iContact’s site and application went down early yesterday morning (July 14th) after a DDoS attack on their server. For those unfamiliar with what a DDoS attack is, DDoS stands for “Distributed-Denial-of-Service.” This type of malware attack is fairly new, and there is not a lot of information regarding its origin. However, what information is available can be found on the ShadowServer site discussing a recent attack that impacted sites from Amazon.com and Yahoo.com to government sites.

Teams at iContact worked all day yesterday and through the night last night to get the site and application back up and running, though even with these efforts, up-time has been “sporadic” according to an email from iContact CEO, Ryan Allis. Engineers at iContact are working to implement a more definite and permanent solution to guard against these attacks this morning. Intermittent downtime is expected until this solution has been put into place, so iContact asks for continued patience during this process.

We are asking the same from our affiliates during this time, because as the site goes down, referrals are nearly impossible, or at best slow. Don’t worry, your links are fine. They haven’t broken and we haven’t killed the re-directs. Once the servers have been completely protected against these DDoS threats all referral traffic should return to normal.

While waiting, you can stay up to date on the latest in a few different ways. One way is to follow @iContactCorp or @icontact on Twitter. They are regularly posting updates regarding the situation as they are available. Also, you can stay tuned to the iContact blog or the iContact Facebook page which currently has the email sent out by CEO Ryan Allis late last night or this morning regarding the situation.

If you have any other questions regarding how this impacts you as an affiliate, feel free to email us at iContact@mgecom.com and we will address your concerns.

Again, thank you for your patience and pass our appreciation along to any clients you have referred.

Soccer.com affiliates get an exclusive offer to promote for the Back to School season! This offer will not be made available to any of Soccer.com’s other marketing channels, so take advantage and start promoting right away! Here’s the scoop…

Soccer.com is giving away FREE Nike “Nutmeg” Backpacks with all orders of $150 or more! These bags retail for $40 or more and are great for players. The come equipped with a mesh ball sling on the front, as well as zippered pockets for guards and boots. There is also a large center compartment that allows this pack to double as a book bag, or can be used to carry uniforms and other gear. Check out the product image below, and head over to Soccer.com to get the full product description.

Here are the details on the offer…

Offer: FREE Nike Backpack with orders of $150 or more. Use Code: 1FREEBAG1

Code: 1FREEBAG1

Duration: July 15, 2009 – August 15, 2009 (or while supplies last!)

Restrictions: A $39.99 value! Free Nike Nutmeg Backpack on orders over $150 after any discounts, shipping not included. One bag per customer, while supplies last. Not valid with other offers, previous purchases or team orders. Bag will ship with order. Expires 11:59PM ET 8/15/09

Also, make sure you head over to either CJ or Pepperjam to pick up the 250×250 banner pictured above that features the deal for your sites and email campaigns.

If you have any questions about the offer or need help promoting it, be sure to email us at SportsEndeavors@mgecom.com, but make sure you start promoting right away! These bags won’t last long, and when they’re gone, the offer is finished! Make the most of it while it lasts…

Not an affiliate yet? Check out this page for more info…

Four of our most popular books can now be viewed virtually at ISeeMe.com.  Customers can now look through each of the pages to see how wonderful these personalized children’s gifts are.  These books can be a great teaching aid for children, and through this tour you can see why everyone’s excited about these fantastic gifts.  My Very Own Name, My Very Own Fairytale, My Very Own ABC’s, and The World According to <Child’s Name> can now be flipped through so that you can see the wonderful colors and illustrations, as well as read the stories!

And don’t forget that you can even customize your own book, The World According to <Child’s Name>, with your child’s illustrations and input with a wonderful kit that can be sent to your house.  You also have the option of using the newest online feature where you can upload information and pictures digitally to create the book faster online! Make sure you have links to each of these pages, all great landing pages to help increase your conversions.

Not in the ISeeMe.com Affiliate Program? Join the program in Commission Junction or contact Nick Szeto for more details.

Why haven’t you joined the GeneTree.com Affiliate Program?

There are tons of reasons to join, and there are a lot of people missing out on the opportunity to contribute to genealogy research.  These DNA tests can be very beneficial to many people in trying to figure out ancestral ties.  Consider joining the GeneTree.com Affiliate program to potentially earn some great commissions with our tiered rate system.

Commission Rate(s):

There’s a great deal of potential for this program with promotions and discounts on the way.  Make sure that you get started with GeneTree.com’s Affiliate Program to take advantage of the huge growth to come!

Not in the GeneTree.com Affiliate Program? Click HERE to join!

Soccer.com has just added a new series of banners to the Commission Junction affiliate interface! This set of six, 250×250 banners focus specifically on replica and fan gear for some of the top teams in the European soccer leagues, including: AC Milan, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, FC Barcelona, and Liverpool. Each banner will point to a landing page on Soccer.com for that specific club that will include all relevant products including kits, accessories, gear worn by players, and more.

Click on the banners below to get the code on CJ. Remember, these “Get HTML” quick links are for CJ AFFILIATES ONLY! Pepperjam affiliates, don’t worry. These links are also available in the PJN banner list for Soccer.com, so click here to log in and pick them up!

Again, look for these club banners for the Soccer.com affiliate program on PJN as well, and also be on the lookout for new National Team banners coming soon as well! Stay tuned to this blog to be the first to know when they are added!

To become a Soccer.com affiliate and start promoting the best selection of club and team gear, click here and sign up!

Home renovations and projects should be in full swing with these great summer temperatures. Be sure that you’re taking advantage of the seasonal trends with proper links and banners promoting Decorative Product Source. Through each of the four websites, Faucet.com, LightingShowplace.com, DoorHardwarePlus.com, and RugShowplace.com, your visitors should be able to find everything they need to finish off this summer’s home improvements.

New Coupons/Promotions

It’s important to keep up with promotions and coupons as things are subject to change monthly. A number coupons and promotions are ongoing for many reasons, so the majority of time an expiration date will not be included when introducing new promotions. We’ll do everything we can to keep you informed in these newsletters, so please make an effort to follow up from time to time. You can also check out the mgecom affiliate blog for weekly updates with the Decorative Product Source Affiliate Program. New promotions for the July are below; there are no expiring promotions to mention at the moment.

Ceiling Fan Sale -Large Sale section at lightingshowplace.com

Take an Additional 15% off Already Reduced Sale Lamps with code RSPLPS no min order – (This was 10% off) at rugshowplace.com

PPC/Keyword Link Reminder

It’s really important that you follow the keyword policy listed in CJ. There is a fairly open bidding policy, with the exception that you may not bid on any of the trademark names, or website URLs. Bidding on any misspellings are also not permitted. Please try and be diligent about working your campaigns around our rules.

Not in the Decorative Product Source Affiliate Program? Find out more information HERE or Click Here to join now on CJ!

Here’s what’s going on at the Playboy Store:

Playboy Store

• Summer Clearance Event: Now Take Up To 90% Off Select Items!
• Mens Boxers Now 2 for $30. select styles as marked. limited time offer.
• Up to 80% off Womens
• Receive 30% Off Select Swimwear Styles.
• Up to 70% off Playboy Home Merchandise
• Select Playboy Instructional DVDs: Now 3 for Only $40
• Shop Sexy Playboy Swimwear for Exclusive Online Deals
• Playboy Activewear Sale- Styles for under $30
• Select Playboy Lingerie Now Up to 90% Off!
• Playboy Magazines: Buy 5 for Only $35 and Up to 80% off. Some available for only $5!
• Up to 70% off Couples Merchandise
• Select Panties: Now 3 for $18
• Up to 30% Off Select Sexy Playboy Footwear and Up to 80% off accessories
• Men’s Loungewear & Essentials: Now 20% Off
• Up to 75% off Mens Apparel and DVD’s
• PlayboyStore.com Online Gift Cards- The Perfect Gift for Him or Her for Any Occasion
• Shop Now & Order before 2pm EST & Receive Same Day Shipping!

If you’re not a Playboy affiliate it’s not too late to start. Get started today and Join the PlayboyStore affiliate program today! Contact Playboy Affiliate Manager Jen Kiernan with any questions or concerns you have.

Initially set for for an April release, the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly is the lightest soccer boot out there. It was recalled just prior to release due to player tests revealing tears near the outsole on early models. Nike, always looking to provide the highest quality gear and footwear, was not content to let this newest member of the Mercurial line-up hit store shelves with a possible defect. So, they pulled the plug on the release and recalled all of the original Superflys just days prior to their release date.

Now, their back. Nike has improved the design by strengthening potential problem areas with addition Teijin material. In doing so they have been able to maintain the lightweight design and sleek look of the Superfly. They have also decided to introduce this state of the art boot in the latest Mercurial colorways rather than sticking with the original Max Orange colorway.

Soccer.com is again offering pre-orders of these boots, this time in two colorways: Platinum/Red (available in July) and Black/Voltage (to be released in early August). Players have been waiting a long time for this latest tech from Nike and they will finally get their chance to get their hands on it, so be sure to promote them heavily! Check out the product images below and head over to Soccer.com to read the full product descriptions. Also, SoccerCleats101 has an in-depth review of the Superfly line if you would like more detail on the product specs.

*More Images Available at Soccer.com

Become a Soccer.com Affiliate today to promote these exciting new cleats as well as a full catalog of jerseys, gear, equipment, and more!