Frequently Asked Questions
How does this work?
Here's a GIF!
Who are you?
This project was created by Andrey and Max. We’re software developers from Toronto. Andrey worked on cryptocurrency-related projects since 2011 and Max has an infosec background. We worked on some Solidity security audits together and thought this would be a fun side project to start.
Is this an ICO?
No.
Is this an NFT?
Not yet! Unfortunately this project predates the ERC-721 specification by about 5 months.
We will be releasing a contract that will allow any ad to be converted into a proper NFT through 2 on-chain transactions. Track issue #48 for updates.
What is your goal?
The ThousandEtherHomapage is a homage to the famous MillionDollarHomepage. Our goal is to balance the authentic retro feel of the original project with a modern interpretation of Ethereum blockchain technology. What a time to be alive!
What do I get?
You get to buy a piece of blockchain history! At 0.001 ETH per pixel you can get a display ad and advertise anything you want, forever immortalized on the Ethereum blockchain.
Why a Thousand Ether Homepage and not a Million Ether Homepage?
The bottom line: We want the ad space to sell out. We’re confident we can sell out at 1,000 ETH, but a million ether at current prices is not realistic.
Hasn’t this been done before?
Ethereum wasn’t the very first cryptocurrency, but it’s doing alright. We might not be first, but we learned from other attempts and we’re here to be the best.
How long will this be up?
Your ad will be on the Ethereum blockchain forever! As long as someone somewhere is mining Ethereum, your little piece of blockchain history will endure too.
When did this launch?
We published the smart contract on the 12th year anniversary of the launch of MillionDollarHomepage: August 26, 2017.
What happens when I buy an ad?
You’ll be able to publish a URL for an image and a URL that your ad links to. You can change them anytime you want as well! You can even transfer your ad to someone else.
Where are the images hosted?
The ad images are served to the user over HTTP, Swarm, or IPFS. You're responsibe for uploading them to a server or the Swarm or the IPFS network and providing the URL. You can also use a "data://" url, but this will cost you more gas to store. We do provide a periodic static cache of the (non-NSFW) images).
What if I want to advertise my socially-questionable business?
It’s the wild west out here so we can’t really stop you, but we do ask that you set the NSFW flag if the content you’re putting up is not appropriate for minors or illegal in western society. NSFW ads are not displayed by default.
We can never take your ad away, but one right that we do reserve is to mark your ad as NSFW if we feel that it’s inappropriate.
If you mark your ad as NSFW, then you can always change it later. If we have to go in and override your ad to NSFW, then only we can change it to not-NSFW later. We don’t want to do it, but we don’t want to be liable for promoting questionable content.
Have you considered a shorter URL?
We have some handy aliases like 1000eth.com, 1000ether, and 1000etherhomepage. They all lead back to the Thousand Ether Homepage.
What’s cool about your smart contract?
So glad you asked! Obviously, all the ad unit management happens on the blockchain. If you buy the ad slot, you own it forever (or until you transfer it to someone else).
But to us, the the coolest thing is: It’s simple and easy to audit. It doesn’t do anything weird with complex pricing structures or use sneaky modifiers. Making something simple is hard, so don’t let it fool you.
The second best part? Simple means the fees are low. The most complicated thing you’ll do will only cost a dollar or two in fees, and you’re mostly paying for what you’re buying (storing your ad data on the blockchain) rather than complex middleware logic.
Is there a White Paper?
No.
What about a Yellow Paper?
Nope.
Okay, how about a Purple Paper?
I'm convinced, how do I buy?
Head over to the homepage and click 'Buy Pixels'. You'll need an Ethereum-enabled browser like Mist, Parity, or install the Metamask Chrome Extension.
When you buy an ad unit, you're buying it directly from the smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain. It feels like magic every time.