The pulse of the traffic exchange industry and the random ramblings of Jon Olson (that's me!)
I've been writing Hit Exchange News since 2003 and have been involved in the traffic exchanges for over a decade. Enjoy the 'news', and thank you so much for making this THE must-read traffic exchange blog on the internet!
I got a bunch of notices today about a brand new program that is being billed as a ‘social traffic exchange’…And as you guys know, I’m all about the social side of traffic exchanges these days. So I decided to give you my in depth review of a program I think has a lot of upside… T.E. Club !
This is owned by Kjell Skogsoy who is one of the most active owners in this business. Kjell and I have bumped heads in the past and even though he may not be the biggest Jon Olson fan *lol* I do admire his ability to create stuff the surfers really enjoy. So as for the ownership of this program, I do think people are in good hands.
The script is an LFMTE but you wouldn’t be able to tell because the programming team did an AMAZING job at customizing this program. It looks very unique and feels great. I love the thumbnail surfing bar which is used already by sites like ThumbVu and Sweeva but this surf bar is very natural. It’s clean and looks amazing.
The social side of the program is lacking in my opinion. I would have loved to see an in-surf chat system and a better way to see whose site is being promoted. The social side of the program is limited to posting on other members ‘walls’ and even though I do see the huge potential for it, I think it needs some work.
All in all though, this is a solid new program that should do very well. It’s brand new, so a lot of attention will be given to it today and tomorrow, so it’s agreat time to get active in it and maybe *cough* make some targeted splash pages to promote within it.
I started in this business in the late 90′s. Back then, we didn’t know what we were doing. All we knew is that to promote our pages, we needed to click. And click we did. Sometimes I found myself spending the majority of my day in front of the computer but it was all worth it because back then, results came at you from every angle.
Time has changed but something that hasn’t in the decade plus that traffic exchanges have been around is the growing number of surfers. You see, any given week can introduce a few thousand new people to the world of traffic exchanges and a recurring question that comes up from new surfers is where do they begin…
Here’s a quick little checklist I highly recommend every new traffic exchange user to check out, and even some of us veterans can get a good refresher from this as well.
First, the big thing I stress is that this isn’t a rush.
Take your time and LEARN everything you can. If someone is telling you that you have to become an expert in this, don’t listen. Be comfortable with everything you do in the traffic exchanges but also with any business or service you join. I made the mistake years ago by joining every new opportunity I saw while surfing and well…It didn’t do me any good, it just used up the limited funds I had when I was starting out.
Second, you don’t need much in way of tools. You need two BASIC tools when you are starting out and that would be a list building auto responder and a splash page / squeeze page creation software. That’s it. Sure there is other things you will want to get down the road but let’s remember, if you keep it simple and very manageable, you will feel a lot better about your time online.
Please note: This is CRITICAL. Do not spend extra funds on stuff you don’t need when starting. Autoresponder and splash page maker, that’s it for now. Grow into other tools when you are ready.
Third, you should be a sponge. This means going to the forums, asking questions. Attending the live seminars and ask questions. Poke around at the popular blogs and see the terms and definitions that are used in this business. Heck, if you have a question about a specific program or traffic exchange, ask the owner. If the owner doesn’t respond, they are insane and you should run away from programs like that. Savvy owners and people who give a damn WILL respond to you. So here’s my PLEA…If you do have questions about traffic exchanges, ask me whenever you want. This is my direct email jon at hitexchangenews.com.
Three simple steps but it helps. Keeping things simple at the start will help you manage your time in the traffic exchanges and get into a pattern that fits your business. When we complicate it (and trust me, sometimes this business loves to throw wrenches at you) I feel that we are not as productive as we can be.
Take your time, use two simple tools and be a sponge.
Not that bad huh? But the hardest part and this is where most new surfers fail is that they give up too soon. Remember, building a solid relationship with your list and building your personal brand as someone people should look to takes time. It won’t happen overnight but keep your page in front of people and practice good list building, the results will come.
Thank you very much for being a reader of Hit Exchange News and have a wonderful week!
- Sweeva blew past the 15,000 member mark this week and is only few accounts away from 16,000. I guess the iPad giveaway contest really peaked people’s interest but what I’m seeing is that this program is slowly being built OUTSIDE of the traffic exchanges. I think this whole social browsing thing might just catch on…
- There’s a new contest taking place that gives you the chance to build your downline in 5 different programs and gives you a chance to win some cash prizes as well. Nice to see a bunch of like minded folks get in on the joint giveaways even if all the programs are from the same company LOL Hey it’s KRM and they started this whole giveaway gig so more power to them.
- Important 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 – While surfing Sweeva during the past few days, this page has stuck out the most and for good reason. It even won a few trophies as well! 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.)
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 or Sweeva 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
Video Rant – It’s Time We ALL Supported Who Supports Us!
Note: Enjoy this week’s Deep Thought. I made a video instead of typing my thoughts. Hope you guys enjoy it and please do comment below and let me know what you think about this topic. It’s pretty important to me, that we discuss this =)
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Things That Make You Go Hmmm…
- After coming home from my first offline non-internet marketing seminar, I can say…It’s so sad to see people younger than me, already trapped in the mind set that traditional marketing is the only way to build businesses.
- Speaking of returning to my old habits of attending offline events, I read two amazing books this past week. I highly recommend Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh and Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson. Amazing messages behind both books. One is that customer service RULES and the second is to…Keep it simple!
- “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook…” – William James
