Name of your website?A Prayer For You
Your name?
Gidon Ariel
Your Location (city, etc)
Jerusalem
Please give us a short summary of your website?
The Holy City Prayer Society offers you a unique service - the opportunity to have a prayer said for you daily in Jerusalem, the site of the Holy Temple! Our prayers can raise your spiritual consciousness and help you in your quest for tranquility.
Whether your needs are mundane, sublime, transcendental, or all of the above, for yourself or for others, no plan to succeed is complete without involving Our Ultimate Partner.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I realized that I can provide this service for people who do not live near the Holy City.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
I launched http://www.holycityprayer.com/ about a year ago, April 2006, after 10 years of hemming and hawwing (!)
How did you decide on a name for your website?
I thought about it, came up with some alternatives, and finally decided.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
God's honor and presence fills the world, everywhere. (Isaiah 6, 5). Still, the Bible and the Sages are full of inspiring words emphasizing the efficacy and specialness of prayer in the Holy City of Jerusalem. Subscribe to our free newsletter, "Prayers and Thoughts from Jerusalem (prayers@aweber.com)," for a series of such sources. Much has been said about the holiness of Space, Time, and Personage. The Holy City Prayer Society adds the dimensions of Language, Message, Intent, and Relationship. Our pious Jerusalem-based leaders pray three appointed times a day (morning, noon, and nighttime), every day, on the Holiest Spot On Earth, Jerusalem, near the site of the Holy Temple. Our prayers are in Hebrew, the Holy Tongue, the language that God created the world in. There are opinions that prescribe praying in Hebrew even without fluency, since its very letters have spiritual, kabbalistic significance. The messages and content of these prayers are taken from tried and true traditions thousands of years old, or based on and inspired by these traditions. And most importantly, our "human touch" intent when offering these prayers takes your personal, confidential comments into account. This personal touch contrasts with one time only faxes, e-mail, or other technical methods--God yearns for His creations’ supplications--and extends beyond these prayers, as membership in the Holy City Prayer Society is interactive: you are invited and even encouraged to "pour out your troubles" (Psalms 102, 1) and we will respond with empathy, compassion, and Bible-inspired wisdom. We care about prayer, and we care about you.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I hope to keep this site and organization, and use the proceeds of the membership to hire additional prayers (praying agents) who are the poor of Jerusalem, to help support them, and provide this service to people who appreciate it.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Thank God, pretty well. I partner with Shimshon Young of http://www.excellenceweb.com/ who is a great resource, so together we have our task list pretty clear.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Not much, at this point, perhaps outsource certain tasks, and when those are done, have the freedom to think of other ways to promote the site.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Yes, but I would quickly hire prayer agents and other help.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
None.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Following through with the tasks at hand, mostly searching for JV partners, creating content, and uploading the content to the newsletter platform.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Up to this point, I would guess advertising on israelnationalnews.com. We also publish a free newsletter (sign up on our site) that shows our sincerity and expertise in our field).
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I am growing slower than I had hoped.
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?
About a year and a half. I don't see any scenario that I will stop keeping it up.
Pay for Pray? Are you serious??
Absolutely. We recognize that this service is not for everyone, but our unsolicited testimonials (of which only a few are on our home page http://www.holycityprayer.com/ prove to us time and again that a LOT of people want JUST THIS service, and we are thrilled to provide it.
What is your website address?
A Prayer For You
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