Programs are rated on a number of criteria, including amount of revenue share, ease of implementation, responsiveness, reporting capabilities, customer service, clarity of the terms and conditions, and availability of free content. A one star rating is a sign of a legitimate company with a well-defined affiliate program. There is a contact e-mail address or a rough online application, but no online reporting of statistics. Commissions are paid quarterly at best, usually after a high threshold has been met ($50 or higher).    A two star rating means all the aspects of a good revenue sharing program are in order -- an online application form, a well-written, well-conceived Terms and Conditions statement, a good product, a good compensation plan and reporting capabilities are all present. Merchant provides the affiliate with contact information, including e-mail and postal address and telephone number. Two star programs have unique linking capabilities to individual products, categories and through e-mail text links.    A three star rating means the company has achieved excellence in every category. They will most likely have: online reporting, an opt-in affiliate newsletter, offer co-branded pages, offer customizeable content, two tier structure, superior customer service, an easily navigated user interface, a privacy policy, use of third party tracking software and the opportunity to make a substantial amount of revenue. Many have monthly payment of commissions. They also may include 'trailing' commissions for a finite period of time. (i.e. residual income for 15 days or more)   A four star rating means the company has achieved excellence in every category as stated above. In addition, they may offer multiple language versions of a program and pay commissions in several different currencies. These programs have ranked in the Refer-it.com Top Ten List at least one month throughout the year. Please Note: Although Gambling programs and Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) programs are listed in the directory, they are not rated by Refer-it.com. This does not necessarily mean that they are unsatisfactory in terms of content, earnings potential, reporting, etc. We encourage you to read carefully their Terms and Conditions statement. Sites will be rejected for the following reasons: No top level domain name registered (such as homepage building URL's) Sale of illegal goods or fraudulent activities Poor commission structure and response to e-mails None of the above criteria met If you feel a site deserves a rating change, please contact us via the Feedback form and we will consider your request. Disclaimer: While we attempt to include only legitimate programs in this directory, no warranties are made. Please research each company carefully to arrive at your own conclusions. If you experience difficulties with any of the programs listed, contact us via the Feedback form, so that we may investigate them.