10.01.2011
Gazeta29 newspaper, Mikhail Malakhovets
The daily audience of the Arhnet.info portal exceeds 1,500 people — and yet it all started as an amateur project. The idea to build a regional portal came to Arkhangelsk web publisher Viktor Belousov. In the interview below, you’ll find out about the beginnings of Arhnet.Info and the film Inception, the future of print media, what Viktor wanted to be as a child, as well as about Sergey Brin, Norway, Coldplay, VKontakte, and much more.
Please accept belated congratulations on the 4th anniversary of the Arhnet.Info website! How is the “October birthday boy” doing now?
Actually, the word “website” doesn’t really fit Arhnet anymore — it’s long outgrown that definition. Although I’ve learned to take it more lightly, “portal” sounds more accurate. Things are going very well. So well, in fact, that we’re now having to deal with load and performance issues. The audience is growing fast, and there are constant spikes in traffic, which sometimes causes equipment to fail. But these are minor issues — all technical problems are already being resolved. Overall, everything is going according to plan, just as we envisioned; the project is developing.
And from a financial standpoint? Is Arhnet.Info still not profitable, or is it time to give you a shovel so you can keep up with raking in the money?
I mentioned the lack of profit in last year’s interview. A lot has changed since then. You can give me a shovel — it’ll come in handy around the house. But seriously, the project has reached full self‑sufficiency. Moreover, it’s even opening up new opportunities for additional projects. I’m not ready to disclose what they are yet.
Do you earn exclusively through advertising, or are there any paid services?
The main revenue stream is, of course, advertising. Not just display ads, but also article placements, contextual advertising, and exclusive promotional content. We tend to work with federal companies and organizations because it’s easier to find common ground with them. As for paid services, we had an idea to create an interactive directory of Arkhangelsk companies — both large and small. After working on it for several months, we decided to put it on hold for now. A lot of time was spent simply explaining to people how it works, what benefits their business would get, and why they even need online advertising. Arkhangelsk isn’t quite ready for this yet. But I don’t rule out creating a similar service in the future and trying to sell it again.
Tell us about your path to Arhnet. Where did you study? When did you decide to go into web publishing? When did the idea for the project emerge? And, of course, did you want to be an astronaut as a child?
That last question is the hardest — I honestly don’t remember what I wanted to be as a kid. I’ve had a passion for everything related to computers since school. Although initially, I planned to become an ecologist. Through a student exchange program, I went to Norway, where I spent four years. Since then, I’ve had a soft spot for the Nordic countries. I started my journey in web publishing in 2002, working on an international project within the Barents Region. There, I gained my first experience not only in organizing internet projects but also in photography, journalism, and design. In mid‑2004, I had to stop working because the project was closed due to funding issues. After that, I decided to do something for myself, without thinking it might become my main line of work. That’s how, in 2006, the idea emerged to create a directory of all the region’s websites — which became Arhnet.Info. Later, seeing how the project was growing, I decided to turn it into a full‑fledged portal. And the work began. A huge amount of time went into studying all sorts of technologies, solutions, the basics of internet marketing, audience engagement, and the online advertising market. Step by step, we got to where we are now. But the work continues to this day, and self‑education remains an essential part of the process.
Since you’ve worked as a journalist, I’d like to ask, colleague to colleague: what do you think about the future of print publications? It’s no secret that their ad sales are falling worldwide… So, is print media facing imminent death? Or do we still have a chance?
I’m sure people will continue to read newspapers. Books are still alive, despite predictions of their demise not so long ago. Yes, publications will need to invest more actively in development — but that’s a good thing! It’s possible that circulations will be smaller, but there will always be people who want to hold a “real” newspaper or magazine in their hands rather than scroll through virtual pages online.
You’ve reassured me. The New Year is right around the corner — time to sum things up. How would you describe 2010 for you? And what are your plans for 2011?
For Arhnet.Info, 2010 was a turning point — things suddenly started growing rapidly. The original idea of a regional information platform began to take on a distinct, unique form. I’m definitely happy about that; it’s great to see your own project evolve right before your eyes. Overall, I feel calmer and more balanced inside — maybe because I turned 31, and my attitude toward life shifted automatically. For 2011, I’d like to keep developing Arhnet. At a minimum, to expand the portal’s existing online services and create new ones. For example, we recently launched the “Arkhangelsk Events Calendar” service. There’s demand for it, so we’ll definitely be expanding the calendar.
Thirty‑one… Don’t worry, you look at most thirty! Do you do sports?
Thank you for the kind words. Seriously, I only do sports occasionally. I go to the gym from time to time and do some gymnastics. But not on a regular basis.
Which country would you like to visit? Why?
I really want to see the USA and countries in Africa. The USA is this kind of incomprehensible and ambiguous phenomenon for me. So much happens there; it’s the center of the global economy. And so many interesting people have come from there… Africa, on the other hand, is a huge landmass with its own unique history and culture. I also want to live in London and Paris — not as a tourist, but to actually live there, to feel like a part of these amazing cities.
Do you watch movies? What kind? Any favorites?
I love movies and watch a lot of them. Among the recent ones, I have to mention The Social Network — I liked it, although I expected more depth. I enjoy films about “unreal reality”: The Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor, Vanilla Sky, Inception. I was also strongly impressed by Sunshine, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Seven Pounds, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and Babel.
Great choices! Especially Inception. Same question about music.
Music is my second passion after my work. I play the guitar and used to sing a bit. I want to dedicate as much time to it as possible once I have the chance. I listen to a lot of music across many genres. If I had to name a few specific artists and bands, they’d be Coldplay, U2, Metallica, Papa Roach, The Killers, Blind Vandal, Paramore, Sting, Solar Fields, Ormatie, and Blank & Jones. By the way, music is one of the reasons I use VKontakte — you can find any song there, and it’s convenient to make playlists and listen to them.
Who would you like to meet among famous people?
In Russia, I’d like to meet Pozner and Zhvanetsky. In the West, Sergey Brin, one of Google’s co‑founders. Do you know him?
Of course I do, don’t insult me! How are things on the personal front?
Everything’s great — I have a girlfriend, and we’ve been together for over a year. It’s really nice when people share the same values and understand each other. When two people work toward the same goal and support each other, everything in life happens faster and more smoothly.
What do you think of the Gazeta29 website? Be honest!
I actually liked the site overall. Honestly. I’d suggest refreshing the design a bit and decluttering the text pages. When there’s too much information on a page, users get lost and confused. But overall, creating a functional yet intuitive website is an important but often very difficult task. So, good luck with developing your online version!
Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind… One last thing: share your favorite quote.
One of my favorites is by Confucius: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”.
