My Point Exactly

Many people hate my guts, I know. But my last post on link trains was done in good faith. I did not mean to hurt anyone in the process. I read from Abe’s blog that John “Googlebomb” Chow was banned from Google. Even if you search for his name, his blog won’t show up. That’s right.. it won’t.

After reading his post called “It’s all about pushing the limit“, I’m beginning to wonder if John knows what he’s talking about. He advises his readers not to to depend on Google for traffic. Eh? What kind of advice is that? Does he know that Google dominates 42% of the search engine market? Does he realize that his “nearly 6000 subscribers” are managed by Feedburner, owned by Google? You can’t bite the hand that feeds you! It was obvious from the start that when he began his linkback campaign that he was trying to cheat his way up the Google serps. Now that he finally got what was a long time coming, he calls Google “stupid”. He’s been banned by Technorati and Digg too, he says, and proud of it. Is that the way to go if you wanna “make money online”?

Like I said, if you’re into joining link trains and whatnot, I advise you to stop now before it’s too late. Fine, call me the spawn of the devil, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

16 comments

  1. I’m subscribed to John’s feed too, and I was also surprised to read that he suddenly wasn’t ranking for the keyword “john chow”. Well I’m not really ‘surprised’. Nowadays Google is really keen that it’s kinda scary. haha

  2. he still makes a lot of money though(unless he’s lying). if you were a sane person, whom would you believe – the moneymaker or the sourgraper?

  3. @Joni: If you keep it clean, there’s nothing to worry about Google. But if you make them look stupid, watch out.

    @Winston: No problem. 🙂

    @Hari: I’m sure he makes a lot of money, but it’s his techniques that bother me, worsened by the fact that many people seem to believe everything he says. This whole “make money online” religion is getting out of hand. If you’re insinuating that I’m a sourgraper, well, check again, coz I’m a moneymaker. 😀

  4. thanks for this post.. i’m enlightened na.. wahehehe 🙂

    from yagitnabata.blogspot.com:
    @Jhezeel: Where were you anyway? (jehzeel po, not jhezlee… hehe)

    nasa manila po me kuya andrew.. kaya di naka dating.. na flat tired kasi ang plane 🙂 bwahahahaha!

  5. Good thing I stopped those link trains reaaaaaally early.

    oh well, at least John Chow utilized his blog already. 😛

  6. Drew, Hari Skwatir probably meant the two sides of John Chow: the ‘moneymaker’ side of him or the ‘sourgraper’. In this entire brouhaha, you may have sounded a tad b|tchy or spawn-of-the-devilish (just quoting you, brother!), but not sour-graping. Unless the Hari guy didn’t clearly grasp the meaning of the term.

    At any rate, you’ve been vindicated! Curious how your detractors have suddenly fallen silent… 😈

  7. @Jehzeel: Oops. Sorry for the typo 🙂 Ah, so you’re in Manila. Ok.

    @Aaron: Yeah, buti na lang!

    @Blogie: Ahh. My mistake. 🙂

    @Hari: Again, my mistake, apologies! You made a great point there.

  8. Thanks for the concern and the sound advice. I won’t be joining any more link trains and the likes. 🙂

  9. I have read all the posts associated with your “friendly banther” with some of your countrymen. I do not know them, nor you. From what I’ve read in your blog, and their blogs too, I have come to the conclusion that you were quite rude and arrogant in your comment. Please forgive me for being blunt. Initially, you did not post anything on what you are advocating right now. You expressed a rude comment at a review that wasn’t even intended for you. And based on the comment you posted, it was directed at the blogger’s own site. Only did someone defended the Filipina blogger which you were lambasting that you decided to change your views and attack the defender. Of course, it is understable. Attacking a fellow countrymen, and a lady at that, is unmanly. Nowhere in ther comments to you did they attacked you or ridicule you. Your countrymen gave you the respect to explain their side. Be joyful that they gave you that much. Respect is not easily earned, yet they gave you the benefit of the doubt. They gave their sides. Period. Yet, you responded in way that is not only in good taste, but only poor in judgment call. I also reviewed your rules at your Ratified list site, a site that you yourself made. It does it mention anything, implied or not, about joining or not joining Link Trains. Now, you preach what you advocate like a sermon and making it look like that it was the issue all along. What the bloggers didn’t like was your lack of tack, rudeness, disrespect, and arrogance. I have no fights or quarrels with any of you. I am just clarifying the issue. Sometimes we can bend the truth in such a way that one is made to look right and the others wrong. Don’t. You are a SEO. Be a professional. Admit it or not, you were wrong. Rectify your mistake, son. You will be more of a man because of it.

  10. Son, I know you are good in what you do. Spread the knowledge. Share it. Just one thing though, please be tact. It won’t hurt you a bit but will help you in ways you never knew possible. I am not against you nor the ones you had a friendly banther. At my age, I am a very good judge of character. I admire your guts. That is the truth. Just be a little more tact in the process. Let this be a learning experience for all. My wife is a Filipina. Thus, I know how great is your culture and your people. Don’t let this “misunderstanding” build a wall between you and other bloggers out there. Each blogger counts. Be a big brother to them. A big brother with a lot of tact. You already have their respect. I know, they have yours too. Make the first move. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a major one. A little gesture of “Filipinoism” is all that is needed here. Good luck, son.

  11. @Concerned: Thanks for your concern. Tact isn’t one of my best traits, unfortuntately. What’s your blog anyway? Don’t be afraid, I won’t bite. 😀

  12. Well, I don’t hate you. I think your Ratified.org project rocks… I got exposed to a lot of good Pinoy blogs I didn’t know about because of your project. 🙂

    I never joined those link trains (nor did I ever perpetuate them by blogging about them), but my name got added to a couple of them by OTHER PEOPLE. I wish I could get off the train, but it’s left the station without me.

  13. based on my knowledge on what John Chow did (well i am one of the followers of john chow), John Chow’s Make Money blog is here not as the main source of his income (because 100% of the income of this blog are sent to an organization) but for his case study or what ever study he’s doing. As follower of him, I learn lessons from what he did and learn lessons from the result of what he did.

    We’re thankful, John Chow showed us everything he got.

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