It’s hard to believe that just over 12 months year ago I left the traditional direct response advertising world to join the online performance space. First stop? Affiliate Summit Vegas, just a week green into the industry. Talk about diving into the deep end to learn how to swim.

I can’t help but to reflect on the past year that has brought us to this tumultuous point as we reset and start 2010. Oh 2009 – what a rollercoaster you have been.

The Harpo Hammer came down when Oprah decided enough was enough. Then Google followed suit (pun intended).

The Recession. The FTC crackdowns. The Google slap. The Frozen merchant accounts. The Facebook pages popping up like “These People Don’t Pay.” The Acai Berry Jello wrestling…

2009 has certainly seen its ups and downs, and it is not by happenstance we find ourselves in somewhat intrepid crossroads. This past year has seen an explosion of advertisers , networks and affiliates in this space – some of which were unscrupulous in their pursuit of a quick buck.

Looking forward to the new decade, two tiers are emerging: those who innovate and those who replicate, and the chasm between is only deepening. This goes for affiliates, networks and advertisers.

This industry is continuously evolving. Smart people adapt and find smarter ways to succeed. Lazy efforts lacking any strategic plan for long-term sustainability, sloppy executions and a disregard for playing by the rules will leave you out in the cold.

As free trials and flogs are getting G-slapped snookie style and competition increases , capitalize on branded offers and leverage the money already invested in them by your offline counterparts (think: P90X all over Maxim Magazine and late-night TV)…

Which leaves us to the most important questions… how do we proceed from here? Just what skate board will AKMG be representing this year? And really, what would Ryan Eagle do?