The Surfing 4 The Troops Surf Promo is a group of traffic exchange owners coming together to raise social awareness and support for the men and women who serve in the military. This is not a political statement but a show of support for the men and women who serve their countries.

For anyone reading this and don’t know what a traffic exchange is – it a place that people like you can promote their sites, products, blogs, etc. – you simply surf others pages in exchange credits – these credits can then be assigned to your items for others to see.

When this started out as an idea months ago, no one never thought that this surf promo would be the Biggest Traffic Exchange Event of the season. Having been around for years, I have to say that I have not seen anything like this.

There are 50 sites – yea I said 50 traffic exchanges that have come together to make people aware and support the people that make it possible to have the freedom to do what we do. If you want to read more or about the TE’s that are involved click here Surfing 4 The Troops Surfing Promo

There is one other thing that I’d like to point out – you don’t have to surf any or all of them but there are cash prizes that will be awarded. BUT the thing that I’m so proud about is letting people know about Red Shirt Friday. What is Red Shirt Friday and Why Red Shirt Friday – well click here to read more – this will knock your socks off Red Shirt Friday.

To me this is just an awesome way to say THANKS and let our guys and gals we love them for protecting us. Personally, I don’t like wars but I do support and appreciate our military for what they do – and just think this is an awesome way to show it.

So you are wondering what you can do – if you are a surfer, then surf and say thank you to the TE’s that are making everyone aware. If you are not a surfer, then share this post with everyone that you know on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Pinterest, Linkedin, etc. Also, do the same for the other links in this post.

YOU can make a difference and say thank you – and I thank you for what YOU are going to do. Now share, share, share, share and even a comment on these blog post will help.

AND being a newbie at one time, I did the same thing – I have an affiliate site that I’m advertising and add my site URL and assign my credits and wait for the magic to happen. Well the first mistake I made was thinking that I didn’t have to view what I had added – well I soon found that I make mistakes – imagine that lololol – so when you add your site url – view is and make sure that you put in the right url.

The next mistake I made was that I put in the site URL and never, never, never looked at it again – it had credits and it must be still showing – well……..wrong……..what I have found over the years is that sometimes a site will change their splash pages and the one that you were using has been deleted and is no longer showing – therefore wasting credits. What I have also seen is that some sites just disappear – close and here all this time you have credits assigned to a page that says – this site is no longer on the server, this domain no longer exists – well…….another waste of credits.

Another thing that I have seen is that members just add the main url and assign all their credits to that ONE url. Being a free member, most sites offer that you can add at least 3 – this is also a waste. You ask why??? Well, if you have one url only running and the script randomly rotates them – your odds are 1:amount of urls on the site – take advantage of being able to add 3 – the trick that I do is that I will add the main url and then add 2 splash pages to the same site – that way that site is being seen 3:amount of urls on the site – better odds of it getting seen more – now if you upgrade you get more chances to add even more.

So let’s stop wasting credits everyone and get them urls out there and seen.

I remember back at the time that Yuwie was really the social site to be on as you could set up your profile, tell others about what you do and chat back and forth – so as a suggestion from another ebayer I joined. I met so many wonderful friends there and as we chatted also heard about other resources they were using to get their sites out there. Since then there have been so many more social sites that have come about and now with facebook, myspace, and swom, you can meet so many new people from all over. I love being a social butterfly hehehehehe.

Funny, one of the first traffic exchanges that I joined was Rockinclix – I think back to it now and poor James must have thought where did this dumb hillbilly come from. I didn’t even know what a url was, how to add a banner, and what a text link was – he had such patience with me and guided me thru everything and I got hooked. As I was surfing, I got to see all these other sites out there and I kept joining, joining, joining – till one day I realized wow how in the world can I keep advertising all these sites and why am I putting in all this time promoting for someone else and not building MY list.

By this time, I had learned quite a bit and then started thinking how nice it would be to own my own traffic exchange. I was surfing one day and there it was Hummingbird Hits 4 sale – well this had my name written all over it and I just knew a door of opportunity was opening for me – as if you could see my house – you would see that I am a collector of hummingbirds and with my love for gardening – watching hummingbirds in my gardens is sooooooo thrilling for me. I just felt this was meant to be – so clicked the pay here button and that is how I got my 1st traffic exchange. And so my journey started and I soooo love what I’m doing – I have been blessed and now own/operate 9 traffic exchanges.

Being a traffic exchange owner, it is the owners responsibility to get members into the site to see others’ sites and even tho I have put in alot of hours doing this – I would not have changed a thing. Again, I have been so blessed in the people that I have met and all the friends that have been willing to help me.

In trying to get my traffic exchange in as much advertising as I could, I then found text ad sites, PTC (paid to click) sites and have learned to blog, write lens on Squidoo and have just started writing Ezine Articles – so guess you can say that I am hooked. If you would have told me 3 years ago that I would be doing all this marketing – I would have laughed at you – but I really love what I’m doing and love helping others and try to save them the hours that I spent learning most of what I know the hard way – trial and error.

When you first sign up at any exchange there is a required amount of pages that you need to surf before your account is active – I have seen them ranging from 5 – 50 – just depends on the traffic exchange (TE)

Once you have surfed the required amount of sites to activate your account, you will receive a certain amount of extra credits (depending on the Exchange’s policy). You can then set up your Sites and Banners. Some Exchanges offer only 3 Sites and Banners, other 5 for a Free Member. Should you Upgrade to another Level, you are allotted more sites and banners.

Are you lost yet, I sure was when I first started. I really didn’t even know what a URL, banner, hot link, text link, splash page, squeeze page was – this was like a different language to me. Hopefully, I can help you understand all these terms and why TE are a great tool to use for your advertising.

Ok, back to the URL – An Internet address (TE example, http://www.hummingbirdhits.com/signup.php?1000
usually consisting of the access protocol (http), the domain name (www.hummingbirdhits.com), and who is referring you back to this website.

Banners in TE’s are usually 468 x 60 – that is the size that is mostly seen but you are seeing more and more sites adding other sizes ie. 125×125 Now to add your banner to a TE – you need an image URL and the site URL. I’m not going into alot of detail as I did a whole blog on this subject and you can refer to it here How To Add Banners to Traffic Exchange Sites

Hot Link or Text Link – depending on the site – JMO (Just My Opinion) these two terms are basicially asking for the same info. It’s a catchy phrase that you would use that you hope to get someone’s attention so that they click on it and go to your site. ie. This site is working for me or FREE OFFER – Don’t miss out

Splash pages are one of the least used pages and JMO should be used the most. A splash page is like a billboard and should be eye-catching telling the surfer WHY they should click and go to your site. The reason I enjoy splash pages is that a person can be creative, personalize the page, and really stand out and make a statement. Here is an example of one of the latest ones that I made O.M.G. Splash Page

Now, I left the best to last because if you are looking to build a list then you need to make a squeeze page. I have found that the page size should be so that the page fits into the surfing screen as when members are surfing they DO NOT want to scroll down to see the rest of your page – they want NOW – tell them your info and get a place where they put in their name and email.

Ok, now you are probably wondering why bother with TE’s ?????? Well, first of all they are FREE to join and you can keep your sites seen to help build your list, get referrals and even make some money if you upgrade. Most traffic exchanges now adays offer some kind of cash incentive for upgraded members – some examples are commissions, cash for referrals, cash for surfing, etc. Each site is different and that is why they are addicting (at least for me)

I know you have heard that the money is in your list – well traffic exchanges is just one tool to help you build your list. If you are interested in trying TE’s, let me know as I own a few of them and would be more than happy to help you get started. Just leave me a comment or email me at wisgrandma@yahoo.com or skype me at nancyradlinger. Thanks once again for listening.

Hi – I have been working online for couple years now and I have seen so many things come and go already – sites that make promises and are just there to take your money – well I got so frustrated with all this that I decided to start my own traffic exchange.

Over the years I have collected Hummingbird figurines so when this site came along, it just seemed to have my name written all over it, so I purchased it in November 2008. Now being new to the TE (traffic exchange) world, it has been a challenge to build up the membership but as of this blog – i’m proud to say that we are at a few members short of 1200.

Now you are thinking that this not a lot of members – well I’m here to tell you that I did not have thousands of dollars to invest in the launch of this site but I did have the time. I have worked many long hours and recrutied these members one at a time – so I am proud of each and everyone. For you see, I run my TE different than most – I CARE if you get traffic, get referrals, get sells and am there to help my members.

There is a live chat on the site and is a great place to meet new people and make friends – you will often get to chat with me – I’m a real person behind this screen. As of today my members have been paid $344.55. Many either IM on Skype, IM on Yahoo, or email me thru support and I help them  – so if you are looking for someone that will be there for you and mentor you – then try Humminbird Hits.

So Why is Hummingbird Hits different??????

Hummingbird Hits offers manual/hover surfing, 3 membership levels, random bonus, top surfer awards daily, weekly and monthly, extra rewards for suggestions, ideas, referrals, advertising site, etc. Banner and Hotlinks are FREE as long as you have Active Sites. Come chat with us – our chat is shared with 25 different TEs.

Alot of people ask me how did I do it – well it was lot of hard work – lot of hours and practically no personal life lol.  But you see I believe in that you have to work hard to make to achieve your dreams.  I do have a BIG picture of what I would like to see happen here on the net and I keep taking ONE DAY at a time – it’s like putting a jigsaw puzzle together – one little piece at a time and all of a sudden the BIG picture is done.

All I can say is not to give up – and there were times that I 2nd guess myself but I stayed focused and kept going and with baby steps we are getting there.

Remember – “It’s not what happens that really matters, it’s how you handle it will make all the difference.

So…………even on the bad day – you have to pick your hinder up and get thru it.

15 SITES  ~ SAME CHAT ~ VISIT WITH FRIENDS ~ MAKE NEW ONES

Example:

http://www.hummingbirdhits.com/images/humbbanner1.gif

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/6936/nancyblog.jpg

Don’t be confused by the wording on the different sites – just make sure you see the word “image” (this is the picture of the banner)

In addition, the site url is needed. This is where you want to direct the person who clicks on the banner.

Example:

http://www.hummingbirdhits.com/signup.php?1000 (this will take you to Hummingbird Hits)….the number at the end (1000) is my member number, yours will be different of course.

If you are unsure as to what your referral url is, go to your members area…promotional material…then just copy and paste to the site where you are adding the banner url.

http://nancyradlingerjustmyopinion.com — I included this example as a website or blog. The easiest way to obtain this is to go to your site, copy from the browser and paste where you want to advertise.

Hopefully this helps clear up any confusion on adding banners to other sites. Should you still have questions, leave me a comment and I will be happy to try and explain further.

Since starting my own website and looking for places to advertise, I stumbled upon traffic exchanges.

Do they work?

Yes, a traffic exchange can be your best friend when trying to promote your website.

What is the purpose of a traffic exchange?

The key to traffic exchanges, (TE’s) is to build YOUR list and get people on YOUR list.

What is “branding”?

You want people to see YOU!  Over and over and over again (branding).  You want to have a page that will stand out to the surfer, make them want to take a second look!  Make them want to click on that page and find out more!

One way of accomplishing this “stand out” or “second look” is by experimenting with splash pages.  Splash Page Maker  is a program I use.  It allows you the creativity to easily make different splash pages so you can see what does and does not work.  (for those of you not familiar with the term ‘splash page’, just think of your website condensed onto one page – it’s an attention getter..splash pages also load much faster than a website on a traffic exchange.)

There are so many programs and ebooks being promoted, where do you start?

Two words ” Affiliate Funnel “.  Affiliate Funnel has many free resources for you to take advantage of. After becoming familiar with the site and information they offer I did upgrade in order to take advantage of the full benefit package.

Everyone can attend FREE seminars (free and upgraded members).  You can participate in these online seminars, just listen & learn, take notes, whatever you are comfortable with.  You will learn from experts the steps of creating an online income.

There is nothing quite as rewarding as implementing these steps and instructions and having it work!  Receiving an email informing you that you have a commission!!  Now, that’s an email worth reading.

One last thought……don’t try to do everything all at once!  Focus on one thing at a time, get it done…..then add another new thing, get it done…..before you know it, things begin to fall into place and you will begin to receive commission emails as well!

Don’t Give Up……To Your Success

Dealing with the public everyday, you have to put on a smile no matter how you really feel and all I could think this morning is “God, how am I going to put on my ‘so happy to see you’ smile today?”

Well, with coffee in hand, time to check emails….low and behold the answer to my question was right in front of me!

A member from one of my traffic exchanges was so excited and thankful for the assistance they had received.  New to traffic exchanges, never adding banners or familiar with a ‘banner url’ – I offered to make a banner which would represent the site they were promoting.  By doing this, it would allow them to not only promote on my site but other sites as well.

Not a major deal?  Certainly not, if you know how!  This is the fulfilling part of my online life.  One person, one lesson, growing and learning….such a small task and a few minutes of my time helping someone else.

Today, while checking my sites for updates, I noticed a couple of new banners needed to be approved.  Yep, you guessed it, the banners I made for my member.  Just then a smile swept over my face, “Thank You God”

This is why I continue doing what I’m doing.

To add to my blessings…….  I’ve been working with a couple, planning their new garden space.  They stopped by to tell me they are ready for me to let them know what to do next.  Their  “to do list” was quite extensive and to my surprise it was completed!!

So….no matter how bad your day begins, just listen and wait – your answer will come.

Continue doing all of the little things for others and learn to count your blessings.  They are there just waiting for you!