Question about Swamp Package

[tbkhor]

I am going to move another domain to be hosted in hostgator.com. But I would like to know if Swamp package allow traffic trading, I mean skimmed traffic as I understand skimmed traffic trading is not allowed in baby croc package which I am using at the moment

If skimmed traffic trading is not allowed in swamp package, then which package I shall use? dedicated server?

Please reconfirm that skimmed traffic trading is now allowed in baby croc package. I read the TOS again and again, but can not find any word that indicating traffic trading is not allowed. Please reconfirm!!

thank you, I am happy with hostgator service so far as my site is running smooth.....

[Serra]

In theory I don't see anything in the TOS that would restrict skimming. Mostly they are worried about image hosting and that type of stuff, but skimming doesn't seem to be a problem.

Just remember that shared hosting is NOT very robust. If you get too much traffic or if the traffic comes in bursts, you'll be suspend for over CPU usage.

Of course, everyone who cares thinks skimming is nothing more than a giant circle jerk and is ruining the online porn industry. Myself, I think it totally kills conversion. Anyone who gets skimmed more than once is going to surf away and just find another source, YMMV.

[gwyneth]

Serra,

What is "skimmed traffic trading"?

Your explanations are always so good and you don't make fun of people who've never heard a term (most of the time). Thanks.

[Serra]

skimmed traffic is where people are directed to a site through a link where they expect to see one thing, but are presented with something else, that is close to what they were expecting but not exactly. The way it works is a website, normally a porn site, purchases skimmed traffic. A link is placed on another site that shows a porn image. The user sees the image and clicks on it to go to that site. When this is skimmed traffic link, the user is sent to a site that is paying for that traffic. The idea is that one popular site may skim some traffic off to other sites in return for PPC income or a site may simply be a skimming portal where all of the traffic on the site is sold to other sites. As there is a lot of money in this, it is very popular.

A good example of where this can go wrong is when they round-robbin users from one skimmer to another in a big loop. You click on an image and expect to see a porn gallery and end up on a site of example, the next click lands on another example and no matter how many times you click, you never actually get to a gallery. (or you may after a bunch of clicks).


This is becoming huge problem for real porn vendors that make money selling porn because so many skimming sites are popping up and potential customers are being round-robined so badly that they are giving up or not surfing for porn so often because its becoming so frustrating.


The end result will be that users will be surfing for porn less and sticking to sites that know more. Overall, this will be a blow to the porn industry because they really want people to surf, not bookmark and hang out. More trusted vendors, those sites with more trust-able content are the winners here as well as known porn gateways and blogs like Fleshbot.

[gwyneth]

If this is not a technique or issue in other content type, I can stay slightly confused.

Otherwise...so surfer lands on Site A--"Al's Vegetables", with pictures of asparagus, beet, cauliflower, dandelions, endive and fiddlebacks. But the beets are actually on "Bob's Produce", so someone clicking on the beets lands on Bob's, where there are pictures of beets, cabbage, eggplants and green beans.

The cabbage link there is actually to "Chuck's Greeneteria", where there are pictures of...

In other words, these are all links to content, which may or may not be content itself, but instead may be more links?

Why would the OP think "skimmed traffic trading" is not allowed in baby plan but in other shared plans?

[tbkhor]

Originally Posted by Serra

In theory I don't see anything in the TOS that would restrict skimming. Mostly they are worried about image hosting and that type of stuff, but skimming doesn't seem to be a problem.

But I did receive an email from hostgator indicating skimmed traffic trading is prohibited. That's reason I am in doubt.

Originally Posted by Serra

If you get too much traffic or if the traffic comes in bursts, you'll be suspend for over CPU usage.

But hostgator claim that monthly bandwith is 1TB for baby croc and I didnt even use half of them. And yes, my traffic will be quite huge if I start promoting my site, but it is not the case as I havent started.

Originally Posted by Serra

Myself, I think it totally kills conversion. Anyone who gets skimmed more than once is going to surf away and just find another source, YMMV.

Yes, totally agreed with you, that's why skimmed ratio shall not leass than 60 or 70% to content or your surfer will not visit you again. But to be honest, I didnt sell the traffic but I trade with other similar site and get some surfers from them as well. This is one of the most efficient method to increase the traffic. And I purchase traffic as well.

Thank you for all your advice, very much appreciated.

[tbkhor]

And this is the whole email I have received:

I'm sorry that Ford did not notice, but we do not allow any kind of
Autosurf/Traffic Exchange applications/schemes on our hosting. Please
remove this application as soon as possible otherwise we may be forced to
suspend your account.

Best Regards,
Dmitry Dovidenko
HostGator Support Team

[Break the Silence]

Originally Posted by gwyneth

The cabbage link there is actually to "Chuck's Greeneteria", where there are pictures of...

As I understand it, if you click on a picture of 'cabbage' you end up on another link site that offers (perhaps hundreds) of links to cabbage but no actual galleries.

This is all well and good, save for the fact that the original link generally masquerades as a one-click gateway to the advertised gallery.

Hence, as Serra was saying, the average surfer feels jerked around, (destined to wander from link farm to link farm), without ever arriving at the promised land.

Human nature being what it is, it doesn't take a rocket scientist, (or even Bill Gates for that matter), to figure out that the average surfer will only stomach so much of this before tuning out and falling back on the sites he already knows.

In this respect then, I believe Serra is quite correct in asserting that the entire practice is very counter productive.

[Serra]

Originally Posted by tbkhor

And this is the whole email I have received:

This issues seems to be different that "Do they allow skimmed traffic" questions. It appears you are not using skimmed traffic, but running an application. I can see why that would be restricted, though it should be listed in the TOS more clearly. So, I'd stand by what I said, I'm fairly sure they allow skimmed traffic, but they aren't going to let you run some type of app. Very, very few apps can be run in the shared environment.

[tbkhor]

Originally Posted by Serra

This issues seems to be different that "Do they allow skimmed traffic" questions. It appears you are not using skimmed traffic, but running an application. I can see why that would be restricted, though it should be listed in the TOS more clearly. So, I'd stand by what I said, I'm fairly sure they allow skimmed traffic, but they aren't going to let you run some type of app. Very, very few apps can be run in the shared environment.

Sorry, I am indeed quite new in this industry. So I have a silly question.

Ok, I am confused with skimmed traffic trading and traffic exchange application. If I dont have a software or appliation to skim certain percentage of traffic to certain gallery, any other solution to skim the traffics? I am doubtful for so long time, and really wish to understand this.

Besides, is comusthumb considered as auto-surf application? how about turbo traffic trader? or sloth traffic trader? if I used external application, will it be allowed?

thank you

[gtgeorge]

Originally Posted by tbkhor

Sorry, I am indeed quite new in this industry. So I have a silly question.

Ok, I am confused with skimmed traffic trading and traffic exchange application. If I dont have a software or appliation to skim certain percentage of traffic to certain gallery, any other solution to skim the traffics? I am doubtful for so long time, and really wish to understand this.

Besides, is comusthumb considered as auto-surf application? how about turbo traffic trader? or sloth traffic trader? if I used external application, will it be allowed?

thank you

I think they are mistaking your desires and programs for the auto surf 4 money scam programs that are being banned in many places. I guess they could technically consider it a traffic exchange although it is different than what is commonly known as a traffic exchange. Might want to look to someone higher up at HG...maybe even contact the abuse department?

[Serra]

Also keep in mind that if you plan to make money, a $10.00 a month account is rarely the correct solution.

No matter what, I can give you my opinion, which is fairly accurate, but sales@hostgator.com will give you the final word on any idea that you might have.

Your best solution would be a dedicated server, which could run any app you wanted to run. The TOS is aimed at shared systems and there are few TOS restrictions on dedicated machines as far as running apps goes.

I doubt that any provider would let you run a skimming package on their shared environment. Receiving traffic would be ok, but to trade you'd need a app, that wouldn't be possible.

Direct your questions to sales, that what they live for.

[tbkhor]

ok, thanks guys. at least I have some ideas after all these.

[tbkhor]

Another few silly questions

If I move to dedicated server, let say standard dedicated server, is traffic trading script is allowed? how many domains are allowed? Is hosting transfer service available?

thank you

[kmaw]

Yep, you can do just about anything you want...

Unlimited domains... HG will transfer the accounts.