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FAQ
That�s right. On this page you will find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. Got a question not answered here? Please get in touch.
- What is this site?
- Who are you?
- Is this a hoax/joke?
- How did you come up with the idea?
- Why do you need $1m for University?
- What will you do with the money?
- Why should I buy your pixels?
- Why can't I buy one single pixel?
- How long will the site be online?
- If you want money for college, why don't you get a job?
- Why wont your parents pay for it? Scholarships?
1. What is this site?
The idea is simple: to try and make $1m USD by selling 1,000,000 pixels for $1 each. Hence, 'The Million Dollar Pixel Page". The main motivation for doing this is to pay for my degree in college because I dislike like the idea of graduating with a huge student debt and I would like to show everyone the power of the internet. This HUGE global marketplace is growing by leaps and bounds all the time and is truly an amazing thing. I know people who are paying off student loans 15-20 years after they graduated. Not a nice thought at all!
So, everyone is welcome to buy my pixels, which are available in 100-pixel 'blocks' (each measuring 10x10 pixels). You will see the site is divided into 10,000 of these 100-pixel blocks (hence there are 1,000,000 pixels in total). The reason for selling them in 100-pixel blocks is because anything smaller would be too small to display anything meaningful. All you would see is a dot, where you could place one color. 10x10 is a lot better, trust me.
You can buy as many pixels as you like; as long as there are some available (the pixel blocks are live and up to date). When you buy some pixels, you can then display an image/ad/logo of your choice in the space you have purchased. You can also have the image click through to your own website. However, no obscene or offensive images are allowed. We need to keep this place family friendly.
The pixels you buy will be displayed on the main page permanently. The main page will not change. Using some of the money I make from the site, I guarantee to keep it online for at least 5 years, and longer if funds permit. I want it to become a testament to the power of the internet. So, in the long run, I believe the pixels will offer good value. You will have a piece of internet advertising history!
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2. Who are you?
My name is Doug Sievers, I'm 18 years old and I live in South Carolina, USA. I'm currently enrolled at Clemson University in Clemson, SC-USA and am majoring in Computer Engineering. By the time I graduate I plan on obtaining minors in Business, Computer Science, & Entrepreneurship if I have enough money. I own several online sites already that I have been developing for the past 3 years. I have learned a lot already and I want to keep learning and hopefully one day be able to make that my job; Developing internet properties and helping to manage software development teams.
In high school I was very active in our ROTC unit and KeyClub (the largest high school community service based organization in the world). My senior year I was the Drill Team Commander in ROTC, and the President of our KeyClub. I truly enjoyed those activities and would encourage everyone to be a member in at least one community service based organization. It builds character.
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3. Is this a hoax/joke?
I am completely genuine and although this site might be funny in various ways, it is not a joke! I really am selling pixels for $1 each, because I don't want a monstrous debt when I graduate.
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4. How did you come up with the idea?
I got a ride with a friend to come home for the weekend from college and was currently eating a small meal at home with my mother. We were talking about the normal things and of course various financial issues. I had not received enough scholarship to cover tuition and I would need a lot more... so I put on my thinking cap.
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5. Why do you need $1m for your College/University?
I don't. Textbooks might be expensive, but they're not that steep! But with this project I knew I had to aim high - my thinking being that even if I only got 1 or 2 percent of a million dollars, that would greatly help me out.
Making any money whatsoever by selling pixels had to be worth a try. After all, I had plenty of pixels to start with! Also a nice understanding of Php/MySql, Graphics, and Server management should help. Furthermore, I came up with the name 'The Million Dollar Pixel Page' in order to catch people's attention - anything else just wouldn't work.
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6. What will you do with the money?
First and foremost, if I make enough money, I will pay my way through University. That includes 4-5 years worth of tuition fees, accommodation fees, textbooks, and if time permits a little time away from my PC now and then.
After that, I would like to help my mom start up a business. She has worked waiting on tables to support her three kids since the 1st of my two older brothers since the divorce. I really appreciate all the hard work she has done and I would like to help her setup a business through her hobby (making pottery) so she no longer has to wait on others.
Thirdly I would like to pay off my brother's debts incurred from college although their debt isn't too big as they worked part-time in addition to going to college full time..
Finally... if I reach the $1m target and still have money left over after that, then I have a couple of interesting business ideas I would love to invest some money in. So watch this space!
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7. Why should I buy your pixels?
Because you will have an image and a link to your site on the main page of a site that could potentially be seen by millions of people over the coming years. The site will be online for at least 5 years, that's guaranteed, but the idea is to keep it online even longer than that. So you really could own a piece of 'internet history'!
8. Why can't I buy one single pixel?
I decided that although it would probably be cool if individuals could buy a single pixel each, practically, it wouldn't so effective. The reason I believe this is because you can't display anything meaningful in one pixel - nor click it easily - so visually, it would be pointless. With thousands of random tiny colored dots all over the place, the homepage would very silly and you couldn't get your message across.
I also thought that the site would appeal more to people with businesses/websites to advertise than it would to individuals, or to put it more accurately, businesses would pay more to have a meaningful graphic on the main page. Hence the minimum purchase is $100 - a 10x10 block (100 pixels).
However! If you really want to own a single pixel, there is always the option of clubbing together with your friends/family/colleagues and buying a 10x10 block. I would be accommodating towards something like that.
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9. How long will the site be online?
The site will be online for 5 years guaranteed (at least until 18th September 2010), however the aim is to keep the site online forever (or as long as humanly possible).
The idea is to create something of an internet time capsule: a website that is unique and permanent. Everything on the internet keeps changing so fast, it will be nice to have something that stays solid and permanent for many years. You can be a part of that!
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11. If you want money for college, why don't you get a job?
I am not unfamiliar with traditional work. The summer before I went to high school I got my first job at a Chick-fil-A in a local mall. I worked there for 2 years and got my nickel raises and worked as hard as I could. A year into that job I applied at a local Ci Cis and started work there. Once I was sure I could get more hours/wages I quit Chick-fil-A. I worked at Ci Cis until my senior year where I had to quit it to keep up with my websites, extra-curriculars, and grades. That zapped a good bit of my stored funds for college.
While I worked there I constantly thought about what my time there was building up to, which was nothing. No matter how hard I worked the benefits were few and short lived. I started messing with websites and decided I wanted to someday start my own business in hopes of building something.
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12. Why wont your parents pay for it? Scholarships?
If my mom had the money she would take care of my college bills and tell me to focus solely on school. Even now she says to focus on school and she we worry about how we will find the money for it. I'm sorry she had to put so much in to help me pay for it, I wanted to do it on my own.
As far as scholarships go I got one, but it only covers about 1/8th of the cost, not even including food, books, or housing! My grades in high school were very good and I was in the top 10 of my class, but no matter how many times I applied I only got the one.
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This page last updated: 9th Sept 2005
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