Traffic Project October 7, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentTraffic Project is yet another LJ script based traffic exchange with all the standard features. You get your full page views, banner ads and text link ads, and a small handful of credits for signing up, but there’s really nothing truly unique about this program.
The first thing that sticks out here is the site’s presentation, and not in a good way I’m afraid. Everything from the layout to the promotional tools look dated and downright amateur and I’m sure this has had a negative impact on this site’s success.
Free members can earn a 2:1 surf ratio at Traffic Project, and the pro upgrade is one of the most affordable in the business, though it would be hard to justify spending any money, or time for that manner, in an exchange like this one. Traffic delivery is substandard, and there seems to be little effort from the admin to improve the business.
The downline builder here does feature some reputable programs, however the inclusion of sites like “Pooh Bear Surf” make me question the integrity of this entire service. If it’s true that you are judged by the company you keep, the owner of Traffic Project may want to re-think some of the programs he’s pushing in his downline builder.
All in all, there’s little to save Traffic Project from a red number score here. I will however be back for an updated review in the future. Hopefully we’ll see some improvements by then.
Final Rating: 2 (out of possible 10)
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Tip Top Traffic
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentHere we are, reviewing another traffic exchange running on the Walker traffic exchange script. Now, many people in the the TE world have a dislike for this script, but personally, all that matters to me is results. So lets see what’s going on at Tip Top Traffic.
Free members earn a 2:1 surf ratio here and the upgrades… well, here’s the first red flag. The upgrades here are dirt cheap. This always scares me when coupled with the already generous 2:1 surf ratio, the possibility of credit backlog is high. Tip Top has set itself up for quite the job if they hope to keep the credits moving here.
While we’re on the subject of moving credits, you may notice that the start surfing link isn’t immediately apparent. Where most exchanges place a hard to miss “start surfing now” link in plain sight, here you’ll have to first click on “tools” and then you find the surf link. I imagine newbie surfers may have a bit of trouble finding the link, and I’m sure many won’t bother to look too far.
The surfbar at Tip Top Traffic has the hover surf feature, though we are reminded that we can click if we prefer. A second message in the surfbar however causes me a bit of concern as surfers are encouraged to watch the surfbar for a “surprise prise”. Just what we need. Members fixated on the surfbar and ignoring our ads. Not getting any cool points from me here.
At this point, it’s no surprise results from Tip Top Traffic are anything but tip top. Time for a final rating…
Final Rating: 1 (out of possible 10)
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Enjoy Traffic October 6, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentOwned and maintained by the mysterious “Ms. X”, Enjoy Traffic has reached nearly 20,000 members while somehow avoiding the spotlight here in the TE community. It runs on a graphically modified version of the Walker Traffic exchange script, instantly standing out from the plethora of walker exchanges with it’s truly unique layout.
You’ll find a lot of familiar features here, but one thing worth mentioning is the way text ads are delivered here. Not only are your text ads shown within Enjoy Traffic itself, but also on “the entire Enjoy Traffic network” which is supposedly “hundreds of sites.” Extra exposure is always worth a look though I’ve yet to form an opinion on how effective this feature is here.
There are several surfgames to choose from, allowing you to bet credits on everything from the classic battleship to a game of blackjack. There’s an issue where some of the text appearing during the games is invisible though making it tough to tell what’s going on. Hopefully that will be fixed soon.
The traffic delivery is surprisingly good though, for an exchange that’s been flying under the radar. While I wouldn’t call this a top 10 exchange just yet, overall things at Enjoy Traffic are looking pretty good so far.
Final Rating: 5 (out of possible 10)
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Show n Find October 2, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentShow n Find Traffic Exchange launched in 2006, about 2 years ago and has yet to really gain much attention from the TE community. With poor promotional tools, and a general lack of any significant promotion at all, it’s not surprising this program is growing at a snail’s pace.
Show n Find offers a 2:1 ratio for free surfers and one of the most affordable upgrades to be found anywhere. For literally a couple of bucks, members can secure a 1:1 surf ratio. This might sound appealing to some, but for an under promoted exchange like this one, this sounds like a recipe for disaster.
There are some decent commissions to be earned promoting Show n Find, but members will find gaining those referrals a bit challenging with the tools provided. There are a handful of banners, though there doesn’t appear to be much of a consistent theme to the ads. The splash pages provided are essentially just trimmed down versions of the site’s home page and manage to make the program appear more amateur than professional.
So, many of the issues here, could be easily solved with high surf activity and a steady flow of new members coming through the doors. The major problem here is the lack of a professional presentation and a severe lack of promotion. Not looking good at this stage, but we’ll see what the future holds for Show n Find.
Final Rating: 3 (out of possible 10)
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My E Traffic
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentMyETraffic is one of those ever popular hover surf exchanges running on the not so popular Walker traffic exchange script. The exchange launched in 2006 and has just barely broken the 2000 member mark. Doesn’t look like we’ll find many fresh eyes for our ads here, but lets have a closer look anyway.
Along with the hover surf feature, you’ll find that My E Traffic also offers the surf n chat feature which many of us have come to love. The question here is surf n chat with whom? Give it a shot and you’ll soon find it’s an exercise in schizophrenia. As much as I love my own company, I can’t say I’ll be using this feature much.
My E Traffic continues to let me down with their credit trading feature. This allows members to freely buy and sell credits amongst themselves. Unregulated as this feature is, it’s bound to lead to relentless power-surfing. Members who choose to make a part time profession out of credit sales have little interest in the ads they are supposed to be viewing as their goal has now become to earn as many credits as possible in order to sell them on the open market. Maybe, just maybe this could work with a larger membership, but 2 years in with only about 2000 members to show for it, this ill advised feature needs to go… like yesterday.
So yes there’s more to be seen here, but I’m hard pressed to continue further. Bottom line, unless you’d like to sell useless MyETraffic credits on Ebay, there’s really no valid reason to surf at this poor excuse for a web traffic provider.
Final Rating: 1 (out of possible 10)
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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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