• What is their business model?
• Where do they get all these money?
• How are they managing to come out with such wonderful applications?
• How did they reach the No.1 position in internet in about 15 year’s time?

Today, no one tells you to ‘go and search in the internet’. Instead, they will say ‘go google it’. Google is synonymous to internet and vice versa.

Google revolutionized internet. And the whole money that Google Inc. made was obtained from the internet. This will give us some idea about the kind of money that is available in this FREE internet. Just that, one should find the right working tool to tap it.

Now, having started with such a thought provoking post, let me introduce two people who, through their respective websites, tried to tap the money that is in internet.

1. Alex Tew


Alex Tew, a young then 21-year old student from UK started the website for the sole purpose of raising money for his university education. The index page of the site consists of a 1000×1000 pixel grid (one million pixels), on which image-based links were sold for US $1 per pixel, in minimum ten by ten blocks. The purchasers of these pixel blocks provided tiny images to be displayed on them, a URL to which they were linked, and a slogan displayed when hovering the cursor over the link. The aim of the site was to sell all of the pixels in the image, thus generating one million dollars of income for the creator. He was successful in his business model and earned a whooping $1, 037, 100 USD till January 2006. (Source)


You can read more about him here or you can go directly to his blog. I am putting a snap shot of his website here.


Description: Screenshot of The Million Dollar Homepage*
Source: The Million Dollar Homepage
Screen Shot: Taken on 20-05-2008 at 10:00AM by NoeL


2. Ankur Shanker
   
   Ankur Shanker is a 25 year old engineer from Noida, Northern India, who decided to follow the path of Alex Tew and he started the website blog, Million Dollar Story in November 2007. Ankur wanted to raise money for funding his MSc. Economics from LSE.
   
   Ankur was admitted to LSE last year but then he deferred his admission by one year to July 2008. This was mainly due to insufficient funds for funding his higher studies plans at LSE. When Alex Tew decided to sell his web space at $1 per pixel, Ankur wrote short stories. Ankur thought of attracting more and more people to his website through interesting and thought provoking short stories, and thus earning money from the advertisements featured in his blog. A slightly different business proposal when compared to Alex Tew but with the common aim of finding funds for higher education. Ankur stepped into blogging for making $110, 000 USD in 6 months.
   
   On 3rd January 2008, IBN Live had come out with an article on Ankur and it can be read here. Ankur also featured in several Press/Media during this time. (Link)

From the reports and figures available on various websites, it is pretty clear that Alex Tew is successful in his Million Dollar Home Page. I am not sure about Ankur though I have asked for the same on his blog.

We can find lots and lots more of people like this who is trying to tap the money available in internet. Many are successful but dangerously many more stumble on their way.

NoeL

NB: Many might be thinking why I am here on the internet. It is not for money. Though I don’t mind it coming my way! :)

*This is a screenshot of a copyrighted web page, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by owner of the website. It may also contain trademarked logos. It is believed that the use of a limited number of such screenshots for identification and critical commentary relating to the website in question qualifies as fair use under The (US) copyright law.