Is he milking the cow too hard ?
Posted on July 8th, 2007 by Susan under Make Moooney OnlineWant to Learn How to Build a Business Not Just a Blog.. for FREE? CLICK HERE Now to Find Out How!
All views expressed are those of the author and only the author should be held accountable.
I read an interesting post on the Bumpzee No Nofollow | I Follow | DoFollow Community from Jim Kukral over at Online Marketing Ideas. The title was “John Chow Is Killing His Blog By Trying Too Hard To Make Money” and here is a quick excerpt
Be careful not to try so hard to make money with your blog. Sometimes, like in the example I’m talking about below, you can do “too much” and as I’ve said before, you will start to lose your credibility and readership.
Now I can tell you the responses to this post ranged from “I agree” to long explanations of why this simply isn’t so. It seems that many people believe his cult like followers (ok not so much cult like as … well simply a cult) hang on every word and help build his wealth just to see how high he can go.
I like most people, including John Cow, have read the venerable John Chow website and have found some rather ingenious ideas there. I have also found a lot of ego and self-pontificating. Everyone know he is in it for the money and yet he keeps building higher and higher, his cult growing larger and larger.
Personally I believe John Chow must laugh everyday he logs in and sees how much his blog is making. After all why not laugh. He plainly states that he is monetizing his blog and making a ton of money at it. He comes up with ideas that would fail at any other blog, and seem to succeed at his only because he has thousands of cultist who click on every link he gives them.
In a way John Chow’s blog reminds me of the evil character from Oliver Twist one Bill Sykes. Old Bill kicks his dog all the time and treats it like shit, but the little dog still follows him around everywhere, coming back time and time again for his Master’s amusement. I have to admit it works for Mr. Chow and it obviously works for his follower so kudos to all of them, I know how hard it can be to find someone who can hit just that perfect spot in you.
So what do you think fellow moooers ? Is he milking the cow to hard or is he simply having a grand ole time living off the cream?
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To me it seems like he is milking the poor cow to hard, but it seems to still like to give him milk
Exactly. Those who say he’s milking it too hard are just jealous.
Seriously, what should he do? Stop making money to give himself more credibility? How many bloggers who think he’s doing too much milking would STOP MAKING MONEY so that a handful of wannabes respected them a little more.
The money that his blog generates is actually nothing special when you consider how much traffic that he gets. He’s not milking it more than most other bloggers it’s just that due to the sheer numbers involved on his site, he’s making a helluva lot more money out of it.
Sure, he plainly states that he’s making money but so what? Everyone knows Bill Gates is the richest man in the world, yet people still buy Microsoft products, don’t they?
Perhaps I’m missing something, but it seems the argument in that post is that those with an ego shouldn’t have supporters. Well here’s a secret…nobody wants to follow someone who doesn’t have an ego.
How can it even be said that it will hurt his readership when the site keeps growing with every post.
Quick tip: Doing “too much” is helping his readership!! Just check the numbers.
Settle down Cash Quests! Chow ain’t no God and you don’t need to get your panties in a bunch when someone thinks he’s milking it too hard.
On a different note I found this site through the big mans most recent post and hats off to the creators. I’ve been thinking how to cash in on all the Make Money wannabes and you’ve pulled it off. Great job. You are the new
Ok I am going to assume that you meant “The argument in that post..” to be the post I am referring to not the one I wrote.
Because I certainly am not jealous, envious yes but not jealous. What John Chow has done is amazing and I wish I were only 1/1000 as lucky / smart / talented / evil / etc. (take your pick).
Anyway Cash Quest your point is well taken. He is making money, his readers love / adore him, and I don’t see him stopping any time soon. Nor would I want him to since he is great for us as well
Thanks for the comment!
I think John cow is trying too hard to milk John chow’s cash cow..ROFL
Yep i see the smileys now…
Umm actually no, JC is doing a great job of making his own way in the world. Just check out some of the latest posts and you will see while that other guy might look like us, he can’t match the bovine inspiration of JC.
I read a lot more of the guest posts now and skim through his articles about once or twice a week to see if there’s anything I can use. I used to rush to read each new post he created…
Guest posts are awesome aren’t they? Ok so I am biased because I am a guest poster but hey the sentiment is there. Actually I wonder how many posts you have to do as a GP before you are no longer a guest but actually work for the blog?
I’ve never clicked on a link on his site the entire time I’ve read it. Then again I don’t agree with his tactics most of the time, or most anybodys for that matter.
I prefer to make a living online rather than just money. Money can be there one day and gone the next. Moo money Moo problems.
P.S - You seem to have left a tag unclosed, hence making all text on your blog become Italicized. Simply find the open and close it with a
We noticed and corrected, thanks for pointing this out!
Thanks Ali for noting and JC for getting it fixed. That’s what happens when I rush.
Meh, to each their own. Its his blog, I say go for it.
As for the missing tag its an italics tag at the top of the post.
I have a bachelors degree in agriculture. That is why I know that it is important to massage the udder in order to stimulate an oxytocin release that causes the milk to flow. Where does this fit into this blog monetizing analogy?
Too bad you’re not a blonde, we would have given you our number!
lmao!!
The thing is, he’s been milking the cow for so long now, that it IS his living. So he’s not going to stop anytime soon. I wouldn’t!!
Sure milking process can be changed but not the milk itself
Vijay
Interesting post Susan.
I started readin John Chow’s blog about 2 months ago(yes i am a blogging newbie), his post’s seemed quite good, and useful, they seem to have changed over this time period, and it seems to be harder to find useful information within all the spam.
Now if you compare him to ProBlogger.net, which I started readin at the same time, Darren Rowse’s post are all quality, each one providing a useful and exciteful tip on how to make money from blogging.
FatGadget I could not agree more ! I have been a long time reader of ProBlogger and hold it up as the mark to meet.
John Cow Dot Com has guest posts already? You really are cranking up the standards for a new blog.
It’s not her first one either!
His blog was good in the beginning, but now I can’t see the crap for all the shit…
That’s why he’s the bull.
I think he said before that he gives all his blog earnings to charity though.
Are you serious? I would HAVE to see some proof of that. I’m surprised he wouldn’t say more about that because he could pick up a whole new herd of people!
Ok, my memory was half right. The money he made on the blog in 2006 went to charity. This year it’s going into an online business.
johnchow.com/blog-income-and-taxes
Well then we have a charity worthy of his donations.. the John Cow Charity for Wayward Cows.
Something tells me his sheer “evil” nature wouldn’t allow him to give all that hand over fist dough away…
I think people forget that his blog is not his main income.
Do people think he had $0 income before he started his blog as a hobby??
I’m sure if it all went away in a day, it wouldn’t matter. And that helps him gain more and more and more.
he mentioned that in his e-book?
Joshua I know he had other income before the blog, and more than likely it isn’t his main source of income, but that really isn’t the point. I have to disagree with your comment “I’m sure if it all went away in a day, it wouldn’t matter.” Just about anyone would bemoan loosing thousands of dollars in income a month. Plus, to be honest who had ever really heard of him before his blog really started to take off? Certainly there were those who knew him by his other endeavors, but his name wasn’t the “household” name it is now. If his blog dropped off today I bet he would be scrambling for a way to get his name back up in lights as it were. He, like most of us if we are honest, is egotistical (maybe even more so than most of us) and it would be a huge blow to go from “godlike” to no-name.
I think you put him up higher than he puts himself.
True, the loss of thousands of dollars of months would suck for most anyone, but that wasn’t my point. I only mean to say he isn’t clinging on to his blog for dear life.
John Chow didn’t magically create his ‘godlike’ status, he earned it, one way or another.
He is responsible for introducing many people to blogging and different online business concepts, not to mention the fact that he donates a ton of money to charity.
I see a lot of people hating on his success. I think it’s silly to do that when there is so much to learn from it.
This blog would be nothing without John Chow.
It’s the same old ‘make money online’ dream you see everywhere, with no real useful content. Beyond the humour, that is…
I don’t put him up high at all, I know like all bloggers he is only as good as the people who read, comment, and contribute to his blog. Without the thousands of visitors he would be nothing, as would the rest of us.
John Chow did create his status. He thought up ways to spin old ideas and make them ingenious. He marketed himself to appeal to the largest crowd possible. He is outspoken about his success because that is what drives traffic to his site. He created everything about himself.
I believe this was addressed before but I never said I hate his success, I am envious certainly to a point, but hate is not a word I would use. I would gladly spend as much time talking to John Chow as he could spare simply because he is often very willing to share his outlook and ideas. I know there is a lot to learn from him and so does everyone else. His methods might not be the ones I would choose, but then again that is probably why his blog was the inspiration for JC and not my own.
Anyway, I better end this comment before I respond to your last statement in a way not befitting the lightheartedness of this blog. Thanks for visiting and please come back.
great stuff susan, really makes you aware that, money isn’t everything, my philosophy is that if your community is well, there will always be milk in hell.
Interesting philosophy
I don’t read his blog as I must be an older generation than most of his following, but just one look at his blog did make my eyes hurt with the amount of money milking effort - reviews, adsense, stuff to sell, this that holy cow… His blog is a good place to pick up an idea or two on what can be used for a blog to make money - but definitely not to be copied unless it’s in a humorous way like here
I am not sure age is a requirement for entrance into the John Chow cult. I don’t belong so I can’t say for certainty but I think it has something to do with guinea pigs and lifesavers.
Good for JC, everyone does the same thing ranging from Paris Hilton to Donald Trump to keep perpetuating whatever sells their image or whatever works to make them even more money.
Great parody site, with actual insightful commentary.
Thanks Billy and I agree people do what it takes. Glad you like the site keep coming back
He is trying to milk the cow too much, however it is that milk which attracts his followers, maybe they just want a big glass of milk to come their way as well.
I think we can all agree that the main reason people read John Chow’s blog, or any SEO, Marketing or otherwise business oriented blog is to learn their “secrets”.
I think John Chow keeps too high profile. He always talks about how much he makes online bla bla bla. that’s too much with it.
Funny comment coming from someone named Moneygod ;P Actually the fact he talks so much about all the money he is making is why he is so popular. Some want to see just how much one can make, others want to find out the latest evil genius idea, and nearly all hope a little bit of the magic will rub off on them.
Don’t just milk with the same bucket “make money online” target, change the bucket, now he has changed his bucket options.
Vijay
How many cows you have to milk, haha
John Chow kill cows!
I dont htink he is milking the cow to hard! You can never milk it to hard in the web industry!
You’d know
Well look at my name and milk it