Kudos to Mark and LinkShare for a great idea on the mashup maps - it is a very powerful visual that gets the point across and I know has had an impact on legislators who have seen it.
Anybody out there reading who doesn't think this affects them should take another look. If you are in online advertising in any way this type of legislation will have an affect on your business, it is time to call up your local state representatives no matter which State you live in (affected or not).
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With the proliferation of the AdvertisingTax, it's critical that the state legislators who are pushing through these tax law changes understand the full impact of their decisions. Until recently, they've apparently been blinded by dollar signs.
Affiliates, who are the constituents directly impacted in these states have sprung to action with incredible impact. A strong group of California affiliates have mobilized to put a stop to that bill. Stephanie Lichtenstein has put forth a great resource with a series of posts on her blog and with the facebook group that she's created. Further, new industry associations, the PMA and AV have been stepping up to get people educated and motivated to act.
But in addition to those grassroots efforts, there's some real weight to be thrown around by the affiliate networks. They have the funding, corporate counsel, and in some cases lobbyists to make a real impact. But perhaps more importantly, they have real data.
Only the affiliate networks can paint a full picture of what it means to pass legislation that affects affiliates and publishers' businesses, and Linkshare has done an amazing job with this on their own blog. With a brilliant use of Google maps and publisher address information, a picture is worth a thousand words for sure:
California
Florida
Maryland
Ever wonder what value an affiliate network is adding to the affiliate marketing ecosystem? Here's a big one. I don't know how any legislator can ignore this information.
This is just one very visible example of what one network is doing. I know that the others are providing data, visiting legislators, writing letters, signing on to support coalitions and organizations, and sending emails out to affiliates in the states that are affected.
Great stuff, and thanks to the affiliate networks and merchants for stepping up, even though they are not necessarily based in the affected states.
Have you asked what you can do? And are you doing it?