Comments on: Work Smart, Not Hard

By: Week 27 - The Overview

Week 27 - The Overview — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:16:47 +0000

[...] refers to his “work smart, not hard” [...]

By: Friday Fresh Links and Announcements | Tech Suave

Friday Fresh Links and Announcements | Tech Suave — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:35:37 +0000

[...] 1. Did your WordPress site get hacked? 2. Make Money Online: 100+ Tools and Resources 3. Win Friends and Clients for Joint Ventures – Don’t Be A Brown-Noser! 4. Should You Explicitly Target Social Media? 5. Work Smart, Not Hard [...]

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:37:27 +0000

Hey Arnold, thanks for the comment. John may have been lucky in the sense that, when he started his blog, he was already well-known through TTZ. The typical blogger starts off as an unknown. When John started his blog, getting traffic was a lot easier for him than it was for the typical, unknown blogger. I also agree that other blogs have more relevant and helpful information about the specifics of blogging, SEO, advertising, etc. But to his credit, John has a specific niche, and he has a reputation for blogging about “nothing” in particular from time to time (like, for example, his ramblings or dining experiences, etc.).

By: Arnold Alderite

Arnold Alderite — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:38:31 +0000

That is what you call as being lucky. John Chow was at the right time and the right topic when people were just so crazy about his ideals before. However, if you look at his blogs now and compare it with other more updated blogs,it is no longer that praiseworthy. He just happens to pioneer.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:33:26 +0000

Rudy, I agree with most of your points. There are certainly a lot of ads on there. I don’t blame him, though. If you have that much traffic, wouldn’t you try to maximize the money you can squeeze out of it? Also, he’s moving more into private ads right now, and I can imagine how many requests he’s getting for that.

You’re also right in that a good blog isn’t just about a Google page ranking. A good blog needs to have useful information. There are some blogs I’ve visited that aren’t ranked that high, but they have excellent information on which I rely.

By: Rudy

Rudy — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:01:34 +0000

I was referring to the quality of his blog. As many has already noted, there’s nothing new in it anymore. The site is also plastered with ads. The actual content is probably only 20% of the entire page. It’s still one of the top blogs because people recognize it and he has built a lot of incoming links. But some people see through all that. A good blog is not just about page ranking.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:47:04 +0000

Hey Rudy, thanks for the comment.

I agree that we have to work smart, not hard. Instead of working mindlessly, we should focus on a solution. Networking and leveraging the knowledge of those around you helps achieve that goal.

As for John Chow, it looks like he DID put in a lot of work in the beginning in terms of writing good content. There is a ton of good content on his blog. He did start off on a better footing, however, in terms of traffic because he seemed to be already known with The Tech Zone before he started his blog. I’m not sure if all his hard work is for nothing because he still is #1 or #2 for blogs in his niche. But I’m interested in why you think that.

By: Rudy

Rudy — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:13:02 +0000

I don’t know if John Chow put a lot of work in the beginning, or he just got lucky. My reasoning is this: With the sorry state of his current site nowadays, why would he let his hard work go down the toilet like that?

I think the more appropriate thing people should do is: Work SMART. Putting in long hours at work may not solve all of the problems. Putting effort into solving the problem solves the problem. Keep intelligent and helpful friends. Have a knowledge base ready. That’s the way we should all work.