Traffic Heroes Announces New Owner December 13, 2008
Posted by Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentRich Morris announced today the sale of his traffic exchange, Traffic Heroes, to Brett Phillips.
Rich has been plagued with some serious health issues and is to be commended for his excellent work in keeping Traffic Heroes a decent traffic exchange. He never stopped promoting his business and the golden age comic book theme continues to stands out in almost every crowd.
It will be interesting to see if Brett makes any significant changes to Traffic Heroes. As stated in an earlier post, this super hero themed exchange offers some of the most insane free credit bonuses ever from time to time and somehow manages to deliver every one of them. I hope Brett keeps the surf game intact.
Mr. Phillips is no stranger to the traffic exchange industry. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge. If he can make a concerted effort to really promote Traffic Heroes, then this may be a traffic exchange to watch.
I certainly wish Rich the very best and hope he keeps in touch with his traffic exchange friends and colleagues. And I wish Brett much success with his new business.
Mythology Surf October 14, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentI really love an eye catching design, and Mythology surf certainly grabs your attention right from the start. Just don’t stare into the eyes of “Zeus” or his female counterpart for too long. It’s downright creepy and just a bit mesmerizing.
Mythology surf has a number of ways in which it encourages activity, although it does cap daily surfing to 1500 page views per surfer. This is actually quite high for a surfing cap and makes me wonder why they’ve bothered with the limit at all. The top 20 surfers are awarded on a daily basis, and a quick look at the standings reveals that most are averaging around 500 views per day with only a handful coming anywhere near the cap.
In addition to the top surfers competition, there is a surfing game which requires members to collect “cards”, each depicting a different “God” from ancient Greek mythology. It compliments the theme well and does a fairly good job of encouraging regular surfing.
What’s surprising to me is the high percentage of unique hits being delivered here. The high traffic flow is expected with all of the competitive surfing going on, but stats are showing that there are quite a few surfers participating here, and for an exchange this young, that’s pretty impressive.
Results haven’t been much to write home about thus far, and I’m thinking it’s going to take some well targeted, exchange specific ads to really grab any attention here. Approach this one as you would any of the big “team surfing” exchanges, and you may just enjoy the traffic at Mythology surf.
Final Rating: 5 (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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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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Webmaster Quest September 22, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentOnce a “Must use” exchange, Webmaster Quest has lost it’s appeal to many a surfer, myself included. Activity has gone downhill and I can’t remember the last time I heard from the administration.
Now, many of today’s surfers would be quick to complain about the 30 second timer here. But with this being a 1:1 exchange, you’re going to earn about the same amount of credits, in the same amount of time, as you would surfing a 10 second, 3:1 exchange. The difference here is that only one member ad is being seen in that time, rather than 3. You can see how the traffic delivery might tend to be a bit slow here.
Of course if you don’t want to surf, you can try winning some credits by playing various games. There’s around 14 different games to choose from, but at least 3 of these games do not require you to view any member ads to play. So here we have credits being earned, without any hits being delivered in return. Hmmmm… do we need to define the term “exchange” for someone here?
There’s also the option to read email ads for credits. This is much like a credit based safelist, but rather than reading the emails from your own email inbox, they are displayed in a surfbar much like when you surf normally. but apparently this feature isn’t fully working on all browsers as I can’t see a timer (supposedly 15 seconds per ad) and I’m not getting any credits for viewing these emails.
So Webmaster Quest is a deep, multi-featured exchange, that doesn’t seem to have the administration to make it work effectively. A real shame as it was once one of the industry’s best.
Final Rating: 4 (out of possible 10)
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Mystical Maze
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentMystical Maze has been around since about 2004 and while performance as of late hasn’t been so great, this is exchange was once a good bet for your advertising efforts.
The first exchange to have a maze game in rotation, the surf game at mystical maze is looking a bit dated these days. Many exchanges have implemented a maze based surfing game in the years since MM’s launch, and many with much improved graphics and on screen instructions. I really thing the game here could use a face lift. The game is after all the central theme this exchange was built around. It only makes sense to make sure it continues to stand out as it did on launch day.
Oddly enough, while Mystical Maze does have a custom splash page maker for members to promote the site with, it’s only available for upgraded members. Seems like a bit of a wasted resource for attracting new members.
The remaining promo tools, much like the surf game, are crying out for an update. Most of the ads available are almost painful to look at, and could really use some improvement.
Perhaps all of these lead to the biggest current problem with Mystical Maze. A lack of new, active members coming through the doors. It’s what makes traffic exchanges work, and unfortunately, MM isn’t doing a very good job of it lately.
Final Rating: 2 (out of possible 10)
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Traffic Heroes September 15, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentTraffic Heroes, while rarely in the spotlight, has always done an above average job of delivering steady, consistent traffic. This super hero themed exchange offers some of the most insane free credit bonuses ever from time to time and somehow manages to deliver every one of them.
Owner Rich Morris, though plagued by a life threatening illness, never stops promoting his exchange. You’ll see his ads just about everywhere and the golden age comic book theme stands out in almost every crowd.
Probably the most popular feature at heroes is the “find the heroes” surf game. The game loads while surfing, and while other exchanges have a similar game, Rich is known for removing the “villains” and jacking up the bonuses on a fairly regular basis. This makes it impossible to lose, and very possible to find every single hero… if you’re willing to surf long enough to complete the game.
Unfortunately, the number of active surfers isn’t as high as it could be, so while traffic flow is good, if unique hits are your thing, you may be a bit disappointed in Traffic Heroes. It is however a great exchange for steady, repeat exposure.
So from one masked man to another… here’s hoping Mr. Morris’ health improves. I can only imagine how powerful this program could be if he were running at 100%.
Final Rating: 5 (out of possible 10)
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Traffic Wonderland
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentTraffic wonderland, for a relatively new exchange, is doing rather well so far. The team at TW had a pretty strong launch and it seemed like everyone was talking about them in the beginning. Although the hype has died down, TW seem to be plugging away and doing a fairly good job of delivering the hits.
Aside from a pretty snazzy design, Traffic Wonderland has one feature you don’t see everyday from an LJ script based exchange. It offers a Link cloaker/tracker for all members. While no substitute for a more robust paid tracker, this is a fairly useful tool and a nice touch.
Surfing is clean and quite smooth. A fast loading, if a bit plain, surfbar and no trouble with frame-breakers for the most part. The 2:1 ratio makes racking up a decent amount of credits quick and easy. The delivery rate was fairly good as well.
At this stage I have to say so far so good. Traffic Wonderland got off to a great start and shows a lot of potential. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye (and a clicking finger) on this one.
Final Rating: 5 (out of possible 10)
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Traffic At The Races August 31, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentI’ve always been attracted to innovation. Fresh ideas, improvements on old ideas, it’s evolution at work and part of what makes the human race so special. So in a time when “cookie cutter” traffic exchanges, which are essentially clones of each other with a few modified graphics, are prevalent, logging in to Steve Ayling’s Traffic at the Races is wonderfully refreshing.
While the focus is on the traffic, as well it should be, it’s the method in which you earn pageviews that makes this particular TE such a treat. Rather than earning views for each page surfed, after every 10 pages you view, the race screen loads and 5 horses race for the finish line. Each horse has a value in “race points”(credits) and the horse that wins determines how many points you get. You also earn race points for each race run by your downline, and Steve has included some great looking, and rather hilarious, splash pages to help you build your team.
With thousands of members already racing and Steve’s unique adverts bringing in more every day, It’s safe to say that pages rotated at this racetrack are getting some great exposure. Throw in bonus credits appearing rather frequently, and more bonus credits on the surf verification page, and you’ll see the traffic coming in droves before you know it.
If you’re a fan of e-mail marketing, you’ll be delighted to see that free members can e-mail their downline once every 14 days, and upgraded members can do so every 7 days.
Steve seems to really be on to something with this method of earning credits. With credits being earned in this manner, you find yourself looking up from the surf buttons more often, and that’s what it’s all about isn’t it. Eyes on the ads. Bottom line, Traffic at the Races is a powerful, yet simple system that is only going to increase in value as it’s membership continues to grow. Keep your eye on this one.
My Rating: 7 (out of a possible 10)
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