Do you remember way back when the Internet was still in a nascent period in a commercial sense?  There was a site that achieved great viral success called The Million Dollar Homepage.  The concept of the site was incredibly simple, so simple in fact it was remarkable that it succeeded as it did.  The webpage was basically divided up into lots of little squares, and each square was made available for organisations to sponsor, and sponsor they did, with the site soon earning a shed load of money.

Suffice to say, it largely achieved what it did due to the novelty value of the concept, but nevertheless, the concept has found a unlikely champion on the other side of the world.

It emerged this week that the world famous roof of the Sydney Opera House is being divided up, with each tile on the largest ‘fin’ being sold to raise money for a refurbishment project.  There are 125,000 tiles in total, with each being sold for around $100-400, with the sale expected to bring in over $15 million Australian dollars for the iconic building.

Obviously it goes without saying that each buyer won’t actually own their tile, but instead a laser mapping technology will allow them to personalise their virtual tile with a photo or message.  People can even form ‘virtual tile communities’.

“The Opera House is a World Heritage masterpiece that belongs to all of us,” said Hollywood star Hugh Jackman at the launch.

“Own Our House is a great way for people to show their pride and affection for one of the world’s greatest icons.”

What do you think?  Innovative application of an old method, or something all a bit tacky?