There are so many people in the affiliate marketing industry whose dogged hard work has lifted the perception of this channel to the level where it is today. It would be a horrible shame to taint the professionalism of affiliate marketing with only a few disrespectful actions.
Admittedly, our type of industry provides a lot of opportunity to represent yourself by making comments and voicing opinions – whether on forums, blogs or general sites. We also get the chance to represent ourselves in person. Expressing our opinions and acting on them is completely acceptable as long as you’re not hurting anyone or passing the boundaries of respect.
One of the components of affiliate marketing is that a lot of people work for themselves or own their own companies. This means that at events or anywhere in the public eye they are representing only themselves. You would think that this type of setting would encourage a respectful environment. We are all working together to benefit after all.
The feeling of respect should therefore be one of the main underlying ingredients of every relationship built in affiliate marketing. Although there will always be those few people who take liberties, I hope that for the most part our acts at events and in public forums always reflect that the players in affiliate marketing value mutual respect.