We would like to claim that when we began our online business that we intended to host a jokes web site. Unfortunately, that is about as far from the truth as is possible. We did not start this site with the intent of succeeding!
We have started several web sites, each with its own target demographics. Each of the sites has something that makes it stand out from the competitors (if there are competitors). Unfortunately, obtaining critical mass in each of the ventures has proven quite difficult.
Over the past year, we have learned a lot of Internet marketing "secrets". It has cost a lot of money, but less than a Harvard education (but not much less!). One of the marketing secrets was to learn the effectiveness of opt-in e-mail marketing. However, we found that the value of a newsletter advertisement is highly variable. For instance, an opt-in list of daily webmaster tips does not generate much interest. Most webmasters are too busy to read these newsletters. However, a daily jokes newsletter is very effective. Most people find time to read jokes. Therefore, the average subscriber to a jokes newsletter will at least glance at the ad.
Last winter ('99) when we were discussing our travails in Internet marketing with a friend, the idea of publishing a jokes newsletter germinated. My friend felt we should choose an Internet venture that leverages our knowledge of Spanish. The argument went: since the English market is very mature, perhaps there is room to succeed in a less developed foreign (Spanish) market. That coupled with our knowledge of jokes newsletter advertising efficacy, resulted in the Spanish jokes web site En Broma.
Unfortunately, the Spanish web is the equivalent of a muddy mountain road in the Andes as compared to the English eight lane superhighway (dual carriage way?). Basic tools that webmasters take for granted in English do not exist in Spanish. (Would it be a good web business to provide said tools? Probably, but not for us!) For instance, services that submit a web site to multiple search engines are almost non-existent. Where can you find a list of Spanish affiliate programs?
We realized the need to implement a "viral" business model. The simplest and most obvious strategy is to run an affiliate program. Affiliate programs provide a feedback mechanism necessary to generate exponential growth. Also, we were able to use our marketing experience to develop a very successful banner that generates high affiliate pay-outs.
Unfortunately, we have no place to advertise our affiliate program! Most sites that list affiliate programs explicitly exclude foreign language programs. (They don't even provide a link!)
So we got an idea... Since 6% of web users speak Spanish, if we advertise a successful English jokes web site, we can expect a reasonable number of Spanish speaking webmasters to visit our site! We can then advertise our Spanish site, and generate the traffic necessary to achieve critical mass on our Spanish site. Hence, we founded the site Oh! DUH! as means to advertise our Spanish jokes site. It took about 4 weeks for Oh! DUH! to surpass the subscriber base of En Broma! (En Broma had a 3 week head start. After about 6 months, En Broma has less than one fifth the number of subscribers as Oh! DUH!)
So there you have it, we never thought we would be able to compete in such a crowded field as English language jokes newsletters. The site was done simply to market En Broma's affiliate program.
Oh! DUH! has experienced explosive growth - the kind of growth for which the Internet is famous. We just achieved 10,000 subscribers this summer. We expect to exceed 100,000 subscribers in 2001. With luck, we will exceed 100,000 subscribers next winter.
It just goes to show you that there is always room for a successful newcomer! Please subscribe to our jokes newsletter and play a few games while you are in the neighborhood.
Maria has been Chief Executive Officer of the Company since founding it in January 2000. From 1994 to 1998, she was a financial advisor at Primerica Financial Services. In 1994, Maria worked at the Bertoncini Gallery of Latin American art, in Chicago. From 1980 to 1994, Maria worked in the Import/Export industry. Maria is using Oh! DUH! as a means to repent for all of the jokes she has slaughtered in the past.
Kurt has been President and Chief Technology Officer of the Company since founding it in January 2000. From 1994 to 1999, Kurt worked as a financial engineer at major banks. In 1993, Kurt was an options trader on the floor of the American Stock Exchange. In 1992, Kurt completed a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry. Kurt is presently using Internet alchemy to turn jokes into gold.
Do you want to share a great business opportunity with us? We make it simple. Fill out our form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. (We are very busy, so please give us a week to respond.)
Your e-mail address is safe with us! The opportunity to send you e-mails of your choice is our main asset. We will never sell that asset or waste it by jamming your e-mailbox with garbage.
We run an affiliate program. In the past, unscrupulous affiliates have sent unsolicited e-mails in an effort to recruit subscribers and earn commissions. We do not approve of this practice! It is critical for you to immediately report abuse to us as our reputation is critical to our success.