WAIT!
Don't close that ugly pop-up box in the corner of your screen just yet!

It's not that I'm overly fond of pop-ups. As a matter of fact, I refuse to use them on my websites. But this particular page is an exception because this pop-up is the only way you can currently sign up for Instant Buzz without an invitation. (Just click on the link in the top ad to begin. It'll open in a new window.)

And now comes the question, "What the heck is InstantBuzz?"

Basically, it's a toolbar type add-on for the Internet Explorer browser that displays a text ad each time you visit a page on the Web.

And, that's pretty much all it does. I've used it for nearly a week, and I can promise you it installs no adware, and generates no pop-ups. It just shows text ads.

And no, you are under no obligation to add the ugly pop-up box to your site.

And why would you want to subject yourself to ads voluntarily? Well, for each ad you view, you generate 0.1 credit. For every 10 ads you see, your ad gets shown once. Which doesn't seem like a lot, but it adds up very quickly, especially if you use web mail like Gmail or Hotmail to read your email.

And, if you want to generate ad credits even more quickly, you can copy this page and link to it from your site to create a sort of downline system. For every person who you personally refer to join Instant Buzz, you will earn a fraction of an advertising credit every time they visit a new web page.

So, before you close the pop-up, click on the ad in the top box to download the toolbar and sign up for the service.

To get the most out of InstantBuzz...

Here are a few tips:

1. Don't use it to drive sales
   Really. You are going to get negligible results if you try to take people from a toolbar click to a sales pitch. Sign them up for a free newsletter, ecourse or autoresponder series from the toolbar. Then, when you've got their attention and their trust, you can try to sell them on your products.
2. Track your results!
   How are you going to know what works or not if you don't have a way to track it? The easiest way to do this is to set up a unique page that you only advertise through IB, then use a tool like sitemeter.com to track traffic. If you aren't getting any click-throughs, change your headline. If you're getting lots of clickthroughs but no signups, change your page or incentives.
3. Don't make your headlines predictable!
   This is another one that people just aren't getting. Be shocking. Be different. Be unusual. Please, please don't add another "Click here and earn money" headline. They're dull. They lack credibility. Let's face it, they suck.
4. Don't use the tacky pop-up box (like the one on this page) to advertise it unless you absolutely have to.
   It's ugly. It doesn't close or display properly for those 20% of people who don't use IE, and it makes your site look cheap. Want to use it to generate signups? Copy this page to your own site, with your own Hyperspace ad at the bottom, then link it from your main site with the text: Want a free, unique way to promote your website? That way you get the benefit of the 'infinity streams' and traffic without pimping your main site.
   
   You have my permission to copy the image and text on this page if you've signed up to InstantBuzz from this site.