Web ideas

On Marshall Brain's Blog I have been keeping a chain of little web ideas that caught my eye over the last couple of months. Start here and page through the list.

Perhaps the most noteworthy of the bunch is the article on IPodLounge.com. The article points out that, "In recent months, iPodlounge has grown from a niche website into a professional publishing operation with big plans. Riding the wave of iPod popularity, the site is a daily read for an ever-growing army of fans. Unique visitors have doubled to 2 million a month, and about 1,000 new members are joining its online forums every month." The article aslo notes:

The site was started in late 2001 by Dennis Lloyd, a web designer form Irvine, California, just a couple of weeks after Apple Computer launched the iPod. Shortly after starting the site, Lloyd became unemployed.

"I turned it into a full-time job because I got laid off," said Lloyd. "I was just sitting at home collecting unemployment. I had this site, so I started working on it every day."

Supporting himself with contract work, Lloyd attracted his first advertiser in spring 2002 -- Digital Lifestyle Outfitters, then known as EverythingiPod.com. By mid-2003, he had enough ads to support himself, and in 2004 ads were bringing in enough revenue to expand the site and hire two full-time employees.

This is an example of the kind of thing a single person can accomplish on the web with a little luck and hard work. Read the whole article and you will see what I mean.

Go take a look at IPodLounge. It is a good URL, the site is very nice from a design standpoint, the content is deep. Over the course of two years the rank has grown steadily. There is a lot to be learned here.