Category: Reviews

The Best Affiliate Marketing Training Courses and Online Business Platform

What is Wealthy Affiliate? It’s the #1 online business community and has been going strong since 2005.

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This post is very long, so I encourage you to Bookmark This Page, so that you are able to come back to it later, in case you don’t have time to get through it all now.

Just FYI: I’m both a customer and an affiliate of the resource in this post, since May 2012. (see my Affiliate Disclosure)

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What’s in This Post

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Introduction

In this post, I want to share information with you about the best affiliate marketing training courses and online business platform, available in the world.

I feel that having both proper training and community support is the key to your online success.

It’s free to get started and check out for yourself, but below I list out various online business training resources provided in the Membership.

But first a little about myself…

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A Lil’ About Me and My Journey

You don’t know me.

I’m just an ordinary person that had to figure out a way to make money online when I lost my job in 2008, due to health issues.

In the offline world, I gained several years experience in Customer Service, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable and various other clerical type positions. Much of it was drudgery, especially working in call centers.

I was good at my various jobs, but I did not enjoy being hostage to a cubicle and headset….lol 🙂 But, we all do what we have to do, to make money to pay the bills.

I was forced out of the work force back in 2008 due to health issues, largely caused by years of being trapped at a computer, with little to no permission to get up and move around. Not good when you are suffering from old car accident injuries.

And although losing my job and the paycheck was a less than pleasant experience, my goal was to be an online entrepreneur anyway. But, I was forced to make it happen at that point…which was not ideal.

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Dabbled Instead of Hustled

I had already been dabbling in internet marketing, on the side, since 2004.

If I had realized that my health was going to go sideways in 2008, then I would’ve taken my online business “side gig” much more seriously.

I would’ve hustled to get things in place and earning affiliate commissions, even while still working a full-time job.

Just an extra 1 hour per day consistently over that 4 year period…would have made all the difference.

If I had taken it all more seriously, then I wouldn’t have ended up with so many financial worries, when I lost my job. I would’ve had something more substantial to fall back on.

Then, add another 4 years of beating my head against the wall, jumping from one “program” to another and basically flushing more time and money down the toilet.

Losing my job made me act in desperation and I wanted to make something happen. So, I ended up doing what a lot of people do, which is look for a shortcut and something “quick”.

I’m sure you can relate, if not be very glad of that.

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Shiny Object Syndrome

This led to a lot of program hopping. This is also what is called “Shiny Object Syndrome” and it’s very common in the online business world.

I think we have all done it at one point or another.

The only thing you can make happen in that situation is to make yourself lose more time and more money. That’s all.

That’s not creating a sustainable online business for yourself. It’s a road to devastation. It’s making someone else rich by not being realistic and not seeing things for how they really are.

It’s living in a dream world, in the clouds, hoping that all the program hopping will come through for you.

And it’s absolutely devastating when all your hopes and dreams comes crashing down to earth, leaving you starting from scratch. It’s a horrible feeling.

It’s okay to try out different programs and try to figure out what is best for you.

However, you still have to first make sure the product, service or resource is legitimate and not a scam.

Then, when you determine that it’s not a scam…..focus and stick to that one thing.

If you jump around and spread yourself thin, you will lose your focus and end up not succeeding with anything that you try.

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Light at the End of the Tunnel

So, after a long uphill battle and journey back from never-never land, I finally saw the light myself.

In 2012, I joined an online business community to help me with my online business, so that I would stop floundering so much. I finally found the place that was best for me.

The funny thing is, which makes me want to slap myself actually, is that I had already known about this place for years, but I never bothered to check it out…lol.

So, after being a member there for so many years, I decided to make this website in order to share this great online affiliate community, it’s resources and how it can help you to create an online business.

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Make it Happen for Yourself

Working on straight commission can be a scary thing, especially when you are trying to support a family, not just yourself.

But often, you have the potential to make a lot more money working for yourself and there is no salary cap either.

You get to decide how much you want to make and how much you are worth. There is no employer dictating those things to you. The sky’s the limit.

Most of us are used to the concept of getting an hourly wage or a salary for the work that we do for others.

You trade your time for the money, with no real chance to earn more, but you are guaranteed that money for the time you worked.

When you work for yourself, you are not guaranteed anything. You have to make it happen. You have to do the work upfront in order to lay the foundation for your business and reap the rewards later.

Online business takes work and determination and perseverance – just like offline business.

There is no free ride and there is no such thing as “Get Rich Quick” or your computer becoming an instant ATM machine just by pushing a button.

It doesn’t exist. Believe me. I wanted to believe it myself more than once over the years, even though I knew better. We all know better.

We just don’t admit it at the time, when something seems too good to be true – many times it is too good to be true.

I’m sure you have experienced this yourself, at some point, after you have lost time and money.

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Stay Realistic about Your Online Journey

There is nothing like being an online entrepreneur and it’s a great goal to aim for, even if it’s just part-time, while you work at a job.

And even if you have a career that you love, having another creative outlet is very motivating and if that creative outlet turns into a 2nd income, then all the better.

However, the journey of creating your own online business can be long and tedious, especially when you don’t know what you’re doing and when you have no support system.

You don’t know what you don’t know – and this is where the trouble begins.

The result is chasing your tail and shiny objects for months and even years. All this does is cost you time and money. It’s truly an endless cycle of insanity.

Been there and done that, so I know what I’m talking about. I even have the T-Shirt to prove it….okay not really, but I should have a T-Shirt for all the aggravation.

The problem is, the internet has literally billions of people on it, but it can be the loneliest place on the planet. It makes it so hard to know where to turn and what or whom to trust.

However, it doesn’t have to be lonely and it doesn’t have to be frustrating.

Now don’t get me wrong….your online business journey will be full of ups and downs and plenty of frustration. I’m gonna give it to you for real.

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Where Do You Find a Company that Gives You Training and Support?

Just like anything else in life – you will have good days and not so good days. It’s just harder if you go it alone.

It’s a much bigger learning curve without the right resources and without an online business community to help you through the ups and downs.

It’s important to have somewhere to turn when you need support and encouragement and a way to get your questions answered.

In order to pursue your passion online and create a online business from that passion, you need the tools, but a little inspiration and encouragement can go a long way in staying the course.

A great online business community makes things so much easier for you in he long run.

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Online Entrepreneur Courses Provide the Steps to Creating a Successful Online Business

Listed further below are online entrepreneur courses to help you get started creating a successful online business that generates revenue.

These training resources are available through an online business community that I’ve been a member of since May 2012, almost 6 years. They will teach you how to make money as an affiliate marketer.

I’m not someone who recommends a product or service, unless I use it myself. I want to be able to sleep at night and look in the mirror, knowing that I stand by what I recommend to you. 🙂

This online business community is free to join and you have the option to upgrade to a Premium membership if you want, anytime you want.

Upgrading is completely optional, but is something that I absolutely recommend. You can remain a free member for as long as you choose though. More on this further below…

When people think of online business, they often mistakenly think that they have to pursue the “make money online” niche or get involved in some kind of scam. This is definitely not the case.

You can create an online business for any topic that interests you and that reflects your passion. You can create something that you really enjoy and want to share with the world.

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Be Free and Enjoy Yourself

The point of being an online entrepreneur is to be free from what an employer decides you are worth, but to also break free to do something that you really enjoy.

This still takes patience, work and effort and most of all, no one can do it for you.

Being your own boss means you call the shots, but it also means you have to kick your own butt and make things happen.

Fortunately, you don’t have to try to figure out how to do this all by yourself. There are resources available to walk you through the process of getting started on your online journey

Get Absolutely Everything You Need to Create and Grow a Successful Business Online and Get it All in One Place

As I mentioned earlier, the detailed training tutorials listed below are through an online business community that I’ve been a member of since 2012.

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Training Resources to Create Online Business

The training tutorials are a great way to get started as soon as possible and are set-up in an easy, step-by-step format.

It’s a good idea to complete the lessons in order and not skip around.

You can do them at your own pace and revisit the same lesson as many times as you wish.

I still revisit the lessons, from time to time, even though I’ve been a member for many years.

I do this just to make sure that I’m up-to-date with any new information.

This is important because it can be difficult to try and keep up with all the changes that happen online all on your own.

The training is updated as needed, so you can be confident that what’s being taught is current.

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Courses and Free Membership

You will see (further below) that Level 1 of the courses is available for both Free Starter members and Premium members. Levels 2-5 are available for Premium members only.

Level 1 is a great foundation and start to get your online business up and running.

As I previously mentioned, you can remain a Free Starter member for as long as you want. However, you are given free access to certain Premium features for the the first 7 days.

I recommend though, after you take a “test-drive”, that you invest in your own future and upgrade to the Premium membership, but at least the free account gives you the opportunity to decide whether Wealthy Affiliate is a good fit for you.

You will get everything you need for turning your hobby or passion into a successful affiliate marketing business and it WON’T cost you an arm and a leg.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend that the free membership is anything other than a great vehicle for you to simply Get Started with and get going as soon as possible. That’s why it’s called “Getting Started” training.

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Premium Membership Recommended

The bottom line is – if you are really serious about starting an online business, there will be an investment in both time and money. There is no getting around that.

With that said, there is no requirement or obligation to become a Premium member. I’m not about pressuring people and “selling” people. No one pressured me. No one “sold” me.

The lessons, resources and community sold themselves without trying. That’s how it should be. I just don’t like to b.s. people and make things out to be something that they’re not.

I joined as a free member and decided that I loved it so much that I wanted to become a Premium member and have access to EVERYTHING. I wanted the whole enchilada plus the chips and guacamole.

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Yearly is the Best Deal

I also changed over from the Monthly Premium membership to the Yearly Premium membership several years ago because it’s a Huge extra savings.

The Monthly membership is already a great deal, but I figured why not save more money by going Yearly.

I recommend that you go Yearly as soon as you are able to because it’s a great deal.

Regardless of whether you choose the Monthly or the Yearly option, to put things in perspective…Try to start an offline business and see how much it costs you, in both time and money, and you will see that the investment to start an online business is minimal in comparison.

**Scroll all the way to the bottom of this page and you’ll see a chart that shows the differences between the Free and Premium memberships.**

There is a ton of great stuff to see, so just take your time getting familiar with the community and the resources available.

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Focus on the Lessons

Just focus on the lessons and take it from there. Building an online business is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time with the free Getting Started Courses and go from there.

There is also a section under each lesson for comments where you can post questions, so that anyone in the community can assist you.

The lessons are kept current and the comments are also a great source of additional current information.

Keep in mind that the training courses listed below are just the main core training courses. The Wealthy Affiliate platform also contains hundreds (maybe thousands at this point) of supplemental training tutorials.

There are also hundreds of recorded training webinars available as well (for Premium members). The webinars are Live on Friday evening’s (depending on your time zone) and are available for replay, if you cannot attend the Live training.

The webinars are approximately 60-90 minutes, depending on the topic and the amount of Q&A at the end of the training.

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Level 1 Course: Getting Started (Available for Free Starter Members and Premium Members)

Here is a rundown of the training topics. (Click here for more info)

• Lesson 1- Getting Rolling!
• Lesson 2- Understanding How to Make Money Online
• Lesson 3- Choose a Niche
• Lesson 4- Building Your OWN Niche Website
• Lesson 5- Setting Up Your Website
• Lesson 6- Getting Your Site Ready for Search Engines
• Lesson 7- Creating Your Initial Website Content
• Lesson 8- Creating Custom Menus on Your Website
• Lesson 9- Understanding Keywords, The Start of Your Content
• Lesson 10- Congratulations and Your Next Steps

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Level 2 Course: Building Your Own Traffic Producing Website (Available for Premium Members Only)

Here is a rundown of the training topics. (Click here for more info)

• Lesson 1- Your Own Domain, Your Brand
• Lesson 2- Move On Over, My Brand Has Arrived
• Lesson 3- Creating Keyword Rich Content
• Lesson 4- Setting Up A Domain Specific Email Account
• Lesson 5- The Traffic Breakdown
• Lesson 6- Making Use of Visuals
• Lesson 7- Understanding the Low Hanging Fruit
• Lesson 8- Making Face as a Real Person
• Lesson 9- Amplifying Your Google Love With Google Plus
• Lesson 10- Boosting Your WA Ranks!

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Level 3 Course: Making Money! (Available for Premium Members Only)

Here is a rundown of the training topics. (Click here for more info)

• Lesson 1- Understanding the MONEY in Online Business
• Lesson 2- Understanding Affiliate Programs & Networks
• Lesson 3- Relevant Affiliate Programs are Everywhere
• Lesson 4- Adding Affiliate Links to Your Pages
• Lesson 5- Instant Access to a MILLION Products
• Lesson 6- Leveraging Product Reviews
• Lesson 7- Getting Paid for Ads on Your Site
• Lesson 8- Earning Pennies OR Dollars?
• Lesson 9- A Brilliant Way to Track & Understand Your Traffic
• Lesson 10- With Help Comes Financial Success

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Level 4 Course: Mastering Social Engagement (Available for Premium Members Only)

Here is a rundown of the training topics. (Click here for more info)

• Lesson 1- What Does Social Engagement Mean to Your Business
• Lesson 2- Making Your Website a Place to Engage
• Lesson 3- Using Facebook the Right Way
• Lesson 4- Pinterest & the Visual Social Hemisphere
• Lesson 5- Incorporating a Sound Tweeting Campaign
• Lesson 6- Google Plus or Minus?
• Lesson 7- The Benefit of Being Social at WA
• Lesson 8- Make Your Campaigns Social Branding Animals
• Lesson 9- Using the Wealthy Affiliate Social Community
• Lesson 10- You Cannot Be a Master of Everything

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Level 5 Course: Achieving Maximum Success Through Content Creation (Available for Premium Members Only)

Here is a rundown of the training topics. (Click here for more info)

• Lesson 1- Content is YOUR Business
• Lesson 2- Setting Up Google Webmaster Tools
• Lesson 3- Improving Indexing Times and Speeds
• Lesson 4- People Need to Read Your Content
• Lesson 5- A Year is a Short Period of Time, Yet BIG for Business
• Lesson 6- Writing Within a Devised Plan Architecture
• Lesson 7- Writing Your Content With Conversion Intent
• Lesson 8- Injecting Comments With Intent
• Lesson 9- Bing and Yahoo, They Are Still the 33%
• Lesson 10- Articulating a PLAN for the Months and Year Ahead

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Differences Between the Free Starter Membership and the Premium Membership

The chart shown above doesn’t fully explain what is all included in the Premium Membership, at this point in time. It’s now outdated because the platform is always being improved upon and new features are added every year, several times per year and we have had quite a few things added in the last few months.

For more information about the Starter Membership vs. the Premium Membership, take a look at the links listed below.

Several members have put together some GREAT information. No need for me to re-invent the wheel and try to re-explain what they have already explained so well.

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Check Out These Posts

If I were new to the platform, these are the posts I would want to see so that I could make an informed decision.

The first one in the list is the newest post.

Setting up Your Account and Becoming a Premium Member

The Benefits of Wealthy Affiliate Premium Membership

I wish that Wealthy Affiliate had existed back when I started pursuing online business back in 2004, while stuck in a cubicle inadvertently helping to build up someone else’s business.

It would have made things sooo much easier. I had to figure out everything on my own, which was very time consuming and stressful.

I have always been a free spirit and wanted more than what an employer told me I could have or what I was worth.

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Regrets…Wish I Would Have Joined Sooner

Wealthy Affiliate came into existence in 2005 and as I mentioned before – I didn’t join until 2012, even though I’d heard about it many times over the years. I just never bothered to take the time to check it out for myself. Big Mistake.

I regret not joining much sooner. It would have saved me years of aggravation having to figure out everything all on my own.

It would have saved me from joining and spending money on programs that promised the world, but were just a money funnel for the ones that came up with the clever marketing tactics.

So, even though my knowledge was already at an intermediate level by the time I joined Wealthy Affiliate, I still learned a lot. In fact, I’m still learning new things almost on a daily basis.

The fluid nature of the internet and online business is a constant, ever-changing thing. There is always something new to learn whether you are a beginner or very advanced.

Wealthy Affiliate provides me with all the resources and services that I need to build my own online business.

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Hosting and Domains

I host my websites there and I purchase and renew all of my domain names there as well.

I started hosting my websites with Wealthy Affiliate in 2015 after being exclusively with HostGator for many years.

I didn’t have to switch my hosting over to Wealthy Affiliate, but I figured why not since hosting is already included in my Premium Membership.

There are many members who host elsewhere and many members who host at Wealthy Affiliate. You are given an option to choose what’s best for you, based on your own needs.

In addition, the support team made the transition very simple.

I also buy my domain names there now, instead of GoDaddy. They are a great price and already include Privacy Protection, which always costs extra at GoDaddy.

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Love the Convenience

I pretty much use all of the services and resources provided at Wealthy Affiliate. I really like having everything all in one place! It’s nice and convenient.

They also keep adding features just about every year and making improvements on what is already there, so the platform is always evolving and moving with the times.

There is a real pulse on the members needs and it’s always exciting to see what the owners pull out of their hat next.

And the best thing – there are never any price increases on the membership. No matter what they add or improve upon, the price always stays the same.

So, as you can probably tell, I really enjoy Wealthy Affiliate and I’m glad to be a Premium Member! This is the one place that I come to every single day when I go online, besides my email and my websites.

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Like-Minded Community of Online Entrepreneurs

I’m not able to be on a computer for too long due to my health challenges and I have to pace myself accordingly.

So, I don’t really engage much with the community directly because I spend my time working on my websites, as my health allows.

I do login everyday to access my websites, etc.

I read the blogs and revisit the training resources when I am able to because I want to stay informed. Sometimes, I answer a question here and there when I see someone in need of help.

I just have to be mindful of the time I spend because it’s easy to end up spending the whole day there.

Some people interact with the community more than others and some people, like myself, stay more in the background doing the training and building their websites.

I know that it can intimidate some people when they see such a huge group of people online together, but it’s actually a very helpful, caring community.

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You Can Just Be You

That’s what’s nice about the platform – you can be as introverted or extroverted as you want. You don’t have to be a social butterfly to be a Member of this online business community.

If you love a lot of interaction with people, then dive right in because there are a LOT of great people there to discuss online business and your goals with. If you prefer to keep to yourself, you can do that as well.

The most important thing is everyone there is looking for the same thing – to be online entrepreneurs.

It’s a community full of like-minded people with similar goals and no time for nonsense, but definitely a caring spirit about one another and their goals.

We have members in the community that are from all walks of life and backgrounds.

There are members that are from all over the globe with all different experience levels – from totals beginner’s who have little to no computer experience – to people like myself with intermediate knowledge, to people with very advanced technical skills and knowledge.

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Stand-Up Owners (Kyle and Carson) who Stay Engaged with Community

There are Premium members that have been with Wealthy Affiliate, since it was founded in 2005.

I don’t know too many places where people keep a membership for 15 years!

I think a lot has to do with the fact that the owners are very active within the community and have really been a great support to many of us, over the years.

They definitely don’t hide in the background and they don’t shy away from direct communication with the members.

You will find the owners, Carson and Kyle, engaging with the community throughout the day in Live Chat and in comments section on other member’s posts, on Member’s Profile pages and on their own Profile pages.

They publish their own posts from time to time, etc. etc. They are also available to Premium members via Private Message.

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They Really Care About Members

Not to sound sappy here, but they actually care about how the members feel and about what the members need. They’ve proven it to me for since 2012.

So, I know it for a fact.

I’ve experienced this myself and see it on a daily basis, around the community.

There is an excellent post that was written by another member a while back: Are Kyle & Carson Actually Real? It’s definitely worth a read.

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The Bottom Line

Anyway, I could go on and on all day about how I feel and what I’ve experienced as a member for the last 6 years, but the main thing is trying it out for yourself and seeing how you feel about it.

It may or may not be your cup of tea.

You may find there is just too much work and effort involved in doing the step-by-step training lessons and creating your own online business.

You may actually hate the fact that it’s not a “Get Rich Quick” or “Push Button” scheme. That’s alright, you can find plenty of those elsewhere online to take your money. Again. Been there. Done that.

OR you may find that it’s just the thing that changes your life for the better.

You will have access to the best affiliate marketing training courses available online that will teach you how to make money as an affiliate marketer. And you will have the support of a helpful community along the way.

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People Tend to Stick Around

There is a reason that myself and so many others have been there for years. We don’t pay membership fees every month (or year) for Years, just to fool other people.

I know that most of us have better things to do with our time, at least those of us with morals and ethics.

The bottom line is: It only takes 30 seconds to grab your free Starter Membership and check it all out for yourself 🙂 Click Here to Join Today

And just in case you actually read this all the way to the bottom and still aren’t sure if I’m a real person and not a robot or some evil minion trying to steal your money or whatever, just know that a robot won’t likely create a post that’s over 5,300 words.

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It’s Okay to Be Skeptical

Of course, I can certainly understand your skepticism because I’ve seen a lot online, over the last 16 years. So, it’s actually good to be cautious. It’s easy to  wonder if there’s an actual person behind the words you’re reading on the screen.

Yes, there is a real person typing all of this.

Seriously. This post is 5,300 words. And no one typed up this bad boy for me either. I wish that I had a robot to type all this up for me because my cats sure are no help in that department….after all I do for them too.

And now they are staring at me wondering when I’m going to stop typing this post and feed them. They told me to let you figure it out from here. I’m tired now anyway….lol….time for a cat nap. 🙂

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Conclusion of: What is Wealthy Affiliate?

In case you’ve just skimmed through this post (that I tirelessly wrote for you) and have found yourself at the end of it, here’s a basic summary of this 5,300 word post.

I recommend going back when you get time and reading this entire post, so that you have as much information as possible. The “Cliff Notes” version below really doesn’t do it justice.

It’s better to go into something knowing exactly what it is, rather than just joining out of curiosity.

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Excellent Online Business Community – Founded in 2005 and Still Going Strong  

• Turn Your Passion Into A Thriving Online Business.
• Choose An Interest, Build A Website, Attract Visitors, Earn Revenue
• Simple Step-By-Step Affiliate Training, Free Built-In Tools Available
• They Cater to All Levels of Experience.
• Access to the Best Affiliate Marketing Training Courses
• Get Absolutely Everything You Need to Create and Grow a Successful Business Online

Click Here to join for free and check it all out for yourself.

You’ll find a very friendly, helpful community and excellent training resources 🙂

Again, I’ve been an upgraded Premium member of this community since May 2012. You can visit my profile page here. My handle on the platform is WriterLynn.

Thank you for visiting my website and I wish you much success in whatever direction you decide to go.  🙂

P.S. – My cats thank you too…for letting me go feed them now. (I’m going have to start figuring out how to put these cats to work for me. There’s enough paws around here that you would think somebody could help me with all this typing. )

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