However, many people have expended a lot of time and effort to create unique variations on the theme. They have used animation, contests, 3-dimensional effects, optical illusions, and all sorts of gimmicks to refresh the concept. They have discovered that targeting a pixel site to a niche market is usually better than a general interest site.

They have found that adding free content which is compelling and useful to many viewers can keep interest in a pixel site fresh, so that Net users return again and again, and advertisers can realize a decent return on their investment.

So the best answer to the question "Are Pixel sites a fad?" is "Yes, if they're just a collection of boring static ads. No, if they are imaginative and intriguing enough to capture the attention of their target audience, and if they offer enough free content related to their core interest that people visit them repeatedly.

To see some fascinating examples of sites which meet this standard (and, quite frankly, some that do not) visit ClickPixels.com, which has a directory of pixel sites, and large ads from many of them. Or just enter 'pixel sites' into your search engine. To see the original site created by Alex Tew, go to MillionDollarHomepage.com.

Let's look at a site under development now to see why this form of website can serve an audience, and therefore the advertisers who want to reach that audience, better than traditional methods. We'll look at it from the standpoint of the Internet user, rather than from that of the site builder.

Imagine that you are an avid skier who lives in Switzerland. Every weekend day in the winter, you anxiously scan the horizon to see if optimum conditions exist for you to grab your gear and head for the hills.

There is a lot of information you need to make an intelligent decision; you want to know the weather forecast, you want to know about snow conditions, you want to know about lodging, restaurants, places to rent or buy gear, you want to know which places are too crowded, you want to know the condition of the roads, you might want to inquire about après-ski entertainment.

Now, using traditional methods, such as newspapers and websites, can you access all this information? Sure! But it will take you quite a while!

But now imagine that you can turn on your computer and go to a site which we might call 'SwissSkierPixels.com'. What do you find? You find yourself looking at ONE PAGE which contains: current weather conditions for ALL Swiss ski slopes; Snow conditions and depth, targeted ads for resorts and ski lifts offering coupons and daily specials, updated information on road conditions and closures, notices from restaurants and clubs near the slopes, links to blogs written by skiers who have just returned from various ski areas, AND, even links to 20 or so Webcams which give you LIVE pictures of each ski slope!

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