Could be a really great discussion.
I'm an affiliate manager, so I'm not really a merchant per say. But then I'm not an afiliate either. I have the benefit of working for a great web site (DentalPlans.com, shamless plug) that has enabled me to take on the task of assisting affiliates and that should be one of the top priorities of any good merchant.
I am realtively young, 26, and very new to the business of affiilate marketing in general. So coming into this as an affiliate manager has been invaluable in the people I have met and worked with. And the people I haven't worked with.
For the purpose of this conversation I would consider myself a merchant and for an answer would probably prefer the greater flexibility that being an affiliate provides for later on, but not yet.
Right now the experience I am getting as an affiliate manager is invaluable and is coming without my needing to focus on the many different responsibilities that go into running a complete business the way a true merchant would.
Plus you can't get a group health plan when your company has 1 employee.
