This is where you can suggest new features for my program, or improvements to existing features.  Feel free to comment on others' suggestions as well.  I'm always looking for ways to improve my program, and your suggestions are an important part of that process.  Not every feature suggested will be implemented, but I'll do my best to implement those that are most popular.  Thanks in advance.

Tissa

November 12, 2009:  Operation Duplication Update

Since June when I made the post above, countless new features and improvements have been integrated into the Acme People Search program based on your feedback - thank you!

Here's what you can expect from me during the next 30 days.  All of the features below are already on the drawing boards and will be implemented by January 31, 2010 (previously Dec. 14, then Dec. 31...) barring some force majeure or other unforeseen circumstances!  Note that the list below doesn't include many cool features I have planned - just the features that have been requested and which I felt would benefit all APS affiliates:

1) A video-based referral link that you can use to promote APS and GDI (much like the current APS and GVO link in your back office) DONE! (Jan. 10)

2) Additional video referral links featuring me

3) Improved verbiage throughout to make it even more clear that the $125 is paid after at least $75 in referral fees has been earned.  Improved verbiage throughout to make it even more clear that my free advertising is limited, and that "Advertising" means you learning how to advertise.  This will eliminate a lot of those referrals who sign up expecting to make "$125 in 24 hours" without any effort on their part (and then cry scam).  DONE! (Dec. 9)

4) "Referral Qualities" under Step 1, 2 and 3 will be removed, as well as the "Held-in-Reserve" concept.  Both concepts have been creating a lot of confusion and unecessary frustration.  You will still be paid whatever you're being paid currently, but "Held-in-Reserve" will be replaced by performance bonuses.  In other words, you'll be rewarded for sending quality referrals that convert well across the three steps. DONE! (Dec. 2)

5) Monthly recurring commissions for those referrals of yours who maintain Step 3.  Each month a referral is subscribed under Step 3, I'll pay you a recurring commission (in addition to the per-step referral fees and performance bonuses above!)  Great incentive to improve referral quality and boost retention - and your earnings.  DONE! (Dec. 14)

6) The $125 credit after completing Step 3 will remain (it's an APS trademark!) but additional safeguards will be implemented to prevent fraud and thwart those who generate bogus referrals to reach the $200 minimum payout.  (A lot of successful measures have already been taken in this regard.)

7) Pagination for the "Referrals" page in the APS back office (handy especially when you have a lot of referrals!) DONE! (Dec. 2)

8) Tracking IDs for ALL referral links in your APS back office (not just the Direct Link, as is the case now.)  DONE! (Dec. 4)

9) Tracking IDs linked to the referring URL will appear next to each of your referrals (in your referral stats) so you can gauge the effectiveness of your various Marketing, Advertising and Promotional efforts at a glance.  DONE! (Dec. 4)

10) If your referrals have completed Step 2, there will be links in your APS back office to their search engines' domains, showing where they are hosted (GDI or Hostgator, etc.).  DONE! (Dec. 4)

11) Ability to add your HostGator coupon code to your APS back office so your referrals' first month of hosting is free (to boost HostGator conversions after your Super Affiliate Switch has been flipped!)  DONE! (Dec. 9)

Note: I decided against integrating Commission Junction as a way to promote Hostgator, since this violates HostGator's affiliate TOS if you have already signed up as a HostGator affiliate.  I don't want any of you to land in hot water with HostGator!

12) "Gator-Aid" sub-forum coming soon, to boost retention of your HostGator referrals and thus your HostGator earnings!  (Flip your Super Affiliate Switch in your APS back office so you can earn up to $125 per referral from HostGator if you haven't already!)  DONE! (Nov. 22)

13) If you opt to use LunarPages for your Super Affiliate Switch, the HostGator link at the top of your APS back office will automatically change to "Lunarpages" so you'll be able to easily log into your LunarPages account to check your earnings.  If you revert to HostGator, the link will change back to HostGator as well.  DONE! (Nov. 11)

14) A referral link of sorts for the APS forum, so you can send prospects to the forum first - while ensuring that you are still credited with the referral   This forum is your best marketing tool!  With all its support and transparency, the forum is a great way for prospects to see the light for themselves   DONE! (Nov. 13)

14)b) Now that we have referral links for the forum, it makes sense to have a sign-up link at the forum as well.  If you send someone to the forum using your referral link, you will be credited with the referral if they sign up using the "Start Earning!" link at the top of the forum.  If someone arrives at the forum without using a forum referral link, and signs up using the link at the top, credit for the referral will be assigned to Super Sponsors on a rotating basis   Another good reason to become a Super Sponsor!  DONE! (Nov. 16)

15) If you have completed Step 3 AND you have entered a valid WA order number into your APS back office (thereby flipping your Super Affiliate Switch), you'll have the option of offering your referrals GDI, HostGator and Lunarpages - all at the same time.  (Versus the current configuration, where Hostgator is offered first, followed by GDI after a few days).  You'll be able to toggle between both methods.

16) Copy-and-paste HTML code so you can easily embed your search engine's search form into your HostGator blog or any other Web site (completely eliminating the duplicate content/quality score obstacle faced by affiliates promoting their search engines!)  I think this is a much better option than providing templates, since it's a matter of time before templates would become over-used as well.  Don't worry - there will be video tutorials explaining how to embed the search form code   DONE! (Nov. 25)

Note: I decided against allowing the code for the signup form to be embedded in external Web pages (i.e. blogs), since it's important that all affiliates enter through the same door - where I can make disclosures (or disclaimers) about the program.  If affiliates are able to embed the sign-up form on their own pages, there's no control over (false) claims soome rogue affiliates may make in an effort to get sign-ups.

17) An alternative to MyLife as one of the eight income streams (since MyLife is no longer accepting new affiliate applications).  If you're currently a MyLife affiliate, you will still be able to use your people search engine to earn MyLife commissions.  But you will also have the option of promoting the product that's introduced as an alternative to MyLife.

18) Conversion tracking for the affiliate products integrated with your search engine (ClickBank, HD Publishing, etc.)  Conversion tracking for your referral links (promoting the business opportunity) is already supported (under "Add/Edit IDs") and HD Publishing will usually insert your conversion tracking code into their post-order thank-you pages if you ask Jan nicely

19) A social network search feature integrated into your search engines.  This one however is dependent upon a lot of external factors beyond my control, so no guarantees that it will happen within 30 days.  But I'll continue to give it my best shot.  DONE! (Jan. 5)

20) A realistic and effective marketing blueprint under the "Marketing Tools" section of your APS back office.  I'm trying to come up with a step-by-step, easily duplicated roadmap that anyone can follow to earn their first $75.  Once they've learned to earn $75 in referral fees, not only will they reach the $200 minimum payout (probably making them profitable for the first time ever online) but they can apply those skills to promoting their people search engine and any affiliate product for that matter.

21) Additional reminders in welcome email messages and the APS back office to use the forum for support.  Many users have reported significant increases in their conversion rates for all three steps when they told their referrals about the forum, since referrals can come here for support.  By all of us helping each others' referrals, we all benefit from increased referral fees.  So send your referrals to the forum - don't worry, you're locked in as their sponsor once they've signed up!

22) A never-ending supply of mini video tutorials under "Videos" in your back office (i.e. introductory video, completing Step 1 and 3, importing your APS prospects into your GVO auto-responder, using GVO's Easy Video Producer to create unique video landing pages that can be hosted by GDI or Hostgator, etc.)  Note that there are already videos for completing Step 2 using GDI and HostGator, and I will add another video for completing Step 2 using Lunarpages.

23) The eight income streams across the top of your APS back office will be formatted to make it clear that commissions from the first four streams are earned by promoting your people search engine, and commissions from the second four streams are earned by promoting the business opportunity.  New users especially don't always realize that the eight income streams are distributed across two different niches (and target audiences).  DONE! (Dec. 30)

24) A follow-up system to remind you of upcoming TalkToTissa.com Webinars - rather than you having to repeatedly visit TalkToTissa.com to see when the next Webinar will be - only to realize that you missed it.  DONE! (Dec. 7)

25) A marketplace sub-forum where APS affiliates can buy, sell or trade services (without it becoming a spammer's haven) like HTML design services if you want to customize your search engine, or create banners, etc.

26) A sub-forum where new users can introduce themselves and receive a warm and supportive welcome (and the ocassional friendly admonition to keep their affiliate links within their signature )

27) A sub-forum dedicated to the legal and business aspects of managing your online business.  You are treating this as a long-term business, right?  You should be, if you want long-term success.

28) User-moderated sub-forums to promote better organization in the forum.  Some of you have expressed an interest in being moderators.

29) Greater efforts to promote better organization in the forum ("search" feature, posting in the correct sub-forum, no cross-posting, etc.) by inserting alerts when topics are created or replies posted  DONE! (Nov. 11)

30) For the same reasons as above: Forum tags so popular topics are more easily found.  By tagging your new topics with a keyword or two, it will make it easier for everyone to find all posts related to popular topics.  DONE! (Nov. 11)

31) Revising the expiration reminder email to make it easier for Step 3 TrialPay users to switch to PayPal rather than forcing them to wait for their TrialPay subscriptions to expire (by which time they have been demoted to Step 2).

32) More contests where you can win cool stuff!

33) Oh - and an APS toolbar of SOME sort!  Gotta have a toolbar.

Added Dec. 8, 2009:

34) Email notification when PMs received at in your forum inbox (implemented by Dec. 23, 2009)  DONE! (Dec. 30)

35) Email notification when you have a new (and confirmed) APS referral DONE! (Dec. 8)

If I overlooked anything or if you have any suggestions, please post them in this thread.  If I feel they will benefit most APS users, I'll include them in the above list by updating this post.  As I mentioned, the list above doesn't include all new features I have planned, just features that have been requested by folks.

Thanks to all of you who have made suggestions for improvements.  Your suggestions are a testament to your belief in Acme People Search, and my eagerness to implement those changes is a testament to my belief in YOU.

Tissa