13 Aug 2006

Pet Project

Here’s a free idea (concocted in a pub conversation with Mr. Phillips) for anyone looking to get a few quid and some attention with a novelty site.

Clear a room in your house and put a hamster in it, in an ordinary cage. On the site introduce the little chap/chapess (maybe write a blog from their point of view?) and show a picture of their current abode. Offer a range of options for people to buy add-ons such as a wheel, tubes to extend their environment, a ball to occasionally roll around the room in, tasty treats, etc., starting with very small payments. If someone buys something they get a mention and link on the site, and visitors get to see the hamster enjoying the new feature via pics and videos. As traffic and publicity build you can charge more for more elaborate things (maybe even in-cage advertising).

If done with charm and attention to detail I reckon it’d have a decent chance of succeeding, and the whole thing could be built easily using blogging software (e.g. WordPress) and PayPal. Just remember to give me a mention if you get rich and famous.