…and that’s a good thing.

The future of affiliate marketing is not in an office space and will not be adorned with suits and ties.  People (lay people, non-professional marketers or publishers) are using the web for new and exciting things besides producing tangible things.  What they are creating are not necessarily tangible products (although that’s certainly being done at places like CafePress) or things, but emotional experiences.

As people begin to realize the available ways to monetize what they are producing, they will step into the realm of affiliate marketing.  They may not know the name “affiliate marketing,” and that’s the reason the amateur nature of affiliate marketing will ultimately prevail over attempts to move it into a suit and tie realm.  Both parts will exist, of course… but the amateurs will steer the ship.

For two differing aspects and opinions on this topic, consider:

1. Quote (covered by the new issue of Revenue Magazine) from Andy Rodriguez at the Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas this past January:

“Affiliates cannot be fired - they are not your employees - they can go work for your competition very easily.”

2. And the latest “Weekly Insight” podcast from Jeff Molander in which the participants ponder the amateur vs professional aspect of affiliate marketing near the end of the show.

Monetization, like media creation, is undergoing a fracturing that will continue to put the tools once reserved for professional in the hands of the amateur.