Please Someone Shed Some Light <question><rant>

[RawAlex]

Okay, here goes... your problem is VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY simple.

Why the heck would anyone want to send you traffic?

Think about it. The link list / free site concept is that YOU provide entertainment, and the link site provides some traffic. You have no entertainment here, just a giant collection of ads.

Places like rabbit's reviews get listed because they credit the sales to the link site sending the traffic. Basically, you appear to be wanting something for nothing... and that just doesn't happen.

You may find some other people running review sites or other commercial only sites willing to trade links, but basically you have a site which is just a huge collection of ads, a no link site will send people over there to just suffer through an endless (but nicely organized) list of paysites.

You need to build free sites, and PROMOTE your website reviews with them. Your review site is a traffic destination, not a doorway.

IMHO, of course.

Alex

[gobgook2]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

Why the heck would anyone want to send you traffic?

Think about it. The link list / free site concept is that YOU provide entertainment, and the link site provides some traffic. You have no entertainment here, just a giant collection of ads.

OK, I've had a chance to sleep on it, and I'm going to stand by my original position for now, I think. My "freesite" is also just a collection of ads, with say 2-3 galleries (which are also technically ads) - same concept, different layout. If the free content on a "freesite" is considered the "entertainment" here, then that's just as available in reviews, in the form of photo samples (and members area captures, etc).

So why the heck would anyone want to send traffic to a freesite either? At either one there's something of value for the surfer to 'get into', but they're both are still pretty much just an ad layout for MY sponsors, in different formats. If you link to my freesite, you may be giving the surfer 3 galleries x 20 pictues ea as their "entertainment". Sure, a review site is text heavy, but counting sample photos they're getting (currently) 47 reviews containing 3-4 photos each...

If it's not about the freebies/content ("entertainment"), then it certainly can't be about the link trade/traffic on a warning page, because there's no difference in a freesite warning page with, say, 6 recips, and a review site warning page with the same recips. Either way there's a potential for click-happy surfers to see and visit the same recip'ed sites, no?

Follow me here? I mean, in the Rabbits Reviews vein, the freesites you list aren't carrying your refcode into their freesite and crediting you with all sales are they??? I'm still not seeing enough difference. I may just not "get it" though hehe I'm a freesite newb for sure, as admitted in the first statement Although I did take your suggestion Alex and built my first last night... we'll see...

Thanks all for the open dialogue, I'm trying to keep an open mind, but I like so many others find it hard not to be an opinionated prick sometimes LOL