This edition of the Powder Keg Review series looks at the Yimto Affiliate Marketing Blog.

I actually have a little history with this blog. I ran across it before my own blog came into creation. The Big Bang was yet a twinkle in the Blogosphere’s eye. What captured my attention with Tim, the creator of Yimto, was his honesty on his about page. He details his story from University student to marketing journeyman.

The Yimto Story
Tim knows affiliate marketing. He details the relevant services on the market, including those that have been around for a while, for us beginners. He constantly shares with his readers the new information he learns along his journey to financial independence. For instance, he recently talked about an affiliate marketing ebook, and I walked away from the review feeling like he explained its benefits clearly.

His posts have a candor not common to Internet marketing blogs. He tells you straight up he might not be the best at certain practices, but he’s learning. He captures the journeyman voice quite well. And his posts somehow carry an authority to them, even though he claims to only be learning. I think he balances teaching and learning quite well in his posts.

The Yimto Site
The site utilizes a two column right sidebar layout. The theme, while minimal, presents the information quite well. I love the stylish logo, the dark tone, and the easy to read text. The whole theme works, down to the sparse use of widgets in the sidebar to the curling vegetation at either end of the inner column.

Like many bloggers, Tim is very active in blog communities like Entrecard, MyBlogLog and Blog Catalog. The Yimto site sports widgets from these blogging communities.

The Yimto site lacks one thing, though. Ads. There are none on the site. You will find the Entrecard widget on his site, but no advertising, not even Adsense. I’m surprised — pleasantly, of course — as most affiliate marketers riddle their site with ads.

Yimto Reviews
If you visit Yimto, then you know he does reviews on sites and ebooks relevant to affiliate marketers. While many sites claim to give valid reviews of ebooks, I have a feeling that Yimto’s reviews carry more than just the slapped on sticker value. For instance, only one ebook had a rating of “Golden Opportunity.”

One ebook review fell into the lowest category — in the red. Before too long, I imagine more ebooks will find their way to that bottom category. (Maybe that’s my cynical outlook on marketing ebooks though.) I can rest assured that Yimto’s take on a specific affiliate marketing method will be honest, and not an attempt to drain my wallet for a quick buck.

Conclusion
I jumped over to Technorati after seeing Yimto’s authority listed on his site. He has a whopping 351 at the time of writing this. Tim started this blog in October of 2007. I’m sure if he continues to engage his audience with compelling blog posts on affiliate marketing his blog will continue to explode on the internet. His site is a definite powder keg.

Do you know of a site, service, blogging tool, widget, plugin, or advertising opportunity that has gunpowder spilling from its barrel? Write us a quick message to let us light the fuse.