Affiliate advertising service LinkShare agrees to be acquired by Japan's Rakuten for US $425 million. LinkShare runs the affiliate programs for Dell Computer, Delta Airlines, FTD, Hickory Farms and other merchants.
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Do any of the affiliates who signup for these huge mass market affiliate programs through LinkShare ever make any money--i.e. do they ever make enough to receive a check since they have to earn a certain minimum before checks are sent out and there are literally tens of thousands of other affiliates who are all sticking the same banners on their low traffic home pages?
The few programs we tried in the past that were offered through LinkShare were about the worst performing (i.e. financially rewarding) of any affiliate programs we've ever joined.