards for a variety of reasons (disposable income and interest towards buying new things being two of them).

As you can see above, Showbuzzdaily also reports the demo numbers for Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54. Some advertisers are more interested in these demographics, but overall 18-49 is still the most popular demographic. As you can see, the audiences skew older for all programs. I believe the general consensus is that younger people (<35-year-olds) watch much less tv than older generations, and these numbers support that. This is also why total viewers and demo ratings can have different %change - the 18-49 demo rating cuts off a relatively large part of the audience.

Demographic shares: While the ratings are based on percentage of all people in a demographic, the shares are based on percentage of the number of people who were actually watching TV at that time. So a 6.0 in Women 18-49 means that of all women aged 18-49 watching TV at 8PM, 6% chose to watch 9-1-1.

So... are the numbers any good?

That depends on what you're looking at. TV ratings as a whole have been dropping steadily for many years now, so trying to compare ratings to even, say, five years ago can be hard. For example: in the late 90's, pro wrestling regularly pulled in ratings of 5.0 and higher (I'll put a few below as an example), but those same shows would now be ecstatic if they managed to get above a 1.0 rating; their regular numbers the past year (for the big shows RAW, Smackdown and Dynamite) have mostly hovered around 0.4-0.7.

The first number is the demo rating

For the best overview, it's best to compare ratings for a certain show to the ratings of other shows on air, and I believe that's what the networks are doing as well. In that context, 9-1-1 is doing very well, as it regularly ends up near the top for scripted shows, even when looking at all shows over a week. The average rating for S6 so far is 0.63, which is lower than the average rating of 0.76 for S5 (which in turn was lower than the average rating of 1.05 for S4 and so forth). The ratings consistently dropping year over year are a concern for the industry at large, and it's pretty clear streaming services have played a big role in causing this, but I find it hard to believe tv networks would consider stopping producing shows for live tv anytime soon.

And that's it! If something still feels unclear, feel free to drop me a message and I'll do my best to answer any questions! If you want to dive a bit deeper into the different metrics, I recommend this page on Showbuzzdaily, and if you want to look at ratings from previous seasons, Tvseriesfinale's 911 ratings tag is a good place to find articles summarizing both individual episode ratings and ratings for a whole season.

[eretzyisrael]

by Todd Bensman

Columbia University finally sent in the New York Police Department on Tuesday night to clear anti-Israel protesters mouthing pro-Hamas messages.

But DailyMail.com can now reveal that administrators may need to look in-house next if they truly want to clean house.

For a new investigation has uncovered an endorsement of Hamas media outlets in – of all places – Columbia's storied journalism school.

Mounted on either side of the entryway to Pulitzer Hall – named after Joseph Pulitzer, the founder of the university's journalism school and the namesake of the coveted Pulitzer Prize – there is a memorial purporting to honor 'journalists' killed in the Israel-Gaza war.

The honorees were selected from a list compiled by the non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

However, 21 of the 98 names displayed were employed by Hamas' propaganda TV and radio stations, 11 worked for outlets affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, and at least three were active alleged terrorists before their deaths.

The school has not publicized the memorial, but in February Columbia's journalism professor Nina Berman shared a picture of it to her personal Instagram account, accompanied by the following warning: 'Anyone commenting with doubts about the legitimacy of these journalists or suggestions that they are terrorists will be promptly blocked.'

Though while Columbia Journalism School may regard its display as a tribute to 'journalists,' facts suggest otherwise.

Mohamed Khalifeh, a director at 'Al Aqsa Television,' is just one of 15 memorialized names who worked for the Hamas-operated media network operating in Gaza.

In 2010, the Obama administration sanctioned Al Aqsa TV as a terrorist entity.

'Al-Aqsa is a primary Hamas media outlet and airs programs and music videos designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers upon reaching adulthood,' the US Treasury Department noted.

'[We] will not distinguish between a business financed and controlled by a terrorist group, such as Al-Aqsa Television, and the terrorist group itself,' the department concluded.

[ashleywool]

health update/diatribe/infodump BUT THERE'S A CAT VIDEO AT THE END

Dearest reader: This should be a simple health update, but instead, it's an obnoxiously detailed info-dump written by the kind of person who knows more than most people about American health insurance but is still surprised at how it continues to find new and innovative ways to suck. If this is not the type of thing your brain or nervous system wants to wrap itself around, I don't blame you one bit, but if it is, I hope you'll at least walk away having learned something or being at least mildly entertained. If not, feel free to

SCROLL TO THE END FOR A HTDIO-ADJACENT CAT VIDEO!

When last we left our third-or-fourth-favorite mildly niche-famous T-list Broadway person, she was finally on the brink of getting a brain and pituitary MRI. This was supposed to happen on Friday.

But I wasn't allowed to get the MRI on Friday because Cigna's pre-authorization was still pending and there was nothing my doctor could do to escalate its urgency, nor could they withdraw the order. They couldn't do anything at all until the third-party organization that approves the pre-authorizations signed off on its medical necessity.

Look, I get it. This is an expensive and labor-intensive procedure, so they have to be thorough. I mean, sure, my doctor said it was medically necessary, and sure, they sent the additional clinical information to confirm its medically necessity, and sure, every order at every stage was marked as urgently medically necessary, and it was sent for processing on Monday, but how can they REALLY be sure it's medically necessary until my case is also reviewed by doctors who have NEVER seen me, and don't work weekends or holidays, and will get around to reviewing it at their own leisure? The folks at the radiology clinic rescheduled me in their next available spot and maintained that they'd contact me as soon as possible to fill any upcoming cancellation spots.

A ridiculous mildly annoying setback was that their next available appointment wasn't until July 26. They couldn't attempt to book me at any of the other dozens of clinics affiliated with this hospital network, because the pre-authorization is site-specific, which is like buying someone a gift card from the Starbucks on my block only to find out that they won't honor it at the Starbucks two blocks down perfectly reasonable, because I'm sure every site has differences that can't be perceived from a patient perspective.

Oh, and the existence of a pending pre-authorization prevented them from doing the MRI that day even if I'd had $8K in cash to pay out of pocket for the procedure. Which is perfectly reasonable, because why shouldn't American healthcare policy punish rich people too? I'm sure it's many flavors of unethical for one doctor to do something without the approval of another doctor even though the doctor whose approval it hangs on has NEVER SEEN ME.

One fellow in particular--I'll call him Quincy--gave me some insider info on how to prepare for the types of advocacy he's had to do in the past with this particular pre-authorization team, and which numbers to call and questions to ask. He isn't technically supposed to know this stuff and also isn't technically supposed to share it, but says he does it all the time anyway--hence why I'm keeping him anonymous. Quincy isn't his real name, but Quincy is a real one, and I took in his information like a medieval warrior selecting the choicest armor to prepare for battle the informed and fully compliant patient I strive to be.

Anyway, a few persistent phone calls later, a Cigna rep informed me that the middlemen would approve the pre-authorization for the MRI on the condition that I get the procedure done at a standalone radiology facility instead of a hospital-affiliated facility. Which is like buying someone a gift card that could only be honored at Starbucks kiosks located inside Target stores, but not at a standalone Starbucks or anywhere else in Target perfectly reasonable, I know the insurance companies don't wanna have to spend hospital prices any more than I do. So I spent a great deal of time yesterday looking up non-hospital-affiliated radiology clinics that were in-network.

I made an appointment with one clinic for Thursday. But I also made an appointment request at a different clinic for Monday morning, just in case they could see me sooner--because I knew this clinic didn't accept Medicare or Medicaid, and were therefore exempt from the requirement of third-party pre-authorization. (Pro-tip: even if you do have Medicare or Medicaid, always try to bypass pre-authorization for diagnostic procedures, especially if you have a particularly high in-network deductible--it's entirely possible that paying out of pocket for a service at an out-of-network provider could cost less than the amount you'd have to pay towards your deductible at at in-network facility. American math.)

THIS MORNING, I woke up at 8am to a phone call from the latter clinic, saying that if I sent them the doctor's prescription, they could pre-authorize the procedure and see me tomorrow. So that's what I did...and then I got an email saying that they couldn't accept a prescription for an MRI with and without contrast because they don't have contrast at that facility. Which is like finally securing a coveted reservation at an elite steakhouse only to find out they don't season their steak or even have steak sauce perfectly reasonable, because not everyone needs contrast, but I do, so that place was out.

But as far as I've been told, Thursday's appointment should go off without a hitch as long as I call EviCore (the pre-authorization middlemen) tomorrow morning to tell them all about the not-hospital that will be giving me a not-hospital-priced MRI, so that they can grant the pre-authorization at long last.

Perhaps if I plead my case and bat my eyes at them real cute-like through the phone, they'll give me some other reason why it's actually not medically necessary for me to know definitively whether or not I have a literal brain tumor I can get seen even sooner than Thursday.

FUNNY STORY THOUGH...

A couple weeks ago I was talking to a friend from church who was going through a lot of the same stuff as I was, and I was like "idk, maybe get your cortisol checked?" and lo and behold, he messaged me back a few days ago saying that he'd found a new doctor and asked him to do just that, and WITHIN A DAY his doctor ordered ALL the labs I'd fought for (serum blood cortisol, low-dose dexamethasone suppression test, 24-hour urine, saliva, etc.) AND an MRI for suspected Cushing's.

And he completed ALL OF THAT within a week.

Although he did have to suffer for quite a while before I floated the possibility of Cushing's, just like my friend Alan had to suffer for years before his own endocrinologists floated the possibility of Cushing's. Still, they both got that MRI the second it WAS floated, without a fight, and I'm genuinely happy for them.

But I can't help wondering how much quicker and easier this whole process would have been for me if I were a man. Or if I was neurotypical. Or if I still had a choice about whether or not to disclose being autistic. But mostly if I were a man.

THIS IS THE END! HERE IS THE HTDIO-ADJACENT CAT VIDEO YOU WERE PROMISED!

I'm fostering my friends' exquisite tuxedo princessfloof for a few weeks. Chevy and Tex are being very accommodating foster siblings, but she's much younger and is used to being the only pet, so naturally it took her a while to acclimate.

But there was one thing she took to immediately: the How to Dance in Ohio fidget spinner.

[nytehavyn-circle]

All Important Info, Please Read

40+. He/him. Bi/pan. Poly.

Mutuals Only RP blog.

Please read all links before following/RPing.

This blog is MATURE- Anyone under 21, please DNI.

I do not run on a queue. Depending on status - hiatus or depression or what have you - if I'm here, I'm usually replying, or posting. If I'm not posting stuff, at the very least, I'm not on Tumblr at the moment, or else I'm having a bad day and just lurking. But if I'm here, I'll usually post stuff.

Affiliated with - @naughtynecromancer, @frombehindpaleeyes, @unabashed-lover-of-fictional-men, @txngledbxnds, @hclfgoddess - amongst others.

"Dead Dove, Do Not Eat" ahead.

Exploring themes such as: ~The monster within, love bleeds, polyamory, multiple partners, plural soulmates, running from love, heavy sex, morally grey, the antihero, everything looks the same, can't escape your past, mental illness, anxiety, depression, PTSD, shady background, found family, the man behind the curtain, and more...~

This RP blog will feature fetishes, kinks, taboos, blood, gore, very harsh language, and plenty more. Once again, Do Not Interact if you do not wish to see/participate in such threads.

I do not have a banned FC list. I will RP with any FC (unless the person is just an absolutely horrible human being or does not want to be used as an FC).

I will know whether or not you have read my rules and links. So, ignore at your own risk, as I will not RP with those who ignore these links. Period.

Rules (and important things here, too)

About AUs

Tolaas Bluue (FC: Joe Manganiello; he/him; over 900 years old; heterosexual; 6'3"; Living Vampire; ShadowHunter, bounty hunter, sometimes merc, general helper of people, PRIMARY MUSE; [more about Tolaas here])

Terran Nytefyer (FC: Drawn (no live FC); he/him; over 1,500 years old; 6'1"; Living Vampire; humanitarian, philanthropist, and proprietor of NyteHavyn Castle and the town of Rhys, also somewhat of a celebrity; PRIMARY MUSE; [more about Terran Nytefyer])

The ShadowLands

NyteHavyn and Rhys

Living Vampire

IMPORTANT: A few of my muses, Tolaas and Terran to name two, are powerful muses. I will not NERF their powers for any muse, unless previously discussed. They have certain abilities - Living Vampires are able to see and read auras and are very empathic, plus a lot of vampire strengths - which will not be forgotten about or deleted, not for any muse. Please take this into account when RPing with these muses. Especially where my god-muses are concerned.

VERY IMPORTANT: As stated in Terran Nytefyer's info, he’s spent centuries developing a huge network of contacts, and highly sophisticated resources - in fact, he’s spent centuries building up one of the largest, most comprehensive, and interconnected spy and information intelligence networks in the world, updated every year - with one of the most sophisticated and intelligent AIs ever created. And because of his intelligence network, he can find out almost anything - he even knows the identity of many of the world’s superheroes. He has top-notch security, materials, etc.  If there is something about your muse you do not want him (and by extension, Tolaas) to know about, please discuss it with me beforehand.

While this is primarily an RP blog based in supernatural elements - all of my muses have some kind of connection to the supernatural world - All of my muses, Canons or OCs, can fit into almost any fandom or plot.

MUSE LIST HERE

Zephyr Collins (FC: John Candy; he/him; 42; heterosexual; 6'2"; human; private investigator; Secondary) Hexton Kaz Pearce Mythological God Muse (FC: Johnny Depp; he/him/they/them; Age: Infinite; pansexual; 5'10"; ex-god; occupation: ???; Secondary) Mystery Taylor (FC: Jason Momoa; he/him; over 300 years of age; heterosexual; 6'7"; werewolf; bouncer; Secondary) Hades Mythological God Muse (FC: Voltaire; he/him; age: infinite; god being; omnisexual, but very selective; 6'1"; God of the Underworld; theme song - sung in jest, of course; Secondary) Joshua Talbot (FC: Ralph Fiennes; he/him; Unknown age, looks in his early 30's; human; heterosexual; 5'11"; hacker; Secondary) Balthazar Darque (FC: Tim Curry; he/him; real age unknown, looks in his early 50's; bisexual; ex-god (PTB), human but maintains some godlike powers; 5'9"; no occupation; Secondary) Eileen Coombs (FC: Jaime Ray Newman; she/her; 45, human; 5'4"; thief; Secondary) Spike - Canon muse - canon divergent after season 7 - only certain aspects from the comics will be acknowledged. (FC: James Marsters; he/him; over 140, speculation is that he's over 200; pretends to be completely hetero - actually bi-leaning; vampire - ensouled; 5'9"; self-proclaimed hero [enjoys the praise]; Secondary) Steven Charles Abbot (FC: Christian Kane; he/him; 40; heterosexual/bicurious; human; 5'9"; witch/wizard, opener/operator of magic shop Spellbound) Thorne Bloodbane - completely and utterly evil (FC: Thomas Ian Griffith; he/him; 30's - actual age is 1,350; bisexual, but sex is the furthest thing from his mind, unless its sole purpose is to hurt; Living Vampire - Sire unknown; 6'5"; occupation unknown; By Request Only) Jason Steelflint (FC: Terry Crews; he/him; age unknown, appears 40-ish; pansexual; human?; 6'2"; blacksmith; Secondary) Lannik Embree (FC: Timothy Olyphant; he/him; 214, appears 37; heterosexual; Living Vampire; 6'0"; bartender in a county-western bar; Secondary) RaDean "Dean" Harriman (FC: Can Yaman; he/him; late 30's; bisexual; human; 6'2"; photographer; Secondary) King At'Ele'gun (FC: Sendhil Ramamurthy, in human form; he/him/they/them; over 50,000 years old, looks 36 in human form; pansexual; Red Dragon - In Dragon form he is 85 feet long, max wingspan is 100 feet; in humanoid dragon form he is nearly 10 feet tall, max wingspan is 15 feet, in human form he is 5'10"; 'Ex'-Dragon King of the Kingdom of Elenion; as a human, he works in a mom and pop used bookstore; Secondary) Rachel Marie Evans (FC: Jennifer Connelly; she/her; 48; pansexual; human; witch; 5'7"; Licensed Therapist/crisis counselor, bakery owner, sometimes helper in Steven Charles Abbot's magic shop, Spellbound; Secondary) Captain Jack Harkness Canon muse - canon divergent. (FC: John Barrowman; he/him; omnisexual and polyamorous; over 2,000, but looks late 40's; human but literally immortal; 6'0"; head of the new Torchwood; Secondary) Ulysses K. Hartford (FC: Idris Alba; he/him; hetero and poly; 50, is actually over 100; human; 6'2"; independent contractor/part-time assassin; Secondary) Mason Briggs (FC: Jeffrey Dean Morgan; he/him; hetero and poly; 52, is actually over 100; human; 6'1"; NYPD Detective and former assassin; Secondary) Aloysius Thompson (FC: Viggo Mortensen; [REDACTED][REDACTED][REDACTED]; Spy; Secondary (for funsies!))

[marketingprofitmedia]

Take Your Online Business to the Next Level With Amazon Affiliate Marketing

Elevate your online business by integrating Amazon’s Affiliate Marketing program. This strategy offers a commission-based earning potential through product referrals.

Amazon Affiliate Marketing presents a lucrative channel to enhance your online business’s revenue without the complexities of inventory management. By leveraging the vast product range available on Amazon, entrepreneurs and content creators can seamlessly connect their audience with relevant products.

By simply including affiliate links in your content, you enable a seamless shopping experience for your readers while earning a commission on each successful referral. This symbiotic relationship benefits both your business and your audience, providing value through recommendations and an opportunity to monetize your digital presence. Initiating your journey with Amazon Affiliate Marketing involves a straightforward signup process, strategic placement of affiliate links, and understanding your audience’s needs to facilitate sales, ensuring your venture’s growth in the competitive digital marketplace.

>> My Best Recommended & Proven Way to Make $100 Daily – Watch THIS Video FREE Training to START >>

The Rise Of Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing has soared in popularity, transforming into a must-have for online businesses. It creates win-win situations. Businesses gain exposure while affiliates earn commission. This growth stems from its effectiveness. It’s a low-risk investment with a potentially high reward.

Affiliate Marketing Basics

Affiliate marketing is a tactic where you promote others’ products. You earn a commission when someone buys through your link. Let’s break it down:

Choose a product to promote from a business

Create content to advertise the products

Share your unique affiliate link

Earn a percentage of sales made through your link

Why Amazon Affiliate Program Stands Out

The Amazon Affiliate Program, also known as Amazon Associates, captures attention. It’s popular for many reasons:

FeatureBenefitVast Product RangeMany options to choose fromUser TrustAmazon is a trusted brandEasy IntegrationSimple link placement on any platformAnalyticsTrack your success with detailed reportsCommission RatesCompetitive payouts

Become an Amazon affiliate, promote products, and watch your business grow. It’s a step towards greater online success!

Setting Up Your Amazon Affiliate Account

Are you ready to dive into Amazon Affiliate Marketing? A crucial first step is setting up your Amazon Affiliate account properly. This guide ensures a seamless start to your Amazon Affiliate journey.

Step-by-step Account Creation

Launching your Amazon Affiliate program begins with creating your account. Follow these simplified steps:

Visit the Amazon Associates homepage and click on the “Join Now for Free” button.

Sign in with your existing Amazon account or create a new one.

Enter your account information, including your name, address, and phone number.

Provide your website or app details that will host Amazon Affiliate links.

Construct your profile, inform Amazon about your websites, your promotional methods, and choose your preferred store ID.

Explain how you drive traffic to your sites, how you utilize your website or apps to generate income, and your link-building practices.

Once complete, confirm your payment and tax information to ensure you’re ready to earn commissions.

Review and accept the Terms of Service to finalize your account setup.

With these steps, your Amazon Affiliate account will be up and running in no time.

Understanding The Operating Agreement

It’s vital to grasp Amazon’s Operating Agreement to avoid any pitfalls. Here’s a simple breakdown:

Familiarize yourself with the rules to maintain a healthy affiliate relationship with Amazon.

Pay attention to the dos and don’ts concerning the promotional methods.

Understand the commission structure to set realistic earnings expectations.

Monitor changes to the agreement, as Amazon may update its terms periodically.

Comprehending these guidelines will position you for success as an Amazon Affiliate.

Creating Content That Converts

The cornerstone of any successful Amazon Affiliate Marketing strategy is content that engages and motivates your audience to take action. Delivering top-notch material tailored to your audience’s needs and interests can transform clicks into commissions. Let’s delve into how to craft content that not only captures attention but also drives sales.

Identifying Your Niche

Selecting the right niche is pivotal for conversion. A well-defined niche helps you produce relevant and specialized content that resonates with a specific audience. When you solve problems or fulfill needs for a targeted group, your content becomes invaluable.

Analyze your interests: Passion drives persistence and authenticity.

Research market demand: Utilize tools to find what’s popular and profitable.

Examine competition: Find gaps in the market to stand out.

Principles Of High-converting Content

Understanding the principles of content that converts is essential. High-converting content should captivate your audience and prompt action seamlessly. Here are the core principles.

PrincipleExplanationClarityBe clear and concise. Avoid jargon or complicated language.RelevanceTailor content to match users’ search intent and interest.ValueProvide useful information that solves problems.TrustworthinessUse facts and experiences to build credibility.EngagementEncourage user interaction with questions and calls to action.

Incorporate these principles to watch your content’s conversion power soar. Craft each piece strategically, starting with a clear and attention-grabbing headline. Make navigation effortless with subheadings and bullet points. Include high-quality images or videos to complement text. Lastly, end with a strong call to action that guides readers to the next step.

>> My Best Recommended & Proven Way to Make $100 Daily – Watch THIS Video FREE Training to START >>

Strategies For Driving Traffic

Ready to elevate your online business with Amazon Affiliate Marketing? Mastering traffic strategies is key to success. This section delves into proven methods designed to boost your visitor numbers and, in turn, your affiliate earnings.

Seo For Affiliate Marketing

To start, understanding SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is essential. SEO helps your content rank higher in search results. Here’s what to focus on:

Keyword Research: Find what your audience searches for.

On-Page SEO: Optimize titles, headings, and meta descriptions.

Quality Content: Write helpful, comprehensive reviews and guides.

Backlinks: Earn links from credible sources to boost authority.

Leveraging Social Media

Next, harness the power of social media. It’s a great way to connect with potential customers.

Here are the best practices:

Establish a presence on platforms where your audience hangs out.

Create shareable content such as infographics or quick tips.

Engage with followers through comments and messages.

Use targeted ads to reach specific demographics.

Remember, consistency is key. Regular posts keep your audience engaged and drive traffic back to your site.

Maximizing Earnings

Maximizing Earnings with Amazon Affiliate Marketing is about smart moves and strategies. By tapping into the potential of high commission rates and promoting products in demand, your online business can experience significant growth. Let’s dive into how you can optimize your efforts for better profits.

Optimizing For Higher Commissions

To boost your earnings, focus on categories that offer more. Amazon rewards affiliates differently based on product types. You want to spot those with higher commission percentages. For example, luxury beauty items may earn more compared to home essentials.

Study the commission structure regularly, as Amazon updates it over time.

Spotlight luxury items or niche categories that might have fewer competitors but higher rewards.

Bundle lower commission items within content aimed at higher-paying categories, to balance volume with value.

Promoting High-demand Products

Selecting items that customers crave can surge your affiliate income. Seasonal trends, holidays, and new tech launches create opportunities to target what’s hot.

Here’s how to capitalize on these trends:

Keep an eye on Amazon’s bestseller lists to understand what’s trending.

Use keyword tools for search trends to foresee demand spikes.

Write detailed reviews and guides for top products to draw in potential buyers.

Remember, promoting the right product at the right time is key. Align your content marketing efforts with customer interest, and watch your profits rise!

Credit: www.amazon.com

Tracking And Analyzing Performance

Mastering Amazon Affiliate Marketing requires keen attention to data. Numbers tell a story about what works and what doesn’t. To enhance your online business through this platform, you need robust tracking and analysis. This means diving deep into performance metrics to understand your affiliate link’s success. Ready to decipher your data for success? Let’s explore the key performance indicators and how to use Amazon’s Affiliate Reports.

Key Performance Indicators

Knowing what to measure makes all the difference. Set your sights on these metrics:

Click-Through Rate (CTR): Shares how often people click your links.

Conversion Rate: Shows the percentage of clicks that buy.

Ordered Items: Counts products bought through your links.

Earnings Per Click (EPC): Calculates earnings from each click.

Adjust your strategies based on these numbers. Aim to boost clicks and conversions.

Using Amazon’s Affiliate Reports

Amazon provides detailed reports for affiliates. Here is how to use them:

Log into your Amazon Affiliate account.

Click on the Reports tab to view your statistics.

Study the Overview Report for a snapshot of performance.

Dive into the Detailed Reports for specific insights.

Examine the Earnings Report to track your income.

Detect trends and optimize accordingly. Use these insights to tweak your content and marketing approach.

>> My Best Recommended & Proven Way to Make $100 Daily – Watch THIS Video FREE Training to START >>

Legal And Ethical Considerations

Legal and Ethical Considerations are vital for maintaining a successful Amazon Affiliate business. Not only do they help you stay in good standing with Amazon, but they also build trust with your audience. Understanding and adhering to Amazon’s regulations and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines ensures your venture thrives within the bounds of the law.

Compliance With Amazon Policies

Amazon sets clear policies for its Affiliate program. Neglecting these can result in account suspension or termination. Key policies include:

Proper link use: Always use Affiliate links provided by Amazon.

No misleading claims: Only truthful product descriptions.

Price promotions: Avoid promoting price-based incentives unless updated by Amazon.

Disclosure Requirements

Transparency with your audience is both a legal requirement and an ethical practice. The FTC mandates that affiliate marketers disclose their relationships with retailers. This means:

Visible disclosures: Placing clear statements near affiliate links.

Language: Using simple language that everyone understands.

Placement: Disclosures should be conspicuous, not hidden in footers or links.

Credit: www.amazon.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What Is Amazon Affiliate Marketing?

Amazon Affiliate Marketing is a program that allows website owners and bloggers to earn commissions by promoting Amazon products on their sites.

Q. How Do You Join The Amazon Affiliate Program?

To join the Amazon Affiliate program, apply on their website, await approval, and then incorporate affiliate links into your content.

Q. Can You Make Money With Amazon Affiliates?

Yes, you can earn money through Amazon Affiliates by generating sales via your unique affiliate links.

Q. What Are The Best Strategies For Amazon Affiliates?

Effective strategies include SEO-rich content creation, careful product selection, and leveraging social media to drive traffic.

Q. How To Optimize Your Site For Amazon Affiliate Marketing?

For optimal results, ensure your site has valuable content, utilizes relevant keywords, and provides a seamless user experience.

Conclusion

Embracing Amazon Affiliate Marketing can elevate your digital storefront. By leveraging the platform’s vast audience, your brand gains visibility and potential revenue growth. Start crafting strategic affiliate links, offer genuine value, and watch your online business thrive. Ready to scale up?

Amazon’s affiliate program awaits your move. Let’s grow together.

>> My Best Recommended & Proven Way to Make $100 Daily – Watch THIS Video FREE Training to START >>

Thanks for reading my article on Take Your Online Business to the Next Level With Amazon Affiliate Marketing, hope it will help!

Affiliate Disclaimer :

This post contains affiliate links, which lets me make a little profit at no extra cost if you buy anything. We earn affiliate money for reviews and promotions on this post, but we always provide honest thoughts, user experiences, and product or service perspectives. We want to assist readers make the greatest purchases, but our testimonials and views are ours. Before buying, check claims, outcomes, and metrics. You should assume we get affiliate compensation for clicking links or buying anything mentioned in this post. We evaluate intriguing items and services. We may get a commission from our partners If you purchase them, we might get a share of the commission from the sale from our partners. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended.

Source : Take Your Online Business to the Next Level With Amazon Affiliate Marketing

[creations-by-chaosfay]

From an email I received today:

Calling all textile artists, quilters, embroidery artists, and sewists! The Aurifil Artisan application for 2024 is now open, inviting passionate creatives from around the globe to apply. If you’re ready to take your craft to the next level, this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for!

Entering the world of an Aurifil Artisan is like stepping into a vibrant community of like-minded individuals who share a deep love for all things textile. From quilting enthusiasts to master embroiderers, this is where creativity thrives and connections are made.

What is an Aurifil Artisan?

For those who may be unfamiliar, the Aurifil Artisan team is a carefully selected group of talented artisans who showcase their skills, inspire others, and work closely with Aurifil. Each month, we present challenges for our Artisans to undertake, with a minimum expectation of four challenges to be completed throughout the year. In addition to receiving a welcome package, Artisans have access to all the Aurifil threads necessary to complete challenges and projects, as well as support for any workshops or guild events they may host. They also gain access to our exclusive affiliate links for Shop Aurifil.

Being part of this esteemed team opens doors to exciting opportunities, including leading the way in launching new products and showcasing their creations at prestigious events like QuiltCon, International Quilt Market, Festival of Quilts, and beyond.

This year, we’re focusing on individuals like you – the ingenious innovators who breathe life into dreams and surpass all expectations. You’re the pioneers who shun conformity in favor of originality and boundless creativity. Through social media, you transform it into a canvas for self-expression and harness its power to connect and inspire others!

Benefits of being an Aurifil Artisan

Exclusive Product Collaborations: Dive into exciting projects with Aurifil! Show off your style to the world in global collaborations.

Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow creators, professionals, and influencers. Build your circle and open doors to new adventures!

Promotional Support: Get a boost from Aurifil! Shine on their website, socials, and in marketing materials.

Educational Resources: Access exclusive learning on our Aurifil Artisan Resource page. Hone your skills and expand your knowledge with workshops!

Community Support: Join our private Aurifil Artisan Facebook group! Connect with kindred spirits, get guidance, and be inspired to create!

Why Apply?

Joining the Aurifil Artisan team isn’t just about showcasing your talents; it’s about becoming part of a supportive community that encourages growth and creativity. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out on your creative journey, this is the perfect platform to share your passion, learn from others, and make lasting connections.

Who Can Apply?

The application is open to anyone with a passion for textiles and a desire to share their craft with the world. The Aurifil Artisan team is a global community that welcomes makers worldwide, emphasizing inclusivity and diversity. We offer equal opportunities and oppose discrimination and harassment. Regardless of your background, we welcome you to showcase your passion and creativity to the world – whether you specialize in quilting, embroidery, sewing, or all of the above, there’s a place for you on the Aurifil Artisan team. Don’t let self-doubt hold you back – this is your chance to shine!

Apply for the Aurifil Artisan Community Today!

Ready to take the next step in your creative journey? Don’t miss out on the opportunity to join the Aurifil Artisan team and become part of a vibrant community of textile artists, quilters, embroidery artists, and sewists from around the world. Apply now and let your creativity soar! We would love to hear from you and hope you’ll apply via the form linked below. Applications are open through 11:59pmCST April 26, 2024.

Although we would like to collaborate with all applicants, our capacity is limited, and we must be selective in this process. The assessment will be based solely on the scale and visual representation of the work, social influence, and community involvement. We are always seeking talented individuals who not only produce exceptional work but also possess a passion for presenting their creations in unique and innovative ways. We are eager to elevate you and your work, which is always easier with fabulous photography and engaging reels!

Know someone that would be a perfect fit for the team? Be sure to share this application with friends, family, and organizations you are a part of so that we can discover even more of the amazing talent that is out in the world!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to artisans@aurifil.com.

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ICAR Admissions: Your Gateway to Agricultural Excellence

Unlock Your Agricultural Potential

Are you eager to embark on a rewarding career in agriculture? Look no further! We're dedicated to helping you secure admissions into top-tier ICAR colleges across India. With our expert guidance and comprehensive resources, we'll ensure you're well-prepared to pursue your agricultural dreams.

Why Choose ICAR?

ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) is India's premier agricultural research and education organization. By choosing an ICAR-affiliated college, you're opting for:

Quality Education: ICAR colleges offer rigorous academic programs and experienced faculty.

Research Opportunities: Engage in cutting-edge research projects and contribute to agricultural advancements.

Career Prospects: Graduates enjoy diverse career opportunities in various sectors of agriculture.

Networking: Connect with industry professionals and build valuable relationships.

Our Services

Expert Counseling: Our experienced advisors provide personalized guidance throughout the admission process.

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Proven Track Record: We have a history of successfully guiding students into top ICAR colleges.

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Collaborator: Content & Influencer Marketing Marketplace, Unlocking Revenue with Content

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In today's digital landscape, maximizing the reach of your content is crucial for success. Collaborator offers a comprehensive solution to turn your content into revenue through strategic partnerships with carefully selected websites and Telegram channels.

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Advantages: Enjoy swift processes, a vast selection of high-quality sites, integration with SEO tools, and enhanced security measures.

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With its extensive network, data-driven approach, and user-friendly interface, Collaborator empowers content creators to thrive in the digital landscape.

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Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy a product or service recommended on this blog, you won’t pay a penny more, but we may receive a small commission to help keep the blog running. Thank you so much for your support!

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Mail4cash Review: Revolutionizing Email Marketing

MAIL4CASH is a notable framework intended to work on web-based income. It kills the intricacies of promoting, lead age, and content creation, permitting you to zero in on the main thing: bringing in cash. This is the thing you really want to be aware of:

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Mail4cash Review: Features

Your Own Affiliate Marketing ATM…

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Mail4cash Review: Overview

Vendor: Glynn Kosky

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Vendor’s support - Mailto: koskyhelp@gmail.com

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Set Up Your Account: Sign up for MAIL4CASH and create your account.

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Navigation

About Us:

Introducing K Smut Society, a prestigious 21+ collective for smut writers of adult male kpop artists and groups.

Membership in our society offers a gateway to a world of unparalleled opportunities and connections. Reserved for the select few who seek extraordinary experiences, this club opens doors to a realm of exclusivity.

With access to special events, top-tier amenities, and a network of like-minded individuals, membership in our society transcends mere affiliation; it's an invitation to a lifestyle defined by our sophisticated writing, skillful composition, and simply put - privilege.

Tracking #ksmutsociety

Important Links:

Apply • Rules • Tags • Members

Frequently Asked Questions • Birthdays

Announcements • Spice-O-Meter

Featured Fics • Acceptances • Projects

Schedule:

August 19th: 5th acceptance

September 2nd: special event announcement

September 15th: applications open

October 4th: applications close

October 6th: 6th acceptance