Interview with CopyCatCash.

First of please introduce yourself and your site to our readers?

Greetings. I am the CopyCat. (Starving artist...) I am a writer, songwriter, artist and hopefully film maker. Resident of the U.S.

Most people have been inspired by the Million Dollar Homepage, where did you get your inspiration from?

To tell you the truth, someone told me about Alex Tew's Million Dollar Homepage and I took a look. Didn't think much at first but something drew me back to the site and I found it interesting, fun and creative. I read some of the press about the site and the copycat sites that were popping up all over the internet. I woke up the next morning with "CopyCatCash.com" in my head. The rest is history...

What software do you use to run your pixel page and why did you choose it?

I am a low-tech person so this was a leap for me. I originally purchased a script from a company that shall remain nameless. (Unless I don't get my refund!) I was unable to get the site up and running and had little help from customer support. I think the advertising on these scripts is misleading. They make it sound very simple and it really isn't unless you're very familiar with it. I found another company, OzWebFx.com and asked the owner, Richard, several questions prior to purchasing the script from him. I finally jumped in with his company and he had the site up and running within 8 hours with my design specs. Very helpful! I'm afraid I drove him a bit mad with edits!

What makes your site different or special, what angle have you taken for your Pixel page?

I pride myself in not being too different. I'm a CopyCat! Hello! I do love animals, so am encouraging cat and pet-related businesses to advertise. I'd like to see lots of animals on the page. I am also selling pixels for 50 cents a piece instead of $1. I decided I don't need a million. I just need a home and a little security so I can continue my creative endeavors. One thing about CopyCatCash.com that stands out is this; at the end of the "5 year guarantee period," I will randomly choose one advertiser from the site and give the site to them. They can then become the next CopyCat!

The original pixel page generated traffic mainly through viral marketing mainly spawned by media interest, how do you generate traffic to your site?

This is the big challenge! I launched the site on Valentine's Day and put up an ebay auction. The auction was successful and the winner is still building his website so the space won is awaiting his information. I will continue to post one auction a week on ebay for a while. I have released several press releases and have added CopyCatCash.com to some of the sites that are "watching" the copycat sites, like the MilliondollarHomepage Watch. There is a site called the "Pixel Wars" which is fun. I am also directly contacting animal related sites and businesses to offer advertising and have worked in the veterinary and pet care fields for years. The challenge will continue to unfold and new ideas will pop into my head. I also think my domain name is "catchy." I think I lucked out there. The name will get around and it's a fun name. CopyCatCash.com. Say it 5 times real fast.

What do you offer potential advertisers, how much do you charge and how much traffic do you envisage an advertiser could generate by advertising with you?

Pixels on CopyCatCash.com are 50 cents each. The site will be up for 5 years and then one random advertiser will be given the site to start all over again or have the option of offering a renewal to the current advertisers. The site is fun and pleasant to look at. I will be getting the word out at every opportunity such as participating in your interview. The site is still new so the traffic isn't sky-high yet, but everyday it increases. As word of mouth gets around and advertisers promote their businesses, that will give the site more exposure. I always keep one "paw" in the media mix. Eventually, there will be one little stir that will have a domino effect.

Currently the top 5 Alexa ranked pixel sites enjoy a lot of interest from the public. How long do you think this will last, is there a long term future for pixel pages?

I do think that there can be a long-term future for pixel advertising. I think it's up to the pixel ad sites to supply creative incentives to advertisers and consumers and to put unique twists on their sites. One way is through design, another, through targeting specific business CATegories. (Pun intended!) One thing I'm seeing a little of, and I looked into this myself, is the idea of giving cash prizes away. I spoke to a lawyer and found that the legalities involved in offering sweepstakes and cash prizes is so diverse and specific that it is just too risky to get involved with. Unless you spend a lot of money on legal issues and licensing, etc., this idea can backfire rather quickly.

Besides your own pixel page, which other pixel page do you secretly admire and why?

Well, I shouldn't tout the competition but, I think the MillionDollarWebPage design is very sleek and pleasing to look at. The minute I saw it, I thought, now that's a good looking site! I don't know anyhthing else about it though. The other sites I've seen have been pretty "bland." I see some very good ideas out there but I think a design element is missing in a lot of them.

Thanks for your time in answering these questions. Before you go are there any comments you want to impart to our pixel hungry readership?

Yes. "CopyCatCash.com, CopyCatCash.com, CopyCatCash.com, CopyCatCash.com CopyCatCash.com!" It's easier to type 5 times fast, than say 5 times fast! (I'm thinking "podcast contest" here...?) Copy that?