On the cover of the Super Affiliate Handbook is a graphic that says "If I Can Do It, You Can TOO!" - meaning if I can succeed at affiliate marketing, you can too!

That is SO true, especially when I look back on events of the past week.

Lets begin with the fact that I am NOT a geek. If something merely hints at being software - I run the other way or I break it.

Those seem to be my only options.

So, when I set up an update order process for the Handbook, I used Paypal, without bothering to check if my usual system, DLGuard, offered that option.

And because we needed to confirm original receipt numbers before sending download information, I elected to process orders manually.

So, Joel and I processed each order by hand.

Aargh. Time consuming, finnicky business.

Thank goodness for glucosamine with chondroitin which helps me avoid surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome.

NOT doing order processing, is in my humble opinion, still one of the best reasons to be an affiliate marketer!

Of course I killed the autoresponder message on my server just before we started, so everyone received useless truncated messages.

Then poor Joel (my virtual assistant) had a family emergency that took him away from home for a few days. But true to form, when Joel wasnt on the road and had Internet access he was right back in there, processing orders. (Thanks Joel!)

That's another great benefit to doing business on the 'Net - you can do it from anywhere with Internet access, and theres no shortage of that in the world. I even found a good connection in Agua Calientes, the little village that serves Machu Picchu a few years ago.

About a week after we started the upgrade project, it occurred to me that DLGuard does indeed offer a PayPal option. (Actually, DLGuard will process ClickBank, PayPal, 2Checkout, StormPay, eBay, PayDotCom, e-Gold, JVManager, EA script and other merchant account products.)

Cool.

But then, I managed to mess things up again by making an uncalled-for change to my PayPal account.

In a panic I emailed Sam Stephens, the DLGuard developer, with the Subject line "Waaaaaa!".

Sam is in Australia, so the time difference can slow the problem-solving process somewhat - especially if one fails to clearly express the problem, ie. "Waaaaaa!"

Sam however quickly deciphered my cryptic message, got us set up with DLGuard again and we were back in business.

This week I'm trying to break a new piece of polling software.

At the end of the day and despite the hassles (that I create for myself), Internet Marketing, and especially affiliate marketing still beat the heck out of working for a living.