Running a Proxy Network

The wonderful thing about proxies is that after about two weeks or so, web filters start to blacklist them and block access to them [/sarcasm]. Some proxies are able to stay under the radar for a month or so, by doing simple things such as not including:

• Not using the terms 'proxy' 'unblock' 'filter' or 'bypass' or anything similar in their domain names (you can get blacklisted instantly for those).
• Not using the above terms in your META or Title tags
• Not using the above terms in your content (I don't find this necessary, it helps your Adsense).

Of course, if you want the established brandable anonymizer proxy and not the unestablished quick-be-gone unblocking proxy, then by all means use the above terms in your site. Otherwise, stick with the above tips.
Either way, after your proxy gets banned, you will notice a decrease in traffic and earnings. So what exactly do you do? You make another proxy! Just register another domain name, and set up your new proxy. Then just advertise it again. Then rinse and repeat.

But of course, your proxies aren't going to be banned everywhere. Maybe you might want to unite your proxies under a proxy network? For that, you will need a website portal or so, with some information and a link to all of your proxies. This can insure repeat visitors and more professionalism.

Setting Up Your Home Page

Setting up a proxy network home page is very simple. You probably want a dynamic CMS script, and for this I recommend WordPress. WordPress is a very functional CMS, and is perfect for your proxy network site.
My proxy network has the following:

• A home page with information on what a proxy is.
• A page with my proxies.
• A page for people to subscribe via Email
• A page for people to subscribe via SMS
• A page for people to contact me about advertising.
• A privacy policy.

That's it. If you want to actually see my site: http://www.anonymode.info

All I did was take a simple WordPress theme, install it, add an SEO Plugin, and that's it. I also have the widgetized sidebar and header with several custom features, but that's besides the point of this eBook. Everything can be done with some simple WordPress functions.

So as I said, simply install WordPress on your proxy network's domain. Then, find a few plugins and a theme. To make a static home page, simply go into your Reading Settings and change the home page to the static page of your choice.

If you have noticed, I have also disabled comments on my entires. I feel that my site is informational, and does not require commenting of any sort. People can email me if they feel the need to speak to me.

Newsletters and Subscriptions

How exactly are you going to get people to come back to your proxies? It's simple, keep contacting them and reminding them!

Successful proxy networks know how to get repeat visitors, instead of the usual one-time-and-bust visitors. These repeat visitors are very good, because they are the ones that are going to tell their friends about your proxies and spread them by word of mouth.

I currently use four methods of keeping my visitors up to date on my proxies. I use these services to send them updates about new proxies every single time a new proxy is created.

• Email Subscriptions – Email proxies to your subscribers.
• SMS/Text Message Subscriptions – Send text messages to subscribers.
• Facebook/MySpace Groups – Send updates and make bulletins about your proxies.
• Twitter – Tweet new proxies to all of your followers.

I will go into more detail about the first two methods. The second two methods are simple. For MySpace/Facebook, create a group or page for your proxy network, and then invite all of your friends to it. Then keep sending updates with new proxies, and advertise your group to other people to get more members. For Twitter, just reserve a username for your proxy network and then tweet new proxies to your followers (mine is http://www.twitter.com/anonymode).

PS: Remember, if you do plan on offering subscription services, make sure to add something in your Privacy Policy about release of personal information. Maybe in your Terms of Service as well, since who know's how somebody can abuse it?

Email Subscriptions

Email subscriptions are the most effective way of gaining repeat users. People simply enter their email address and confirm, and then you can email them all of your proxies. My email list received about 400 subscribers in a month, so within a few months you can get over 1k unique visitors with one click.

You want to place the email form (you should be given a code snippet), on a page in your proxy network, as well as all of your proxies. I even have a link on my URL form on my proxified pages that pops up to reveal a subscription form. Wave it in your user's face.

There are many different programs and scripts that you can use to run an email list. Here are four varied different services that you can use for your email list. There are definitely others in these categories, but the ones below are the at the top (in my opinion).

Feedburner - I personally just take FeedBurner's Email Subscription option and then hook it up to my network blog's feed. Every time I make a post about a new proxy, it gets emailed to everyone. Now, while this is very simple to set up, you cannot really customize your emails, so it will be a pain to send out sponsored listings and stuff.

PHPList - PHPList is a free, open source PHP newsletter manager script. It gives you full customization. However, you will need good servers if you have a very large subscriber list. Also, make sure your host allows email lists. This goes for any other email software that you host directly on your server.

Aweber - Then there are those email marketing services that allow you to build up a list with advanced configurations. Aweber is a great service, with different options like RSS Feed integration and ability to give out free stuff to new subscribers. However, it does come with a monthly fee.

Google/Yahoo Groups – Some people prefer to make these groups instead of email lists, but they work the same way. The main difference is that not only do you subscribers get to see it, but anybody who just views your group can see it. This is a great way to build up a subscriber list. Both services are the same basically, so it's really up to your preferences which to choose.

SMS/Text Message Subscriptions

It is a lot harder to build up a list of SMS subscribers. However, it is worth it in the long run. Text messages are a lot more viral than emails. Think in the mind of a teenager, which would you rather forward to your friends: an email or text message?

Some people think that running a text message subscription service is expensive. They think that you need to pay for each individual SMS. Actually, it's completely free. The only fees involved in SMS Subscriptions are the fees that people have to pay to get them (and that is based on the subscriber's phone plan).

If you run WordPress on your network, great! There are several ready-built SMS services for you. I personally use Easy SMS. It is easy to customize and very functional. Feel free to check out my SMS subscription page here, just don't copy!

You can expect to receive at most 5 active subscribers a week (unless you are a very high-traffic proxy). But as I said, text messages are very viral.

These lists are very easy to handle. All you have to do is put out a form, and then wait. Then, just press the 'Send an SMS' button, place your message, and tada! Your message will be sent almost instantly.
I find that the best time to send these messages are at around 10:00am Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5 Hours). This is because it is nearing the lunch break of many schools/employees, and as you go farther down the country, it will be even earlier. As long as they get the message BEFORE they get access to a computer, it's all handy dandy.

Now, I will teach you how to make money off of your new subscription lists.

Monetizing Your Network

Besides using ad networks, it is very easy to make money using direct ad sales with your network. As the amount of proxies you own and subscribers you get, the more money you can make.

Newsletter Blasts – As I mentioned in the Advertising chapter, Newsletter Blasts are when people pay you (or visa versa) to send a link to their proxy to all of an email list's subscribers. If you want to get lots of sales, I would say to charge about 50 cents for every 1000 subscribers you have. Because of this, don't offer newsletter blasts until you reach about 2000 subscribers. Also, as I said above, if you are using FeedBurner for your newsletters, you will not really be able to customize your Newsletter Blasts.

Network Site Ads – You have a network home page, why not use it to your advantage? Offer banners and links to place on your network's home page and sidebar. It won't make you rich, but it will add to your income.

Network-Wide Proxy Ads – This is a great easy way to make money. Offer advertiser's a great deal and place their ads on ALL of your proxies. What is an easy way to do this? You have three options: domain parking, PHP includes, or using a global ad management script like OpenX. I will talk about these in the FAQ in the next chapter.

Here are a few different type of ads you can offer on your proxies:

• Proxy Index Banner Ad – Why not offer a banner ad on your index near your URL box?
• Proxified Banner Ad – Instead of placing a CPM ad, place an advertiser's banner image ad. It will load ten times faster, and offers you a guaranteed stable income.
• Proxified Text Ad – Just place two or three text links below your URL bar on the proxified pages, they have high CTR.

Feel free to use your imagination and come up with your own possible ad placements. The possibilities are endless, and direct ads usually offer more stable and guaranteed income, compared to CPM networks.

Summary: Proxy Networks allow proxies to be connected. It helps a lot with return visitors, and provides for easy advertisement and managing. You can also set up different subscription services to keep people coming back like email and SMS updates. Once you build up your network, it's also really easy to sell direct advertisements and make lots of revenue.

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