When the weather is hot and humid no one really feels like cooking - or eating very much for that matter. That’s when a salad usually fits the bill. It’s cold, it’s light and it can usually be thrown together quickly. A handful of this, a handful of that and you’re done.

Today I don’t feel like cooking up a hearty blog entry so here’s the recipe for my tasty Big Salad. Eat up!

Baby Spinach
Spinach is filled with vitamin K and folic acid and it’s a powerhouse food. Your mom said it was good for you and she was right. You can’t argue with mom or Popeye.

Much of the same attributes can be associated with the Affiliate Summit conference, which has become the powerhouse of affiliate conferences. I know I felt nourished (albeit a bit hung over) when I left the event in Orlando last month. This week, the shows co-sponsors, Shawn Collins and Missy Ward, announced that Michael Sanchez, CEO and co-founder of ClubMom, will be the keynote speaker for the Affiliate Summit Conference to be held January 21-23, 2007 in Las Vegas. He should offer plenty of food for thought.

Something Green and Crunchy and Seasonal
I like to use several stalks of blanched asparagus, but when that yummy veggie is not in season, I’ll use blanched snow peas or raw zucchini. The point is to make the best of what’s in season. Each time of the year brings something new and fresh to look forward to.

Right now I’m looking forward to CJU next month. It’s becoming an annual early fall pilgrimage for me to drive down from San Francisco to Santa Barbara for the conference. I not only enjoy the picturesque setting of the event, but the amazing people that attend. It’s one of the few events that I truly am eager to attend each year.

Grapes
I prefer a handful of the white seedless grapes not the sour grapes. Maybe that’s why I’m just not feeling it for Google these days. They seem a little sour for a company on top. Just this week the search giant made a big deal about the use of it’s name as a verb. Google has sent letters to media outlets saying, “”We think it’s important to make the distinction between using the word Google to describe using Google to search the Internet, and using the word Google to describe searching the Internet. It has some serious trademark issues.”

In June, Google made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, while “to google” (lower case “g”) was included last month in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.

I think Google should be flattered by all the attention and making it into the lexicon of the masses. I plan to tell the company just that right after I blow my nose with a Kleenex; check for ear wax with a Q-Tip; chow down some Jell-O; Scotch Tape a note to computer; and Xerox a copy of my expense report.

Olives
You’ll only need a small handful of these delicious, salty treats. Black, green, Kalmata, Pincholine - use whatever kind you want. Mix it up. It’s all good. I’m expecting the same sort of compact punch from Andy Rodriguez’ Affiliate Manager Certification Seminar in Chicago. I’ll be headed there this weekend to learn the nuts and bolts of being an affiliate manager. The seminar is small, but growing and the flavor promises to be mighty big. There will be presentations from Kellie Stevens of AffiliateFairPlay.com, Brian Littleton of ShareASale, Scott Hazard of Brightside Media and many other industry luminaries. I expect to learn a lot.

Cherry Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a staple of any good salad and these little beauties deliver without overwhelming - much like affiliate network Performics. While I’m in the Windy City over the weekend and part of next week, I’ll also be attending Performics Client Summit. Anne Holland, president of Marketing Sherpa is among the featured speakers at the event. She never fails to deliver a talk that is relevant, humorous and enlightening. Plus, there’s a trip to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game. You can’t beat that.

Goat Cheese
Not everyone likes cheese on their salad, but no one loves cheese more than me. I find salad to be an excellent cheese delivery vehicle (second only to pizza).

And when it comes to new ways to deliver advertising, there are folks out there still coming with some pretty cheesey ideas. Take this one for example: EnVision Marketing Group, a Little Rock, Arkanas, firm has patented a system to print digital, photo-quality ads directly on conveyor belts. Is there no escaping ads?

Cinncinati-based Kroger stores will be the first to test ot the ads in a dozen of its stores, mainly in northwest Arkansas; Jackson, Miss.; and Memphis, Tenn. Harps Food Stores, a 52-store grocery chain based in Springdale, Ark., is also testing the system in 13 stores.

As part of the sales pitch EnVision Marketing is offering national advertisers the chance to shut out competitors at the cost of $182,800 a year for the entire Kroger 55-store footprint, which the company claims can deliver 3.3 million impressions a month.

Spicy Nuts
I usually throw in a some spicy pecans. They offer a crunchy, meaty texture and spiciness offsets the sweetnesss of the grapes and the saltiness of the olives. Everything needs balance.

According to an AdAge article this week not everyone in the affiliate space feels the same way about balance. Some will to go to extreme lengths to get noticed.

Finally, you may notice that no salad would be complete without a great dressing. I have a scrumptous, top-secret homemade dressing recipe that I’ll share with you – but only if you email a juicy tip to my intrepid reporter friend and co-worker – The Spider.

On a serious note: Several folks in the Revenue family have recently faced personal losses. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of Eric Reyes and Pedro Sostre during this very difficult time. lisap@revenuetoday.com