affiliate marketingAffiliate marketing is a marketing process in which a business compensates one or more affiliates for every visitor or customer brought on by the affiliate’s own marketing undertaking. Illustrations include rewards websites, where guests are compensated with cash or gifts, for the achievement of an offer, and the referral of others to the website. The industry has four key actors: the trades-person (also known as ‘retailer’ or ‘brand’), the network, the publisher (also known as ‘the affiliate’), and the consumer. The market has grown in complexity to warrant a supporting tier of actors, consisting of affiliate advisers agencies, super-affiliates and specific third party suppliers.

From: http://ping.fm/uEEvb