2012 Year In Review

by my good friend Jon Olson Hit Exchange News

It’s been a pretty intense 365 days in the traffic exchange industry…As I do every year, I’m posting my highlights of the past 12 months and what I think we can expect from the industry in the following year. Sit back, enjoy and get ready for some rants…

The No Timer Debate really set the emotions high in the later part of 2012. To be honest, I say the jury is still out simply because we have no numbers to either back or go against the move. I’ll say this, I applaud Jeff Parker and Traffic Fugitive for trying something and that is to be congratulated. Jeff is loving the results and his surfers are too so more power to him and his decision. The next 12 months should open a lot of people’s eyes to the fact that the T.E. environment has changed.

Social. Period! No debates anymore. Social surfing is here and the huge increase in not only our chats at the TimTech exchanges but entire new programs, dedicated to being social have cemented the importance of chat in the traffic exchanges. You are seeing trends where people’s results are directly in response to how much people recognize and know them from networking with them live. It’s cool too see more surfers embrace this model and even more owners jumping on board. When you put people first, good things always happen.

Vault N’ Keys & Sub Game The TimTech answer to surf promos. We saw a huge opportunity for surfers and owners to do joint surf promos but without being boring about it. So we created our two new surf promos. Best of all, owners can leverage the CTP brand, get increased surfing, more sales and higher activity. What’s up our sleeves for 2013? We’ll be sure to try even more new things…

Spreecast & TE Live It’s a match made in heaven! We’ve been looking for the perfect home for our daily broadcast and we tried everything this year. From uStream, to Hot Conference, to Stickam and even Google Plus…Until we found it! Spreecast has changed the game for all live broadcasting and I expect absolute huge things for this company in 2013. Mobile apps I’m sure will be on the horizon…Wow. Think of the potential…

Real Gamification And no I don’t mean the word search game on your LFMTE script. Real gamification has changed the way people even use traffic exchanges. 2013 will be huge for this and I truly believe we are at a maturation in advertising. It’s no longer push push push. We need to engage people and engage our potential customers. Which in this case, translates into the gamification of business and marketing. IE….Badges

There were many other cool stories this year as well. I think the owners in the Oval of Awesome Sauce have really stepped up huge. These folks have embraced the true spirit of community, they all work together and some of the biggest launches this year are from this group of owners. What’s funny is all the talk about coming together, forming alliances, building associations…All of it was going on while the Oval was already built and doing great things. Amazing what happens when you work together and don’t stab each other in the back. It’s an honor to be a part of that group.

As for 2013…

I anticipate even more benefits of being social and two way communications between owners and surfers. Gone are the days of a top down hierarchy where people aren’t on a level playing field. Social opens the game. Social makes us all members of a community. Social is not the future, it’s now! Embrace it!

But here’s something I think we will see this upcoming year. And it’s going to scare some of the lazy bad business people. Surfers aren’t only surfing for credits now. They surf for fun. They surf for games. They surf for community. They surf for companionship. We have to grow and as an industry I truly believe the ‘credits’ have limited us in this arena. We have always been for marketers, by marketers. And while it serves a great purpose, for us to grow we need to re-look at how we present our model for advertisers and surfers.

Is the no timer the answer? Who knows. However I look at models like StumbleUpon and have to say to myself…The people are a part of those communities because they WANT to be. Not to earn credits, not to get their pages seen. But because they truly want to see what’s out there…An amazing concept huh? And when you get people that WANT to be there, the advertisers will follow. Happy communities mean happy customer. Happy customers mean growth.

Meh…Maybe I’m out to lunch. But I can tell you one thing. The folks that follow the same old same old, will go away. The folks that embrace change. The owners and surfers that try new things. Those folks will be the leaders of 2013. The old guard is done. Here’s to the changing of the guard!

Oh by the way….TimTech Sucks!

Top 10 Scams List for 2012 and 2013

With scams costing Americans, and consumers globally, billions of dollars every year, we turn our attention to the annual Scambusters Top Scams List.

Looking back on our Top 10 scams for 2012, we were pretty near the mark, with just one important omission: the huge growth in imposter crime.

These comprise mainly tricksters posing as a relative or employee in trouble, asking for money to be wired to help them.

Click Here to read the full article. 



©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

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Rental Car, Travelers' Checks Used in Latest Craigslist Scams

We start with two new Craigslist scams that have surfaced in recent months that head up this week's special Snippets issue.

In both cases, the alleged culprits have been arrested, but the tricks are so simple and convincing they're likely to surface again -- something for you to be on the lookout for.

The first one targets car buyers and, as usual, the vehicle is offered at a bargain price.

The scammer arranges to meet his victims in a parking lot with the auto, which they test drive and are wowed by the condition.

Click here to read the full article. 


©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

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Christmas Card Scam and Spam Alerts

With the holiday season in full swing, Internet security firms have issued a strong warning about a card scam surge - not of the credit card variety (though no doubt we'll have them too) but of virtual greetings cards, or ecards.

In addition to delivering a seasonal message, bogus ecards are bombarding victims with spam or installing malware on their PCs.

Click here to read the full article. 


©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

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10 WAYS TO GET CLIENTS IN 10 MINUTES

Does it seem like you can never find the time to market for more clients? It's hard to find open hours in the middle of a busy week. But not every marketing task requires big chunks of time. Here are ten productive things you can do to get more clients when you have just ten minutes.

1. Place a call. Which of your past clients have been totally happy with your work over the past couple of years? Think of one you haven't been in touch with recently. Call to see how he or she is doing. When your fans are reminded of your good work, new projects and referrals often ensue.

2. Send an email. Who has referred you the best client over the last year? Send an email to express your continuing thanks. Showing your appreciation to referral sources frequently results in more referrals.

3. Make a date. Think of a prospect or referral source you have always wanted to know better. Contact that person and make a date to have coffee or chat by phone. Informal conversations deepen relationships and build trust.

4. Expand your network. Log on to your social media channel of choice, and choose a colleague you think of as well-connected. View that friend's connections. Send connection requests, or follow, every one of those people you recognize. More people in your network means more potential prospects.

5. Review your image. Browse through your website or social media profile with a critical eye. View each section as if you were someone visiting for the first time. Note any areas you think could improve and schedule time to make some changes. First impressions make a difference to surfing prospects.

6. Examine your contacts. Scan your contact database seeking anyone who might be a prospect that you haven't made contact with in the last 30 days. Reach out to that person with a personal call or note. People who already know you are more likely to become clients than new, cold contacts.

7. Send an article. What's the last article you read that might be helpful to some of your prospects? Email them with a link to it or mail them a copy. When prospects perceive you as a helpful resource, you gain their confidence.

8. Follow up a meeting. What was the last meeting you attended where you collected business cards? Did you follow up with those people? Find the stack of cards and send one or two a nice-to-meet-you note. Repeated contact helps people to remember you.

9. Touch your network. Visit your favorite social network and peruse recent posts by the prospects and referral sources you're connected to. Post some likes and replies about what they're saying. Relationships build when communication is two-way.

10. Find a referral partner. Think of occupations who naturally come in contact with your ideal clients. Then consider who you already know in any of those occupations. Send a quick note to suggest you talk about becoming referral sources for each other.

Marketing projects don't have to consume your whole day. You can chip away at them a bit at a time, whenever you have a few moments. Keep this list handy on your smartphone or by your computer. The next time you've got ten minutes to kill, use it to find clients instead.
Copyright © 2012, C.J. Hayden

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Pet Meds Scams: How They Work & How to Avoid Them

With pets in about 73 million American homes, it's not surprising that the pet meds business is booming.

Unfortunately, so are pet meds scams.

They're one of several ways that crooks who claim to care about our pets could actually be threatening their lives while helping themselves to some of the $45 billion we spend each year on pet food, veterinary treatment and pet meds.

Click Here to read the full article. 



©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at

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