Blogging Tips

Do you remember MillionDollarHomePage.com? If not, it was a simple and fun idea that went on to generate a million dollars and get a mega ton of free publicity and traffic from the media. In short, it was a site that sold pixels (ad space) for money. If all the ad spots sold, it would generate a million dollars, which it did! Keep in mind, at the time of selling ads, it was agreed the site would not be changed or modified for several years. Even years after it first launched, it’s still a top 12,000 Alexa web site and ranked with a PageRank 5.

The following is an interview with Randy, the creative mind behind MillionPixelMosaic.com, which he hopes will follow in the same footsteps of success as The Million Dollar Home Page. The creative twist on Randy’s site, is that the sites are made up of mosaics/pictures of people (or anything you upload) from around the world. It’s not just enough to come up with an idea for a web site, you need to take the time to work on the full business plan, how you will make it happen, then launching it for viral success. Enjoy!

1.) What was the inspiration behind your Million Pixels Mosiac site?

A great deal of my background has been in broadcasting, film & tape production and commercial photography. So I tend to view the world from behind a viewfinder. As such, photographic images and the stories behind many of them, intrigue me. Several years ago, I thought that it would be an interesting idea to invite people from around the world to assemble images and those stories in some manner. The idea of a mosaic came after seeing a work of art in a gallery.

2.) How did you come up with the idea of monetizing the site?

As with any website, there are associated costs for development, hosting, etc. While I thought that my idea of a mosaic was interesting and a worthwhile pursuit, I wasn’t prepared to fund the idea just for an anthropological experiment. So, the idea was put aside for a while. But when the great recession affected my primary business in a substantial way, I began to look for other entrepreneurial ideas to re-invent my business. When a friend sent me a link to an article that made mention of Alex Tew’s pixel block website several years earlier, my mosaic idea suddenly seemed relevant. After all, everyone still needs web traffic and the idea of a long-term, cost effective platform for websites to be “discovered” seemed like a good idea. Add to that idea, new functions, SEO & enhanced social networking capabilities, I had the potential to create something new, unique and valuable to web marketers.

3.) Since the launch of Million Pixel Mosiac, how have things changed? (your life, goals, press coverage)

In various locations on the site, I have placed images of my two sons, ages 6 and 8, as they are a substantial and motivating influence for me and this site. Now that the site has launched, they are under the impression that all of the visitors to the site are there simply to see them. They like to see all of the locations that are posted on the site detailing the visitors from around the world. They think they are now famous.

Since the launch of the site, the real work has begun. I spend an enormous amount of time promoting the site, networking and communicating with site visitors. It is because of this feedback that I just launched a new layout of the site inclusive of a totally new look, new features and self guided tours.

Recently, an article was written about the site and myself in a local newspaper. Within a few day of publication, the Associated Press (AP) was kind enough to pick up the story. I have since seen the article run both in print & online from major media outlets such as The Washington Examiner to WJZ in Baltimore, MD. to affiliate marketing websites from California to Dubi. This coverage has been wonderful and I really am grateful. But to fully realize the potential of the site and to provide the most value to my current and future users, I am working to reach a much broader audience any way that I can.

4.) What are you future plans for growing out the site and taking it to the next level?

I would like to see MPM be in a position to give back in some way. I am not alone in that countless people have been forced to re-invent themselves. Further, there are several charitable organizations that could benefit from additional resources. I have been talking with a few national, well-respected charitable organizations about the potential of expanding the site with mosaics marketed to fund their initiatives. I am also open to any substantial and reputable organization that may be interested in an effort such as this to contact me through the website.

Further, I am researching the idea of an evolving, app related mosaic that can users can continuously update and share. I think that there are several applications for this type of platform and the end result will be additional value to the users of the site.

5.) Would you like to offer a coupon of free trial for any of our blog readers?

When I was developing the site, this type of offer was strongly considered as a means of letting potential users “test” the value of the site. But I chose instead to make the traffic of new, unique visitors transparent and readily available on the site itself. I did this not just as a way to show people the truly worldwide traffic and the origins of the uploaded images, but to acknowledge that we are a “work in progress”. I don’t want someone becoming a user of the site expecting immediate traffic when my site is still in its early stages. But instead, they can consider the long-term advantage of being on the site and maybe even enjoy “riding the wave” of media coverage at this early juncture.  I am dedicated to improving and promoting the site for a long time to come. I hope that potential users will consider the long-term of value of being on the site towards their marketing efforts.

The value to being on MPM is in being “discovered” by a worldwide audience. Almost everything in our lives is targeted…direct mail, advertising, online search, social networking. It’s all in an effort to make our lives easier by providing exactly what we want, when we want it based on previous purchases, actions, relationships, etc.  The spontaneity of finding a new product, website or service is all but gone.  How are you going to ask a search engine to find the best site for a product you don’t know exists? Would you live your life without ever trying a new food? Sometimes you have to go off the beaten path to find something new, interesting and valuable. Its like taking a leisurely stroll through the mall, investigating interesting items that catch your eye versus running in to only one store to make one, pre-determined purchase and then leaving.

I invite you to take the time to discover the images being uploaded to Million Pixel Mosaic and the websites behind them.  Even better, take the time to introduce your website to the world as our mosaics and our site evolve and grow.