The September 2007 issue of Internet Retailer has an article on the argument of whether an affiliate program should focus on quality or quantity of affiliates.
In a world where bigger often is viewed as better, some online marketers have taken this approach to populating their affiliate marketing programs. If they know they’ll pay no commission fee to an affiliate unless a click-through from that affiliate’s site actually produces a sale, what’s the harm, the rationale goes, in signing up as many affiliates as possible?
The answer to that question isn’t as obvious as it may seem. Some experts say keeping an affiliate program wide open is a strategy that’s riskier than, and at the very least not as rewarding as, limiting and defining affiliates in a retailer’s program.
Read the complete article at http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=23602 for perspectives on both sides, including my own in favor of smaller affiliate programs.