The contests are easy to game. For example, (what a lot of people might not know/realize is) I can use the "DEADZ brand" to get "VIP Treatment", like access to private offers, reserved caps, specific/stolen/managed campaigns, sponsors for posting (which I do get & turn down, all the time), etc - making it (even) easier for me to win, while also adding more opportunities to my plate - but am I really a "Media Buyer"/"Super Affiliate", then? or just a good promoter/forum marketer/blogger?
Like if we look at s*mforum (& that whole generation), (I believe) it's setup in a way where all the attention goes to certain members only (like no new member can get into the "top posters" ranking, etc). And a lot of the top follow along threads are just sponsored (a.k.a. network/
traffic source paid 2k-5k+, or funded & managed the campaign, etc). And some "Super Affiliates" are still getting these deals today (years later), even after they've fallen off & quit runnning their own campaigns. And that does a lot more damage than good (for the little guy/gal), when you look at the fact that multiple tens of thousands of members will be following the thread and that the average beginner spends hundreds to thousands on "bad campaigns". I know I personally wasted a lot of my time & efforts (in the beginning) by following these "Super Affiliates".
I think affLIFT has been & remained different from the start (&
let us not forget this thread, which would've been normal on other forums). And from the start (at least from my observation), the focus was on the "little guy/gal", hence why I said "
I think it adds to the USP/Value Prop". The "unfair advantage" starts even when one contest participant can say "I'm a community leader on affLIFT", and another can not - and even if they don't; Networks &
Traffic Sources can always give more "special" attention to one vs the other (especially when it's their Network/
Traffic Source's contest - and what's this Network/Traffic Source's endgoal with the contest?). And I'm not saying this is what's happening or anything, I'm saying (& again speaking for myself): If I can think it, that means others can think it. And in that "moment of doubt" is where you lose certain people - and that could be the next success story, community leader, value add, etc that the forum needed to get to the next level.
And it all ties back to the initial question "What is 1 thing we can add to affLIFT to make it better?" - Like if we look at the answers on the poll, most people are worried about community leaders not posting/adding value anymore, but that has nothing to do with if they should win prizes or not. If you're a community leader aren't you supposed to post/add value either way? Aren't we essentially talking about (paid) Staff/Mod members here? And isn't it @Luke 's job to compensate & incentivize the community leaders enough so that they do keep posting & adding value either way (vs members having to worry about it & give up their prizes & opportunities for it)? It might be a "sacrifice" for them, but there's also "benefits" in being (able to "leverage" your position as) a community leader on affLIFT.
I get to reread your posts every 2-3 months and I learn new things every time! Incredible! 
From what little I've been able to see so far, it looks really good!
). I think for me, this content will be a before and after in the way I see this business, the turning point in the right direction. I'm sure it will be helpful to many people who are just starting out or are stuck or even for the pros.
