Yes.

Single serving sites are an interesting phenomenon; most are humorous, few are useful, and all serve just one purpose – or no purpose at all. These sites have the potential to be incredibly viral, but it’s essential that they have a certain quirky or creative element about them – a “je ne sais quoi” of sorts – as they’re only comprised of a dedicated .com URL (usually a bit longer than average) and the single page website (which often has little or no design).

Although the majority of single serving sites serve no real utility, they can be slotted into some general categories:

• Answer a question – IsItChristmas.com, UmbrellaToday.com
• Provide the status of something – IsTwitterDown.com, DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com
• Make a pop culture reference/satire – ItsNeverLup.us, YoureTheManNowDog.com
• Create art/evoke emotion – IWantToFeel.com, StagnationMeansDecline.com
• Give advice or instruction – D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y.com, HowToCutAnAvocado.com
• Solicit Answers – Tired.com, GlobalCrisisKilledMyJob.com
• Other (defying categorization) – SometimesRedSometimesBlue.com, SadTrombone.com

BarackObamaIsYourNewBicycle.com is an interesting example of a single serving site becoming a meme in its own right. Back in February 2008, San Francisco freelance writer and Wired contributing editor Mathew Honan created the now-famous site, which displays random Barack Obama non sequiturs, after his wife turned her attention from cycling to campaigning for the presidential candidate. The site was an instant hit – spawning a number of copycat sites and eventually leading to a book deal (like every good website does).

And you guessed it… single serving sites can be great marketing tools too.