Connected Internet - Latest Comments in Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Darren Qualls - CTO — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:03:27 -0000

I'll tell you all - from personal experience - both good and bad - this kid is a whiz and a miracle. I dont know her personally. I want to clarify that I came across her name doing a search. She's not your typical - and it is a miracle. Success in the internet is no more common that going on to be the next brittany spears....and in many cases - comes with similar tragedy...

Dont let me for one moment take away from the brilliance it takes to make it - nor the sheer utter luck! I've also been successful - and also experienced failure. many call us who take risk a dreamer....the difference between a dreamer and a visionary - simple - one makes it - one doesnt. This girl put it out there - beat the challenges and scoffed the ones who said "you cant do it".

Good for her - and If you're reading ashley - you're always welcome in our home - partially from the unique last name we both share - and partially because at 17 or 70 - your persistence is one to be admired!

Darren Qualls
CTO
Premier Global Technologies
darren@premierglobaltech.com

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

perfumes for women — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:56:37 -0000

i think what you learn in UNi u can use to earn money. but you still need to have the entreprenaurial drive and acumen. which this young lady obviously has.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

DomainDotMy — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:02:36 -0000

Yeah i passed on Uni for online business and i am happy with the outcome =)

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Everton — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:04:52 -0000

@Phil

lol 'Everton' is my middle name (honest), so it is kind of my real name. Blair is my mother's maiden name so I'm kind of allowed to use it.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Phil Wilkinson — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:08:44 -0000

ha ha - real names Everton - now rearrange these words: "kettle, black, pot, calling.." :-)

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Nothing — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 03:34:29 -0000

COOL! I admire her!

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Yigit T. — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:51:44 -0000

woow cool :) I wanna bi millionaire like Ashleyy

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Kline — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:07:26 -0000

@John

College for webmasters is ridiculous because it is like having a degree in art I would much rather hire someone who has a fantastic portfolio than a college degree that only learned basics and not experience in styles etc.

Again, this isn't just about college, it is about High School as well. You claim she is in fact still working on classes, but all I have to go on is the article claiming she dropped out. So, lets say she didnt drop out and will get a diploma.

A portfolio is good, but she doesn't do her own site, she outsources it, so she cannot even really add it to her portfolio. She might have done the design and outsourced the HTML, so if she were out for a pure design job, she might get it depending on the person hiring. If I were hiring for design, I would look at a portfolio certainly, but she only has one site, maybe 2 now, which is not enough of a portfolio to even warrant a phone screen. How do you know she is versatile enough to design for anything other than cutesy teenage girl look? Look at the site on the waybackmachine. The earlier versions of the site (before she got 'financed' and possibly taken over) shows a more accurate view of this girls web design skills. She likely hired a firm to do the design for the current site in all honesty. I know I would if this kind of money was going around and I was soon going to be in magazines. Its a smart business move.

So, the job she would be looking for would be as a project lead or manager or some business role I would be guessing. Her technical skills are fairly poor.

Do you think someone would hire anyone in the business realm without an MBA or other degree? Honestly here folks. It does all depend on what she wants to do after this, but artist she may not be and super HTML guru she is not. Smart and in the right place and the right time more than likely, but for all jobs I could see her *wanting*, she isn't qualified for.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

abhishek — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:57:42 -0000

I was certainly poised to miss uni but i had no choice and i had to attend it. But now i definitely see a quantum change in the attitude in even my neighborhood. More and more parents and guardians are letting there kid follow his dreams if he is good at it. I had a girl living next door to me became quite a famous singer at the age of 14 and what was amazing that her parents supported her all the way. She never went to school after she was 8 and was doing music practice all the time. I just wish i was born in this phase may be i could have done more.
Cheers
Abhishek

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

xFilthyxJesusx — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 16:31:42 -0000

Well i understand that. But as soon as she's 18 she gets it all. Which is just amazing. Oh I'm going to start my site now. Forget waiting.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Everton — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 16:10:10 -0000

@Filthy

None of the income is in her name as she's a minor

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

xFilthyxJesusx — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 19:51:44 -0000

Wait when I was 16 I looked into getting an adsense account and you have to be 18 in order to receive the checks for your adsense account. Or do they not do a check up on it? If not I'll actually build my site.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Aaron — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 03:12:13 -0000

But, donâ€™t forget that itâ€™s possible to build successful businesses without being #1 on Google. She could be successful just based on word of mouth, or because of promotion on Myspace, other search engines or other Myspace resources.

While that is true, the strength of her network in MySpace doesn't seem that strong either. I guess what I am trying to say is she gets ALOT of attention from the old media (TV, newsprint etc.) and then there are social blogs like this one. There are also alot of templating sites on MySpace itself that have a very strong presence, and on the web (excluding everything else) I just don't see how this one is superior.

In terms of the AdSense success, I would go as far to say that this is a borderline MFA site too, my reason being is there seems to be more AdSense links then real links on the site. My conclusion is that 17 year old girls land on the page and see a bunch of links for glitter text (the AdSense links), and assume these are just tools on the site.

Why do I say the focus is on the AdSense links? Because the templates themselves are three clicks deep into the site on barely visible links on pages where the entire top half of the site is buried in ads. And since most of the ads look like content, how likely do you think 17 year old girls are to actually find the templates (this doesn't make any sense until you realise that by clicking the ads, you will be directed away from the page, so you will never see it).

The ironic thing is my web tutors (I'm a web author) have always taught me that these sorts of sites (that say one thing and do another) are bad, and had she attended college first there is a good chance that this mentality would have prevented her from making the site in the first place. Alternately, this was a once useful resource that, under some sort of corporate influence, has become a spam magnet. There are also casalemedia banners on the page, which are notorius for spreading trackers and spywear.

I guess my posts are pretty pessimistic. However I will try and put a positive spin -

- She is 17 and she has managed to infiltrate the mass media (impressive by anyones standards)
- The site is very effective in getting you to click on the ads
- Even if she is outsourcing / the site is co-owned, this team is managing to achieve the first two very well
- The combination of her online and mass media presence are fueling one another

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

John — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 02:32:44 -0000

@Kline College for webmasters is ridiculous because it is like having a degree in art I would much rather hire someone who has a fantastic portfolio than a college degree that only learned basics and not experience in styles etc.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

John — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 02:28:46 -0000

Wow I can't believe how all these sites keep saying she is a high school drop out! Ashley is in fact not at all if you know a two cents about her she is dual enrolled taking high school online and going to a college. Last time I checked online high school was the same as being home schooled. She should sue everyone for slander saying she is a drop out

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Kline — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 21:18:15 -0000

I think you will find I was being sarcastic...

"potential effect on yadda yadda yadda. I honestly donâ€™t care about outsourcing one way or the other.. the market will take care of itself, but it is amusing."

I think you will find the rest of my post to be the main bulk of my message. I should have split them into two posts. It is a common thing now for larger entities to fabricate 'homegrown startups' or take a lemonaid stand and turn it into a starbucks but pretend that it was all the original person's doing. A site for 16 year old girls will certainly have more appeal if it seems that a 16 year old girl is the one doing the work.

And, again, it has been said, oh who needs university, but in a technological world, can the same seriously be said about 'who needs a highschool diploma'? Unless this girl plans to work for herself forever, she will have a tough time getting a job at any technical position ever. I would honestly hazard to say that if you want to be a webdeveloper,etc that even a college degree is required here in the US. There was a time where you could get a start in the industry without one. And even now, if you dont have one, but you have 15 years experience it no longer matters.. but someone with no work experience besides this and no college degree and no HS degree, do you *really* think she is going to be ready/attractive to the industry? She can always go back and do it later, but it will have to be done at s ome point.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Dave Starr — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 20:52:37 -0000

Ah for the day when I knew everything. Ii did, you know, some years back, but I lost my notebook and now others know it all and then some.

As far as "The youth of today", Ashley's story gives me a lot of hope. Why, indeed should today's youth be concerned about where, physically a service provider is located? This "preserve our jobs" claptrap is such antiquated thinking it defies reality. Google the "Mercantile Theory" and learn why the UK and the US (as just one example) aren't the same country any more. 200+ years of history taught catch as catch can by football coaches and driver's ed teachers has handicapped the USA badly in today's global economy.

Why would someone outsource to another country? Better product for less, perhaps? What is the single most important goal of an owner/CEO? Better product for less, perhaps? If you are a UK or US web services provider why aren't you competing with outsourced employee then, instead of complaining about someone whose obviously success ful making a smart business decision?

Jobs are not national resources that deserve "protection". Every employee is a liability that an ideal business should strive to reduce to zero if possible.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Kline — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:13:47 -0000

If you read the article, it is pretty funny.

She outsources most of it to india. Even the youth of tomorrow don't care about the mass export of jobs and its potential effect on yadda yadda yadda. I honestly don't care about outsourcing one way or the other.. the market will take care of itself, but it is amusing.

I agree with the above comments that this site just got some new life breathed into it by all the big news sites and blogs backlinking to her site. Good marketing strategy. I bet by now she's really just a puppethead of the site as before she got that big it says she was approached by some media conglomerate, who by now controls 90% of it and lets her think the pretty doodles she does with her friends and the 'promotion' she does for it are what made this thing the beast it is today.

Its like myspace. Tom didn't create myspace in his basement. He is a puppethead so the media can talk about this success as if it is some 'overnight garage' thing. Pure promotional BS used to get people talking about it. He is and always was just a puppet, if articles online about the history of myspace are to be believed (theres enough of them out there with specific facts and dates that it seems plausble enough)

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

DAZ — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:38:24 -0000

Well, I heard of this story this morning and I know that a millionaire is made every 14 minutes in this country.
Everyone reading this story can do the same, just do what you love and make a business out of it.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

MrBob — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 04:44:54 -0000

While I respect her success and think she has talented, I don't think she really planned this. Therefore for good measure that she did not find her niche, but that she is her niche (17 year old girls).

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

MrBob — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 02:21:53 -0000

You have missed the point.

I would like to put something to everyone here. Part of her success (aside from her talent) IS THE FACT that she is 17 years old. Why? The answer is right hear on this blog.

People are astounded by this fact so they write blogs like this one, generating links back to her site. Then it gets recycled and recycled through social media sites making her ste more popular.

I am not saying that she is not extremely talented. What I am saying is the fact that she is young and successful is something people want to write about, and this process of commenting about her and her business in these types of blogs is what makes her more popular then other similar sites in my eyes.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Everton — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 02:06:03 -0000

@Aaron

You're a very tough one mate. Yes, the competition for myspace themes is most definitely hard and she doesn't seem to rank very well on Google. But, don't forget that it's possible to build successful businesses without being #1 on Google. She could be successful just based on word of mouth, or because of promotion on Myspace, other search engines or other Myspace resources.

Looking at her site, her adsense units are well positioned, plus she has a very focussed site...about myspace themes so she gets highly targetted ads and hence a high CTR, so I can believe that she's making a killing with adsense.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Aaron — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 01:44:31 -0000

There are two things I would like to say -

A) If she has managed to penetrate what is called Social Media Optimisation to this extent, congratulations to her.

B) I treat this story with extreme suspicion.

My main issue is that by everyone writing articles on the net that say 'hey, wow, a 17 year old internet millionaire' you are creating back-links to her site. The result of this is that you are driving her traffic up (both through your articles and google). Therefore, the (dare I say it) implausible nature of this story is what is getting it high rankings on social network sites including MySpace and Technorati, because it is a heartwarming story and we would all like to side with her.

If you think I am being a little bit too skeptical, try googling "MySpace skins". Her competition is experienced and brutal, and I don't think what she is doing is really that unique.

But, that's just my opinion, and for what its worth I have been posting backlinks to the site and I hope that she have every future success.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

shortship — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 03:57:53 -0000

Despite this sudden success, I think it is a mistake to drop out of even high school (or whatever it is called in the UK).. let alone not attend uni.

Making a million dollars these days, while nice.. can be taken away from you in quick order, and certainly won't last you a lifetime.

With this pending legal battle, etc, she could find herself with no supportive family, no money, and fuck all for lifelong skillset.

Real bright kid. Not like you couldn't attend school *and* continue your side projects at the same time.

Re: Ashley Qualls – 17 Year Old Dot Com Millionaire

Jammy — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 02:18:40 -0000

Thanks Ashley. Your story was so inspiring. It helps me work more harder to attain my goals.