Blue-Surf December 7, 2008
Posted by Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentIt’s very rare these days to see a custom-built traffic exchange, but that’s exactly what programmer Scott Martin did - he built Blue-Surf from scratch.
The fact that Blue-Surf is a custom-built exchange does not, in and of itself, make it a successful business. But it does say a lot about the commitment and pride of the owner. And in today’s world of cookie-cutter traffic exchanges popping up almost every week, it’s a refreshing change to see someone being unique and original.
Since the launch of Blue-Surf, Scott has continually added new features to his exchange. For example, take his “Average Surf” promotion. To promote consistent surfing - and to reward the “average” surfer - if you surf more pages than the average pages surfed the prior day, then you will get a 15 credit bonus at the end of the day. Scott displays this “Average Surf” number in the members’ area.
Scott has also introduced some cool graphics. In the “Assign Credits” area there is a graph showing hits earned and hits delivered. A neat way to visually see your surfing efforts and the use of your credits.
Best of all, I really like how easy it is to navigate between members’ pages once logged in. Scott uses a very clean, eye-pleasing design to make it easy to find your way around the members’ area.
But at the end of the day, surfing traffic exchanges is about results. Blue-Surf is no different. Unfortunately, my surfing results are average. My results with text links tends to go in cycles – for awhile, the results are great, at other times terrible.
So what’s the bottom line for Blue-Surf? An average performing exchange bolstered by a very attentive and smart owner who is committed to growing his business. And that is a good sign for traffic exchange users.
Final Rating: 6 (out of possible 10)
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eTraffic Freedom December 5, 2008
Posted by Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentI’m not generally a big fan for design makeovers if the original design was professional in appearance. But John Marks, owner of eTraffic Freedom, has significantly improved his free manual traffic exchange by doing just that. Mind you it’s been awhile since the change was made, but the results don’t lie and continue to be good.
Based on the popular LJ script, John has introduced a few unique features like bonus banner and text impressions for surfing 100 pages or more in a single day, and a site rotator. John also provides his members with a very comprehensive library of promotional material to promote eTraffic Freedom, something not all owners provide.
Having tracked my results over an extensive period of time, the surfing results for this traffic exchange is average. But the real value lies in the text links. I experience exceptional results with eTraffic Freedom’s text links.
John now provides daily email updates to his members. For some this may be a turn-off, but John keeps his emails short and to-the-point and keeps everyone informed. For someone who says he never knows what to write, he’s doing a very good job!
Liked and respected by fellow owners, Mr. Marks is quickly becoming a solid player in the traffic exchange industry. eTraffic Freedom continues to grow at a steady pace and appears to be settling in for the long haul. Keep up the good work, John!
Final Rating: 6 (out of possible 10)
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Traffic Witch December 2, 2008
Posted by Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentO/K, here we go again – another traffic exchange launch. So when Traffic Witch launched with much fanfare on November 26, 2008, I did a bit of a yawn. Until I looked at it a bit deeper…
The owner is Guido Nussbaum. So what you ask? Well, he’s one of the biggest names in the JV giveaway market, a market not generally associated with traffic exchanges. Why is this important? Because he has access to a large number of Internet marketers who do not yet use traffic exchanges. So that means a lot of new and fresh eyeballs looking at your splash pages. Finally – an owner who understands the importance of bringing in a lot of new members to make your advertising efforts really pay off. And if that’s not enough…
Jon Olson and Robert Puddy personally helped Guido build Traffic Witch. Now that’s a solid team!
Traffic Witch runs on the standard LJ script, so surfers will be comfortable with its design. Features include a 10 second timer, dynamic surfing ratios (meaning the more you surf, the more traffic you will receive), a rating feature (you can rate other surfers’ splash pages) and fantastic commission rates – up to 75% commissions on member upgrades.
Although it’s a bit early to judge results from this new exchange, members have been reporting fantastic results with their banners and text links. But the surfing results I’ve received so far have been very good, an excellent, early indication of the worthiness of this new exchange.
So…will Traffic Witch stand the test of time? I think so. With over 1,000 people joining in the first 8 hours alone, and with solid backing from Jon Olson and Robert Puddy, this exchange should be able to continue to bring in new members on a consistent basis over the long run. And that, my friends, should translate into surfing results for you.
Final Rating: 7 (out of possible 10)
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Visit Maniac October 16, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentDo you have to be crazy to advertise at Visit Maniac? Well, there’s been a number of cosmetic changes going on lately, as well as a significant increase in promotion so I’ve decided to put this new and possibly improved traffic exchange to the test.
For starters, the new design while a bit on the dark side, is a vast improvement over the previous one. It fits the theme and serves up a professional image. An audio message on the front page adds to the presentation nicely. But can Visit Maniac really “drive thousands of maniac buyers to your websites” as the front page headline states?
Currently, hits are being delivered quite well actually. Stats show a decent amount of daily hits being delivered with just under half being unique. Shouldn’t be too hard to get repeat exposure here, and there does seem to be a notable number of active surfers here.
Could be that the recent advertising push from the admin, combines with the fact that Visit Maniac offers 45% commissions for ALL members has led to an increase in new members coming in the door. One things for certain, the numbers have been on the rise over the past couple of months.
Nothing really worth mentioning in the way of features here. Nothing you haven’t seen anywhere else, and most will seem extremely familiar. The members area page does have a nice set of step by step instructions for new members though. Something I’d like to see more of around the TE world.
In the end, Visit Maniac does seem to be on the rise, though I’m not really seeing much in the way of results just yet. If the owner can keep up his recent burst of momentum, and maybe dream up some useful, unique features, we may be hearing a lot more from this one down the road.
Final Rating: 4 (out of possible 10)
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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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Traffic Goldrush October 10, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentY’know, there have been a lot of traffic exchanges launched this year, each with their own brand blend of hype and incentives to join early. But non have been so masterfully crafted as the launch of Paul Conway’s Traffic Goldrush.
Launch Managers Paul Kinder and Steve Ayling have managed to put Traffic Goldrush on the map in a matter of days with over 3000 members signing up in just over 1 weeks time. For a site that came out of nowhere this is downright staggering, and the resulting activity within the site has proven profitable for many members already.
I initially thought something was wrong with my tracking when I first checked my results at goldrush. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a new exchange this responsive. It’s already out performing many exchanges with twice it’s membership.
So what’s making this place so effective?
Well, aside from the huge rush of new members, I think surfers are hooked on the “Gold-Rush” feature. Periodically while surfing, you’ll see a message in the surfbar stating that the “Gold Rush is on” which means an increased surf ratio for the duration of the rush. It appears in bursts, and fairly often so it’s really hard to pull yourself away from the surfbar in anticipation of the next gold rush. The impact this has had on credit delivery is amazing and results are equally jaw dropping.
Will Traffic Gold Rush stand the test of time? My money says yes. With a team like this one I don’t expect anything less than the best. I’m willing to stake my reputation on it as I’m giving this one the highest rating I’ve ever given an exchange this young. When all is said and done, the ratings are based on results. Paul, Paul, and Steve have really struck gold with this one. Sorry about the pun… I just had to. 
Final Rating: 8 (out of possible 10)
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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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