The Traffic Exchange Alliance is still in development but has already received equal measures of support and suspicion.
Two of the founding members, Jon Olsen and Joshua Ditty, have agreed to answer some tricky questions about the purpose and goals of this organisation.
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How did you get into the internet marketing industry and what programs are you currently running or working on?
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Jon Olsen: I started way back when AllAdvantage.com was the 'thing to do online'. Currently I own ILoveHits.com , DoctorTraffic.net, HitExchangeNews.com and NetmarketingForum.com.
Joshua Ditty: I got into marketing via Referralware. Back then I was using Kazaa and I saw a popup for a business opportunity that could make me thousands of dollars a month. I took the bait and immediately joined Referralware.
My sponsor in that program gave me a training eBook that contained a few other programs, including MPAM, which I joined and used heavily to learn how to market online.
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What, in your view, is the purpose of the Traffic Exchange Alliance, and what is its overall goal?
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JO: When you walk down the street, how do you tell someone 'I use hit exchanges'? The goal of this alliance is to welcome the outside world into our little industry. When we get offline people talking about hit exchanges, we'll be in great shape to take these programs to the next level!
JD: I feel that TEA is going to set some standards. Right now there aren't any set rules. Owners don't know the value of hits, banner impressions, or how fast a support response should be. Everyone is just winging it.
TEA is meant to set those guidelines to help owners to get organized and become more professional. This is only one of the first things TEA is probably going to do, but I feel it's the most important because once we have owners who have organized themselves and are running their exchanges based on our gudelines it'll open up doors to other possibilities. We'll be able to do many more great things.
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Where did the idea for the Traffic Exchange Alliance come from?
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JO: Hours upon hours of clicking! Every industry in every section of the globe has some kind of 'association'. It shows that the industry is maturing!
JD: It started at Netmarketingforum.com some months ago as the Traffic Exchange Union, but fell apart because we weren't organized at that time. A month or so ago we brought the idea up again, ran with it and are now forming the Traffic Exchange Alliance, or TEA.
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Well-meaning individuals and organisations have previously been unsuccessful in their attempts to regulate aspects of the internet. Why will you succeed where others have failed?
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JO: I don't see the alliance as a regulator of the industry. If anything it's an education tool. Yeah, we can set standards and try to get new exchange owners to build their programs to those standards, but the internet will never be regulated. We hope that this alliance can take the entire industry into the mainstream, thats the primary goal, not to regulate.
JD: I'm not sure if we will, but we'll certainly try. The internet is a rugged land and in order for us to succeed we'll need the support of traffic exchange owners and surfers. I would encourage everyone to join Netmarketingforum and keep up with the progress of TEA.
Success isn't guaranteed, we'll have to work hard for it. We've got a lot of dedicated and motivated people who can move mountains when needed. We're willing to work hard to get this going. If it's meant to succeed than I'm positive that TEA will become a strong organization.
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Can the Traffic Exchange industry prosper without the involvement of the Traffic Exchange Alliance?
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JO: Sure it can, I mean it's been going for years now. But the growth of the industry is extremely slow. We need fresh faces in these programs clicking!
JD: Yes, but it will not meet the potential it could without some structure and organization. If left unchecked thousands of exchanges will continue to open everyday, flooding the market and lowering its value.
Everyday, thousands of them will also close. I'm sure everyone can name a few traffic exchanges that have disappeared mysteriously never to reopen again.
TEA is going to bring about some organization and help owners to grow and maintain their business. Surfers will also benefit from a more organized industry as it will expand their marketbase and improve the quality of their traffic.
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What would you like to say to those who might dismiss the Traffic Exchange Alliance as egotistical?
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JO: Believe me, there's no ego's in this alliance. We are all hard working owners, surfers and contributors to this industry. We're all looking at the big picture, trying to take this to the next level!
JD: I'd like to ask them to come by Netmarketingforum.com and help us out. We could use critics to improve our organization.
There is an open forum that everyone can participate in to find out more about the Traffic Exchange Alliance. If you have any questions feel free to come by and ask away.
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Finally, how soon can we expect to see the Traffic Exchange Alliance up and running and what progress has been made so far?
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JO: The foundation has been laid now we're all putting the pieces together. The next step is getting the community (industry) involved...Showing people what the mandate is and what steps we're taking to make this happen. Stay tuned!
JD: That's a hard question, but I can guarantee there will be no pre-launch.
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Jon Olsen and Joshua Ditty, thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions. We’ll continue to watch the development of TEA with interest.
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This article first appeared in The Nettle Ezine.
If you enjoyed it, why not try The Nettle Magazine at www.thenettle.com
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