Are You Promoting… or Just Surfing Traffic Exchanges?

Every once in a while I like to step back and look at my own tracking stats.

Not the fancy reports.
Not the totals.

Just the simple question:

Where are my clicks coming from?

And every time I do that, I’m reminded of something that many members in TEland forget.

Surfing alone doesn’t build momentum.

The Trap Many Members Fall Into

Traffic Exchanges are fun.
You log in, click around, collect credits, maybe even earn a few bonuses.

Before you know it, an hour has passed and you feel like you’ve been busy.

But here’s the honest question:

Did you actually promote anything today?

A lot of people join traffic exchanges and get caught up in:

  • clicking for credits
  • chasing bonus offers
  • collecting a few pennies here and there

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

But if that’s all you’re doing, you’re missing the real power of these communities.

Promotion Is Where the Magic Happens

Surfing gives you credits.

Promotion gives you results.

The members who see the most success in traffic exchanges are usually the ones who are doing a little bit of both.

They are:

  • putting splash pages in rotators
  • mailing to mailers
  • sharing banners
  • running text ads
  • adding their links in different communities

Little by little, those things start stacking up.

And that’s when the magic happens.

My Tracking Tells the Story

Recently I was looking through my own tracking logs and something jumped out at me.

When I slow down promoting, the clicks slow down too — even if I’m still surfing.

But when I get active again — updating rotators, mailing, sharing splash pages — suddenly my tracking starts lighting up again from different places.

Traffic exchanges.
Mailers.
Banners.

Clicks start coming from everywhere.

That’s when you realize something important.

The system works when you work the system.

Over the years I’ve heard people say:

“Traffic exchanges don’t work.”

But in my experience, that’s not really true.

What usually happens is this:

People join…
they surf for a while…
then they stop promoting.

And when the results slow down, they assume the system doesn’t work.

But the members who stay active — who promote across multiple sites and keep their links circulating — often see a very different picture.

A Little Friendly Advice

If you’ve been spending a lot of time surfing lately, here’s a simple challenge.

Before you log off today, take five minutes and do one small promotion step.

Maybe:

  • add a splash page to a rotator
  • mail your link in a mailer
  • post a banner somewhere
  • share your page in a community

It doesn’t have to be big.

But those little actions are what keep the momentum moving.

Traffic Exchanges were never meant to be just a clicking game.

They’re a network of marketers helping each other get exposure.

And when you combine surfing + promotion, that’s when things really start to grow.

At Zaney Clicks we believe traffic exchanges should teach, encourage, and help members grow. If you’re new here, jump in and start exploring

Happy surfing — and happy promoting!

And if you ever feel stuck, remember — sometimes the best thing you can do is step back, update your links, promote a little, and then jump back into surfing with fresh momentum.

Nancy

Time Flies When You Love What You Do

Every now and then, something happens that makes you stop, smile, and think: “Wow… I’ve really been here a long time.”

That happened to me today.

Someone mentioned remembering me from all the way back in 2013—noticing my presence and signing up under me long before either of us fully understood the depth of this industry. Honestly? That comment hit me in the best possible way.

When you’ve put in years—decades, even—you sometimes wonder if anyone noticed. You wonder if the consistency meant anything. Hearing that someone remembered me from that far back was the full-circle moment I didn’t even know I needed.

As I was digging through my old blog posts recently, I found myself smiling at memories I’d nearly forgotten. I bought my first traffic exchange in 2008. I’ve been building, learning, connecting, and showing up ever since. And yet, looking at the calendar, it doesn’t feel like it’s been nearly twenty years.

The Romans had a phrase for this: Tempus Fugit. Time flies.

But as I look back, I realized the years didn’t just disappear—they carried me. They shaped me, challenged me, and brought me so much joy that I didn’t even realize how fast they were flying by. Maybe that’s the real proof of the old cliché—time really does fly when you genuinely love what you do.

This industry has shifted and evolved, and so have I. But the heart of it—the creativity, the community, the connections—that’s what kept me here. That’s what made the years blur together in the best possible way.

Now, as things come full circle, I’m reminded that none of it was wasted. Every hour, every project, every late-night idea… it all mattered. It was all building something.

I’m just grateful—for the journey, for the people, and for the fact that after all these years, I still love the “hustle” as much as I did on day one.

Zaney News & Blog Is Back — And So Am I

There’s something special about coming back to where it all began.

As I was going through my files recently, I found my old Zaney News & Blog — and wow, what a trip down memory lane. Reading those posts reminded me how much I loved sharing what I was learning, teaching others, and building something that truly mattered.

Back then, I didn’t realize I was documenting a journey. I was simply figuring things out, learning through trial and error, and sharing what worked and what didn’t.

But looking at it now, I realize this blog has always been more than just posts.

It’s been a place to teach.
A place to encourage.
A place to build community.

And now… it’s back.
Why I’m Bringing the Blog Back

Over the years, Zaney Clicks, Hummingbird Hits, Zaney Mailz and New Mail Alert have continued to grow and evolve. I’ve learned more than I ever imagined about traffic exchanges, mailers, and building online communities.

I’ve also seen firsthand how powerful these tools can be when used the right way.

This blog will once again be a place where I share:

• What works
• What doesn’t
• Tips and lessons learned
• Updates and behind-the-scenes insights
• And ideas to help you build your own success online

No hype. No fluff. Just real experience.

Building Traffic, Community, and Success Since 2008

When I bought Hummingbird Hits in 2008, I had no idea where this journey would lead. Shortly after, Zaney Clicks became part of that journey, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

What started as a learning experience became a passion.
What started as a small project became a community.

And I’m still learning every day.


The Best Is Still Ahead

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:

You are never too old to learn something new.
You are never too late to start building something meaningful.
And sometimes, the best chapters come after you think the story is finished.

I’m excited to bring this blog back and continue sharing this journey with you.

Thank you for being part of Zaney Clicks — past, present, and future.

— Nancy

Social Profile – Free Advertising

Everyone has been asking in the chats what are Social Profiles as they have been seeing them on a number of the sites and not really sure what they are or what you do with them.

Each site may rebrand them and they might go by other names depending on the site and what the owners are naming them – I will give you some examples later on – first I want to tell you that you are missing out on some great FREE advertising in all the sites that have this mod.

To get started login to one of your favorite sites and see if they have this mod. You may have to hunt around on some of the sites but what you are looking for is My Social Profile and it’s going to look something like these examples of mine

Hungry For Hits

Tezzers Social Profile

LFM Social

The Food Game

After you have logged into the site – click on My Social Profile and if offered pick a background for your pod/blog, then you can put in your info. I am just amazed at how many I see when surfing and there is nothing but the person name and picture – nothing else has been added.

This is a great way to meet other people that you have things in common with – ONE you both are advertising on a Traffic Exchange (TE) and you both are wanting others to see what you are promoting – so I am hoping after this blog post that I start seeing lot more people filling in their Traffic Pods in their Social Profile.

AND for some of you that don’t know what to write and just want to add a banner of one of your sites that you promote which in my opinion is better than leaving things blank – here is the code that I use to add that banner to my post

<a href="https://hummingbirdhits.com/supersplash.php?rid=2509" target="_blank&quot;" rel="noopener"><img src="https://hummingbirdhits.com/getimg.php?id=8" width="400" border="0"></a>

Now get out there and lets see some post – you don’t have any excuses anymore – if you have any questions or comments – just leave them below and will answer each and every one – enjoy

P.S. Bloggers – did you see how I used this to lead you back to my blog – hint, hint

Keep Your Profile Updated

Today I have run into a few things and thought I would share with you and why you should keep your profile updated.

As a TE owner, there are times that extra prizes are given for different reasons at a site and I was working on awarding prizes today to find that alot of members profiles were not updated.

If you want to earn these extra prizes, you need to fill in your Food Game username,  your TEHQ (Traffic Exchange Headquarters)  username – you are missing out on your prizes if they are not filled in.

The other thing that I also ran across today – you know how you get emails saying that you have commissions, referrals etc.  well if you have the box unclicked in your profile you will not get these notices.

Well I knew I had gotten quite a few from sites and thought I’d go and check out where I might be at payout.  Most of you know that I use TECP (TE Command Post) to check this and wow what a surprise.

When I logged into TECP, I could see that I was at payout at quite a few sites and from there I could click on the site to login and see what was wrong.  Yes I’m guilty sometimes of forgetting to put in my payment addy and I actually was surprised when I got to some sites.

Now I’m not sure when this happened but from what I hear there is a new plugin that some sites have added and this is another reason why you should keep your profile updated.

If you have not been to your profile lately, take the time to check them as I have also been told that if this is not filled in then – you may not get your commissions.

Prizes in Traffic Exchanges

Well this is going to be a little rant as I think lot of people have lost the “why” you join traffic exchanges.  Traffic exchanges are simple – you look at my site and I will look at your site – they are an advertising platform.  The prizes in traffic exchanges are being offered as an incentive and thank you for visiting a site and looking at the ads that are being shown.

prizes2Some traffic exchanges offer daily and weekly prizes in their sites again as in incentive and thank you for coming to their business to view other members ads.  NOW the rant sometime things happen – prize pages conflict, codes are typed wrong, the server didn’t reset and the list goes on and on and I know all of you know what I’m talking about.

Well when this happens for one it means that the people behind the scene are human and we make mistakes – it does not mean that we are trying to cheat you out of your “prize”.  What gets me the most when people think this – to me as an owner this is like a slap in the face.  These are not just prizes that come with our business, they are prizes that site owners have to BUY that we give to you as prizes.questions3

If you are surfing a traffic exchange just for the prize incentives then maybe you should reevaluate your “why” did I join this site.  If you spent more time sharing the site you are in instead of focusing so much on the prize incentives that they offer you would be making lot more money.

Example you join a health club and you are loving the results you are getting and that club offers prize incentives for referring a friend.  As a prize incentive they may offer you 15 minutes in hot tub, discount on massage, etc.  Now where are YOU going to benefit the most – yes buy telling your friends and explaining the benefits.  The same works in traffic exchanges.  While the 15 minutes in the hot tub may feel awesome after a long day – wouldn’t it be nice to have a friend to share that with.

So for all that is reading this I ask you to go back and think about your “why” did you join the site or sites that you are member of.  AND the next time that the prize incentive was not there right away – remember “why” those prize incentives are there also.

Learn to be patient in this instant world that we live in as there are still humans behind the scene and have feelings still.  Everyone leaving me a comment, I will give you 100 Food Game Gold as a thank you for taking the time to read and comment.

everything-happens-for-a-reason2-300x205

Hide and Seek TE Style

Well I’m sure as a kid everyone remembers how you use to play hide and seek well I thought it would be fun to bring that to TEland and so on Wednesdays at Zaney Clicks we enjoy playing Hide and Seek TE Style.

For all that have never played – what happens is that I have a page that I have made and this is what it looks like this hideandseek2and all you have to do is surf and find the page take the word highlighted in yellow and add it as a promo code for an extra bonus.

Everyone that adds this new word will be in drawing for $1.00 – it’s just that simple BUT here is the best part you learned a new word that has been put in the dictionary – how cool is that.  I have so enjoyed this promo even for myself as I learn new words and somewhat keep up with the new lingo that is going on these days.

AND as you can see I also add the definition for your each week so that you can go out and impress your friends maybe even by just tell them how fantasmarific they are.

So when you are bored just clicking – come on over to Zaney Clicks every Wednesday for our version of Hide and Seek TE Style

Reasons to Own and Operate Your Own Business

Years ago when my ex and I first got married we both lost our jobs and our of necessity started our own business.  Since the divorce, I have continued to have my own business and going to share reasons to own and operate your own business.

09pEvYqoSFreedom would be my first reason as being owner and operator you get to be that boss (the person everyone hates).  You get to wear many, many hats and if like me learned a lot the hard way but I would not change a thing.  You do have to find the balance in work/life and that can be hard sometimes when you are trying to build your business.

As I have gotten older, I have narrowed down my business plan to working with my traffic exchanges, mailers and doing affiliate marketing.  It’s funny how in this online world there are still people that think they know how you should run your business and like to make it public or let you know you are doing this wrong and that wrong.

Another reason that I enjoy having my own business, what most don’t realize is that this is “MY” business to run as I see fit – that is what I love about this country that gives us this privilege.  There are going to be times that people don’t agree with how I run things but it is still me that pays the bills, put in the hours, and does all the work behind the scenes and bend over backwards to make you all happy.

judgingcatWhen others like to give their opinions that is just what it is their opinion and should not be put out there as guidelines or “rules” as to how the business is run because they are not a partner nor do they pay any of the bills that go along with your business.

That is another reason that I love having and running my own business – I am proud of my online business, I work very hard in my online business and believe that I offer great services.  Over the years, I have developed many, many friends and customers and I do bend over backwards to help them and would not trade that for anything.

You know it’s funny as the more competition happens in all business these days it sure seems the more some like to try and dictate how things should be.  Having been around the small ma and pa businesses for over 30 years now, I have learned that you just can’t beat old-fashion service. You have to learn to keep your emotions under control no matter how pissed you get, how over the coals someone want to rake you, and think about what is best for the business. You are NEVER  going to make everyone happy, your are NEVER going to have everyone agree with decisions you make – but you do have that right to make them.

Does it get hard at times yes it does but I sure would not trade it as the rewards out weigh the bad – the satisfaction you get from helping others, the pride you get from seeing what you created work and people that love your business.  One of the best thank yous that a business owner can get is seeing someone else promote them and for all the pages that I have seen – I would like to say thank you, thank you, thank you.

best2And the most important reason would be YOU, I really do appreciate all of you putting up with me as I know I come up with some pretty Zaney ideas sometimes and I do love the feedback – good or bad – we keep growing the business together.  AND as always you can leave me a message in support – I do answer all my messages.

What is a traffic exchange

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You know it’s interesting as I listen to people these days and the answers to what is a traffic exchange – so thought this would make a nice blog post and let people share
their definition – don’t be shy now

Wikipedia says this……

A traffic exchange website receives website submissions from webmasters that join traffic exchange networks. The person who submitted the website then has to browse other member sites on the exchange program to earn credits, which enable their sites to be viewed by other members through the surf system. This increases the number of visitors to all the sites involved.

Exchanges enforce a certain credit ratio, which illustrates the amount of websites the surfer must view in order to receive one hit through the program for their promoted website. Many sites offer the ability to upgrade one’s membership level for a more equal credit ratio.

As the viewers are all website owners or affiliates, it is possible that some might find certain member sites interesting and thus make note of them on their own sites, sending more traffic their way. Most traffic programs also impose a time limit when members are browsing, ranging from 10 seconds to 60 seconds. Some incorporate the use of captcha to ensure user interaction.

Almost all traffic exchange programs are free, although many of them offer special features to paid members and offer credits for purchase. Almost all traffic exchange programs encourage users to build their own referral networks, which in turn increases the referrers’ amount of credits.

The traffic generated in a traffic exchange can be leveraged by using a downline builder to assist the user in building a referral network in the many different traffic exchanges.

In practice, traffic exchange programs are generally used by small business owners or marketers who either want free advertising or use the exchange programs for low-budget advertisement campaigns.

Now I’m going to ask you to go back and read thru all that ONE more time and this time
look as see if you see anything about a place to EARN money, win prizes, play games
etc.   Then I want to you to keep reading the rest of this post as I think that you will see
how much things have changed over the years and in my opinion not sure if it’s good
or bad – thought would put this out there and see what others thought.

Here is what Widipedia says about Paid to Click…..

Paid To Click is an online business model that draws online traffic from people aiming to earn money from home. Paid-To-Click, or simply PTC websites, act as middlemen between advertisers and consumers; the advertiser pays for displaying ads on the PTC website, and a part of this payment goes to the viewer when he views the advertisement.

So lets hear your thought on what is a traffic exchange in your opinion and yes everyone has one – here is the time to share yours
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Come on you know you wanna

 

Rotators – how to use them and why

Well, so many folks have asked me to explain rotators – how to use them and why – so thought I would come here and give you an easy to follow explanation. I’m sure there are those who have wondered also and just not asked yet!  I know rotators mystified me when I first started with Traffic Exchanges!

First of all, a rotator combines multiple sites urls into one “rotating url”, hence the name “Rotator”. Each time your rotator is viewed on a Traffic Exchange, or in a Mailer e-mail message, a different url that you have placed inside your rotator will be viewed. This is an amazing marketing tool as not only can you add multiple sites URLs inside the rotator, but using a rotator will save you time, credits, and makes it so much easier to track your results! In Zaney Clicks, we offer this terrific service for FREE! To get started, you just need to login and scroll down to the Menu button that says “Rotators”.

Adding a Rotator at Zaney ClickAdding a Rotator at Zaney Clicks: This is the page that you will see when you click on the button “Rotators”.

The first thing that you will want to do is click on “tracker” – now a tracker is simply a way to give you information (statistics) about where your URL is being seen, how many hits you are receiving daily and this info will help you to gradually see what is working and what is not – this is very important for you to know!

Here is an example of the rotator that I made to help me get referrals.  I especially like these two in this rotator and want to give a shout out for offering this on their sites.
Your Business “Success” Story! and what I call my “Money Page

Not that hard huh? Then, I would pick 5 – 7 URL’s and add them as your tracker urls then I will explain what you do next. After you have added your trackers – then you click on rotator at the top and that lets you set up your rotator.

The next step is to give your rotator a name– you can be as creative as you want as the name that you pick will be part of your rotator’s URL  Me, I don’t get that fancy as you can see from my final URL which I just named Referral Rotator and the my other one is Nancy Recommends

Now to view this rotator you can click on the link and then click your computer’s F5 button and you should be able to see how the pages change in the rotator. Because this was not my normal amount of urls for use in a rotator, I went back and added more trackers in this example.

NOW for the BIG reason for this blog post – Rotators – how to use them and why. Once you have plastered this ONE rotator URL all over and assigned credits to it – you have just saved yourself time and here is how.

One – you only have one link that will need credits so you don’t have to surf as much to keep one URL going but, you are keeping 5 – 7 sites in front of people, at all times! If you are a person that has an abundance of credits, then I would go back and create another rotator and add either the same sites or, you can add more trackers – and then add a second or third. I know what you are thinking – why should I make a new rotator and not just add this first URL 2 or 3 times – well some sites do not let you add the same URL more than once.

Another BIG reason this will save you time is that you don’t have to remember where you added a site, you don’t have to chase all over when a site “disappears” on you or changes their url, you don’t have to chase all over when your favorite site comes out with a new splash, new promo, etc. – you just go back to Zaney Clicks and add another tracker with your NEWEST url that you want to add. Click on Rotators and add/edit sites and click to add the newest url and unclick the one that you don’t want to use anymore.

This will also take the guess work out of trying to remember, “Now, where do I have to surf for credits?”, or “Which sites am I currently using to promote – drive traffic to – my sites?” as you can come back to your Rotators Page on Zaney Clicks where you will now be able to check your tracker statistics. On the page that lists your trackers, you will see where it says “daily stats” – click that and it will tell you the site where your url is being seen and how many hits (page views) your URL received for the day.

Now, if you want to see where you have your Rotator URL – then click on “rotators” – “daily stats” and that will show you all the places that your rotator was seen today. If your list looks like it should be bigger, then I go to the left of that screen and click the arrow buttons and go back to an earlier date and you will be able to tell which Traffic Exchange you need to surf next where your Rotator is most likely to be out of credits.

How can you tell how many hits (views) per day you are receiving – well on the left side, if you click on the graph of each day (that little dot on the graph) the date will pop up along with the number of hits for that day.

I hope all this will help give you a start if you have not been using rotators because you were unsure of how to use them and I hope you will give them a try! I think you will Love using them as much as I do! Remember, if you have any questions, comments, or need help – I’m here for you – just send in a support ticket

You know it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t give some type of incentive to everyone that takes action – so what I will do – for everyone that sends me their Zaney Clicks rotator url– I will add it as login spotlight and with a start of 100 credits – now get me those Zaney Clicks Rotator URLs!!!

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