Welcome to the newest issue of Hit Exchange News!

Just a quick reminder that there will be no issue of H.E.N. next week, as I'm going on a 'vacation' for 7 days. I will be back in time for following week's issue and we'll resume the weekly schedule on the 18th. I appologize for the missed issue and I hope you all have a prosperous 7 days!

So you wanna own a traffic exchange huh? Just imagine, you can start selling credits and pro memberships immediately and before you know it, you'll be making thousands a month...PLUS you'll have a mailing list to send mail to anytime you want. Ahhh, just imagine!

Owning an exchange is not all it's cracked up to be. Yes, you can make a business from it and yes there's many benefits to owning your own program. However, in the age of the LSD (Lazy Surfers Disease) comes the LOD (Lazy Owners Disease) as well. About a year ago averyone and their mother was starting an exchange. They were popping out everywhere and while some lasted a few months, the majority of them went belly up in a week.

You need to do it right, and you need to make sure you know what you're getting into. He's a few tips one should consider before venturing into the realms of hit exchange ownership! I hope it helps, because I receive a lot of mail from people who want to know how to start their own exchange.

First thing you need to do is find a good script. There's a few scripts out there that are being retailed for $19.95, guess what, these are no good. You want to make sure the script can handle your (hopefully) large number of members PLUS have all the features of a successful exchange. These being good cheat protection, ability to customize the referral levels / surf ratios, support for possible trouble installing the script, and a general 'good feel' with the product. Again, there's dozens out there but a script that has stuck out to me for being a great value and quality product is Made 4 Traffic. This is the same script used by BraStart, ClickinFingers and others.

Second, you need a server. Folks, this does'nt mean a shared server for 10 bucks a month. You need a DEDICATED server to handle the growth. Many people will say, "I'm not handling thousands of members, so a shared server will do me fine...Plus I don't have the funds"...Wrong wrong wrong! Case in point, Hybrid traffic...This was a newer exchange that launched a few months ago. It was ROCKING, had members surfing it, people were promoting it and everything was great. And then it crashed. It has never recovered from that crash and remains a mediorce exchange when it was destined to be great! As for the money aspect, a hit exchange is a business. A few hundred dollars is not a lot to start an online business, think about franchising a McDonalds...Eeeeek!

Third, hire a graphic designer! Nothing turns people off more than a hit exchange clone site and the only thing different is the text on the top of the page. If you do not have the money to hire a designer, get some free clipart online and do it yourself. There's hundreds of free HTML editors and putting together a good looking site is not as hard as it seems. Remember, this is a business you want ot make money from, a professional image will go a long way! Plus does'nt it make sense to put some into it?

Fourth, and proboubly the MOST important thing to do before starting an exchange is to network with other owners. Get their opinions and experiences. Some may not reveal their secrets but will still offer great advice. Want to find a good place to start? The Netmarketing Forum (my forum) is packed with exchange owners and users. This is a great starting point and the members in the forum will be more than happy to help you out!

Hit exchnage ownership can be very profitable. Again, you need to be prepared and be sure to handle your business as a business. These few suggestions are only the tip of the ice berg and nothing will teach you more than experience itself. Get your hands dirty and start planning! If you are REALLY interested in an exchange, let me know via e-mail and I can point you in the right direcion. It's not as expensive as you may think but not as cheap as some would want you to beleive! make it happen!

I hope you enjoy this week's issue and I thank you very much for being a subscriber! =)

• Ohh it's almost time =) ToolBarTraffic.com's official launch is quickly approaching. Can you feel the excitement? *LOL* O.k., seriously, this new exchange is supposed to 'revolutionize' the hit exchange industry with brand new exclusive technology. As the industry awaits the launch of this new techonology, remember what they said about Fly-In-Ads...That was HUGE, for about a week!

• Speaking of Fly-in-Ad... Ad Gizmo was launched a few weeks ago, relatively un-announced. With no 'big name' gurus endorsing this little viral marketing tool, it has quietly been improving and has been providing some great results. Not as annoying at fly-in-ads, it combines layer technology with a unique 'ad stacking' appearance. I think this is one of the coolest ad exchanges to grace the net and I'm sure it will continue to grow. I could be wrong, but one things for certain, it does'nt 'freeze the screen' as seen with Fly-Ins!

• Last week I talked about 'tips' to maximize your hit exchange advertising and make it more effective. Well I want to continue this by showing you all one of the BEST resources online for 'tips and tricks'. ClickThruMarketing.com is owned by Dan Moses (a leader in the traffic exchange industry) and he has put together an amazing site of resources to aid you with your hit exchange advertising. This site is a must read and is packed with info. Folks, one thing that is lacking in hit exchange advertising is education, ClickThruMarketing provides you with some of the best education you will find! Happy reading!

• This week we welcome I Love Clicks to the list of award winners. I Love Clicks has been around for a LONG time and has stood the test of time providing it's members with quality traffic and great exchange features. Congratulations to ILC!

• Top Surfer, as many of you know, has trouble delivering hits. Traffic 'trickles' out of that exchange but they have done something about it. Last week, Top Surfer announced ways to 'trade in' your traffic for either text links in their surf bars or for 2000 credits, you could place a small ad in their newsletter. Wow, what a deal huh? So they released their newsletter a few days ago and 37 members decided to take them up on their offer. 37 ads in ONE newsletter? I'm not sure what is worse, wasting credits on a small ad along with dozens of others or let my credits sit in my account...

• Congrats to last week and this week's contests winners. Richard and Pamela have both won $10 and a banner of their choice to be rotated on the Hit Exchange News network for a month. The next issue (Sept. 18th) will have the next contest. Congrats to both of you and enjoy your prizes!

• The Forum is HOT! Join The Forum today for some great conversation and networking opportunities. There's some very interesting groups and programs being formed in our forums today, stop by, say hi and get involved! =)

• And finally a quick reminder! Remember, you are entitled to a FREE pro upgrade in my safelist NetMarketingSL, just for being a subscriber to the News and putting up with me for one more week. Simply sign up for free and e-mail me with your username and I will upgrade you for free (a $14.95 value). Thanks again for reading the News, I appreciate your subscription!

Receiving almost 40% of the total vote, WMQ is the fan favorite this month! Congratulations to the WMQ team!

Enjoy this week's list!

1. Webmaster Quest
2. Cash Clicking
3. I Love Clicks
4. Traffic Round Up
5. EasyHits4U
6. Traffic Run
7. Fast Freeway
8. Traffic G
9. Traffic Swarm
10. Clickin Fingers

Bubbling Under

• Start Xchange
• Hit Snapper
• Share-Traffic
• Hit Pulse
• Start Blaster

What makes this program unique is it conquered the whole perception that new exchanges could never run with the big boys. ClickinFingers is a VERY good exchange and I can't stress to you how rare it is for a new exchange to make an impression on folks, months after it's been released. While the majority of new exchanges email you their new 'hot traffic deal' of the week, ClickinFingers lets you know when you can surf and earn more credits...User participation is placed as a priority and this makes an exchange good, having people ACTUALLY use it!

Site design? Incredible! It's clean look could be attributed to it's success as this program has thousands of members. Remember, this program started the EXACT same day as Hit Exchange News was launched, only 11 weeks ago. Features? Quizzes, games, the smallest surfing frame ever, effective cheat prevention, great promotional banners and the ability to trade in your credits for real cash, ClickinFingers continues to be one of the most exciting ones to watch.

% Unique Traffic: 39
Results: 3.5 out of 5.0
Speed of Delivery: Above Average
Site Design: 5.0 out of 5.0
Customer Service: 4.5 out of 5.0
Ease of Use: 4.5 out of 5.0

Overall Rating: 4.0 Mouse Clicks (Rating out of 5.0)

Have a look at Clickin Fingers here!

• Be nice to your kids...They'll choose your nursing home! Hmmm...

• I have found the absolute slowest mover of traffic online. Want some numbers? I've been tracking my hits in each exchange for over 3 months now and I can 'proudly' say that StartFrenzy has delivered the grand total (are you sitting down for this)...of ONE hit to my website! Wow, at this rate my credits will be used up in the year 2011. Hmmmm....

• "Stop wasting your time surfing this exchange" seems to be a popular tagline on people's websites these days. In the exchanges these slogans and taglines are everywhere as folks try to get people to sign up for their program. Again, if surfing these programs is such a waste of time, why are you surfing them? Hmmmm...

I really think the whole 'concept' exchange is going to take off. Recently we've seen exchanges like Hit Racers, TouchDown Hits and others go with their own unique concept. Well, Agora Club is ready to make it's mark! It has a VERY unique design and combines a LOT of features into one traffic exchange.

Imagine a program that combines a traffic exchange for hits, a text exchange like Traffic Swarm and throw in a banner exchange and you've got the basics for Agora Club. This is truly a very unique and well designed system.

It does take a while to figure it all out but once you do, you will be EXCITED! I dropped a jaw when I saw all the features and started to surf, this should be a favorite for many and definately one to watch!

Join Agora Club Today!

NOTE: Ad Space is VERY limited and is sold very quickly. We offer many forms of advertising so have a look at some great values for your advertising dollars =)

Click Here for more information!

The H.E.N. Co-Op is THE best value for your traffic needs!

The HEN (Hit Exchange News) Co-Op has been a HUGE success! We are currently receiving THOUSANDS of page views a day and this continues to grow at a steady pace. With no signs of slowing down, it's a great time to get the most for so little! Secure your position today! Have a look here:

HENCO (Hit Exchange News Co-Op)

If you want to see anything addressed, looked into or discussed, please let me know. This is your e-zine with content that YOU want to read. I value your input and look forward to talking to each of you! Drop me a line here or visit me in the forums. We're building a professional community in there and we'd love for you to join us!

And finally, if you know of anyone that would like to receive the News, please feel free to let them know about HitExchangeNews.com as I appreciate all the extra promotion I can get *s* !!!

Have a good week everyone and may the CLICK be with you!

Jon G. Olson
Publisher / Editor - HitExchangeNews.com