The E-Pass scheme

QUOTE (Doug @ 18 Dec 2005, 09:10)What is it?
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It's a thing that's been going on in the States for decades but seems to have gained new impetus with the advent of the internet and seems to be spreading from their shores.

Basically, you design a pseudo "season ticket" or rail ticket, typically 550x300 pixels, for your layout. On it you put a design of your choosing - mine is a blue background to reflect the same colour scheme as my website with a picture of a class 60 added and then made slightly transparent - and then you add some detail to it. I've put the name of my website, the URL, some terms and conditions and then I add the name of the person I'm issuing it to,an issue date, pass number and the website details of anyone who requests a pass from me.

I always request a pass in return. After that I then add any pass I'm issued to the section of my website devoted to this with a link back to the website of the person issuing me with a pass. They should be doing the same for me.

It's a way of improving your website's ranking, should increase the visitor numbers to your website - my traffic has gone up 8-fold since I started taking part - is a more colourful and interesting way of adding links to websites and gives you a degree of control over how any link to your website looks.

You can find a sample of the pass I issue plus all the passes I've received so far at:-

http://www.shaunsmodelrailway.net/e-Rail-Pass.htm

I might also put up a description of how I designed my pass if anyone's interested.

What Shaun is getting at is that the E-Pass is proactive not reactive.

You contact websites and ask them if they will exchange E-Passes.

And they all seem to look like a train ticket.

How many sites have actually taken the MRF code based on the reactive approach?

Half a dozen or more probably none!

Commercial sites will not exchange E-Passes for obvious reasons.

And in the same way commercial sites will not link to MRF as they don't want to drive traffic to MRF and then onto competitors. Commercial sites don't mind taking but they are not so keen on giving.

Thats the way it is sadly and you are not going to change things.

Sorry to be hard on commercial sites but that is the way of the world. Sometimes you do feel that you are banging your head on a brick wall.

The E-Pass scheme is similar to the webring scheme although a bit more direct.

Do you know of any UK sites that have swapped E-Passes?

Happy modelling
Gary

QUOTE (Gary @ 18 Dec 2005, 17:34)Do you know of any UK sites that have swapped E-Passes?

Happy modelling
Gary
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Mine!

Seriously. I also know of Waldovia State Railways - http://www.waldovia.co.uk

Paliz Bay also take part - http://www.palizbay.com

There are another couple that are supposed to take part but they haven't replied to e-mails as yet.

I've also interested another couple of sites into thinking about it.