Whirlwind Traffic September 27, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentLaunched in 2006, Whirlwind Traffic is still delivering a consistent flow of hits. It’s got a nice polished look with a unique green color scheme, and it’s obvious the admin has put some time into the presentation.
There’s a definite incentive to surfing daily here, as free members who surf 50 or more pages per day are eligible to receive random referrals. You can also receive an increased surf ratio as well as some nice credits bonuses as well, simply by averaging 50 sites per day in a given week. This approach keeps the traffic flowing well and it’s always good to see an admin offering benefits for free members.
Another thing that I always look for is an admin who actively promotes his exchange. It’s a good sign that usually means a good stream of fresh eyes to see your ads. That said, it’s extremely refreshing to see Whirlwind Traffic displaying where they are advertising, and exactly how heavily they are advertising as well. If you click on the stats tab from the members area, you’ll find a list of sites and ad co-ops where the admin is promoting, and how many hits have been delivered from each source. Very nice to see this openly displayed.
As for traffic flow, you’ll find a good volume of hits being delivered here, and activity has been on the rise all summer long. As we move into the fall, Whirlwind Traffic shows no sign of slowing down either.
I’m thinking it may be a good idea to keep a close eye on this one.
Final Rating: 5 (out of possible 10)
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4×4 Hits
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentLabeled as a joint venture between Dan Moses and his son Max, 4×4 Hits has been in business for nearly 2 years. For what is essentially a new traffic exchange, this program does an admirable job of delivering the hits.
Listing over 4,000 active members, 4×4 hits would appear to be one of the more active exchanges on the net. While I question what is considered “active” here, stats show a decent mix of unique hits to repeat exposure. Credit delivery is reliable, and fits into the not too fast, not too slow category.
Not much going on in the way of unique features here, but free members will love the 2:1 surf ratio. Credit bonuses while surfing are also rather high compared to the usual standard.
Commissions for referring new members are a bit low, only reaching 30% for top level upgraded members, and upgrades do seem a bit overpriced when you consider that there are several much larger exchanges offering upgrades for less.
When all is said and done, 4×4 Hits is certainly worth trying out. While not a top 10 exchange, there is ample exposure to be had here. Not bad at all for a 2 year old exchange.
Final Rating: 5 (out of possible 10)
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Hit Bandit
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentIf there was ever a site in need of a new design, Hit Bandit is one of them. This site features one of the least user friendly layouts I’ve ever seen, and really isn’t much to look at either. But, you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover, so lets put this one through the paces shall we?
Once we find our way to the surfbar, (here’s a clue, the menu bar is all the way at the bottom), we’ll find that Hit Bandit doesn’t feel much like other exchanges. The surf bar buttons are actually words here, and require a moment of thought to choose the right one.
There is a surfing game here as well which is basically a 3 reel slot machine. Play once for free and hopefully win some credits, then you may either continue surfing, or gamble 2 credits for each additional spin. Stay too long, and you’re bound to lose all your credits, a good thing as we want people viewing our ads, not playing the slots.
One feature that turns up while surfing is really interesting. A surf check page loads occasionally and asks you what the previous site was about. It’s multiple choice, and if you guess correctly, you win a bonus. I have to say I love this idea, and it may be the one saving grace for this otherwise mediocre exchange. Anything that encourages surfers to pay attention to the ads they are supposed to be viewing gets a slow clap from me. Bravo Hit Bandit, bravo.
As you might expect, activity is not much to write home about here. Most likely the poor presentation and ill planned site navigation are to blame. With some work, this one could have potential, but I’m afraid most users will quickly judge this click exchange without surfing a single page.
Final Rating: 3 (out of possible 10)
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Traffic Planets September 26, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentTraffic Planets is a relatively new hit exchange that appears to have a solid foundation in place. Running on the TCN script, with a standard 3:1 ratio and 10 second timer, The administration seems to be sticking with a standard that has been proven to keep the traffic flowing.
The site design is clean and professional, though you won’t see much in the way of unique features here at Traffic Planets. A “start surfing” link in the navigation panel is sorely missed here as well. Maybe I’m nitpicking, but I like to be able to access the surfbar from any page within the site.
There are a wealth of promotional banners available here, but only two fairly simple splash pages. Considering members can earn up to 60% commissions here, an investment into some new splash pages might do wonders for this exchanges growth.
All in all, it’s a bit early to condemn this exchange. Traffic flow isn’t too bad actually. I believe more communication from the admin might greatly improve Traffic Planets‘ performance. I’ll be curious to see how this one is doing in a few months.
Final Rating: 4 (out of possible 10)
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Clicks 4 Education September 25, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentClicks 4 Education has a unique take on traffic exchange advertising. With the exception of it’s sister site, Surf 4 The Earth, I can’t think of another site that acts as a fundraiser like this one.
At Clicks 4 education, you can donate your credits, or cash, to the school of your choice. There is also a shop filled with a variety of items, and proceeds go to the school of your choosing as well.
What Clicks 4 Education is really famous for are their one of a kind promotions. Instead of giving out cash or credit prizes, these folks give away tangible items, quite often chocolate or other sweets. It’s definitely different, and hey, who doesn’t like chocolate?
As an advertising resource, C4E is, well… ok. there are 2 surf games to help you earn those extra credits, one being a variation of hangman, the other seems like a take on where in the world is carmen san diego, only in this case, you’re looking for the site mascot Jackie the dog.
There appears to be a team surfing feature in place here, but it’s not immediately apparent how it works. As you would expect, this ensures credits are delivered in a timely manner, but the question is how many people are actually seeing our ads here? Is it just a handful of loyal members?
On one hand, I have to applaud Clicks 4 Education for the selfless nature of their program. However as a surfer, the only thing that might bring me here to surf is my conscience.
Final Rating: 4 (out of possible 10)
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Wolf Surfer September 24, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentIf my traffic exchange reviews were based solely on appearances, Wolf Surfer’s dark and creepy howling wolves would certainly score a 10 with me. This exchange looks like a million bucks. Listing 40,000 members on it’s front page, the real question is, does Wolf Surfer deliver the results you’d expect from a TE of this size?
Let’s first take notice that there isn’t a single unique feature to be found inside Wolf Surfer. Sure, keeping it simple can work, but it’s odd that such an impressive looking site would stick with the basic, generic features you can find literally anywhere else.
Promotional tools are scarce, including only 1 splash page and 1 banner. Make me think the owner isn’t all that concerned about bringing in new members, which really is the life’s blood of any Traffic Exchange worth it’s salt.
Surprisingly enough though, the traffic does move along here nice and steady, but results are below average and lead me to believe it’s a handful of power surfers eating up all the credits here.
So while Wolf Surfer does deliver a fair amount of hits, the Quality of those hits leave something to be desired. This is a case of an admin who simply needs to step up his game.
Final Rating: 3 (out of possible 10)
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Traffic Discovery
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentIf you’ve ever wondered what the LJ traffic exchange script looks like straight out of the box, well, it’s not much different than what you’ll see here at Traffic Discovery. Aside from a custom background, and the site logo, there isn’t much of a design going on here. But pretty graphics aren’t everything so lets have a look at what this manual exchange has to offer.
Traffic Discovery offers a 3:1 Ratio with a 15 second timer. With a forced 100% auto assign for free members, you would think gathering a substantial amount of credits would be a hopeless task. But Traffic Discovery more than makes up the difference with some big credit bonuses in the surfbar, on the verification page, and in the surf game of “Hi Lo”, a card game which by the way, has a better design than the site itself. Come to think of it, the surfbar in general looks much better than the main site.
There are a few things here that can only hurt this exchange. For one, the number of members currently surfing is proudly displayed on the surfbar, and it’s rarely an attractive number here. Perhaps this is a stat that should remain hidden until the activity has reached a higher level. Likewise the sidebar stats in the main area aren’t giving me a whole lot of confidence in this exchanges ability to bring in fresh eyes for my site.
Promotional tools are limited to a few banners. No splash pages at all. Probably explains the low number of new members coming in to this site.
Looks like Traffic Discovery has a long way to go if it hopes to compete with the industry’s best.
Final Rating: 2 (out of possible 10)
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Earth Hits
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentEarth Hits is a great looking click exchange that has yet to catch on in a big way. While I see ads pushing this exchange fairly often, this is one exchange that is growing at a painfully slow pace.
There’s no shortage of promotional tools here. There are several splash pages including a personalized one, as well as a handful of banners. The ads are top notch and obviously designed by a professional. So what’s our incentive to promote?
Earth Hits doesn’t seem to be offering commissions on referrals upgrades, though you can earn a percentage of your referrals credits from surfing, 3 levels deep. That is of course if they can be convinced to surf…
If I were to take a guess as to why this exchange hasn’t had more of a mass appeal, it would be the lack of real benefit for the free surfer. Sure, the 3:1 ratio and 10 second timer is fairly standard, but bonus credits seem like they’re hiding from you here. 80% of credits must be auto assigned as well. It doesn’t take long to realize that your clicking time would be more rewarding elsewhere, and it seems like many an Earth Hits member has moved on to other exchanges. Think it’s about time I did the same.
Final Rating: 2 (out of possible 10)
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Gladiator Hits September 23, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentDan Moses’ Gladiator Hits was on everyone’s lips on launch day. The hype was everywhere and members were pouring in in droves. Traffic went through the roof and everyone was in love with this new exchange. But has GH managed to keep up the momentum?
First off, I should mention that for the most part, this is yet another carbon copy LJ exchange with an eye catching design. The only feature that’s almost unique here would be the surfing center. It features a list of exchanges, broken down in to groups which you are encouraged to surf. A different group every day. There’s even a “stop watch” you can use to plan your surf session as well. Seems like a good idea, but poorly executed. Maybe if you had the option to decide which exchanges to include, this wouldn’t seem like an obvious downline builder for the management. As it stands, I can’t see myself utilizing this feature any time soon.
Traffic flow? well, not quite as impressive as it was during it’s first month. But still not too shabby. The hits definitely seem to be slowing down as time goes by which is most certainly the opposite of what you’d expect from a quality exchange. I do still see many an ad for Gladiator Hits out there, so I’m not giving up on this one just yet. I’m gonna say, there’s hope for this one, but I’m not very impressed so far.
Final Rating: 5 (out of possible 10)
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Traffic Asylum
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentTraffic Asylum is one odd looking Hit Exchange. But once you get past the crazy theme, you’ll find a very familiar experience from this LJ script based traffic program.
One thing that may stand out for you is the modified surfbar. The icons are very similar to Webcentre surf, but otherwise, it’s really nothing special. You’ve got your letter hunt, banners and text ads. Bonus credits can be earned on the verification page, and in the surfbar as well. Simple enough to login and get to earning some hits.
This site offers the lucky number game, which you may have seen at Click Crazey. Like Click Crazey, there’s no real explanation of how it works. You are invited to explore, and contact the admin with any questions you may have. Seems like a cop out to providing a decent reference page if you ask me.
But what about the traffic? Well, let’s just say you’d have to be just a little crazy to spend your time surfing at the Traffic Asylum.
Final Rating: 2 (out of possible 10)
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