With so many options available for buying and selling text links, and Google looking to get into the market itself, it is the rare and brave website that enters the market! Let’s welcome TNX… (click on the picture to see the front page).

I’ve been asked to review a new text link service that is called TNX. In fact, TNX is an interesting new take on the idea of buying and selling Text Links. We’re quite familiar with Text Link Ads and Linkworth, and their methods of doing business. But TNX adds a couple of twists that make it more interesting.

Best of Both Worlds

The TNX website incorporates both publishers and advertisers into the same scheme, but it borrows some of the ideas from traffic websites, like BlogMad and BlogExplosion by incorporating several things: credits (you are provided bonus points when you initially sign up, you can earn credits, and you can buy credits) and campaigns (you can create, target, assign credits and monitor them).

As with all credits, there is a purchase price, which can vary rather than a fixed price. I’m not quite sure why and how the price will vary, but it is currently set at $1.14 per 1,000 credits. Moreover, intriguingly, there is an option to sell credits to others or back to the system. I’m not sure again why this is useful, but it looks like credits could be a mini-currency within the system. It is possible that it could be a form of payment.

Opportunities for DOSH!

It is clear though, that the site is intended to create opportunities to trade links or points. Payments are to be handled through Paypal as usual. There are additional opportunities to earn money from building your own affiliate network through TNX. In fact, their website says:

When you refer webmasters to TNX.net, you get 13.3% (as long as your account is active) of all TNX-points that are generated by their websites. In addition, you will receive 5% of all payments, made by referred advertiser.

Referrals right now are attracting additional credits of upto 7,000 credit points, and an additional 5,000 credits for each site that is approved. So it’s a good time to join up!

Installing the CODE

I have already installed the code on one of my blogs. Initially, I was surprised how long the PHP code piece I was expected to include – it’s long! But, that presented no problems. In fact, for WordPress users, you will need to use a plugin like Wigdetize Anything or EXEC-PHP to put the code directly in your blog. The instructions provided with the code that TNX are clear and easy to follow.

In fact, I was able to get the code installed and working within a few minutes of installing Widgetize Anything (but I had to remove the <php… and ?> tags at the beginning and the end). After struggling with Linkworth’s code for ages, I hadn’t much hope but it worked a treat. I, however, would recommend that TNX develop a plugin for bloggers to use with WordPress. (Oddly, I found that the code might be includable in MANY PHP driven websites, but it might be better for tech-savier to try out the installs themselves.)

Once my sites are approved, I’ll write another post on how to install the code, how to create your first campaign, and what the results are. I’m looking forward to doing a followup on this website. It has a lot of potential that is just being hinted at right now.

Sponsored by TNX.net.