吉兆日記 kiccho.ausp.net

17 January, 2006

The million-dollar student

久々にBBCの記事からウダウダ面白い記事を紹介します。

» BBC News | Magazine | The million-dollar student
最近話題（？）のmilliondollarhomepage.comの記事。

このサイトの発案者はイギリスWiltshire州に住む21歳の大学生Alex Tew君。去年の夏、自分の部屋のベッドに寝っ転がりながら思いついたアイディアがなんと大当たりし、去年だけですでに100万ドル以上稼いだというつわもの。

アイディアもも然ることながら、将来をちゃんと見据えた考え方、そして実行力がすごい…。

This time, the problem was his finances. He already had an overdraft, which was sure to multiply at university, and he felt his poverty was reflected by his lack of decent, or matching, socks.

milliondollarhomepage.comはサイトのピクセル領域を広告エリアとし、ピクセル単位で切り売りするというもの。10X10から購入ができる（100ドル）。

サイトは口コミでどんどん広まり、今では何とイギリス全国紙Timesや携帯会社Orangeも広告を掲載するほどに成長。最後の1000ピクセルはeBayに売れる模様。しかも入札額はなんと$152,100だとか。

His last 1,000 pixels will be sold on Wednesday on eBay, in a clever and lucrative twist to the story. At the time of writing, bidding was an astonishing $152,100, which reflects how much demand has outstripped available space.

Alexによると、成功の要因は口コミの力と、学生が大金を儲けたという話題性の２つだそうです。自分の事をこんな客観的に言えちゃうところを見ると、やはりこいつ頭良さそうですね…。

Alex believes his success - and there are hundreds of other similar sites trailing in his wake - is down to two things: the power of word of mouth and the story of a student making a million, which enchanted the media.

記事の中でちょっと面白かったのは、"British reserve"というフレーズ。イギリス発なのに控えめなイギリス人より、アメリカ人の方がウケたそうです。

Employing a press officer has helped generate publicity and sales in the US, where he spent a week doing interviews, and he thinks his own honesty in setting out his million-dollar plan chimes more with the Americans than with British reserve.

そして、彼は今、次なる一歩を踏み出そうとしてるらしいです。

With money to back him, he's in a good position, although he's got plenty to ponder - job offers and investment opportunities from around the world, and whether to finish his degree.

» milliondollarhomepage.com
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