Four things make them grow - time, views, clicks, and unique clicks. Any time the site serves up the icon, that's a view. If you click on it and look at the page on the site, that's a click. One of those clicks per some 24 hour period (I don't know if it's 12M-12M or 24 hours after the first) is a unique click - any additional ones are just added clicks. It takes a minimum of 3.5 days to grow up a stage (egg to hatchling, hatchling to adult) - if you don't get enough views, etc., in 7 days, it dies. It looks like 500-800 views, 150-300 clicks, 50-100 unique clicks is enough to get an egg to hatch in 3.5-4 days. Double those numbers and it'll grow from hatchling to adult in another 3.5-4 days. The site owner claims it is possible for an egg to grow up in seven days with just views. These numbers are very approximate - some types take more attention, some take less, and there is a range of requirements within types - it can take 50 more views for one of a type to grow up than another. (That I've seen myself!)
In intent, it's more a toy/game. There's one guy who's running it as a hobby. There is advertising from Ads by Google on the site - I hope he contracted per image load (which I'm certain he was unable to) rather than click-through.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2008-09-10 11:38 am (UTC)I'm really curious: why? Why would you appreciate it?
B
no subject
Date: 2008-09-10 08:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-11 02:12 am (UTC)Four things make them grow - time, views, clicks, and unique clicks. Any time the site serves up the icon, that's a view. If you click on it and look at the page on the site, that's a click. One of those clicks per some 24 hour period (I don't know if it's 12M-12M or 24 hours after the first) is a unique click - any additional ones are just added clicks. It takes a minimum of 3.5 days to grow up a stage (egg to hatchling, hatchling to adult) - if you don't get enough views, etc., in 7 days, it dies. It looks like 500-800 views, 150-300 clicks, 50-100 unique clicks is enough to get an egg to hatch in 3.5-4 days. Double those numbers and it'll grow from hatchling to adult in another 3.5-4 days. The site owner claims it is possible for an egg to grow up in seven days with just views. These numbers are very approximate - some types take more attention, some take less, and there is a range of requirements within types - it can take 50 more views for one of a type to grow up than another. (That I've seen myself!)
no subject
Date: 2008-09-11 07:23 am (UTC)B
no subject
Date: 2008-09-11 05:42 pm (UTC)