[Linda Buquet]

Well it really depends, don't think there is a right answer.
If by big you mean a program on a network like CJ - there are benefits
and it's easier to start there for most I think - but there are also some drawbacks
to working with certain networks.

If you find an in-house program or smaller program not on a network, there could be less competition but you have more concerns about whether you will get paid and if the tracking is working right. Also if you join a variety of in-house programs it can be a pain because each has a different log in, different reports, totally different everything so you have to learn each one and it's just more time consuming.

Testing is good - to optimize your chances of success it's probably good to use a couple different programs and test which one converts better. Even if one pays lower commish if it converts twice as well then you still could be ahead with that one.