Interview with MillionPixelDogContest.

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

Although I will speak mainly in the first person, the fact is that my wife, Susan, is instrumental in everything I do. Having said that, I am an entrepreneur. I come up with ideas galore and follow through on most of them. We also own a cookie manufacturing company, St. Amour, Inc www.frenchcookies.com based in Orange County, California.

I was developing a new line of dog biscuits last year when we connected with a friend who is a renowned artist in Laguna Beach specializing in everything 'dogs and cats'. Thus was born a line of treats for dogs, Doggie Biscuties. But how do you advertise a new line when you don't have deep pockets? Susan came up with the idea of contests which would include all dog breeds and mutts.

She then saw an interview of Alex Tew on TV. Recalling the word "Pixels" she asked me if I knew anything about them. I did a quick search and the million dollar home page appeared. After studying it for a while, we thought " Boy! This is interesting! It could be organized as a format for our dog contests by adding elements of specificity and structure to focus it as a vehicle for particular targets." Hence- www.millionpixeldogcontest.com - was conceived. Since I also own a web design firm called www.Cinadex.com, I spoke to my programmer about the idea. He immediately started working at it. The site is now online and Cinadex has designed 15 other projects in the same vein, all specific and targeted. Having said that, we are very willing to help other companies with their own projects.

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

Alex's concept was a new and fun vehicle to use for the dog contest we were working on.

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

We wrote the program in ASP.

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

First of all the site is dedicated to 3 different contests in which consumers may enter their dogs. As such, advertisers will be targeting a very specific audience. The regional advertising section is further categorized into specific dog-related businesses. The Look-Alike contest showcases our new line of dog treats, www.doggiebiscuties.com. Many people will win valuable prizes, including a year's supply of St. Amour Doggie Bis-Cuties plus beautiful hand-painted ceramics designed and signed by renowned Laguna Beach artist Debby Carman (www.fauxpawproductions.com). The prizes that will be won can be seen at millionpixeldogcontest. People will also be able to watch funny dog videos, which is another of the contests on the site.

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

While not yet completed, I am presently developing a viral animation video. We are sending out press releases and will implement small and pointed programs as we can afford them. In addition, each box of doggie biscuties which we sell has a sticker on it inviting people to submit their Dogs to the contests .

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?

We offer dog and pet-related businesses as well as any other type of advertiser a site where they can specifically target consumers who have dogs which they have submitted to the contests by coming to this site. We presently charge national advertisers $100 and regional advertisers $50 per block of 100 pixels. The site will generate not only the traffic of the thousands of entrants to the contests but also of those interested in viewing the entries and videos in the competitions.

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 think that this is just the tip of the iceberg. It is a fun vehicle that can be adapted to limitless applications, especially if consumers are integrated in the formula.

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

One has to admire the innovators of anything that works, so while not secretly, it has to be Alex Tew's.

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. I invite companies to participate in the prize pool of the million pixel dog contest. We'll all get traffic and coverage, plus we will excite the public and create a win, win, win situation.