BOSTON, Mass. � July 29, 2000 - Lifetips.com, an online community of more than 400 Web sites that offer tips, advice and information on subjects ranging from parenting to monster trucks, has announced that it is hiring hundreds of freelance �gurus.� Each guru creates and edits content for a site in which he or she has expertise. They also answer questions, dispense advice and recommend links to related sites.
�Our business model is innovative, � said lifetips.com founder and president Byron White. �We own and operate hundreds of Web sites ranging from cooking-tips.com to snowboard-tips.com that provide useful information and tips, as well as links to related guru-recommended sites. Gurus submit tips and links, answer questions, and create content for weekly newsletters to opt-in subscribers.�
Lifetips.com launched in March 2000 now attracts over 4 million page views and 500,000+ unique users. More than 135 gurus already have been recruited and are active on the site. They earn monthly retainers of $50 from a new revenue model currently being launched to prospective clients.
�We�ve demphasized the banner ad revenue model,� said White. �Instead, lifetips.com has created a plan new to the industry that charges clients a lump sum fee per opt-in users for one-to-one marketing opportunity.� Under the new plan, clients lock in a sponsor of a site, and agree to pay a flat rate fee of $3 per opt-in subscriber and member of the site. In return, the client receives free, unlimited promotions on the newsletter, and free banner ad page views and click throughs on the site. Each month, a client is billed for new subscribers who join the site and subscribe to the newsletter.
Lifetips.com recently closed its first round of funding with private investors. Prior to that, founder Byron White was self-funding the company through the sale of his previous company, Freelance Access, a graphic arts placement agency with offices in Boston and New York. White sold Freelance Access to Aquent (formerly MacTemps) in 1997.
The fundamental premise behind lifetips.com, according to White, is to offer Living Improvements for Everyone (LIFE). �We believe Internet surfers are becoming frustrated with all the search engine dumps and article dumps of other companies. Lifetips.com offers a real alternative. Our users can quickly get tips and information from our sites and have an easy, efficient and rewarding Internet experience. And our gurus select and recommend the best related sites, saving users even more time,� said White.
For more information visit the company Web site at www.lifetips.com.