Issue 295 – Cash For Surfing Is Here To Stay…Whether We Like It Or Not!
I made a post recently on the I Love Hits Blog and it detailed my friend Lynn McCutcheon’s recent success by *gulp* personal branding.
I’m not going to go over the points made in the post, but I did want to start this issue of Hit Exchange News with the BIG message in the article.
Action!
Lynn took action. And every single person who has ever built any kind of success online started by just that, starting. They didn’t wait for the stars to align. They didn’t wait to learn how to be the best PHP programmer. They didn’t take college courses on how to use Photoshop. They just took action.
It seems like a huge mountain when you are starting, trust me, I do remember. But the important thing is to take manageable small steps every day. You do not need to reinvent the wheel or come up with the cure for the common cold, you just need to be making decisions every day on how to grow your business.
Disclaimer: Don’t worry about messing things up. Some of the best lessons you can learn in business is to mess up early and as much as you can. Experience is the greatest teacher.
So today, what are you going to do to further your online business? I’ll tell you what, reading this blog is a great first step because I guarantee you, 95% of the other marketers in this industry won’t be reading it. But take it a step further, write a comment, click a link or two, ask questions, go to the forum, surf a few sites in the bracket surfing competition…Do things the other people in this business DON’T do.
Thank you very much for being a reader of Hit Exchange News and have a wonderful week!
Jon Olson
The Traffic Exchange Guy
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The News
- Tim Linden, Austin Hallock and myself have been up to something and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before…Maybe. Or maybe not. Want to get the ‘inside scoop’ on potentially the biggest launch of 2010? Be sure to check out our new squeeze page and opt in to get more information. We’re pretty excited about it and we know you will be as well…Coming soon!
- John Guanzon and Brett Phillips released their brand new T.E. Reports marketing system this week and it’s one of the neatest ideas I’ve seen recently online. It takes all the best selling reports and ebooks from the traffic exchange industry and gives you entire marketing plans for each of them. Very cool and something you must grab if you are looking for ‘what to promote’ to your mailing lists.
- Get ready for some ‘big news’ from the guys at Logiscape. I have been invited to help launch their brand new service and was playing around with the system last night. Here’s something that should be quite popular and it’s VERY easy to use. I didn’t even mess it up so that should tell you something. Stay tuned for a special announcement tomorrow…
- Bruce Formhals has been one of the busiest people in the traffic exchange industry with the recent release of his brand new program, Your SMART Exchange. It’s rare to see new traffic exchanges come out that ‘get it right’ and Bruce’s program has been very popular over the past few weeks. One to watch out for for sure!
- Urgent Notice: Cast your vote today for your favorite traffic exchanges at Affiliate Funnel’s Surfer’s Choice ranker. This is YOUR voice and YOUR opinion on what traffic exchanges you feel are the best in the business. Be sure to vote every day and get your opinion heard!
- Splash Page Hall of Fame – Another amazing ebook that got launched last week was Sean Supplee’s Take Action list Building report. Here’s a splash page that highlights why you need this report today! Remember…Take action when others don’t. That’s how to get ahead. 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!
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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. StartXChange
2. Tezak Traffic Power
3. Hit Safari
4. Traffic Splash
5. Traffic Swarm
6. Max Traffic Pro
7. Traffic Witch
8. Dragon Surf
9. Traffic Era
10. Easy Hits 4 U
Note: Analysis and Tracking by T.E. Toolbox – The Official Link Tracking Service of Hit Exchange News!
Question: Hey Jon, how come I Love Hits and SWAT Traffic 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)
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Deep Thoughts – Jon’s Weekly Ramblings
The Fascination With Surfing For Dollars
I remember when I first started trying to make money online. I had no idea what a one time offer was. I never knew how to sell. I didn’t know the importance of networking. I was a blank slate. What I did know though is that I wanted to make real money in this business.
My first ‘check’ I got was from a program called All Advantage. It was for 32 bucks and I was hooked. I could not believe that companies actually paid me to surf the internet. And I tried them all from zWallet to Spedia, trust me, I was deep into the whole paid to surf industry. It’s how I discovered traffic exchanges and how I fell in love with them.
What I knew, is that 30 dollar checks for 3 months worth of work isn’t going to cut it. I needed to learn more and needed to develop a new plan on making money online. Yeah, the check was a nice bonus but it was just a taste. This was over a decade ago.
There is no longer any All Advantages or Desktop Dollars but now there are traffic exchanges like Easy Hits 4 U, that pay people to surf web sites. I have no problem with their business model, in fact I’m willing to bet Easy Hits 4 U introduces more people to the traffic exchange industry than any other program out there. However what I have concerns with is that people may think ‘that’s it’…
They surf for their 30 cents and poof, they are happy. They don’t know the HUGE potential they have by all that clicking. All the personal branding, all the potential list building opportunities they are passing by. Sure, some folks may not want more than a few extra dollars a month but wow, that seems like a lot of wasted effort.
I’m not going to change anything with this post. I know people will still surf for their dollars and that’s cool. I’m just throwing this out there, how about you learn how to build a list and brand the business you are promoting and make some real income online? The cash for surfing should always be just a bonus, at least I feel this way.
What do you think? How can we get the message to the masses? Or am I talking out my behind and living in a dream world? I look forward to reading your thoughts. =)
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Things That Make You Go Hmmm…
- We’re giving away one heck of a cool prize this week at I Love Hits. A complete squeeze page branding system courtesy of Seamless Web Solutions…Imagine, prizes you can actually use to help your business!
- So I tried to buy an iPad…Canada doesn’t believe in releasing things on the same day as the REST of the world apparently. Still gotta wait a few weeks…
- “Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living…” – Anais Nin
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Jon,
I agree with you Cash for Surfing is here whether we like it or not. However, that doesn’t mean we should just give up trying to teach those that are willing to learn where the real money is .
There is a HUGE world out there on the internet and TEs are just a small part of it. If all someone is looking for is a few cents or a couple bucks here and there, then thats all they will find.
I still believe there are loads of people like us out there who just will not settle for just a few extra bucks a month.
But as TE Owners WE set the standard for what is going to happen in the TE industry. The surfers read our emails, sites, blogs ect. because they look to us as the leaders.
So yes we need to continue getting the word out to the masses that pennies are not why they got online in the first place. And keep telling them there is So Much More to the Internet and they should open their minds and learn.
Just because a few people delivered the wrong message to the masses doesn’t mean we should continue delivering the same wrong message.
Thanks Great Post
Krazy Kaye Towne
I totally agree with you on the deep thoughts this week. My fear is that people are losing site of what traffic exchanges are for. Its like traffic exchanges are turning into pay to clicks. I see alot less response to my ads now then when I was surfing years ago.
In response to your quote “How can we get the message to the masses?”
I think that’s were all the ebooks in TE Reports come in handy. They are all good to teach people on how to use the traffic exchanges properly. We just have to keep putting them out there in front of people until they notice. That’s all we can do really because like you said, if they are satisfied with a few pennies over a few dollars then so be it, but maybe if we can show them that you can make alot more with traffic exchanges then maybe they will take notice.
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*blush again* Thank you for all the kind words this week, Mr. Olson sir (and I heard my ears should have burning last night at SWAT, unfortunately the stupid storm wouldn’t let me come in or stay in long enough when I did to hear much). And just plain thanks for everything you and a few others have done & helped me in learning, it’s been invaluable and you totally rock, Jon.
I’m so glad you picked Sean’s splash page as the one of the week, good choice – it’s one of my favorites of stuff that’s come out lately for sure.
As for the cash surfing and PTC and all that stuff… well, as many know, I originally came into online marketing in general from the PTC/PTR/GPT industry and though I’m not very active in that any more, I still keep a foot in it and try to stay on top of things in it since I built up a little bit of a residual foundation in it, and my efforts there do help people who want to make a little pocket change, I suppose.
But my efforts are no longer really spent on it except for maintenance because I just wasn’t satisfied with making basically pocket change when there was SO much more potential out there.
And what you said about making $30 for three months’ work not cutting it is absolutely right on the mark. I will be FINALLY getting a check for $30 from a paid mail program I have been a member of for three YEARS – the first payment I will have gotten from that program.
I was pretty heavily active in all the PTR/PTC/GPT stuff for a while and still – looking at my totals now – in almost three years of being a member of those sites, I only recently crossed the $1000 threshold in payments. Total.
It’s great stuff for pocket change and if you only need $20-50 extra a month – provided you stick with the tried and true and established sites and avoid the scammy ones, and there are far too many of those scammy sites out there.
But for sure, $1000 in three years wasn’t going to pay my living expenses nor put food on my table for very long nor take care of anything else for very long. My time online was much better spent elsewhere and the last five months, while I’m certainly not “rich” yet, have proven that.
Hi Jon,
I agree that money for upgraded or active members as a form of promtion is good business. I also think that PTC sites have improved their business practices to some extent. There are still to many nefarious “paid-to” sites out there for me to endorse them 100%
Great newsletter edition,
Mark Edward Brown
Hi Jon.
I don’t think we are in this business to try convincing those who prefer to make a dime here and there brand themselves and build lists.
We are in this business to work with those that want the same things we do. Why waste our time trying to convince people that don’t and instead use our valuable time working with those that are willing to learn?
If people are happy clicking for pennies then more power to them because in the end they are happy doing that.
Personally, I’ll stick with learning from you guys because that is what makes me happy:-)
Happy Friday Everyone!
Jimmy Adames
I was wondering what your opinion of Norm Duffy’s TraffictoBurn testing of over 1000 TE’s?
His results certainly surprised me- as they test only for which TE has the most responses membership- in other words where are you most likely to get signups ,sales,subscribers etc.
I know I have got an amazing 28 referrals for one of my Ad Agencies from the one site he has listed at the top- and I have never got a single signup for it from any other TE except for an even smaller one.
20000 page view at StartX and EasyHits =0 signups
Took Norms advice- 28 signups in 6 weeks
why the difference?
TraffictoBurn.com as the reports
I garee the paid to surf thing is here to stay but it is awkward!
We must find a balance so that TEs stay responsive and are a good advertising option for our members.
Rather than pay people to surf, I prefer to have some days here and there that reward my members for their activity – reward them with cash sometimes yes, but more often I like to help my members discover the benefits of having their own branded pages rotating on a constant basis so better to reward with extra free advertising.
There will always be those who are happy with a few cents but if we can teach people the real way to online income (ie their own sites and lists) then at the end of the day they will be happy, make more money and surely remember where they got the good info in the first place.
Without traffic we are all dead in the water so Im thinking what goes around comes around – maybe Im wrong – I’ll wait and see!
Thanks Jon – Kym
I recently tried this at my site and there was a big burst of activity. Only to dive off the deep end again as soon as the event was over. I think the cash prizes and surfing is here to stay but I much rather see a steady flow of traffic and give away bonus credits instead. I will use sites that offer these for the extra exposure but I find that I get no results from those places most of the time. I get results from places that don’t offer cash events. I would like to see all of this go away and just go back to the advertising it used to be which was based on quality
marcus