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Over 12 years ago I started blogging here on TypePad. It's time to close up shop and move The Write Spot Blog to a more up-to-date platform, Wordpress, which I'll be doing soon.
While Write Spot Media LLC is still the company I do business under as a social media consultant, I spend most of my time at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet as a food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Stop on by and see what I'm cooking up!
I still do social media consulting and can help you with blogger outreach as well as social media growth and management. Contact me at am at the-write-spot dot com.
Coming attractions
I'm working on plans for The Write Spot Blog with two audiences in mind - potential clients and newbie bloggers. This is tentative and subject to change, but here's what I'm pondering...
Potential Clients - I hope to have some case studies for you on what has worked for my clients at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet!
Newbie Bloggers - Backing up and taking down old blogs, I realized how many mistakes I made, how much time I wasted. I don't want you to go through all that! I want to help you get over the learning curve by sharing my favorite online blogging, affiliate marketing, food photography, and Pinterest classes.
I thought about coming up with my own set of online classes - for like 10 seconds - then realized why reinvent the wheel? There are AWESOME classes taught by super talented, knowledgeable bloggers already out there. But you need a good guide - ME - to avoid the crap and the ripoffs.
For both audiences, I hope to find the time to review and share my favorite online tools, conferences, books, apps, websites, and tech equipment, too.
It's been a hectic year since I last undated this blog. I've been busy at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet working with various brands and clients in my capacity as a healthy food and lifestyle blogger. You can see what I"m up to here.
However, the big news is that I'm moving to the Athens, Georgia area. Thus the name change from The Write Spot LLC to Write Spot Media LLC. I'm still interested in helping businesses of all sizes with their social media needs, and hope to gain some new clients in Athens.
That leads me to my final bit of news. I'll be giving the breakfast keynote talk and conducting a social media workshop at the United States Personal Chef Conference on August 4, 2012 in Washington, D.C. It's my first time addressing personal chefs, who like other small business people can use social media tools to grown their business and promote themselves. I'm glad to be connecting with this group of people and helping them with their social media needs.
The ambition of an inexperienced PR-wannabe and the reputation of a Big Brand crashed into each other magnificently on the front page of a popular mom blog in February of 2011.
As the surrounding traffic slowed down to witness the carnage and Twitter about it - one figure emerged from the chaos surprisingly unscathed. Toyota's preventative maintenance and fast reflexes kept their brand image intact through the actions of their Social Media team lead by Scott DeYager.
We'll examine the life-cycle of a brand-crisis from the blogger, PR and Brand perspectives by analyzing the #ToyotaFail incident and how Toyota's Social Media team averted a rapidly developing brand crisis by listening & responding on Twitter as it was happening.
Today’s WOW Blog Tour guest post is from Sybil Baker, author of the book Talismans, a book of linked stories about connection and making peace with your past.
It used to be that writers assumed if their book was published by a big New York publishing house, their work was mostly done once the book hit the bookstores. Their publisher might set up a big-city book tour where writers read to packed crowds in bookstores and sleep in four-star hotels. They might appear on a few TV shows and possibly do some radio interviews—all arranged by the publisher’s publicist. And then, after this whirlwind book tour, the writer could sit back and let the royalty checks pour in.
Even if this scenario was actually ever true or even likely, now it is certainly not the case. Whether writers self-publish, are published with a small press, or even a large commercial one, writers must work hard to promote their book. Unfortunately with the quickly changing world of technology, there is no one right or effective way to guarantee sales or visibility.
Using social media to promote your book
Social media outlets such as Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter are tools that many writers wonder if they should use. I do think most writers should have a website that people can go to to learn more about your book. It need not be fancy or expensive, but should have your bio, information about your work, and anything else potential readers might be interested in.
If you are a Facebook or Twitter user, you might want to think about how to integrate using social media into getting the word out about reviews, book signings, or other events related to promoting your book. However, if you are not a big social media user, then signing up for a Facebook account just to promote your book will probably not work well because you won’t be dedicated to keeping up your presence.
Blogging and virtual book tours
The same goes with starting a blog. It’s better to not start a blog at all than to start one that you don’t maintain or continue. A blog requires long-term dedication and consistency, and to be effective, high traffic. I have a blog on writing and travel that I’ve maintained for more than two years, posting once or twice a week. Yet even though I enjoy updating my blog, my traffic count is very small and I doubt that the blog has contributed to selling many copies of my book.
One option instead of having your own blog is to set up a blog tour—either formally with an organization such as Women on Writing, or on your own. It’s important to know what the demographic of your audience will be and find blogs that focus on those areas. For example, I write about women traveling in Asia, so I try to find blogs and other writers that are interested in travel and global fiction. One writer friend wrote a novel about the Iliad, and he has found an audience with people interested in Greek literature and mythology.
I’ll be sharing Sam’s Clubs delicious and healthy food ideas and product news from their clubs in the upcoming months with my readers at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet.
Visiting Sam’s Club HQ
Last month I visited Sam’s Club headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. I was very much impressed with the quality demands Sam’s Club puts on their food partners as well as the extensive product taste testing they do.
Not only is Sam's interested in getting a good price point for their customers, they're also concerned with convenience - in the products they sell (are they convenient for busy families), in the way the stores are laid out, and in their packaging with their new "bag in a bag" frozen veggies or "mix and match" bakery offerings.
Sam's Club also aims to get the quality possible and backs this with a 200% back guarantee (twice as much product or twice the price back) on all their fresh food and meat.
Along with their sustainability efforts – from their stores to their headquarters – I have a new appreciation for the company. Or maybe it’s just the delicious international cheeses, the baklava, and those monster king crab claws?
SOBCon Colorado was a social media conference with a mastermind format that featured 14 hours of learning and networking opportunities. It featured fantastic speakers that helped us focus on strategy and tactics for integrating online and offline social marketing.
We had some fun too, like how to have a happy butt. (And no, that has nothing to do with adding more fiber to your diet.) The delicious meals at the Renaissance Hotel in Broomfield were wonderful, too.
Unlike many other conferences I’ve gone to, I came away with a to do list of goals, homework and strategies for the next year. Even better, since I’m attending SOBcon 2011 in Chicago, I’m able to reevaluate my goals in seven months.
So here’s my list of the action items I’ll be working on until then:
Evaluate where I am today. Decide where I want to be going. Figure out the difference and work on it.
Wear less “hats,” stop spreading myself so thin and only pick events and conferences that I will benefit from.
Find ways to work with writers and book authors.
Find more speaking opportunities.
Write an ebook (or ebooks).
Create a detailed avatar of my perfect reader – and write it down.
Know my value and ask for it. (If I find that I’m working too many hours to make what I want to make, I’m not charging enough.)
Communicate my value to stand out from the crowd.
Look at my influence and make efforts to increase it .
Serve my readers better by telling a story in my posts. What story can I tell that addresses their needs and problems? What solution can I provide? Ultimately I need to be useful to my readers.
Narrow my focus to be great in my niche.
Use social media analytic tools on a regular basis and learn from the numbers. Figure out ways to measure my success.
Work on supporting my virtual communities.
Find out what I need to do to increase my numbers and influence:
post frequently and regularly
blog redesign
cleanup old content for SEO
work on my writing and photography
be more active on Twitter
If you’ve attended SOBcon or a similar event, what did you learn from it?
Cision is a provider of media relations software services and solutions for public relations professionals. Cision provides public relations software tools and resources including media research, media lists, press clippings, media monitoring services, and evaluation of media coverage.
Their Top 10 Blog lists are generated by comparing Unique Visitors per Month figures for blogs in Cision’s media database to give you a snapshot of some of the best read and most discussed blogs.
I'm exited to announced that I’ve joined the expert panel for the Global Stevia Institute (GSI). The GSI is a newly formed organization committed to promoting accurate, credible and consistent information about the natural, no-calorie sweetener stevia and recently launched its new website - www.globalsteviainstitute.com.
The fact and science-based approach of the Institute will be instrumental in advancing the knowledge base of the industry, especially as use of stevia gains popularity worldwide and information about the plant-based ingredient becomes more widely available.
This entity and approach is the first of its kind in the industry and will fuel online and offline educational opportunities in the year to come including webinars, events, continuing education and professional presentations.
The GSI board and expert panel represents a cross-functional group of nutritionists, medical doctors, and health educators to ensure that stevia information is disseminated in a way to best educate the public and industry.
Global scientific advisory board
Each GSI advisor and expert lends cross-functional expertise in nutrition, health and disease, food and beverage ingredients, regulatory policy, culinary arts and social media to advance the Institute's mission to promote accurate and consistent information about stevia.
I’m honored to be among such esteemed members as:
Executive Director
Keith T. Ayoob, EdD, RD, is an internationally known nutritionist who has worked extensively in the area of obesity, heart health, child nutrition and family dynamics. He received his EdD from Columbia University.
Global Scientific Advisory Board
Jean-Michel Cohen, MD, PhD, a nutrition specialist in France and an award-winning and best-selling author on the subjects of nutrition and obesity. His books have been translated in more than 10 languages. Dr. Cohen received his PhD and MD from the University of Paris.
Mauro Fisberg, MD, PhD, specializes in adolescent nutrition, childhood obesity, food intake and consumption, anemia and nutritional intervention. He received his PhD in pediatrics from the Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo.
Alan Rogol, MD, PhD holds the Vice President position with The Endocrine Society. He received his doctoral and medical degree from Duke University.
Marilyn Schorin, PhD, MPH, RD, FADA, is a registered dietitian with expertise in food, health and nutrition communications, and food laws and regulation.She received her PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from Columbia University and Masters in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Michigan.
Expert Panel
Robyn Webb, MS – Nutritionist, author, culinary instructor. She provides nutrition education for patients who have diabetes and serves as the associate editor of the award-winning Diabetes Forecast magazine. She received her Master of Science degree in Nutrition from Florida State University.
Helping to reduce added sugars in the diet
Across the globe, obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases are becoming a top concern and a growing priority. As government and non-government organizations around the world are ca
With more people working out of their home and telecommuting, conference calls have become a regular occurrence. I have at least one or two such calls a week, so finding an affordable audio conferencing provider is a priority.
However, those so-called free audio conference companies are less than ideal. First of all, they are not free, since you have to pay long distance charges when calling into their service. Second, the quality is always problematic. The one I was using last week would not take my conference number no matter how many times I tried. Plus, my calls are often dropped.
Instead, if you are looking for a audio, video or web conferencing solution, check out the Conference Group at conferencegroup.com. Since 1999, they have been providing conferencing services including audio conferencing, video conference services, and web conferencing with a focus on quality customer service and customization.
Audio conferencing services
The Conference Group offers a low price of 2½ cents per minute through their Together Talk® program. This service can accommodate up to 99 participants and offers toll-free access from the United States and Canada. (Canadian toll free access is 3½ cents to the host.)
If your long distance rates are 2½ cents or more, you will be saving money by signing up. There are no contracts or minimum commitments. You just need to sign up and give them your credit card and billing information.
Turning conference calls into cash
If you run a business where you provide client training or coaching over the phone, you should be very interested in the Conference Group’s audio streaming services. At no additional charge, they record and keep all your conference calls in your online account for 30 days.
You can save these calls on your computer through a media player application. Then you can convert the recordings to MP3 files and send them to your clients. Or with a little editing, you could sell them as a download on your website or blog. Or you could give them away for free in exchange for potential clients to sign up for your enewsletter.
Sometimes audio is not enough and you need to reach clients or colleagues via a web conference. Conference Group’s ReadyShow® web conferencing service can be fully customize to meet your needs. Their web conference service enables meeting attendees to log on and have access to documents referenced during a call. Meeting leaders are able control features like document sharing and poll taking, too. Watch their demo to learn more.
Video conferencing
When a face to face meeting is needed and you do not have the funds or time for travel, a video conference over the Internet is the next best thing. The Conference Group’s video conferencing service can be customized to include only those services you want to use. Some of the
Today’s guest post is by Linda M. Rhinehart Neas. Linda self-published her first written work at the tender age of seven on the cardboard she gathered from her dad’s shirts when they came back from the laundry. Since then, she has written extensively in various venues, publishing and performing her work throughout New England, including her own column in two newspapers in Southern Maine and as an online writer and contributing editor BrightHub.com.
If you are a writer who has ever put together a complete manuscript that you know begs for publishing, you probably know the deep and utter frustration of rejection letters. Friends and family try to encourage your efforts, but each trip to the mailbox takes a little bit more of your writing-esteem, leaving you feeling like trashing the entire project. If you write poetry, the process above is an absolute.
What does a poet do? Self- publish!
After years of writing, years of being told my poetry was not what this magazine, that paper, this publisher wanted, and years of hearing from others that, “Gee, this is good! You should put it in a book,” I finally had had enough rejection.
With my first book, Winter of the Soul, I self-published through a local printing coop. It was time consuming, as I had to do all the proofing, approving of the galley, and proofing, again; however, the end result was a “real” book with my name on it!
I wrote the poems in Gogo’s Dream: Swaziland Discovered for a Poem-a-Day Challenge where the facilitators suggested writing to a general theme with the prize at the end being a chapbook for the person whose poems touched the reviewers. As an ambassador for Possible Dreams International (PDI), a non-profit organization working with the poorest people in Swaziland, I wanted to do something that would not only raise much needed funds, but also would help to educate and enlighten others about Swaziland and the people there. So, I decided on Swaziland as a theme, writing all my poems in relationship to the theme.
I submitted the best of the poems, but did not win the opportunity to have a chapbook published. Having self-published once already, I began looking into how to do it again. I wanted a process that was reasonably priced, quick, professionally done and offered a way to market internationally.
After networking with several writer friends and acquaintances, I looked at Blurb. It was love at first sight!
Self-publishing with Blurb
When you sign up for Blurb, they send you their software to use. You can upload you manuscript to it easily. Once uploaded, you are able to fine-tune your book, add photos, preview it, print it out until you
Today’s guest post is from Lisa de Nikolits, author of the book, The Hungry Mirror. She shares how to promote your work online by creating a book reading using a home video camera and YouTube.
Me, on YouTube… hardly likely! But truth, as we know, is stranger than fiction, and I now have the strange unexpected truth of being on YouTube, presenting my fiction.
A 43-year-old first-time novelist, it took me over a decade to write my book and more than a year to edit and proof the galleys. From the moment the contract was signed, I began to worry about how to get my book out there. Given my book was being published by a small press, the marketing budget would barely stretch beyond the launch party.
The answer to my marketing woes was obvious and inescapable. The internet. Cost-effective, reaches an audience of millions, what could be more simple? You hear it all the time; it’s gone viral! Viral sounded lovely.
But, being the lover of print that I am, the internet is like some great unfathomable ocean, with me, staring out at the great blue yonder. Where to start, with getting ‘out it there’? Out there is a big place.
So, babystep it.
How to promote yourself and your book online and with social media
Step One: build a personal website for press releases, invitations, book excerpts, bio, reviews, comments, updates. There’s a good selection of easy-to-use, templated website builders, all with enough variety in design to create a unique look.
Step Two: find my place in the social networking scheme of things. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. I knew I had to start early, a good social network isn’t created overnight.
Step Three: research online, attend book launches and readings, tap into the literary scene and see what other people are doing.
A year later, the party was over. The researching, preparing, writing, editing, proofing, launching party, that is. The time had come to promote the literary fruits of my labors.
I looked at my book. Come on, I willed it, go viral. Hmmm… not so easy.
Time for Step Four to kick in.
Step Four was an organized blog tour hosted by WOW! A blog tour sounded fantastic; a guided tour with a captain at the helm; all I had to do was write and show up for the blogs.
Promoting your book on YouTube
“This blog thing is excellent,” I told my partner. “But even so, how can I make my posts more noticeable? Shall I link to soundtracks?”
He looked at me as though I were daft. “You are selling a book,” he reminded me, “not someone else’s song. But how about a reading on YouTube?”
I was speechless. What was he thinking?
“Everybody loves being read to,” he said. “I’ll film you, it will be fun.”
In addition to writing books and articles, Christina publishes a weekly e-zine, The Prosperous Writer, hosts The Northwest Author Series, travels to writing conferences and literary events, and coaches a hundred writers a year.
Christina’s latest book – a self-published ebook – is called Author Mama. With the shrinking of the publishing industry, I find more and more authors are turning to self-publishing and creating e-books. E-books are growing in demand as people start reading them on their Kindles, iPads and mobile phones.
Here’s the lowdown on why Christina chose this route.
An Interview with Christina Katz About Author Mama
Why would you do an e-book after two traditionally published books?
Like most traditionally published authors, who blog, teach and speak, I have a backlog of quality content to draw on and some of it, though not all of it, will lend itself to the e-book format. So I plan to write several e-books over time and Author Mama is the first. I have old sketchbooks full of ideas I’ve had over the years, which will lend themselves well to e-formats. Equal opportunity access to e-publishing technology offers all of us writers a lot more creative leeway than we have traditionally had, which can lead to exciting and fun possibilities.
Besides being in e-book format, how is Author Mama different from Writer Mama and Get Known Before the Book Deal?
Author Mama is the story behind how I landed my book deal for Writer Mama and then wrote the book. I wanted to describe in play-by-play form what writing a non-fiction book is like for the benefit of moms considering the possibility with the lessons I learned along the way. One of my students who is on the verge of querying agents with a nonfiction book proposal says that Author Mama “goes there.” In other words, it deals squarely with the rollercoaster ride that most first-time authors experience. The format of my traditionally published books is not as driven by my personal experience, even though it informs them both. In Author Mama, I include all of the books that I recommend first-time authors read before, during, and after the book deal, so they can become as informed and empowered as possible.
Who are the intended readers for Author Mama?
Well, my two traditionally published books don’t target the same exact audience and neither does Author Mama. When I wrote A
Because she knows that family food is more than just a veg-starch-protein. In addition to a comprehensive archive of delicious-looking recipes, you'll see regular posts on all those topics that you feel you should be following more but probably aren't — childhood obesity, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, diabetes, what the heck Rocco DiSpirito is up to these days. She stumbled into professional blogging almost by accident — after putting her career as a marketing and technical writer on hold for four years to take care of her prematurely born son (and, later, her daughter, Lucie), she began blogging as a way just to force herself to write everyday.
It’s a very cool honor to be on the same list as so many fantastic food bloggers. Make sure to check it out or nominate your favorite mom food blogger who didn’t make the list.
Awhile back I recommended that my Northern Colorado Writers newsletter readers join Amazon Associates, Amazon’s affiliate program, because it was a good fit for anyone who blogged about books, movies, technology, house wares and even food – all your affiliate products in one place!
Well, so much for my advice. On March 8, 2010, Amazon fired all its Colorado affiliates due to new legislation enacted by some of our Democratic state representatives, Colorado House Bill 1193 (CO HB-1193). You can read the details by searching “Amazon” at the Denver Post’s website or reading my affiliate tax posts at this blog.
Even though Colorado online marketers, bloggers, and groups like the Performance Marketing Association were able to get language out of the bill that affiliates did not constitute a nexus (physical presence) in the state, Amazon still gave us the ol’ heave ho. While I never made much money with Amazon, I was saddened to be dropped after being with them for nearly six years without as much as a goodbye hug.
Should you try other affiliate programs?
So what can a poor blogger do, except play rock ‘n’ roll band? (My apologies to the Rolling Stones.) Well, there are other affiliate programs out there, though some of the big ones like OrientalTrading.com have pulled out of Colorado and Overstock.com has threatened to do so, too.
If you write about books and movies, consider joining Barnes & Nobles’ affiliate program. HB-1193 does not affect them since they already have brick and mortar stores in our area. The program works through Google’s Affiliate Network and your Adsense account. If you review products, becoming an Open Sky shopkeeper is another option.
If you’re lost about where to start, consider signing up with Google’s Affiliate Network and choosing from their extensive advertiser list.
Will your readers buy from you?
After the Colorado Amazon kerfuffle I sat down, looked over my numbers and realized that I made less than a dollar a day on all my blogs as an Amazon Associate. That would have been fine if I put up some affiliate code in side bar and never did another thing. However, I was constantly linking to items on their site, which took time and effort. Looking back I realized that being an affiliate was not worth it.
Why was that? Well, I have decent traffic on my blogs, but not a lot of returning visitors. People value the recomm
Do you find you spend more time answering the phone than working on your business? Using a call center or an answering service provides stress relief and helps your small business deal with your clients and business partners in a more professional manner.
When to consider using a call center or answering service
You’re a soloprenuer who wants to give the appearance of having an office staff.
You’re a work at home parent who can’t take calls when the baby is awake or when the kids are home from school.
You work around your family’s schedule and want to make sure customer calls are handled 24/7 without interrupting family time.
You have customers overseas who call when you or your staff is home asleep.
The volume of calls is more than your business can handle.
You find yourself spending more time answering customer service calls than drumming up new business.
Do your customers complain they only get a busy signal or voice mail? Are they tired of waiting hours to get a call back? Maybe it’s time to do some research into call center services.
Call centers services
Services a small business owner or solopreneur might be interested in include:
A 24/7 call center to answer all of your sales orders and customer service calls.
Seminar registration for meetings, customer events or conferences that you or your company are organizing.
Internet operators who can answer online customer queries via online chat or over the phone.
An offsite phone receptionist to take messages, answer and screen your calls so you spend time only with important clients and customers.
A job screening operator who can screen applicants for you if you’re hiring and are overwhelmed with applications.
Operators who can take customer orders and answer questions in response to a print, TV, radio or internet ad or marketing campaign.
Call center operators who can conduct telephone marketing surveys.
Call center operators who can handle appointment taking and confirmation duties.
Consider Personalized Communications
Personalized Communications has been serving a variety of clients and businesses for close to 30 years. They can provide your small business with a 24 hour a day call center that is personalized your businesses inbound call center needs.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Compensation was provided to facilitate this review. While this blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation, it does not publish in a way that is contrary to my personal integrity. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. I am free to reject posts that I do not agree with or approve. My writing represents the truth and I do not write about items that I do not personally support. This blog does not contain any content that might present a conflict of interest but it does follow international ethical guidelines and best practices for the interne
Just a listing of pro and con articles for further reading on the effects of Colorado HB-1193, the so called “Amazon Tax,” and Amazon firing its affiliates in Colorado:
I am assuming you’ve heard the news that yesterday morning Amazon terminated all affiliates in the state of Colorado. It’s since become wide spread news and all types of media are looking to talk with people that are financially affected by this action. If you are interested, please contact any of the following people:
TV: News hour - looking for people who got hit hard by Amazon's termination, who can be in Denver on Thursday, and who might want to be interviewed on TV This could be very important for this fight, and especially for the rest of the country. Please email/call Rebecca Madigan directly.
VIA HARO - Media Outlet: (Anonymous) Query: Amazon "laid off" affiliates in Colorado recently. Can people build real businesses around affiliate programs? If you're currently an affiliate and have built a substantial biz around Amazon sales, get in touch. [email protected]
Dave Taylor - Huffington Post If you made $100.00 or more per month from Amazon, please contact Dave at twitter/davetaylor or [email protected].
Amazon taxes are unlikely to produce revenue in the near term. New York continues to face a lengthy legal constitutional challenge. Rhode Island has even seen a drop in income tax collections due to the law.
Amazon taxes do not level the playing field between brick-and-mortar and Internet-based businesses because they require Internet-based businesses to track thousands of sales tax bases and rates while brick-and-mortar businesses need to track only one.
Unconstitutionally expansive nexus standards like the Amazon tax undermine legal certainty, burden interstate commerce, and harm economic growth.
The Tax Foundation is a nonpartisan tax research group based in Washington, D.C. Their mission is to educate taxpayers about sound tax policy and the size of the tax burden borne by Americans at all levels of government. From its founding in 1937, the Tax Foundation has been grounded in the belief that the dissemination of basic information about government finance is the foundation of sound policy in a free society.
Colorado business people are up in arms about Amazon ditching their Colorado affiliates. I’ve heard from several people who are losing 10-25% of their annual business. Some are considering moving their businesses out of state. This just shows how Colorado is actually losing money by keeping HB-1193 on the law books – lost revenue equals less income tax.
The local media has FINALLY decided that this in an important story. I heard the Amazon story reported on a local NPR news show and the Denver Post ran a story in today’s paper - Amazon.com drops Colorado retailers after tax law enacted. As I write this there is over 100 comments. People are obviously upset at both Amazon and our state government.
Second, we need to prevent other affiliate programs from following in Amazon’s steps. The Colorado Online Marketing Association (COMA) is asking that Colorado Affiliates please send letters to your merchants to prevent other withdrawals of affiliate programs:
Dear [affiliate manager’s name],
As a Colorado-based affiliate and valued affiliate in your program, I am reaching out to you to give you more information about the advertising tax in Colorado (HB1193).
Amazon sent a termination letter to Colorado affiliates today. I want to make sure your company understands this move by Amazon did not have to do with any affiliate nexus clause in the law. Affiliates do not establish nexus for out-of-state merchants.
The termination of Colorado affiliates by Amazon is apparently a move to protest against the final language of the bill, which puts a tremendous burden on merchants. As a merchant you should definitely consult legal and tax experts about this issue.
Upon hearing about Amazon’s termination of Colorado affiliates, Colorado Senator Brophy, a big supporter of the affiliate cause in Colorado, tweeted that he will be reaching out to Amazon about this issue. @SenatorBrophy: I have call into Amazon about affiliates – will seek emergency legislation if necessary to fix.
To reiterate, the new law does not include anything about affiliate nexus. I ask that you carefully consider all the facts regarding Colorado HB1193, so we can continue our valuable and productive relationship.
If you have any questions, please feel free contact me.
Respectfully,
[Your name]
[Email address]
[Phone optional]
Third, you may also want to join their PMA CO Google Group to get the latest news.
Finally, let COMA know if you have received notice from any other merchants terminating your affiliate partnership due to HB-1193. You can contact them via Facebook or Twitter or by leaving a comment on their website.
According to the Performance Marketing Association blog, “HB 1193 was passed without ad tax language. However, the remaining language may impact out-of-state retailers, who should consult legal and tax experts.” So, it’s no surprise that Amazon gave notice – exactly what we told representatives would happen if HB-1193 passed.
Even though I make less than a dollar a day with Amazon, I’m still saddened by the news. I’ve been working with the Amazon Associates Program for almost six years and it’s been one of the few affiliate programs that have worked for me. Still, with the minor amount I earned, I have to wonder if copying and pasting affiliate code and including disclosure language was worth my time. Probably not.
Amazon cancels Colorado affiliate program
Here’s the email they sent out.
Dear Colorado-based Amazon Associate:
We are writing from the Amazon Associates Program to inform you that the Colorado government recently enacted a law to impose sales tax regulations on online retailers. The regulations are burdensome and no other state has similar rules. The new regulations do not require online retailers to collect sales tax. Instead, they are clearly intended to increase the compliance burden to a point where online retailers will be induced to "voluntarily" collect Colorado sales tax -- a course we won't take.
We and many others strongly opposed this legislation, known as HB 10-1193, but it was enacted anyway. Regrettably, as a result of the new law, we have decided to stop advertising through Associates based in Colorado. We plan to continue to sell to Colorado residents, however, and will advertise through other channels, including through Associates based in other states.
There is a right way for Colorado to pursue its revenue goals, but this new law is a wrong way. As we repeatedly communicated to Colorado legislators, including those who sponsored and supported the new law, we are not opposed to collecting sales tax within a constitutionally-permissible system applied even-handedly. The US Supreme Court has defined what would be constitutional, and if Colorado would repeal the current law or follow the constitutional approach to collection, we would welcome the opportunity to reinstate Colorado-based Associates.
You may express your views of Colorado's new law to members of the General Assembly and to Governor Ritter, who signed the bill.
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From my previous post, it looks like things are A-OK and that the affiliate language has been removed from HB-1193. However, I’m not sure the word has gotten out yet.
An online-sales-tax bill heading for a vote today in the state Senate was changed significantly from an earlier version. The initial bill would have taxed purchases made by Colorado consumers through affiliate marketers, whose websites direct people to retail websites. That provision encountered strong opposition from affiliate marketers and was dropped. Online retailers have severed ties with affiliate marketers in the three states that have passed similar online- sales-tax legislation, said Rebecca Madigan, executive director of the Camarillo, Calif.-based Performance Marketing Association. The earlier version of the bill would have generated an estimated $4.7 million in tax revenue. It's unclear how much the new one could generate.
I’m sure this was added instead of rewriting the whole article, probably due to a tight deadline.
On February 9th, I received an email from Representative Cheri Gerou:
Thank you for your e-mail and your involvement in the legislative process. As you are probably aware, the Colorado Senate approved the passage of HB 1193 during second reading on Monday evening. It is scheduled for a final vote and will pass.
Please know that I fought hard to defeat this bill and I voted against this tax increase. I understand the impact that will result with this legislation. You may have seen the editorial in the Denver Post, they are opposed to this tax. Perhaps the Governor will choose not to sign this legislation - right now, I believe that is our only hope.
I wish I had better news to share.
Best regards, Cheri
I pointed Cheri to the PMA Blog and she responded on February 10th:
Hi Anne-Marie -
Thank you for your e-mail. I actually couldn't say where the bill will end up. Until we see the bill back on the floor of the House, we won't know what will happen. I guess the best advice is to "stay tuned."
Cheri
Huh? This is where I started pulling out my hair especially when I got an email from Representative Joe Miklosi TODAY that stated:
In regard to HB 1193, the legislation will require online retailers to collect sales tax from Colorado residents who purchase products online if the retailers have an affiliation with a Colorado company that actively engages in solicitation on behalf of the retailer. The sales tax must only be collected if the retailer's cumulative gross receipts from Colorado sales generated by all affiliates in the state exceeds $10,000 in the preceding year.
It is important to remember that we are dealing with sales tax that is legitimately owed to the state of Colorado. It is also important to remember that the current situation has a very adverse effect on our own Colorado retailers who must collect sales tax, particularly independent book sellers who compete with h
According to the PMA blog, the Colorado Advertising Tax is Dead. Today’s agreement has completely removedthe inclusion of affiliates establishing nexus. Instead, Colorado HB-1193 is only focused on collecting use tax. The amended bill was released this morning.
We truly did it! This change is due to everyone’s hard work in testifying, writing letters and emails, going to the Capitol, posting on Twitter and blogs, leaving messages on state representatives’ Facebook pages, and making phone calls to committee members.
Most of all it’s due to the hard work of the PMA getting us all organized and keeping us updated on the latest news.
Even though the bill passed out of the senate finance committee, there is some good news:
We were given an opportunity for an amendment that would exempt online affiliates from establishing nexus for out of state retailers.
Rebecca then writes:
This amendment, if completed as promised, may make some merchants comfortable enough to continue working with Colorado affiliates. For others, it may not.
…The best option for our industry is if this law does not exist. We will continue to fight for a repeal of the law, because affiliates do not establish nexus for out of state retailers.
What made the difference? Involvement by Colorado business people, bloggers and website owners!
The enormous affiliate effort to fight this bill, involving well over 150 people, was something the politicians didn’t expect, and didn’t see from any other group for any other bill. Phone calls, personal visits, letters, postings on the legislators’ Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, attendance at hearings, hand delivery of packets of information – this went on steadily for 2 weeks. This barrage of activity made a huge impression. The legislature understood the impact on the 4,200 affiliates in Colorado, realized the devastation that would result, and agreed to amend the bill.
Just show you how even us small business people, mom bloggers and solopreneurs can get the job done!
We also have concerns about House Bill 1193, which would amount to what some call the "Amazon tax." The bill would require online retailers to collect sales taxes from state residents if the retailers have an affiliate in the state that actively solicits on behalf of the retailers.
Retailers with stores in the state who have to compete with online retailers make a good point about the relative disadvantage they are at by having to collect sales taxes when online interests do not.
But that is an issue that should be addressed at the federal level given a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said it would be unduly burdensome to force retailers to collect sales taxes on behalf of other states.
We are concerned the Colorado bill would prompt court challenges, as similar measures have in other parts of the country, and ultimately result in costing more than it raises, which is estimated at $4.7 million a year.
It would be wiser to wait until this issue is settled by federal law before attempting to collect such a tax.
What Howes fails to realize is that if the law passes, Amazon and other online merchants will cancel their affiliate programs to protect their tax status. Even if they didn’t, they’d still have advantages over brick and mortar stores such as price, selection and convenience.
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