On My Desktop:  Blogging with (Canadian) John Chow eCourse

I was very curious when I found out about the launch of Canadian John Chow’s latest offering, Blogging with John Chow, so I bought it on the spot for $37.00.  This is the resulting review and commentary.

Blogging wth John Chow eCourseJohn Chow started his first ‘blog-type’ tech review site almost 14 years ago, here in Canada.  “To be perfectly honest with you, I still don’t quite understand how it happened. How a simple kid from Canada created one of the largest and most successful blogs on the Internet and how today I make more than $40,000 a month from a blog, working from home on my own terms,” he commented.

Now John teaches other people how to make a living blogging and he’s been very successful with that as well.  I didn’t hear about him until a year or so ago and my first impression was “just another blog about blogging”.  There is nothing magical that hits you in the forehead when you visit the website. The magic is in the experience and thought processes developed from it.

What’s Standard in John Chow’s Info-Product

Every blogging book or course has to include standard information for beginners.  This product uses a “30 Day Action Plan” that describes exactly what needs to be done each day for you to make money blogging.

What’s Different About This Info-Product

What stood out for me as an experienced blogger who has been doing business online for almost 15 years, is the amount of useful information in this course.  All of the info-products about blogging include the necessary information, but John Chow’s product gets down into the trenches rather than running across a bridge over top.

Every module is comprised of typical topics, but they’re explored in detail from the blog monetizing perspective.  You’re not just reading about these topics, you’re actually learning the who, what, where, when, why and how as it applies to building and maintaining a lucrative blog.

Here’s a look at the modules:

Module 1 – Blogging – It Builds Bank Accounts
What to Write About
Your Brand
Module 2 – Launching Your Blog
Creating Your WordPress Blog
Themes
Plugins
Graphics
Module 3 – Brand-o-Nomics
Seven Habits of Successful Bloggers
When to Post and How Long?
Monitoring the Blogosphere
Claim Your Territory
More on Branding
Module 4 – Content Is Duke, Prince, King…..
Be Awesome
The Content Kaleidoscope
Attracting Comments
Moderating All That Content
Coming Up with Ideas When You Have None
Module 5 – List Building
First, the Bribe
Provide Valuable Information Regularly
Call them to Action
Strategies to Build Your List
How to Create a Squeeze Page in 10 Minutes
Growing and Monetizing
Module 6 – Monetizing 101
Create an Editorial Plan
Affiliate Marketing
Other Forms of Advertising on Your Blog
Amazon Product Ads
Defining and Charging for Ad Slots
AdSense Strategies
Module 7 – Hunting Down Loyal Readers
RSS Feeds
Social Media
Connecting with Other Bloggers
Module 8 – Optimizing for Google Rankings
What About Panda and Penguin?
Keyword Research
Linking Strategies
Link Baiting
Deep Linking
AdWords Traffic
Module 9 – What’s Happening
Google Analytics
Google Alerts and Social Media Monitoring

Blogging with (Canadian) John Chow - An Objective Review
Blogging with John Chow Course Menu

Too many people go into blogging expecting great riches without a full understanding of Internet business nuances, and it’s one of the main reasons so many fail to generate an income.  Like me, John Chow experienced the ‘Dot Bomb” of the 90’s.  We learned that online business can be a fickle beast and one has to be prepared to adapt as quickly as the technology itself.  The way this course acknowledges and addresses that aspect of doing business online is one of those benefits that can only come from an experienced writer.

A lack of time is one of the most frequently cited issues with bloggers.  The aforementioned experience comes through again with John Chow’s complete “Business in a Box Templates” and the “Automation Empire” modules.  These modules provide you with the same time-saving, proven blog management techniques that improve the efficiency and functionality of John’s blog.

Bonus

This course includes a bonus video of a public seminar conducted by John Chow, “$40,000 Dollars A Month?”

Constructive Criticism

I promised you objectivity, didn’t I?  🙂

– The exit pop-ups and several pages of upselling after the purchase are just plain annoying.  It’s not a good idea to annoy people when you’re trying to sell something but a lot of webmasters just don’t get that. If people liked pop-ups, blockers wouldn’t be so popular.

– John refers to his course as a book, but the “chapters” within the modules are more the length of a detailed article (with video).  They contain pertinent, valuable information and the concise nature makes it an easy read, but if you’re looking for book-length you may be disappointed.

– Mr. Chow does what most info-product producers do – overvalue the product.  This is done to create an illusion of value at an ‘act now’ price.  The Blogging with John Chow course is not worth the $1997 he claims it’s worth, and that could backfire on him by setting such a high level of expectation.  I’ve seen precious few eCourses that are worth even close to that amount.  It is well worth the $37.00 he’s charging, however, and could probably bring some sales at up to $200.  If you utilize its contents properly, it could be worth thousands to you.

– A downside for me is that the course is entirely web-based.  That makes it easy to keep updated, but I prefer to download and take courses with me like eBooks.

Canadians Internet Business Review

Even at an advanced level, we found this course to be informative and a worthy investment for bloggers (or those who want to be).  Based on the value of this product, balanced by the reasonable price of $37, we give the Blogging with the John Chow eCourse a rating of 4 out of 5 maple leaves.

Have you purchased this course, or do you have questions before doing so? Please post in the comments below.

Digital Business & Marketing Manager at Online Business Canada | Website | + posts

Melody McKinnon is an internet entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in a wide range of online business models, backed by a formal business education and enhanced by training and mentorship. She has owned or managed both educational and ecommerce websites. Her book, 7 Recession Proof Online Businesses to Start From Home, is available from all major ebook retailers.

Melody has worked with many businesses & brands in a multitude of capacities. She can often be found on CanadianDigitalMedia.com, CanadiansInternet.com, CanadianFamily.net, and AllNaturalPetCare.com, as well as other quality digital publications. Her content has earned reference links from highly-respected websites, magazines and university textbooks.

Follow Melody McKinnon on Medium:
https://medium.com/@business_32556

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Darren

The Chow course is the best way to start the new year!! I’m SO PUMPED!!

Dottie

They’re having server problems right now but otherwise it’s been a good product.

LennyM

I would have preferred a download too but overall it’s a pretty good site.

Kimberly

He gets harder to take every day with his arrogance but the course doesn’t have as much of that as his blog does. He has lots of knowledge to share but he seriously has to get over himself before he drives everyone away. I did gain knowledge from the course though.

Shelby

I see what you mean about there being a different perspective in this course. I picked up a lot of information and it gave me a different viewpoint. Oh I know most of us won’t get rich but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from those who do.

Leon

Thanks for the honest review. I like learning from people who are successful. Most people just spout theory.

Josh

Johns success comes from an overall understanding of how things work online as much from blogging experience. That’s why he can give a complete picture with insights that no other blogging guru delivers. He’s an arrogant SOB but he’s living the dream and I learn a ton from him. The course is a good investment for people who want to learn more about making money by blogging.