How it works

SwapAffiliates, the SwapThing affiliate program, is a social network that can be implemented on any website, blog, or forum site that enables communications and swapping amongst members of a group. SwapAffiliates provides you with multiple revenue opportunities as the site owner: a commission earned on every successful swap completed within the circle, as well as a monthly commission for each SwapSubscription and SwapServices subscriptions that are purchased by members of the group. 

SwapAffiliates is the perfect opportunity for niche websites that have a loyal following of users to provide a valued service that saves their users money while receiving revenue from SwapThing.   Swapping is an inherently trust-based activity that originated before money was invented.  It prospers in trusted circles, especially where users have built social capital by participating in an existing online niche community. Members of a community who have invested time in building their reputation can be implicitly trusted to be a good swapping partner. If the members also share an offline connection, there is explicit trust and the ease of face-to-face exchanges.  This community of users is the ideal market for a trust-based SwapCircle.

There are multiple customizable options associated with being a part of SwapAffiliates.  You can simply create your own SwapCircle, add a logo image, and invite your community members to join.  SwapCircles can be focused on hobbies, shared interests, or even offline groups.  SwapCircles layer seamlessly onto your existing networks, providing a mechanism through which members can swap items and services.  SwapAffiliates also provides you with a plug and play social network for sites that would like to add the extra layer of community to their network.

You have your choice of three customizable widgets:

Small A very small box that asks users to join your SwapCircle
Medium A medium-sized widget that has a button to join your SwapCircle and a tag cloud of current popular items in your SwapCircle.
Large A very large, almost full-page, widget that mirrors the look of a public SwapCircle page on the SwapThing site, but is customizable in color text and graphics to the host site.  This option is the best for your site if you prefer to keep users in a single environment.

SwapAffiliates has been designed to be a self-select program that is customizable in look and feel to each affiliate partner. SwapThing will give you a 10% commission on all transaction/subscription revenue from any activity of members of your circle. This is a great way for niche sites to monetize their community while providing a great service for users.