When you find the “right” technology life becomes easier.
But getting the wrong technology is like stepping on a land mine…
One that leaves you in a smoldering crater of frustration.
I believe my mission is to help you make better choices as regards technology.
When I discover a great tool, book, app, or service that’s incredibly valuable, I will recommend it.
If I see land mines I point those out too.
But let me explain something about my recommendations.
Amazon Affiliate Links
Some of the tools I recommend are for sale on Amazon. I like to link to Amazon because:
- They have great reviews, which help buyers make informed decisions based on people who’ve used the product.
- They also make it easy to return things you’re dissatisfied with.
If you buy the product after clicking on one of my Amazon affiliate links I’ll get a small affiliate commission.
You don’t pay any more to Amazon than you otherwise would. They just give me a percentage of the sale (usually about 4%) of the total.
The revenue from affiliate sales is about 10% of the annual cost of my book purchases.
So I think of the affiliate revenue as a partial subsidy of my reading habit.
Non-Amazon Commissions
Now, other places like Ruby Receptionist have a different arrangement with people that recommend them.
They give their referral partners a small commission.
But they also give the person that signs up a special deal (i.e. $75 off of their first invoice). Since I would be recommending Ruby regardless of their referral commission, I appreciate that I can save the people that take my recommendation a little money.
I have been recommending Ruby Receptionist since the days that I first opened my solo practice.
Most of the people that have followed my recommendation did so without my referral link.
But EVERY person I’ve referred to Ruby has thanked me profusely for making the recommendation.
Bottom Line?
So here’s the bottom line with my affiliate links and referral commissions:
- You NEVER pay more when you click on an affiliate link or provide my name as a referral.
- You sometimes will pay less, or get more options.
- A portion of the credit I receive helps cover my book purchases and website expenses (albeit indirectly).
Finally, to be clear…
I only recommend products and services that (1) I have used myself, (2) found incredibly useful, and (3) can therefore recommend enthusiastically.
Thanks for your support and understanding!
~Ernie Svenson
