Frequently Anticipated Questions

What is this?

AustinMash! is the evolution of the Pixel Advertising concept. Pixel Advertising got its start when a young British college student-to-be, Alex Tew, conceived of a relatively simple way to help pay for his upcomming education. He decided to sell off portions of the home page of a new web site he called MillionDollarHomePage.com to advertisers.

With ads as small as 100 pixels each, selling for $1 a pixel, he managed to fill his entire million-pixel ad grid in only about 5 months. The speed of this success was partly due to the fact that his advertisers derived real and significant benefits from their ad placements, which encouraged other businesses to follow suit. The ads on the site are permanent, and guaranteed to be online for at least 5 years, which will provide ongoing value to its owners. Unlike other forms of advertising, the more time that goes by, the lower the initial "cost" of the ad becomes when amortized over the total number of new visitors and sales.

Pixel Advertising is shaping up to be a new, cost efficient, fun way of spreading the word about your business, whether on-line or off. AustinMash! takes this medium to the next level, with its cultural focus, enhanced visitor experience, and premium pixel concept (the Skyline).

Further reading can be found here.

Why Buy Pixels on AustinMash!?

When you buy pixels, you get the right to show your ad on the AustinMash! site. It will then be exposed to all other visitors to the site, who may click on your ad and visit your web site. In this way, you can increase the amount of traffic to your site, which of course can result in higher sales. Ok, so you knew that - that's pretty much the definition of advertising, isn't it?

But why invest in AustinMash!? Because your ad will become a permanent part of the Austin cyber-community. If you are familiar with Austin, this is plenty of incentive. If you are not, know that your ad here will reach a vibrant, proud, and hip set of cats (and kittens).

Although I won't turn down ads with a national or global reach, my aim is to appeal to local businesses and interests, in an effort to create something that is uniquely Austin. To accomplish this, I will market and promote the site locally, in the physical world of newspapers, flyers, mailings, and in person, as well as in Austin-related online properties. This is prong one of a two-pronged strategy to make this a compelling web site, and thus a great investment for advertisers.

Part two of the strategy is to make the site entertaining to visitors, hopefully in a new and unique way, so maybe they'll tell their friends and come back. Have you noticed the clouds? While checking out the ads can be fun in itself, if there are other surprises and delights scattered about, the idea is that people will be inclined to stay a while and explore. What happened when you moused over the heading for this page? Of course, the longer people stick around, the more likely they will be to click on your ad - especially if you buy a Skyline parcel, which will be at the top of every page. href hunt: Find the longest word on this site, and check out what it links to. Maybe my brand of humor won't appeal to everyone, but what the heck, as long as it's talked about, we both win. Have you found the AustinMania! page yet?

So in the end, this is a partnership. You do your part by buying some pixels, and I'll do my part by promoting the site and keeping it entertaining. Is it a deal?
If you want to see the complete set of terms, click here

If you are ready, buying pixels on AustinMash! is as simple as clicking on an available Skyline parcel above, or on an available area of the home page grid, and following the instructions. If you've enjoyed the site so far, wait 'til you go through the pixel purchasing process !!

Is this a cheap knock-off of the Million Dollar Home Page?

Well, the pixels cost the same, so I don't know about it being a cheap knock-off... :)

Actually, this is more of a continuation than a copy. Alex's site is sold out, so those who would like to use pixel advertising need other opportunities to do so, like the one offered here. While it is doubtful the quick, overwhelming success of the Million Dollar Home Page will happen quite the same again, there's no reason AustinMash! cannot still provide an entertaining experience that will prove valuable for years to come.

Why does Pixel Advertising work?

Two key concepts: The Power of Large Numbers, and The Virtuous Cycle of Spiraling Popularity. The first of these concepts is enabled by the Internet, while the second is basic human nature.

To visualize the Power of Large Numbers, try to imagine that 1% of the U.S. population gave you $1 - you would instantly be a millionaire three times over. Now add in the Europeans and those folks in Asia and South America (we're talking about a few billion people here) at the same 1% rate, which equates to numbers in the tens of millions, and you begin to appreciate the power of large numbers. In the same vein, if a tiny portion of the online community visited AustinMash!, and some percentage of them found your ad interesting, you would soon experience a tremendous boost in visitors to your own site. Read the testimonials and articles about the Million Dollar Home Page, and you will find this concept proven.

Have you ever decided to do something because you saw someone else do it, or knew that so-and-so advocated it? You don't have to answer out loud, but we've all done it. Have you ever found yourself talking (or just being curious) about something just because everyone else seems to be discussing it? Sure, we're all guilty of that too, although both these instincts are part of what we are. The more popular something is, the more it gets talked about, which further increases its popularity, which in turn ups the volume some more. It is a virtuous cycle, that once it gets going, can spiral right into space!

Put these concepts together in the right way, and you can make a million dollars in 5 months, while providing tremendous value to your clients. It's been done.

Who Created AustinMash!?

My name is Erwin Mazariegos. I live and work in Austin, Texas, one of the most unique and interesting places to be.

I've long been interested in the intersection of web design as it relates to usability, and in business processes. In other words, I enjoy building highly usable web-based applications that accelerate business goals. (Hey, I like that phrase, I think I may put it in my resume) So, you can see how making this site would be a fun challenge for me. Let me know: ?subject=Web Site Feedback&body=Wow! I am completely blown away by ' title="E-mail me with your feedback"> how did I do?

For fun, I like to ride my bike in and around Austin and the Hill Country with my buds.

And why?

Oh, the usual reasons: pay off debts, start a college fund for my potential kid(s), show off my web design and development skills (which may come in handy if I do end up getting laid off), tackle an interesting challenge, learn new stuff, meet new friends, have fun, you know...
(for more details, click on my blog link above)

In addition to all this, I thought it would be cool to do my part in Keeping Austin Weird, and to give others an outlet to do their part. The idea is to have a place where Austinites can go and feel good about being part of this unique community, whether as advertisers or as visitors and contributors.

The coolest, though, would be if this site is hugely sucessful, which would allow me the freedom and means to contribute more directly and meaningfully to some of the fun stuff that goes on here. Hey - you can help by buying some pixels ! Plus, depending on how huge is huge, I may dust off a business plan I have "on indefinite hold" and have a go at it. Now that would be awesome!

What's up with this Austin Weirdness?

So, you're not from around here, are you, if you're asking that question.

"Keep Austin Weird" is a kind of a local saying, perhaps a mantra, to be used and lived at appropriate times, of which there are plenty. It originated as a sort of rallying cry among the locals, which were heavily influenced by the hip, laid-back, hippie frame of mind of the 70s and 80s, when they noticed their town becoming ever more commercial and tech-oriented.

Ironically, many of the newcomers (of which I am one) find this kind of attitude strangely (weirdly?) compelling, and embrace it as one of the unique things about this place we've chosen to call home.

Do you know of any other town that so enthusiastically celebrates Eeyore's Birthday every year?

Need more info? Google it !

Google

Is that really Austin's Skyline?

Yes! (sort of) My Skyline parcels are based on an image I created using actual pictures of the skyline, which I took while standing on the picnic table just to the south of the peak on Mount Bonnell.

My final image differs from reality in only these two ways: flat space between buildings was removed, and the Capitol was raised some to make it more prominent (I took the picture of the Capitol from the overlook on 360 just north of Bee Caves Rd). The construction crane to the very left, which is on UT's campus, is just as it was on January 2, 2006.

Is Austin really the Live Music Capital of the World?

Of course ! It says so right on the jetway when you get off the plane at the airport, so you know right away you've arrived at the heart of the Live Music Scene. And if you're lucky, there will be a band playing in the main lobby, for your baggage-picking-up enjoyment !

Ok, still don't believe me? Just Google it:

Google
AustinMash! is © 2006 Erwin Mazariegos, all rights reserved. All ads are © their respective owners, who are wholly responsible for their content and linked sites.