Hi Olu,
We have an affiliate programme. In fact we have two.
I have an independent program we run ourselves and I am on a network.
For my niche, which is pretty small I think the independent route is the way to go.
It returns steady work but do not expect miracles overnight. Networks are expensive and you still have to put in the work if you want success.
I personally think some networks run their own affiliate sites using information they glean from running programs for others and there is a conflict of interest there.
10% will do 90% of the business. Look after these 10%.
You must treat your affiliates like gold since they are often better at website promotion than you are and put in a lot of time promoting if they think you will return on their investment. It should go without saying you must pay them on time. They are not hobbyists, often it is their full time job.
It is quite a complex area to get to work well.