When you log on to http://helpfindacure.info, you will be greeted by just a screen of pixels—no hard-sell banner ads, fancy graphic design or marketing-driven blurbs. Just this screen of pixels set against pink ribbons and accompanied by these statements: “Together We Can Make a Difference” and “Proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.”
What the site lacks in design and words, it more than makes up for with the compelling objective on which it was founded. Thirty-four-
The idea, like the site, is very simple: pixel advertising. You can buy pixels (at a cost of US$1 each) and put an image, a logo or a link to your website in them. How big you want your “ad” to be is totally up to you, but for sure, one pixel won’t cut it; it will be too small for the naked eye and no real significant image or text will be seen. The least amount of pixels you can buy is a 10x10 block of 100.
Where will your money go? A big part of the Help Find a Cure proceeds will go straight to The American Cancer Society, while the rest will be used for maintaining the site and possibly help fund other sites that also work to raise awareness and money for cancer research. Clark considers himself an average person who’s just “sick of watching people suffer and die because of the horrible disease we call cancer.” “I am hoping that this site can possibly help change lives in the future,” he says.
Clark does not take credit for the whole concept of pixel advertising. In fact, he admits that he got the idea for the site from The Million Dollar Homepage, which came out in 2005. It was started by Alex Tew from Wiltshire, England, a then 21-year-old incoming university student who used the money earned from the site to pay for his studies. All the pixels in Tew’s site have been sold out, and when you visit it, you will see a graphic collage of minute images that don’t really add up to anything—but it’s a very powerful visual. It is there, and the pixel advertisers now own “a piece of internet history,” as Tew put it.
Clark is duplicating the idea but is hoping to not just create internet history but also help change the course of history, at least where cancer research and awareness are concerned. “The hope is that we can help with research money and, who knows, maybe find a cure for cancer,” he says.
Clark plans on keeping the site up forever, with the help of visitors who are willing to buy pixels in exchange for advertising and to support a worthy cause. When and if all the pixels are sold and filled and if there is still a demand, he plans to expand the area and accommodate all other future buyers.
Pretty soon, Clark hopes, when you go back to Help Find a Cure, you will see what the bigger picture really is: Thousands of individuals and companies who are banding together to help save lives.
For more information on Help Find a Cure, visit http://helpfindacure.info.
