How come everyone is so secretive about affiliate programming?

AgentXYZ said:

Like when someone asks about what kind of site people have. No one is asking for your secrets, just the kind of site you have. Books, electronics, DVDs etc. What's so hard about saying that?

Then when someone asks how much people make, they get snippy and defensive. Now I get that this is something that most want to keep to themseleves. But why get an attitude when asked? Why not say "enough to live on" or "enough to help out with bills"? Or why not even say a few hundred or a few thousand?

Affiliate programming seems like a dirty little secret that only a select few are in on. Makes the whole things seem shady from a beginner's point of view.

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OldFatGuy said:

When you tell people that sort of information, they flock to it like buzzards. You will have spent tons of hours figuring out a niche that works for you and could be making a lot of money from it. As a business, do you want a flood of competitors because you opened your mouth? All of which now don't have to put as much time and effort into it like you did because you just pointed them in the direction. This is a business plain and simple.

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