Media Buys and Paid Traffic

I am almost embarrassed to ask this in here, but I have searched and searched, both here and other boards, and I can't find a clear answer the questions that I have regarding Media Buys and Paid Traffic.

Since WF has helped me in the past, I thought this might be the safest place to ask such a stupid / noobish question though. So here it goes.

Does Media Buying only cover banner ads or would they also fall under solo ads also.

And with media buying and paid traffic, am I allowed to direct link or does it have to go through another page first such as a review page. I know Google forbids direct linking, but I know some other PPC networks allow it, like 7search.

Also, can anyone recommend a good place to buy solo ads (I know of Safe-swaps already) and can anyone recommend anything else?

I have also tried building a list with Safe-lists but don't seem to get anywhere, am I better off using solo ads / paid traffic to build a list or does it just take time.

Finally, if I am trying to build a list in a specific niche, such as photography special effects, where can I find, or how do I find someone with a list that I can use for a solo ad. Most of the lists either don't have a category or are only in the IM niche.

Also, what is a good budget to start with, I am on a micro budget and might only be able to buy 1 or 2 solo ads a month to start, depending on the cost.

Thanks for any feedback offered.