I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts today, called net@nite, starring Leo Laporte and Amber MacArthur, and during the podcast they mentioned a funny web site/service called MoanMyIP.com. MoanMyIP.com doesn’t just display your IP address like other web sites… it moans it to you thanks to the sexy voice of someone they hired - or perhaps their girlfriend?
Leo mentioned that he thought this may be the brainchild of the guy who created IPChicken.com, but, after doing a bit of research, I think it may be someone else. Leo speculated that IPChicken.com has made hundreds of thousands of dollars… and it wouldn’t surprise me if his estimates were true considering the popularity of the site.
A quick search of MoanMyIP.com revealed dozens of blog and forum posts plugging the site indicating that the site is experiencing the viral effect - at least among us geeks. Check out the Alexa graph of its popularity:
I can hear the moans and groans already… Alexa, shemexa. Yeah, you can take their stats with a grain of salt, but at least they do provide a general indicator of a web sites popularity. So, what am I trying to get at? I’m curious what it takes to make a stupidly simple and profitable web site such as this. There are hundreds of super complicated Web 2.0 services out there…many which may be less profitable than this super simple one. MoanMyIP.com isn’t the only silly money making idea. Other legendary sites include The Million Dollar Homepage, SantaMail, AntennaBalls, and more.
Here are a few ingredients I think are necessary to make a super simple profitable web site:
1) Be First - Alex Tew was the first person on the Internet to sell pixels for $1 each on The Million Dollar Homepage. The first person will get the most attention and will ultimately win. Hundreds of copycats followed, but his site was the only one to make a million.
2) Modify a Known Success - If you can’t be first with a great idea, put a twist on an existing successful idea. MoanMyIP.com did this by using a sexy voice to speak your IP address instead of displaying it. I repeat - modify a known success.
3) Don’t be Boring - We are all like monkeys. Throw a shiny new object to us and we will all drop what we are doing and gravitate to the latest thing. Think objectively…does your idea really grab your attention or are you deluding yourself? Does it excite the hell out of you? What kind of energy does it give you? Why is the iPhone successful? Because it is the latest “shiny object” to entertain us monkeys.
4) Would You Tell Others About It - What kind of sites, videos, pictures, etc. motivate you to tell others about them? Is your idea good enough that you would forward it around, write a blog post about it or mention it in your favorite forum? What bores you to tears and what doesn’t?
5) Improve the Quality of the Buyers Life - Now I’m just blowing stuff out my a-hole..but seriously, I guess a great idea has to improve the quality of the buyer’s life in some way…shape…or form. The Million Dollar Homepage improved lives by (hopefully) providing traffic to anyone who bought an ad - which gave them more sales. SantaMail gives kids the excitement of getting a letter from Santa. AntennaBalls helps you find your car faster. How does your product or service improve the quality of a persons life?
Well, that’s about all I can write about at this point. I’ve had about four margaritas and need to go to sleep soon. But, I hope this might perk up a few entrepreneur minds out there and maybe they will post a comment to add their thoughts on this subject. Yes? Go ahead… please leave a comment, plug your blog or web site and continue the discussion. If we all work together, maybe we can once and for all discover the secret to creating exciting, fun, super simple, useful and profitable ideas like MoanMyIP.com…and most importantly, cash in.
