Name of your website?Tropicalpenpals.com
Your name?
Matt Wilkie
Your Location (city, etc)
Cebu
Please give us a short summary about your website?
The site is based round a marriage between me Matt(From the UK) and April (from Cebu,RP) and an expat life. To try and help other expats relocating to the Philippines understand the Philippines better. Offering advice and our personal blog. As well as services they may find useful.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
A lot of the other expat sites are based around financial gain rather than providing service. We are different. Even if we had businesses connected to our site we would allow others to post adverts for their own business. The idea is that the site should be for information not for profit
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
ProjectMayhem. Many years ago, it was based around online gaming and Lan-Gaming when it was fast becoming a major past-time.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Tropicalpenpals is based on the idea that we are offering help. ie. we are living in Cebu so if your locating there asking information we are in theory your tropicalpenpals.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Its truthful, we also accept that we arent always right and respect other peoples opinions we dont shoot people down in flames just for the fact of thinking differently on things. We also let anyone advertise services even if connected to our own business structure. We are an Information and Service website. That will always be the most important to us, well above profit and business.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
We will keep the site. It has been with us nearly as long as we have been married. Almost part of the family. There are bits that will appear over the next few months taking the site from when I first met my wife to now.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
It doesnt, I didnt do this for profit I done this to bring more people to the Philippines. If i can bring more people to the Philippines maybe I can help reduce some of the poverty and highlight the problems to make it a better place for everyone.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
More information. As much as possible and all in a way that is easy to read and access.. I aim to create the best information site in the Philippines even though this is going to take me years I hope i get there.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
The answer is all relative to cashflow. If the site is growing then im going where it needs it to and i hope it brings more happiness to all.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Conflicts with other sites. There is to much interference and money orintation within some of these networks for something that should be an information based service. Not profit lead.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Getting the site well known..
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Hard work and networking with others.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
No i knew this is going to be hard :D
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
A lifes work
What is your website address?
Tropicalpenpals.com
