Web Sighting (3)

Most people would get an extra job, take out loans or beg family members for the money. But when John Sammon wanted his master’s degree, the 27-year-old Ohio University alum and Playhouse Square employee took a different approach. He built a Web site, www.fundjohnsmasters.com, offering would-be sponsors of his continuing education a 50-pixelby- 50-pixel block of advertising for $100. “It’s a crazy idea,” Sammon says. “I figured I’d have to give it a shot. I think the concept is great, but if you want to do it successfully you have to add your own character to it.” So far, he’s done that by posting humorous commercials on the site. And though he declines to say how much he’s raised so far, a 21-year-old from England raised $1 million with a similar idea. Sammon is shooting for a more realistic $20,000. “I want people to see that I work hard and that I am talented and passionate about what I do,” he says. “This isn’t just a charity.”