[Chuck Hamrick]

One thing that no politician wants to go against is screwing at home mom's, soccer mom's, single mom' or mamma bloggers out of their income. If we could tie the tax bills to taking jobs away from mom's we could get a whole new level of attention.

How do we get them to stand up and say they aren't going to take this crap??

[flamingoworld]

Some of us already did in Minnesota.

[cowboysfan]

you're right chuck. we need more moms to stand up...where are the bloggers with banners ads on their right nav?

no one cares about us guys, we're just here to pay the bills

[JudiMoore]

no one cares about us guys, we're just here to pay the bills

Sorry you're feeling blue, cowboysfan. We care. It's just that right this minute, we're trying to find a hook that will make some large group, any large group, of affiliates mad enough about this tax nexus crap to stand up and help say "Stop!". I was talking about Mommy Bloggers over on Facebook and a few of us decided to spread it out a little further.

so...Grab all those bill-paying guys and get them worked up about not being able to pay the bills when this passes. Go, Go, Go. :-)

[Chuck Hamrick]

Someone pointed me to this post and I added it to Judi's FaceBook conversation:

From Marketing Fog To Mommy Blog

[cowboysfan]

Originally Posted by JudiMoore

Sorry you're feeling blue, cowboysfan. We care.

i hear you. sounds like a great plan. i wish i could get in touch with some mommy bloggers in my state. they would be great on the front lines in this war vs the evil empire

in the past we've fought back this legislation where i live. they do listen when you speak to them and that impressed me.

[sunshiner]

Judi, I work with a lot of mommy bloggers. If you send me some material that I can pass on to them so they understand the impact, perhaps they will join in since I know a lot of them need the income from these blogs.

[JudiMoore]

Will do, Cindy, thanks!

[Mom]

I am a mom blogger and know mom bloggers in lots of states. I would also be interested in materials and specifics to send to other mommy bloggers. Are there particular states you're looking for mom bloggers at this time?

[JudiMoore]

Hi, Mom!

My current focus is Arkansas, where the bill was passed by the Senate and is on the agenda for the Revenue committee today. Affiliates in Texas testified yesterday. It's a bit like Whack-A-Mole.

[Mom]

What is your contact info that I could forward to any mom bloggers who are interested in contacting you about this issue?

Also, what is it that you are specifically looking for moms to do at this time? The more specifics I can have to present to other mom bloggers, the better!

Thanks!

[cowboysfan]

hi mom,

I would recommend you get them to sign up at the PMA for the google group for their state (if listed). its a great way to collaborate with other affiliates to fight these nexus tax bills. here's the link:

Official Legislative State Google Groups List*|*Performance Marketing Association

[JudiMoore]

I was interviewed on a podcast today and we were speaking to this exact topic. Here's kind of a shorthand version of what I said for Mommy (and Daddy bloggers) mixed in with all the things that came to mind while I was typing....

Get ready for action BEFORE your state jumps on the bandwagon. Now that Walmart has tasted success, it will be easier to get states interested in a bill like this. Find the names of your state representatives - both Senate and House and get them in your email contacts with a good label or group name.

Do the same thing with the letter to the editors email address and also the members of the Taxation and Revenue Committees, which is where it will go first.

Do that research now because you won't have time when you hear that your State has joined the fight. Start monitoring threads like this - at least the overall tax forum - and bookmark the PMA site and get familiar with their notifications as well. Follow whoever you find that's in the know on Facebook and Twitter.

Find and network other affiliates in your state. Be the lead if necessary in showing them how to act.

Legislators appreciate hearing the perspectives of their constituents. They tune out the hateful rhetoric and look for information from people who have the facts. Agree or disagree, but don't be disagreeable. Make yourself available as a resource for reporters. Notice if the newspapers, radio stations and TV channels have affiliate links on their web sites. They might not be familiar with the term affiliate marketing, but I bet some of their corporate income is coming from links on their "deals" pages.

Make note of your representative's favorite causes and charities in your community. Then follow the trail to that charity's web site. Do they have advertising? Help your representative make the connection between the individual people who are earning a living in the web marketplace and the "nexus" they see on paper but can't really visualize.

And then... remain calm and plan to regroup if necessary. Crisis is always a good time to give the ol' creativity some exercise. Don't throw up your hands in defeat. Make your moves like a business owner should. Keep your emotions out of it - plot your strategy and start executing your new plan. If you're in a viable industry, the game will always be changing. That's what keeps it interesting. It's not a zero sum game; there's plenty of opportunity for the true marketers.