Billion Dollar Website in 5 Days

Day 5. OK

2006-11-25T23:30:00.000-08:00

Obviously, any good development is encremental by its nature. A secret for creating best products is: You make changes, than return back and change the changes many times. Almost "perpetual" improvement cycle.

My Mini-News.com is not exception.

After first 5 days, the tips and conclusions are the following:

Minipage Design

File size should be as minimal as possible! No (big) images or javascript. Ideally, a text-only version.

Font size should be relative. It gives users more flexibility (browser-dependent).

Mini-Web Design

By definition, a page consisting of iframes should have a minimal amount of its own HTML code: Main focus is on external iframes' content.

Depending on the "pageLayout-iframeSize" mixture, i tested at least three "strategic" directions for developing Mini-Webs:

1) table-different

2) table-fixed

3) flow-fixed

Each version took less than hour to create.

For me personnaly, version (3) is the winner! In contrast to the Million Dollar Homepage's design, it allows a nice wrapping layout for used ads: Just RESIZE your browser, - and ads' flow is quickly adapted to your screen size!

Overall Project

Creating this new Web niche appeared unbelievably EASY!

Developing the very first HTML version mentioned in Day 1 took only 10 minutes!!!

The only, but the biggest, problem so far is a process of launching the project of super success from Ukraine. Read "with no funds neither for these particular ideas nor for a decent living in general!"

Only a fraction of those 5 Days was spent on actual Mini-News technology development. I doubt American or European citizen ever face this kind of problem in their lives!

In particular, Day 4 and 5 almost exlusively were devoted to attempts of installing ANY(!) of today's available wap emulators on my outdated Windows98. This OS is not supported even by Microsoft! But I have no choice. The problem is this eight years old PC is the only machine I have! And it's not powerful enough for re-installing any later version of Windows. The easiest way would be to buy a new computer. If you have the money, of course...

For the same reason, during almost a year I was trying to test on the new Microsoft's IE7 browser one of my previous web projects called TuneText. Like the Mini-news case, I know only the fact it works perfectly on IE6. But no person I know in Ukraine, including Internet cafe administrators, agreed to update their machines for the newest work of Bill Gates. Well, at least I was able to download his IE7 from Internet :) Another his popular product Windows Live Mail simply does NOT EXIST for Ukraine: despite for the rest of the world it's on the Microsoft's "Top download" section, their website simply cancels its download for IP addresses located in Ukraine!

Emotionally, it's diffucult to separate a purely technical development from influence of some mega events of the countries we live in.

Next several days Ukraine will commemorate its first steps to freedom:

November 26 - Remebrance Day: Within just two years, MILLIONS(!) people in Ukraine died because of hunger,- exclusively because they lived in Ukraine. (More).

November 28 - "anniversary" of the secret tape recordings scandal, as head of a founder of Ukraininan online newspaper G. Gongadze was cut off, - literally! (More).

Besides, I cannot afford spending a year for advanced preparations, like Alex Tew is doing with his next project.

You might tell me that it's rather stupid to reveal a super genius idea on its very early stages. You might advice me not to hurry, stop for a while and make some preliminary spade-work first. In particular, write down a serious business plan, develop and test final version of a ready-to-use product, etc. And only(!) after that make the project public!

Well, I know this. The point can be found in almost every textbook. More than likely, that seems was the only biggest secret behind developing the famous MillionDollarHomepage.com too. It may be in the eyes of public Alex Tew has an image of the boy that invented some unbelievably simple idea. However, from professional webmaster's point of view, his MillionDollarHomepage.com code is far from being very simple!

I'm starting this blog now because it may be there will be no chance for me for starting it at a later time.

From December 1, charges for supporting housing and communal services in Ukraine will be raised in 3-4(!) times, - up to the level of rich European countries. Obviously, nobody is going to pay Ukrainians the European salaries because of that, - currently the official average salary in Ukraine is (and will be) only about $200 per month!

It's interesting to see YOUR reaction if YOUR housing rates are raised in 3-4(!) times. I personally have no idea how I will pay my bills next month...

Thus another, better version of Mini-News may simply NEVER EXIST!

We all live only once. And at each particular moment it's always NOW!

From this moment My Mini-News Show Must Go On!

To summarize, a Billion Dollar Website Is Ready:

- mini-news.com is live!

- main info, demo, blog, forum, and even mobile version, are successfully set up.

Next Stage Will Be Promotion!

Please watch it here:

mini-billion.blogspot.com

Day 4. MOBILE

2006-11-24T22:31:00.000-08:00

At this moment I'm launching MOBILE version of my website:

http://mobi.mini-news.com

To tell you the truth, I NEVER created WML pages before!

First, I typed the keywords "Wap Manual" in Google search engine, and choosed several more or less simple articles. Skipped all wordy introductions and went directly to the language syntax reference. It appeared quite straigth-forward and much easier than I expected.

Developing the actual code took

less than hour!!!

However, my desperate attempts to find any device on which it would be possible to TEST the created code took the rest of the day!

Obvioulsy , I was far from idea to buy some advanced smartphone - only fo test several simple wml pages. I thought it would be easy to download some wap emulator. However, it appeared that NONE of them is designed for the OS installed on my computer.

Very frustrating. I spent on it the unbelievably HUGE amount of my time, and ... found nothing.

Day 3. DEMO

2006-11-23T23:47:00.000-08:00

At this moment I'm launching the first in the world Mini-Web:
http://1.mini-news.com

It's a real content (not demo) and real links. A kind of my way of saying "Thank you!" in today's Thanksgiving holiday.

Design of that page was inspired more by works of the famous Andy Warhol, - e.g., his "16 Jackies" picture, - than MillionDollarHomepage.com

Day 2. WHY

2006-11-22T23:08:00.000-08:00

Today is the "Freedom Day": second anniversary since beginning the famous Ukrainian Orange Revolution! Yes! It was exactly two years ago when the future President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko called result of national elections falsified and NOT FAIR!

The idea that justice does exist in this world was a key driving feeling behind that phenomenal story. The story that could affect me personally too.
Why?

Because even today, in the 21st century, at my age of 41,
I want to have:
- my FIRST car
- my FIRST house
- my FIRST (and the only) wife.

But even more than that I want to give people of my country the HOPE! I want to prove it is possible to earn a million worth success fair!

Eight months ago, on launching my 3D-infoSpace.com, I wrote to the press:

"Idea of fair success is not attractive in Ukraine? Or not possible?
The problem is not to make a million. The problem is to earn it FAIR!!!"

Anyway, my personal STORY has became a part of this hi-tech MINI-NEWS project as well.
See more at
http://mini-news.com/why.html

And the picture below I took yesterday. This is Kiev, Ukraine, just 100 meters away from the Internet cafe I mentioned above. As a form of protest, some political parties built up a small copy of main Ukrainian state buildings: mini-Parliament, mini-Ministry, etc. All this is just painted on the walls of their demonstartion tents:

Very symbolic for my blog: the greetings from the virtual city you will NEVER find on a map of the world!

Day 1. WHAT

2006-11-21T23:44:00.000-08:00

IDEA:
webpage consisting of IFRAMES ONLY!!!

See the progress of developing it into a Super Success at my new special website:
Mini-News.com

I started working on it in Internet cafe (see today's picture).

Technically, it's incredibly SIMPLE!

Key html code consists of actually one line: a variation of IFRAME tag. Then this pattern is replicated, say, one hundred times per webpage. Resulting ad spots are offered for a price of $1 per iframe pixel.

As simple as that!

The photo shows the first test at mini-news.com/y/test/test-1.html.

Aim of this blog is to find out how quickly genius ideas like this one can be implemented from ground up, -- with a zero promotion budget! You are welcome to see for the updates, - live!, - withing at least next 5 days!

Key words: Money. Love. Fairness.

P.S.
It may be a birthday of this project was yesterday, after I blogged my thoughts about future version of the famous Million Dollar Homepage . com at MDHP-II.blogspot.com.
Or on November 8, when I sent a naive message to Yahoo! Time Capsule project.
I'm afraid it could begin many YEARS ago, taking the whole my LIFE up to this point :)

Anyway, it's just STARTING!!!