You know, individuals always talk about how big social networking sites are for affiliate marketers. There are benefits, but we like to call it the Bermuda Triangle. It's where affiliates go to die and then head back to their day jobs. Why? Well, the ones exclaiming success already know the secrets of making money from places like MySpace and Facebook.

Listen, it can work, but you have to understand how it works before you try to do it yourself. So today we're going to give you several different pros and cons about social networking sites and then let you decide whether or not you want to spend your time there.

The Addiction

It doesn't take long to get sucked into to a social networking site like Facebook. There are thousands of different applications, old friends from high school and college, as well as a bunch of others from all around the world. Even though your plan is to go there and entice people to look at your product, most people wind up doing more talking with friends and playing games than working. Don't fall into this trap!

The Work

Well if you thought you were going to work hard online to make money, a social networking site will prove you right. All the time that is spent building relationships with others with no guarantee that they'll buy your affiliate marketing product is for the birds. The next thing you know a month or two has went buy and you've made all kinds of friends. Unfortunately you haven't made one sale.

The Spamming

If you're not careful, people will start telling others that you're a spammer, end up reporting you, and booting you from the social networking site. There is a different approach to marketing here if you plan on being successful, and you have to start with a game plan before you go in and mess it all up. So if you're dead-set on using this type of affiliate marketing campaign, we'll give you a couple tips.

Look for Specific Networks

When you're searching for people who may be interested in your affiliate marketing program, look for a specific network. If you're selling baseballs, gloves, helmets, and bats, you might want to look for baseball teams or parents of children who play baseball. Even though you can't "Sell!Sell!Sell!" you can definitely start building a rapport with the right people.

Use Article Marketing on Their Sites

Nowadays most of the directories will have marketing tools for you. It's a way to promote your articles on social networking sites by using "widgets." Just place the widgets on your profile and keep it up to date with fresh content. This way you're not saying anything about your product, but still promoting yourself by visiting others. Eventually they'll come to your page and see what you've written.

More Options

There are all kinds of different ways to properly use social networking sites for affiliate marketing. It just depends on your own personal will power, and whether or not you can utilize your time wisely while you're on each one. Seriously, having an online presence is important, but if it takes up all your time, then you're not going to be making money.