Issue 222 - We Don’t Need Another…
Author: The T.E. GuyDoes anyone remember the entire auto surf fiasco? I sure do. I also remember the bubble game, gifting program, cycler, doubler and randomizer fiascos too. These little fads did a lot of damage to the traffic exchanges because the exchanges used to be flooded with these ‘risky’ programs and a lot of people lost a lot of money in the process.
2008 and you could imagine my surprise when a well known traffic exchange decides to launch their own version of a randomizer. I won’t mention it by name here because I do not wish to give it any extra promotion but it’s a very sad day for traffic exchanges when one of our own decides to go this route.
I am asking for all surfers, owners and everyone who has ever used a traffic exchange to stand up and demand that these kind of programs do not get any support at all. They have done nothing but hurt our reputation and yes, they do flood the exchanges from time to time, so if you see one, talk about it, discuss it, report it, and let the owners know you do not want to see these things in rotation.
Have a great week and thanks very much for being a reader of Hit Exchange News!
Jon Olson
The Traffic Exchange Guy
————–
————–
The News
- Blue Surf announced this week that it had hit the 5,000 member mark. Not too shabby for a brand new traffic exchange in this day and age. I just wanted to thank Scott from Blue Surf for creating something new, unique and fun for surfers. A custom script can go a very long way.
- I’ve got a good feeling about Traffic Taxis as a traffic exchange to watch this summer. It was not ‘launched’ in the general sense of a big promotional release, but with it’s solid design and responsive owner, it has the potential to be a very solid addition. Let’s see how things go.
- So you wanna own a traffic exchange huh? For any would be owner, I highly recommend reading this very ‘eye opening’ post at Net Marketing Forum . Fellow owners and surfers alike offer some great input on why someone would want to own and operate these little programs.
- Want to win your own copy of the best selling traffic exchange book on Amazon.com, Hits, Clicks and Misses, (actually, it’s the only published book about T.E.’s on the planet), simply post a comment about this week’s issue of HEN! Congrats to Jesus Moreno for winning last week, if you can send me your mailing address to hitexchangenews at yahoo dot com, I’ll get you your copy shipped a.s.a.p.
- Splash Page Hall of Fame - This is one of the most creative splash pages I have seen in recent memory! Note: Why do I focus on splash pages every week? Simple, you MUST be using them in the traffic exchanges to get results. Get a custom made splash page by clicking here!
———
The Famous Hit Exchange News Top 10 (Disclaimer: These are my top performing exchanges for the past week. Alexa rankings and fancy numbers have nothing to do with how I rank my list. This is based on my results and my opinion, nothing more, nothing less.)
1. Traffic Swarm
2. Traffic Splash
3. Traffic Era
4. TS 25
5. Traffic Wonderland
6. Dragon Surf
7. StartXChange
8. Easy Hits 4 U
9. Traffic At The Races
10. Max Traffic Pro
Note: Analysis and Tracking by Hits Connect - The Official Link Tracking Service of Hit Exchange News! Sign up today and get your 30% Discount!
Question: Hey Jon, how come I Love Hits, SWAT Traffic and Click Crazey are never on the top 10 list? Since I own them, I feel it would be a conflict of interest to place it on any of my rankings. (But we all know how great they are anyways lol)
———–
———–
Deep Thoughts - Jon’s Weekly Rambling
Creativity - And Why It Should Matter To You!
I got an invite today from a couple of traffic exchange owners and they let me in on a brand new program they will be launching in a few weeks. When I heard it was a new traffic exchange, it got me worried about what this thing could possibly bring ‘new’ to the table. Wow, I was blown away!
Here’s what they did…They used creativity to build their new program. They took a stock LJ Script (the same base script that I Love Hits is on) and completely edited it to fit their needs. The thing has some wonderful features that you wont find anywhere else and here’s the best part…It should show people what CAN be done when you use a little bit of creativity.
Great, how does this help you. Hopefully it gets you thinking about what you have at your disposal right now, in your marketing arsenal. Once you see what you have, try to find new ways to do the same thing. Maybe it’s a different design, maybe it’s a new headline, maybe it’s a complete make over. The main point is to do things differently!
There’s a wonderful book I like to read to help with creative thinking, it’s called ‘Thinker Toys’. This book has helped me so much in looking at a product or service and seeing what I can do with what I have to make it more interesting, make it stickier and more attractive to my members.
I’ve always been a big fan of sticking out from the crowd, and now more than ever I feel it’s one of the most important things you can do for your business, especially in the traffic exchanges!
————
Things That Make You Go Hmmm…
- I got a sneak peak at a brand new traffic exchange that will be launching in a few weeks. get ready to be blown away…Wow!
- Hoopla keeps throwing digs at my top 10 list, and say over and over again that it’s just my opinion…Ummm yeah, has anyone else seen the big red sign that says it’s an opinion?
- Rumor has it that a new commercial traffic exchange script is about to be released into the market…
———-
———-
Opinion means a lot. HEN top ten makes more sense because it is not useless stats, nor is it pumped-up phantom voting. It is perhaps the best top 10 list going. I read HEN almost exclusively for this list.
No we absolutely do not need another randomizer ponzi floating around in the traffic exchanges - especially not one endorsed (let alone launched) by a TE owner.
Good to see people taking a stance, calling it out and banning it. Way to go Jon.
Hey Jon,
Thanks for bringing this up. I was searching on NMF on July 1st after I got
the email.
My first reaction was “You gotta be kidding me”! My 2nd reaction was the site was banned at MysticalMaze.
I almost banned the main site, but then I had to think of my members who may like the T.E., but have the facilities to ignore BS business decisions when they see it and still wish to use the original services as they are…
I appreciate HEN and your writings very much including your dry sense of humor which often comes across as cynicism. One thing about it, you always have the best interests of the TE industry at heart! That I love and respect.
Yes, many people have lost lots of money in the various money games since the beginning of time. I would speculate that more money has been lost by “little people” in MLM’s and “network marketing” than in the various money games, HYIP’s, etc. I once heard the VP of an MLM tell a disgruntled distributor stuck with a garage full of nutritional stuff that they could eat the product because there were no refunds. I agree, they chose to fill their garage by meeting quotas imposed by the marketing plan, their choice. Not the company’s fault they didn’t figure out how to promote.
Widely publicized on TE’s is that 97% of wannabe entrants to IM will fail. So, my question becomes: at what point do TE owners (owners of any advertising media) exercise their police powers, and at what point do they let people make-up their own minds about where they spend their time (clicking) and money?
Tough question and I don’t have the answer. I didn’t realize how little freedom I had as an American until I moved out in 1997. How does that apply to IM? Try starting an MLM in the USA, you are a target to be blackmailed by the AG of every State. Freedom is the right to make personal choices, good or bad.
If 95% to 97% will fail at IM should wasting time clicking be policed against, more so wasting $ on buying upgrades and credits? None of us would agree to that!
If over 90% will fail should the guru products be banned from TE’s?
How about the numerous “buy my e-book and make millions by the end of the week” ads?
Where does personal freedom of choice, and assuming personal responsibility for personal choice begin and end, and how does that apply to the police powers of media owners?
Trust me, I am not defending any money games or HYIP’s which I also have a personal aversion to. My question is about the role of the media owner, my role as policeman. Where does freedom and personal responsibility begin and end?
Max
Thanks for the heads-up fellas
Banned at the bunnies too. Oh, and incase it didn’t translate Soren - you were being sarcastic, yeah?
Having fallen for a few scams myself, I want to protect others from suffering the same fate. Yet, no one can save people from themselves. Humans are gifted with free choice.
Nexus bans known scams. We will gladly discuss with anyone who asks why we chose to ban them. That is our contribution to “due diligence.”
And the Splash Page Hall of Fame entry for this week ROCKS!
I would like to state that I don’t appreciate seeing comments about a particular auto site that is getting advertised. I’m a newbie to this and really don’t care what happened in the past with these sites. Being a newbie, I have to say that I am also one of the honest ones and that just because it is an auto surf - many think that I don’t look at the ads - well, I’m here to tell you that I do. Also, I like the other things that this sites offers. When you surf as many sites as I do, well the no clicking is sweet for me as it give my hand a break so that I can surf all your other sites - so be nice and show some respect.
Jon:
Yes, out to randomizers and paid autosurfs. Even “honest guys” failed.
Jesus
Thanks for the mention, Jon. It never goes unnoticed.
I think I know of the new traffic exchange you’re speaking of… maybe. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.
*New commercial traffic exchange script — woot!*
Love the comments everyone, thanks very much.
Nancy - I understand that you may be new, but trust me when I say, auto surfing has done nothing but cause harm and millions of dollars of damage to this industry. It’s got nothing to do with ‘being nice’, they weren’t very nice when they robbed members for millions of dollars. Use auto surfs at your own peril.
Can someone tell me what a randomizer is? Thanks.
What can I say…
Another excellent issue of HEN. It’s great to see owners on the attack against harmful sites in rotation. The last thing people need is to connect TEs with such shady programs.
Also, I loved the splash page of the week (for obvious reasons) and wanted to thank you Jon for the mention and also thank Eva for the comment.