Do we need a TE alliance?
An age old debate surfaced yesterday. A group of traffic exchange owners have started a TE Alliance and you may have read about it in yesterday’s Hit Exchange News or at one of the forums.
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I was surprised, and to be honest slightly pissed, to see Dragon Surf on the list of member exchanges. I had not asked to be included and I have not been a part in deciding what this alliance should or should not represent, include etc. No worries, I was removed when I asked for it and I’m not saying I would never join it, just that I want to make my own decision based on what I think is best for Dragon Surf and traffic exchanges as a whole.
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In any event the new TE alliance looks more like a portal/training page for TE users than an actual industry alliance. Not a bad thing in itself but they would have to weed out some of the dead wood exchanges from the list before I want to put my name on it.
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We have been trying to form an industry alliance for years but all attempts have failed before we even got done discussing it. Simply because owners have never been able to agree on standards, who to include, why we need it and for what etc.
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In my personal opinion an industry alliance is pretty useless if we don’t set some rigid standards for inclusion and for what member exchanges have to follow. But even if we do that it might be useless anyway. Does it matter if the top 20-30 exchanges enter an alliance when there are thousands of small “uncontrolled” exchanges out there, and when everybody can grab a TE script for as little as $5 and put it online?
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I have made this suggestion before and I mentioned it again at the SWAT conference yesterday… What I would like to see is some of the top exchanges (including the big boys) enter an advertising coop. We would pay a rather high monthly or yearly fee and that money would be used to buy advertising. We could use PPC, direct mail, offline advertising etc. and send people to a portal page that would educate about traffic exchange use and funnel new members into the participating exchanges.
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I think that would be an excellent way to increase the reach and popularity of traffic exchanges and it’s probably also the closest we will ever get to agreeing on a “TE alliance”. The membership fee in the coop would make for a good “natural selection” and of course there would be some minimum standards that participating exchanges would have to live up to.
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But what do you think. As a traffic exchange user, do you even care about this debate? Would a traffic exchange alliance make any difference in what exchanges you use? What do you think about the ad coop idea? I would very much like to hear the surfer’s opinion. Please leave a comment so this doesn’t just turn into an owners debate again.
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Bonus: I have a little bribe for you. When I get 10 comments to this post I will double the bonus credits at Dragon Surf for the rest of the weekend (ends Monday morning). If I get 20 comments I will also increase the surf ratios. Make me and your fellow surfers happy by posting a comment 
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Thanks,
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Soren Jordansen
www.DragonSurf.biz
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P.S. Did you grab your free copy of the SEO Secrets yet? David is posting a new SEO video every day until the official launch on Nov. 20th. You can watch the videos and grab the report for free here.
Soren,
I like your idea about the portal. My only question is, would it funnel the prospects through rotators so that upgraded members would get new downline members? To me that would be a great deal.
I like the concept of Traffic Exchange and credit many of my opt-in list to the pages I have on the TE’s.
Just my 2 cents,
Charles
“StayHomeDad”
yes we do
sounds good, The more exposure the better. Competition and service prevail,Even the small exchanges will carry your referral link increasing exposure sort of like a newspaper in every town would. As you coop togother the even more exposure for your exchanage bringing even more exposure to your members a win win sitiuation
Thanks for the comments so far..
Yes Charles, with my ad coop portal the participating exchanges would use their main link. So if they offer random referrals like Dragon Surf, the upgraded members would benefit.
- Soren
I think if Dragon surf is suppose to be apart of an alliance. it should be for profit sharing. If its for popularity reasons its just a waste of time, just to see your name on a list. If the The alliance is for everyone surfers and programmers is suppose to be apart of an alliance it would be collbration of ideas to make things better, tweek, or grow as a hole group as one. If Dragon surf is suppose to be apart of an alliance it should benifit everyone and owners in some type of profit, growth, and ideas.
I think that one one side the idea of an alliance would be a good thing to regulate the way that traffic exchanges are run and give the users some reassurance of ‘fair play’ I have been known to join an exchange, rack up a couple of thousand credits and still find that my sites are being shown at the rate of about 2 a week. there has to be something wrong with that!
On the other hand I think that all most users are really concerned about is that they can earn as many credits as possible, that their sites are being shown and that they are not being attacked by various trojans etc in the process.
Although the market leaders such as dragonsurf are great, there is also a lot to be said for some of the smaller exchanges where you may find a different audience. The concept of an alliance, especially as you suggest with the big boys entering an advertising co-op would surely threaten the little guys who cant afford it, and make it very difficult for newcomers to enter the game.
An alliance certainly should not be entered into in the way you have described without full and proper discussion between anyone involved in running a traffic exchange business.
I think if at this portal their was an education factor involved that would be great! But what kind of an education factor?
Well first point that needs to be taught is joining and doing nuttin gets you nuttin. Not some hype about ten minutes a week.
Second factor should be on protecting your computer. The factor that I personally decide on which surf program to use is: How fast does admin remove sites after reporting them. If not within 24 hrs on move to the next program.
Third factor should be on How to build a downline FIRST! And why it is important to do so.
If at least these factors where taught to potential users we all would have a better success rate. Their are far to many members joining and doing nuttin then claiming that manual traffic exchange programs do not work. Also admin claiming as members. If the only knew the return on small investment of cash and time. I am sure that there would be a large active growth in the industry as a whole.
I think it would help get the word out about TE’s.
The off line ads would be the key because that would introduce aspiring entrepreneurs to the world of online network marketing.
The question as I see it is “would it benefit users?” This is what
traffic exchanges are supposed to do. If owners are going to
be spending a lot of time wrangling, then we, the users, lose.
Too many egos, too many details.
I chose my exchanges by researching them. An “alliance”
won’t change that.
I don’t see the point of an exchange alliance. I don’t care whether a TE I am in becomes a member or not. The better TE’s are already doing similar efforts and I don’t see any shortage of TE members or potential members. All I see is potential problems, disagreements, and more of a drag on the TE genre than an aid.
The advertising coop idea I think would be excellent. TrafficTesters does something similar and it’s a very good advertising investment that really shows the volume buying power. If the big boys of the TE industry did this, I’d definitely want in on the co-op.
Thanks for asking for input before making the leap!
Your observations are stunning. With a $5 script anyone can put up a TE but will it do anything for me? That’s why I look at the Traffic Hoopla list to see who is on top of the heap and those are the exchanges I surf when I want traffic to REALLY come to my websites. I have regular sites that I am a longtime member of and some of those are not on (or even close to the top of) the Traffic Hoopla list… but I surf them anyway because I like the way they work… and they’re CLEAN sites, in that they don’t break out of frames or hijack my browser window and ruin my surf session.
When a group of “like minded” TE owners commit to only promoting websites that don’t break frames and don’t start out playing audio, I might look at joining. Actually, I would prefer surfing all splash pages and if the page owner is creative enough, I will go look at their website, watch their video, listen to their audio on my own time after my surf session is over. So, you see, we’re all likely looking for something a little different.
Just keep on doing what you’re doing… you’re doing a GREAT job!
Dave
Alliances do work, but on a very little basis. You get rotated hits on some ,but they are very sparse. Savvy Clicks uses this principal to encourge up grades. I tryed it for a month and was unable to determine how many hits I was recieveing at the other 40 plus sites my url was rotating at. In essence the owner could not tell me, and claims he had no control over this. So in my opioion it is Not neccessary unless there is a viable way to insure equal success at all exchanges participating.
There is no benefits to users. Period.
It is also a two-edged sword. I hear people wanting
to restrict the list to “their” favorites. Why? There are
some biggie exchanges that I can’t use or stand. There
are some small ones that I get great results from.
But people want to label these as junk. So, it would
stunt the growth of the TE industry. I cannot even
name all new exchanges launched in the last month
or so. It seems this TEA would just morph into
another “top” list. And IMHO, we do not need any more!
The way it may work is if exchanges that agreed to
certain principles were allowed to be listed. But then,
again, what is the benefit? Anyone reading this and
using TEs knows what works for them and what does
not. It would only be a starting guide. But, would
again stunt the growth if it did not make room for most
of them.
Case in point is dragonsurf. You honestly list about
5,000 ‘active’ members. Holy cow! I get fantastic
results here! Much better than many on other top ten
lists. And that, I am afraid, would be its(TEA) ultimate end.
Just another top list.
Thanks for the input so far… The bonus credits have now been doubled at Dragon Surf - for the rest of the weekend, woohoo
Af few comments…
Wendy: I don’t think it’s my job to make it easy for new exchanges. I think it’s my job to make Dragon Surf as good as I can. I think my proposed coop would benefit Dragon Surf members and the industry as a whole.
Debbie: I agree with you comment on activity, but I strongly disagree with your comments on downlines. This will get me on my soap box but… build a list FIRST and then send people to traffic exchanges if you want to. See TE downlines as a nice bonus but not as a necessity in your marketing.
Dave: I agree with some of what you are saying. For an alliance or a coop there would need to be some minimum standards.
Race is on… when we hit 20 comments I will also raise the surf ratio for the rest of the weekend.
Good article, Soren.
As a traffic exchange owner, I would be very interested in participating in a wellorganized alliance or co-op that would have sensible standards and help us all work towards more acceptance.
Some benefits I can see would include:
1. The ability to attract larger advertisers who are used to paying way too much for Google Adwords
2. The ability to let customers purchase packages across multiple traffic exchanges.
3. Increased visibility of traffic exchanges as good sources of traffic.
When the right one is set up, I will definitely join. And I agree about having an annual membership fee to show the seriousness of the owners and to provide a budget for co-op advertising and marketing work.
Keep up the great articles!
Garland Coulson, Founder
Free Traffic Bar
Would you rather have advertising on a billboard on the major highway through your major city or an ad on a billboard in your local residential area. Well, it is the same in traffic exchanges. If one has limited amount of time [1 - 11/2 hours per day] to surf each day, a surfer is much better off using their limited time on exchanges that have a proven record of providing quality traffic and not on the very small under performing exchanges. That is what ought to be taught by any alliance and by any traffic exchange owner interested in their customers.
We have to stop supporting under performing traffic exchanges….stop today!
Larger, better performing traffic exchange owners need to be public in their support for better performing exchanges and stop worrying whether or not they will hurt someone’s feelings. Traffic exchanges are a business and not some place one goes for therapy. If an exchange is not good, say it! If it takes an alliance to do that, just do it.
I agree traffic exchanges need to bring in new members from other sources then traffic exchanges. Again, if the price makes it difficult for some to take part, stop worrying about, JUST DO IT! This is a business.
We need to know:
1.What is the motivation for the TEs to seek a selective alliance?
2.Judging from what happened to you, may be there is no central agency to address the common issues of TEs.
3. What benefits are there for the users from the alliance?
As a user I will feel less comfortable because of lack of harmony among the TEs
Well, this is probably not as an astute answer as my gifted friends above.
But, my on-line career began with the QUALITY products offered by Soren , Garland Coulson,and others. The Traffic Exchange has been maligned in the wake of the Auto-Surf Shake-up…
But regardless your alignment Soren and Garland and other QUALITY minded owners, rest assured that Beginners Marketing Class will be emphasizing the importance of the PROPER use of QUALITY. Exchanges for beginners and Pros to grow their lists and ultimately their Incomes.
Hi Soren,
My apologies to you on having a quality exchange such as your added to a list of possible cooperative owners that would make a difference in the TE community.
I applaud you for furthering this discussion by bringing it to your blog and I thank your members for their suggestions and comments, they give myself and the other Co-Founders of the Traffic Exchange Alliance the direction and dialogue that we need to improve the program for the enhancement of the TE Community.
Once again thanks and keep up the great work,
Mark
I use TE’s because they are generally Free. I have NO budget for advertising. I tried paying for exposure in years past, only to realize I got NO sing-ups. Now am clicking my but off. Again only to see the my sites were shown 25,000 times and only 5-7 clicks on them. That is really poor results for all the time put into it to accumulate those credit. So, I’m not sure what will work. I don’t lile 30sec. timers and then again 6-10 sec. timer is too little. The surfer doesn’t have time to look at the ads and make a decision.
Thank you for asking for our thoughts before you make any changes.
I don’t know einough about an alliance to really vote one way or another, we can always learn something new every day.
I hope it isn’t another forum as I end up not getting any clicking done so I keep clear of them.
As for T.E.s I have joined some that have been arround for years, I also join the new ones on the block, they need to be given a chance to grow too.
Sue (ourstore)
I have my favorite TEs, and use them often. Training would be nice, but I get that with the ones I choose to surf. Having standards in a co-op would be good. but then again, I wouldn’t have time to surf them all. So, I personally would just surf the ones I’m comfortable with and skip the ones that have 30 second timers. I don’t need to read every word to decide if I want more info, or to just move on. The TEs might want some standards, but as a surfer, I’ll still pick and choose where I want to surf.
Hmm. Writing solely as a user, in no way involved in management or ownership of TEs, I can see some benefits in the Co-op you describe. However, when it comes to setting up groups that set “standards” for an industry I have to say I’m dubious. Fifteen years ago in my own professional field I was one of the pioneers (nothing to do with IM), then a bunch of self-important individuals got together to set standards and even to develop qualifications (with, of course, a membership fee). I was not impressed, chose to go my own way, still have a good reputation, and have not changed my mind about cabals.
In this field of Traffic Exchanges what I look for as a customer is pretty straightforward - performance, the ability to deliver hits at the rate I want, when I want them, ideally also where in the world I want them, and with somewhere between 65% and 80% unique. I also want to see a steady flow of new exchanges which are free to innovate, not strangled by standards leading to ossification. One extremely negative development, for example, would be to have a club of major exchanges refusing to accept advertising from new imaginative exchanges that fell foul of their “standards”.
If standards are appropriate at all they should be at the most basic essential level, carefully designed so as not to create a barrier to entry for new people coming in. In particular I look for honesty. I haven’t looked yet at the list of exchanges mentioned, but it will be very interesting to discover whether it includes either of the two that don’t answer my tickets and emails about money taken but no service provided.
Sorry to appear rather doubtful but an open collaborative group is one thing whilst an anti-competitive cabal is entirely another. If this is going ahead, then make sure it’s the former, not the latter. It’s in everyone’s long-term interest.
With regards,
Get on that traffic exchange buddy, you got to market yourself! No pop ups though cuz they screw with some puters depending on there ISPs and there interfaces, or just might be dial up, things to consider. Enjoy your week guys.
Hi,
This is my first post to this blog, thanks for the invitation to air the user opinion. 1. I love Dragon Surf -Dragons are cool
2. Coops usually only benefit the groups allied, so yes, I do believe that a certain standardization must come into play, otherwise, why bother. 3. What difference would an alliance have for users? This is more of a question than the first two, but valid I think - already each TE has different downline builders, but usually not the same ones, and each offers specials and deals even down to the freebie level. Anything that improves quality is a plus, anything that slows down progress is a minus. Anyway, that’s just my 2-cents worth.
Hi Soren, I think your idea is the best sofar. From what I have read no one else seems to really get the picture. What is the long run benefits going to be for anyone. What are the surfers going to get out of this alliance? That issue needs to also be looked at.
Hello all,
A well deserved apology!
I as a TE user, have a list of approximately 70 exchanges but I would have to say I only frequent the ones that have proven successful for me, and don’t cause difficulties etc.
I am intrigued by the concept of a co-op though, and have come to believe that splash pages are the only way to go also.
I can’t believe that it is possible to run a quality TE if all you have to invest is $5…now I know why I have so many that I don’t use.
TE are a very important business and their owners deserve respect for the service they provide. I believe that respect is a two way street and the owner’s that give the customers (surfers) that receive it back. It just good business.
Keep it up,
Nancy
In my experience TE provide more entertainment and research data than exposure or worthwhile traffic. The TE ‘community’ has the minority group making money off the majority offering the hope for a few good leads every month. The reason for hundreds of little new TE every week IS the near zero cost to get started and set up. The owner has little exposure and a huge upside. Customer service can be nearly automated and because most people are happy with ALL THE HITS they are getting the fact that 1 out of 100 actually saw their site only sinks in much later in their online development. TE is a useful component to online advertising but is not worth paying for. If everyone believed that as I do there would be no TE. People buy lotto tickets for a chance to win and the likelihood of winning the lotto is practically the same whether you buy a ticket or not. TE is close to the same when it comes to generating sales and good leads. Why anyone pays for it amazes me… I do enjoy the entertainment.
Great… we hit the 20 comments and I have raised the surf rate. It will stay up (+ the double bonus) until Monday morning.
A few more comments:
Garland: thanks man, I’ll keep you in mind.
Tony: I couldn’t agree more.
Mark: No appology needed, I asked to be removed and I was. I’m not saying that the TE Alliance is a bad thing, just that I’m not sure about the current setup and ideas - hence this debate.
David: I tend to agree with you and that is why I suggest an ad coop with some minimum standards, instead of a full industry alliance.
I would like it if the alliance would share pages between their sites. I belong to an exchange that pulls pages from a common TE membership site. It is a good way to increase visibility but because multiple exchanges pull your page, your credits are used up faster. This encourages members to upgrade to have more credits and becomes a win-win situation for both the user and owner
YES!!!
I think its Very Importend! But i think its also that importend that all TE´s have the same Terms and Conditions!
Please do it!!
with kind Regards
otto
To admin,
The list building strategy is a fine if you have the budget and knowledge of building a list. Another point is in order to build your list you need traffic to your list building site. Am I wrong?
Well with building a downline with traffic exchange programs no knowledge or budget is needed. The TE programs provide everything for you to gain the downline for traffic.
TE programs are a begginners paradise for website traffic.
The only knowledge needed is: In order to gain profit you must do something.
Yes Debbie website traffic is important but people often make the mistake of worrying about traffic before they have their “sales funnel” in place. Here is what I suggest…
Get a lead capture/squeeze page that offer people a quality free gift for joining your “TE tips” newsletter series.
Then have an auto responder series that presents, reviews and recommends you favorite TEs and TE tools.
This way you will both be building a list and building residual traffic you can funnel back to your squeeze pages for more growth.
There is nothing wrong with building TE downlines but it should be done on the backend, after you have gotten people into your funnel.
This does not only apply to TEs. A lot of marketers make the mistake of worrying about traffic before they have system that can convert the traffic.
I love the idea of any alliance where like minded users and owners can better the industry. but I do agree, this needs to be about ‘bettering the industry’ as a whole and not so much a training portal. We have training, we have weekly meetings, ebooks, heck I even wrote a book about traffic exchanges that you can buy on Amazon.
The point being, when like minded owners step up to bat, everyone benefits from the trickle down effect. I have argued that we need every owner on board and this means the guys and gals you usually do not see in forum or in emails, such as Logiscape and the guys from Traffic Swarm. It’s like not having McDonalds on the International Hotel and Restaurant Association. You need the input from the big boys. It’s not meant to hurt the smaller exchanges because Dragon Surf a year ago was a ’small exchange’, now it’s a major player. So this has nothing to do with not being fair, etc, etc…
Soren, you know where I stand man. Anytime you want to put the wheels in motion, I’m good to go.
Well, if the alliance is for bettering the TE world, I am for it. But, it seems that mergers (if that is what it is?) are turning out just to be a “power-share”…look at Exxon/Mobil—they suck—undoubtedly!
Wouldn’t want the idea that TE execs do too! Right? To be blunt, I think this is a matter that the owners have to deal with….involving customers…I donno?
Agree that this for the owners, but it can’t hurt to ask the users for opinions, and. most TE owners are also users
And it’s always great to get some feedback, ideas and critique… so keep em coming guys and gals.
Hi,
Well where to begin ………….
Yes it could be a good thing, if a few rules and regulation’s are set out at the start.
Standing together, being united, all going through the same motions, same rules same payment plans………etc.
BUT what about the surfer, it is alright for TE’s to start up and build their downline, but what about us…..we are all after the same thing here………to make money and if a joining together in an alliances will help to achieve that then all well and good………..but if it means that the big boys get bigger(maybe a diet is in order).
Some one needs to take a step back, assess what is needed for the newbies, because they are our future!!! They are our downlines……
Hi
Thanks for this opportunity.
I can see both sides of the coin. In a way a co-op would be good if and only if firstly it would truly help the users in their advertising efforts, and also if when setting it up, it is not full of self important people who have the contacts or the money to be in. It could be good in weeding out the dishonest TE’s, but would need to be fair in it’s appraisal and appeal methods.
I own an up and coming TE and in time would hope that it rivals some of the “big guys”. I pride myself in my integrity and generosity (I also hate trying to big note myself, sorry). If the co-op follows the same model as big business, it could mean that us small & honest TE’s will not even get a chance because we could be future competition.
Having said that, I don’t believe that you would be a part of the big business thing. You have already shown that by allowing us this voice. Dragonsurf is one of my main TE’s that I use and will continue to be so.
Thanks
Mike
Soren: After reviewing the posts, I was left with the feeling that I don’t know how an alliance operates. So, being curios, I looked it up.
In layman’s language, An alliance is the merging of like-minded individuals whose efforts are for the betterment of the whole. I am a surfing newbie who counts on said surfing to pay for my advertising. Taking into account the many T.E’s I surf daily, the sites could do with a little spicing up. If this group of owners, decides to join together, and standardize their sites, the little guy will once again be pushed aside by folks that can surf longer, faster, and sadly better than I.
Why mess with perfection?
I agree with Debbie Anderson on her teaching aspects. I have been doing different TE’s for some time now but there is still quite a bit I don’t know about but would love to learn. I still consider yself a newbie because there just isn’t alot of explaining going on. Example I havn’t got a clue as to how to build a downline, so I been penny ante here & there working my buns off but getting nowhere. Instead of arguing about it they need to sit down and think outside the box. Most people do TE’s to try a make an extra buck cause we all know working in the real world doesn’t always make the cut. So think aout who is gonna make money for the big boys and for themselves without clicking all day and only make a few credits and a few pennies here & there.
Based on a few of the comments here I think I need to clarify this…
When I talk about a coop I’m not talking about an advertising coop like TE-Blaster or Doctor Traffic. I’m talking about a advertising coop for TE owners that want to attract more members to their exchanges.
But of course TE users would benefit from that, with more new people coming in to see your sites. People and markets we might not have been able to reach if we worked on our own.
I have no objection to an alliance as long as it is of mutual benefit to the TE industry/market, the TE owners and the TE customers. There should be minimum standards of behavior, service and quality set down before an owner could join such am alliance. There should also be regular audits of the members of the alliance to ensure that standards are maintained.
It will in the end be the consumers who will decide whether or not what is offered by the alliance members is enough to get them to join an alliance member’s or alliance members’ exchanges in favor of the poorer quality TEs in the industry.
What I would not like to happen is that an alliance becomes a cartel, which tries to prevent new TE owners from entering the TE market.
Regards,
Jeff Henshaw.
I tend to agree wih Allan P Small, I would be worried that T.E’s would get that large that the small guys may lose out and the quality of traffic may just dissappear, could be wrong of course, but many a large company has gone under by losing touch.
Soren, I agree with Camille. Why mess with perfection.
I belong to many T,E’s mostly because I was referred by a friend.
I stay according to how I am treated and how well my pages are seen. If I see my pages are only being seen a few times a week even though I have credits, then I’m outta there. Why waste my time!
Thanks,
Kathleen
Hi Soren,
I think that it would be a mistake to join in on something that put you on a list to link you to a loser of an idea like that without even talking to you first. If I were you I’d stay away from people like that. You don’t know what other site you might end up on without your permission or knowledge.
The idea is an old one that has been hashed over already and I think that with so many TE’s out there that there is no way to keep track of the ones that will try to cheat the system that the alliance would put in place. Someone above put it nicely i think “To many egos in one place to get along” or something like that.
I am not sure I would support an alliance other than one for the owners for advertising. But if a group of owners decide to police the sites within the alliance, who is to judge what another site is doing? It sounds like a very small and new TE might suffer.
Hey Soren, great debate, lots of interesting feedback.
I know we have discussed this often enough so you know my views, but I just wish to focus on the Ad Co-op for owners to put a stake in the ground publicly.
I will strongly support any advertising co-op that increases the flow of new users into quality exchanges.
The poorer under-performing exchanges won’t be directly involved purely because their lack of service doesn’t generate any income to enable the investment.
That can only benefit regular traffic exchange members because new members will find quality exchanges that actually work, and therefore carry on promoting. That enlarges the overall market for all of us.
This will also benefit smaller exchanges with hard-working quality owners because they will continue to use our services to attract surfers into their exchanges. Everybody who puts in effort wins.
I’m not remotely interested in trying to set industry standards and impose rules on other exchanges. I believe the cream will always rise to the top and imposing something artificial helps to stifle creativity and the development of traffic exchanges as a whole.
I am determined a co-op will happen and whether you, me or somebody else drives it is totally irrelevant, but if it isn’t place by early 2008 then I will step up to the plate and get things going.
I like TE’s just as they are… there are great TE’s, good TE’s and bad TE’s.
That’s it
A TE Alliance?
Just another folly as far as I am concerned. Another excuse for conference where TE owners can get drunk and swap stories.
It isn’t going to attract the greatest percentage of TE owners though - each with their own thoughts and opinions on how to attract the clients and the advertisers.
It isn’t going to sway the direction the industry is taking - this is the Internet….it goes in all directions - vaguely controlled by thousands of independent thinking individuals.
It IS going to create an ‘Elite’ - but whether this Elite has anything better to show or to say than the rest will be open to debate ad infinitum.
Do we need another ‘Elite’ - I don’t. I still shop around to see who is offering the right deal to the right number of clients.
Advertising is simply that - it’s advertising. No amount of new ‘Standards’ is going to improve what is being offered in the ads.
‘Bums on seats’ - that’s what counts.
……and of course a communicative, intelligent, broad minded, humourous individual to run the TE.
OK - how was that? Worth that big cheque you sent me to write this?
Exactly Paul… You just summed up what I was trying to say.
We need that ad coop and the nature of that beast will be the only rules and regulations we need.
Jon Olson and Garland Coulson already said they want to be in it if I get the ball rolling… so let’s get something done.
I am speaking from a surfer’s point of view and an owner’s. (Of course I was a surfer long before I became an owner.) I agree with what you said about a traffic exchange coop. If it’s just a list of exchanges that agree to a certain standard, that I don’t think it will benefit anyone. From my experience and the previous replies, it seems as though we choose our exchanges based upon our own criteria and experiences. If we like an exchange, we remain active there and if we don’t, we try new ones (or new to us ones). The things I look for in an exchange (and try to provide on my exchange) is good customer service, ease of use, free from viruses and other junk, and the look of the site. Then I track my results. (Everyone’s results are probably different with each exchange (it depends on your adds and what you are advertising). Then you remain active in the exchanges where you get results.
I like the idea of an advertising co-op because that could benefit everyone. I know one exchange owner tried to start that once before, but changed his mind based on lack of interest. Paying for advertising outside of the exchanges can be very expensive and even the owner’s of large exchanges can’t afford most outside advertising. If exchanges could attract new members from outside the traffic exchange industry, it would help the membership grow and give everyone (members and owners) a new audience for their adds.
Sounds like a good idea on paper, But the owners must agree without fighting, So it could work short time, But i don’t think it could last.
If you can increase the quality or get rid of some of the lower quality exchanges I think it would be a great idea. At the least you could establish some standards and the ones who do not conform find a way to outlaw them.
Hello, I was filling in a ready-made list of places I am a member of. Honestly I was suprised to see Dragon Surf on the list. I placed my referral numbers on the list I hope you are not upset. It was on Soaring 4 Traffic.com I need places like that, I am truely not getting anywhere with making any money etc. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Hi,
I agree and there are a lot of good points here. I have just recently began traffic surfing to promote my business and would love to see a reputable list of TE sites that are reliable and trustworthy. It can be overwhelming to know which sites are good and which ones are not. I have signed on with quite a few and are then getting rid of ones that aren’t helping and will upgrade at the ones that I am truly seeing results from.
Hi Soren,
There’s so much crap out there it’s hard to know what to believe anymore! maybe a new alliance would be good if it shows everyone it is legit. if you’re traffic exchange owner , you would be doing a great service exposing the impostures out there!
I am not a marketer, but musician, i just try to get my own business started. I use TE and have got some referrals through them, but not hudreds or thousands like some of you. So i cannot give a real comment about.
Anyway, regards from Germany,
Peter
I happen to know Ken Athas on a personal level and can vouch for his intergrity and intent.
We all begin at START … and that is where TEA is at the moment.
Too many business ‘owners’ in their quest for money forget the ‘consumer’ who is the source.
Traffic Exchange Alliance provides the forum for both owners and consumers to come together for healthy exchange by debate; for ideas on improving the industry as a whole. It will be transparent.
It is only from this kind of exchanges that growth can take place.
Knowledge is never wasted … and TEA is seeking just that; to improve the industry for both the owners and consumers alike.
Sounds like a popularity contest to me, and an attemp to close the market to any potential new comers.
While the concern for quality is valid, how could any new site possibly compete or demonstrate competency to the standards set by the Alliance.
If transparency and credability is an issue, then why not have TE standards aimed wholey and soley at providing information to the customer that will allow them to make an informed decision regarding membership. For example some SOP guidelines could be;
home page must list site commencement date
site SE rankings
membership number
traffic delivered in past month
# of active members….things along those lines.
If a company provides all this information maybe they can then display a ’standards’ logo ….
The two things I look for in a TE is security and results, I don’t care if the site is a member of a big boys club or not.
I’m still a bit of a newbie so I guess I haven’t formed an opinion yet. Thanks for keeping us informed though, I like learning
Thanks for the information. It’s good to keep abreast and what better way than the info highway. I am putting together a new site and been very busy lately. I’m going to try to have it prepared and up and running by the 30th of this month, if not sooner. It all depends how things go.
But about the alliance, we need to be asked and made aware before just inputting someone’s view without asking. It may be a good thing, but at the same time get their input before leaping to a conclusion.
By the way, my new site will be STRESS: “Save Time Resolutions w/Enough Simple Solutions.”
And I will still have “Marketing News” on my site. It’s going to be up to date info and opportunities to affiliate and advertise. A true affiliate marketing site and I will need help to get this off the ground and reach the millions on the Internet Highway. Thanks again Dragon Surf and keep up the great work.
Soren,
I am fairly new to internet marketing but I have owned my own businesses in the “brick and mortar world” for many years as a doctor of chiropractic. I know what works and what doesn’t. A huge key in any business venture is integrity. If the other owners have your level of integrity, count me in. I have alot to learn and I will be successful in this realm also.
God Bless,
Dr. Drew Feinhals
Soren,
I am new to internet marketing, but I have run my own successful chiropractic business for many years. One thing it takes to be successful is integrity. I believe you have it. I’ve watched you long enough to put my trust in you and feel comfortable with your decision about the alliance.
Just pray about it and the Lord will guide you:)
God Bless,
Dr. Drew Feinhals
I left my comment under the wrong article. As a newbie what is needed is that all TE’s are user friendly. Some of us cannot afford to become paid members because of our circumstances. Some exchanges are built in such a way that a free member is more or less required to become pro.
There are a lot of exchanges and some are jut not user friendly. This makes the whole experience very frustrating.
I can’t see the advantages to be a part of a TE alliance, in fact you should think of those who can’t become a paid members, most of us in that situation trying to promote our site in a legally honestly -free- exchanges. I think that the free exchange sites will lose a lot of member taking this step. think about it.
The whole paid advertising coop debate here has nothing to do with members. It is something owners could do to attract more members to the exchange - and that will of course benefit existing members.
No matter what, Dragon Surf will of course continue to deliver quality traffic and a ton of benefits to both free and pro members
Hi,
I have been watching and reading and am quite intrigued by the variety of responses.
What has been talked about here is what “some” owners would like TEA to be.
TEA can be anything, but I, owner and founder am starting it out with the focus simply being to help members to succeed in their online advertising efforts. Right now there are a lot of ideas going around as to what it “should” be, and who it would be for. I can tell you here and now, that there are no selfish interests nor attempts to steel anyone’s members or to even sell the members something.
Before you continue to post.. I suggest you simply read the home page of TEA. You do not need to register, but simply read our intentions thus far.
http://www.tealliance.biz
Thank you…
Ken Athas
Dragon surf,
The need for standards is paramount. It gives more validity to the business of advertizing with any of the exchanges.
As a surfer, the idea of short length of time, 8-10 seconds is a good thing, as it save the surfer a lot of time. But it is the advertiser who gets hurt with the short time exposed. The advertiser, paying, or surfing is wanting his ad to be absorbed by the viewer. If it were to me, the time standard would be from a minimum of 15seconds to 30 seconds. This would allow the ad to actually stand a chance of being noticed. ( This is the reason that paid advertising cost a lot more for a longer airing time versus a shorter time, the longer produces more exposure for the advertizer, thus has a greater worth.) Also by standards, all get together to find a remedy for making the ad to come up at the beginning of the time frame instead of the last 3 or 4 seconds. You are all guilty of this.
Maybe simply cooperating with a composite of as many formulas as there are of exchanges involved. Each put down their best ideas, and then as in an election, are composited, and given position by greater number of identical ideas, majority rules. This is a democratic csociety, is it not, not to step on the feet of exchanges home based in other countries, were the Government rules.
It will happen one day, let the masses help, and set aside bias of the behalf of the owners at hand.
Put together a over all list with multi answer sugestions, and place it with a time limit of a week to let the participants of advertizing as well as surfers vote on the final draft. Both equiitable as well a democratic.
Pride can be a demon when trying to come to an agreeable conclusion to a group problem or decission.
New, but interested,
Wayne Beeman
I think the fanomenon benefits those who are mebers of the alliance,in this case TE,s .I dont like the thought of streamlining of this kind,because i dont think it would benefit the users of TE,s it would become a lot more boring if they all where the same.Offcourse for the owner it could be a great bennefit to advertise togheter rader than alone i would be a lot cheaper and you could do it without streamlining your businesses ,just make a coop where you buy your advertising thogheter,this is also a great leason in internet marketing .because its a formula that been used to acumulate great Wealt see Myspace ,Face Book, Prices on those sites are fabulos and there value vas created by the Sheer number of people that joined.plus if we are manny using one site or list or TE or anny site club,shopping,ext .There would be a lot off advertisers that would pay good money to show us their offers and the list is long stuffed with wayes we could make money ,if just we can persuade people enough to sign up and that should be easy if just people would look a bit more on facts and see the power and succes it gives to help each other succed is a lot more fun than being on your own and a lot quicker way to cash in for all members even if it where free to join.A good exampel off where i mean the users lost their rights,because of streamlining it was also a new information,ad media ,the radio was wide spread among ordinary people in the beginning every body made broadcasts and could use the media to their advantage either personal or in business matters .How manny do you now that use the radio today ?wery feew ,why because the rights to broadcast where streamlined and offered to those that would pay the most aga big companys ,and the loser was the little guy .Best regards Claus Starup Spinning a Web on The Net ,get on board and let us make some money Carpe Diem
I believe the co-op you’re talking about is a great idea as it will benefit everybody (surfers, advertisers and TE owners.) It’s maybe the only way to bring new people from outside the TE and introduced them to this kind of advertising service.
I understand that there are all sorts of free resources that will explain or teach people how traffic exchange works or what is the best way to promote but the fact is it doesn’t tell everything. If you want new people to discover all about traffic exchange world , you need to tell them everything and I mean everything, all the good and all the bad stuff.
The TE alliance stuff is not going to work because you will never get all the big exchange in one place and agree to comply to all the rules. What the alliance can do is educate and teach new members what te to join and what te to avoid and described in details why.
Anyway, good discussions here.
The current 100,000 or so traffic exchanges cannot and will not dictate human ideals and evolution in this industry.
The ones that will are the new ones or ones with ideals that work for the future, if our sites all become obsolete as everyone is using mobile phones which use a different page type, we are all finished, even with new scripts, we cannot say surfers will find it useful, as big business can distate and even restrict their use, before they even get to our sites, what then?
Can we start thinking about and dealing with the bigger issues please, this ideal is a distraction and a dilution of the TE industry, not a solution.
That’s why I can’t support this,
I feel that it is similar to churning members or making people run through hoops trying to join everything in a downline builder at once.
To much dudes.
Hi Soren -
Don’t know how DragonSurf ended up on the DLIB page? The copy I saved of that page on Nov 17th did NOT show Dragon Surf? I know its been updated since.
That subject aside…
Appreciate all the comments that have been made on this subject - its great!
If TE owners want to form an advertising co-op, I’m all for
that but do NOT let it suppress others trying to enter the TE
business.
Setting too high of an advertising budget minimum amount would keep newer exchanges out in the cold or maybe some of the smaller TEs should get together and form their own co-op? Just a thought.
Several TEs are currently helping their members by educating
them on how to market; build their own list first, and
successfully manage their online business. I applaud all who
have taken the time to do so and continue to provide this
training for their members.
Don’t let them stop now! How the heck do you think new things get started anyway? Duh! With an idea - encourage creativity and openness with all your communications…honesty pays off in the long-term.
Loved the earlier comment about all exchanges start showing the number of surfers, how many “Active” members, etc.. Let free enterprise work here - competition is good for all. Let’s get it where all TEs are showing some basic info.
Why we need that…
we have too many TEs now claiming “xxx” amount of members but really, how many are considered active (have been surfing
within the last week or 30 days), how many unique page views
were shown the past week or 30 days or what percentage of your page views are unique? Have you even explained those terms to your new members?
Don’t get me wrong, I know there will be differing opinions on
how to derive those numbers but any of you as a good TE owner should proudly display those numbers - no fuzzy math either =).
If the numbers are not that good, hey its time for TE owner to
improve or that exchange will fade into the sunset. Good ole
supply and demand at work again. People telling others about a
particular TE: what they like/dislike - word-of-mouth
advertising is powerful - just like this blog!
Guys and gals…think about it. Would that level the playing
field for all TE’s? Be honest enough to show us how your TE
compares to the rest of the TEs…apples vs. apples
Let us determine which TEs we want to surf based on facts…not
some facts and some opinion.
Hope we get several responses to this from various TE owners.
Would love all your thoughts on this matter.
The only way a TE alliance would make sense and be of any useit would be if the “Alliance Members” will focus more on results for customers/surfers more then their own interests. Surfer= The one that actually does the surfing.
“What’s in it for me?” should be the first question they should ask themselves.
Have a system where the “surfers” get automatic referrals, perhaps even build a list (make the name and email address of the referrer available to whoever referred that person) and build on without promoting xyz URls but get new referrals just by being a “surfer member”
something like Traffic Pirates have now ++++ other goodies coops etc.
You need to give a lot more then you take to survive in today’s IM but also to get noticed and stand out of the crowd. Just too much of the same crapolla will not do it anymore.
Hope this helps