Miscellaneous Ramblings - 9/27/2007
Michael Kwan Review Special
Many of you may already know that Michael Kwan helps me do some of the ReviewMe reviews. If you read any of his reviews then you know he is very good at it. For those who want Michael to review their site but don’t have the $400 asking price, Michael is offer his review service for only $40. The only catch is the review will be posted at Beyond The Rhetoric and not John Chow dot Com. Full information on this offer is available here.
Preview My PPC Ads
Kieron of Here.org.uk has launched a new website call PreviewMyPPC. The site allows you to preview your PPC ads for Google Adwords, MS AdCenter and Yahoo! Search Marketing. It’s useful for advertisers who want to see what their ads will look like in the major search engines.
Suing Automakers for Canadian Price Discrepancies
I was wondering how long it would take before this happens. The Toronto-based class-action lawsuit firm Juroviesky and Ricci is expected to file a $2 billion class-action suit on behalf of four Canadians who feel that they paid more for their cars than they would have in the U.S. The class-action suit is open to any Canadian consumer who bought a new vehicle between August, 2005 and August, 2007 when the Canadian dollar was rapidly appreciating, but the prices of Canadian cars weren’t adjusting. I qualify for this class!
In related news, Porsche Cars North America is the first automaker to announce that it will be sharply reducing the prices of its vehicles sold in Canada. The price of a 2007 Porsche model compared to a 2008 will go down a full 10%, so a 2007 Cayman that cost $69,600 in Canada last year will cost $63,500 today. Unfortunately, a 2008 Cayman in the US starts at $49,400. I know where I will be buying my next car!
John Chow Wins The First iPod Touch
Some guys have all the luck and it’s usually me. I am the winner of a brand new 16GB iPod Touch in the Million Euro Wiki giveaway. Then again, my odds were pretty good at 1 in 25.
Yes we know. It sounds fake, rigged and more of that, but it’s true. Like we said, we really had to think twice about this one because we can guess how some people will react. Sure, we could have picked again and see if we’d end up with someone else’s name, but that just wouldn’t be fair.
I did say I would give away the Touch if I won it and I will do that. I just need to come up with a contest idea. Right now, I have two ideas. The first is to give it to newsletter subscriber. The second is to give it to a Million Euro Wiki page owner who used the JohnChow coupon code to get 10% off their Wiki page. If you have any other ideas, let me know.
- Posted in Cars, Ramblings, The Net
- 112 comments what's your take?
Sound good
Reply to this commentThat just fantastic!!
Reply to this commentIndeed sounds great and actually it would sound fair (and more motivating for you) to give the iPod to those that have signed up for the MEW (sheesh from a cow to a cat) through you.
Reply to this commentwow.. these are some great comments.. what has it come to?
Reply to this commentI say give it to a subscriber
Reply to this commentSome of us couldn’t afford a page
Exactly what i said below
Reply to this commentAgree!
Reply to this comment100% you
Reply to this commenthaha … free iPod friday
Reply to this commentvery true….should just give them to your subscriber
Reply to this commentLucky guy!
Reply to this commentHow about subscribing to RSS gets you 1 entry, and subscribing to newsletter gets you another entry?
That way poor folk like me dont have to be forced to buy something which they cant afford!!
Reply to this commentYep, I agree with you. RSS feed is 1 entry, newsletter is 2 entry and million dollar wiki sign up with John’s coupon is 3 entry. How about that?
Reply to this commentPrice differences are not only the auto market, it applies pretty much to everything we buy. I have just got back from Miami and I see the same products here for at least 20-25% more while the dollar hold a par. I am glad to see someone reacting to it, especially to big price tag items like cars. Consumers need to stand up for themselves so the retailers don’t just pocket huge profits. Luckily living in Toronto, I am an hour drive from Buffalo NY and I will be shopping there instead in Canada.
Reply to this commentAs for the cars, it used to be cheaper in Canada for Americans. The caveat is that the car companies will not honor your warranty claims here. I assume it is the save vice versa. Lookout for warranty claims. However if you live close enough to the border it probably doesn’t make any difference. Just drive over and get it repaired. Just don’t bring your cheap Canadian drugs down here. Do spend money however in large amounts. :o)
Reply to this commentAs for the cars, it used to be cheaper in Canada for Americans. The caveat is that the car companies will not honor your warranty claims here. I assume it is the same vice versa. Lookout for warranty claims. However if you live close enough to the border it probably doesn’t make any difference. Just drive over and get it repaired. Just don’t bring your cheap Canadian drugs down here. Do spend money however in large amounts. :o)
Reply to this commentVote for newsletter subscriber
Reply to this commentRamblings on a weekday?
Reply to this commentYep
Reply to this commentNo matter what contest you will run. Don’t forget to post your blog contest info on MyBlogContest.com.
BTW, I just receive my Google AdSesne earning!
Reply to this commentDammit!! The exchange rate is 0.995 : 1
1 USD = 0.995 CAD
Oh My God! If the rate is 1:1 I just lose 7.66!!
Man!! USD sucks!!
Are you a Canadian too MyblogContest???? Vancouver I’m guessing?
Reply to this commentHow do you know
Reply to this commentI got a cheque from ClickBank today and I lost $10. I was pissed!
Reply to this commentI say you give it to someone who used your coupon code to buy a wiki page…. 1 entry per page bought on the wiki.
That’s my 2 dollars.
Reply to this commentLet me guess, did you buy a page?
Reply to this commentWho knows, i said the same but i did not bought a page. Tho, it would be an evil idea
Reply to this commentBought 3! I’m contributing to the almighty cow… and the Chow.
Reply to this commentSeems like Google updated John’s pagerank to 5.
Reply to this commentI saw thta too. It’s down to PR5 before it’s PR6.
Reply to this commentHey, that’s better than a zero.
Reply to this commentYep, you are right John, but we expect you to do better
Reply to this commentThank you ! I thought I was the only one who noticed. I bet it will rollback soon
Reply to this commentDoes this mean things are finally starting to move with the page rank export, I’m still seeing john as a 6?
Reply to this commentWell it would be the time already. I guess it is moving, but it could be just another slap to JC only.
Reply to this commentI now see PR0
Reply to this commentUpdate, I now see a 5. I don’t think it’s a slap just for John as many of the PR prediction tools were predicting a 5 as well. This next week could be an interesting one.
Reply to this commentI used your coupon! =)
Reply to this commentCongratulations to John for winning the iPod. I guess some guys are just lucky.
Reply to this commentJohn is not just lucky. He is very very lucky!
Reply to this commentHow much are you making from the DealDotCom banner? I think it looks pretty crappy
Reply to this commentNot much.
Reply to this commentI thought so
Reply to this commentI wonder how long Deal Dot Com will keep going?
Reply to this commentYou’re luckier than a fish
Reply to this commentA fish is lucky?
Reply to this commenta fich that hasn’t been caught is, don’t know about the rest.
Reply to this commentI would say make the contest for the wiki thing.
Btw John, if I buy a wiki page now, will I have 2 out of 25 chances because 1 out of 25 chance to get the wiki ipod and 1 out of 25 chance to get your ipod? Or is it 2 out of 50?
Wait it all depends on how many people enter your contest. Well like I said, make it the Wiki thing, that way you won’t be flooded with submissions.
Reply to this commentomg, crazy canadians!
It is normal here that cars are in germany 10,000 euro cheaper than in the netherlands..
Reply to this commentThanks for the mention of http://www.PreviewMyPPC.com John, I owe you a beer!
Reply to this commentUh oh, I feel like I may soon be experiencing the John Chow effect with that mention in your ramblings… and it’s the first mention in the list too! Kumiko (Cash Quests) posted about it too and I’ve already received three orders. I doubt I’m stealing any business from you, though.
Regarding the iPod Touch, I think you should give it away to your most prolific guest blogger… oh wait, that’s me!
Reply to this commentI must admit, I’m confused. I am new to blogs (June). Recovering from a failed business. So I’m pondering - will blogs help my “real-world” business?
I have been to this site before, but heard about it again and thought I would visit.
And I don’t wish to sound impolite, but I still aint sure that the blogging world is NOT full of “pyramid-selling” type hype.
I post on a few sites I like. But the “big” sites like this make me ponder. Why do people comment with 2 words?
Why not give some proper insight into the topic at hand?
Its a bit like the dot-com boom and bust. It lacks substance.
I strongly recommend getting your business activities to have some sound real-world basis. And I aint saying affilliate type stuff is wrong. Far from it.
It just needs some grounding. Surely we should all be building foundations built upon things we are either expert in or passionate about? That way, what we say has merit.
Anyway, I’ll copy this onto the clipboard so I can paste it elsewhere. Because it won’t be accepted!
Oh and by the way, fail well. Because you need to learn from mistakes rather than find another one to make.
Reply to this commentcheck the side bar, there’s a top commentators box, so people will reply as much as they can to get themselves there. All this to get more visitors to their own blog.
Indeed it does hurt the blog in a way as the good comments vanish somewhere inside the big flood of replies with the average of two words.
Reply to this commentJohn, we would like to post your review of the Touch on our site: http://www.iphonecanada.net. Would you be receptive? We aren’t getting it in Canada for another few weeks.. Thanks!
Reply to this commentYou unbelievable lucky guy..try to go to my site to win the coupon for Ooma. I am giving it away.
Reply to this commentIt shouldn’t be difficult to win it because no one is partecipating
Dude, how do you keep on winning all the expensive prizes?! haha…nice work!
Reply to this commentForget about a contest idea for the iPod Touch…I’ll take the Touch instead of the Forex book I won a while back.
I think I am going to have to take up that review offer!
Reply to this commentI thought there were multiple review offers
Reply to this commentNow that`s a coincidence. I have a MEW page too …. guss i`m not so lucky.
Reply to this commentnewsletter subscriber, or how bout you let me test it and i write a review that you can put up on ttz
Reply to this commentI would say newsletter subscribers over coupon users. The coupon users already have a chance to win an iPod and will have more chances as page numbers increase. Open it up to a different pool of people.
Reply to this commentGood point. How bout you even let people that dont read your blog win it? Or maybe have like a “wheres the ipod” thing. Like there was a site that people would enter the serial number of a dollar and it would go across the country. you can do that with the ipod.
Reply to this commentI am with the newsletter subscribers
Reply to this commentThe millioneurowiki guy made John Chow win so he could get a review…very clever.
Reply to this commentIt would have been cheaper for him to order a RevewMe for $400, instead of buy a 16GB iPod Touch, if that was his intention…
Reply to this commentmmmm….ipod touch.
Reply to this commentAnd there are lots of people talking about the cheap Kwan reviews. I’m tempted to take him up on his offer. Hopefully he won’t be overloaded.
Reply to this commentI don’t know if it’s me but it sounds fishy.
I could have sworn 99% that John was going to be the winner, nah you’re all taking the piss out of a word called “Random”. John you can’t alter the laws of probability so don’t try to
Reply to this commentIPod touch is one of my wish list hehe.
Reply to this commentmine too. it is such as stunning ipod
Reply to this commentSo many posts about the car price differentials. I’m thinking I’ll put my car in an international container and leave it on the dock till I figure out where the dollar is the weakest.
Reply to this commentNice of you to give a shout-out/promotion for Kwan
I will definitely be interested in finding out what method you use to give that iPod touch away!
Reply to this commentMaybe give it to a subscriber?
Reply to this commentGreat win, certainly interesting to see what you come up with for a contest.
Reply to this commentI was just writing an article on whether BMW will follow Porsche in slashing the car prices in Canada. It is known that the BMW models are way cheaper in the US and many people have inquired if the prices will be reduced. So far, BMW Canada has announced that they have no intention on doing so, but I think it will only make sense for them to keep up with the competitors. I’m pretty confident that Mercedes-Benz might follow Porsche and then BMW would have no choice. In the mean time, BMW is expecting to sell even more cars in the next year after the launch of several new models: 1-series, M3, X6 and an X1 model that was announced today.
Reply to this commentYou should give the iPod touch way to a newsletter subscriber…
Reply to this commentThat’s a great idea! I pick me!
Reply to this commentJohn, I think I have the best idea yet!
Give it away to me! Forget the rest of these people. They just want a free Ipod Touch. I on the other hand don’t want it,
, I need it so that I can tell everybody that I got John Chow’s Ipod Touch.
BTW to all of you people of lesser intelligence who might find this comment offensive, it is nothing more than a joke. Don’t take it too personally.
Reply to this commentHow John creates a 125 by 125 ad of the free ipod touch and you have to put it on your site - this is 2 entries
Reply to this commentGive it to a subscriber.
Reply to this commentAwesome idea! I pick me
Reply to this commentAnother vote for the newsletter subscriber.
Reply to this commentCongratulations! The iPod looks very cool!
Regards,
Reply to this commentseocity.wordpress.com
Har har. It does sound like a fiddle that you won the ipod. But then, you gotta be in it to win it, so congrats on the prize!
Reply to this commentThe class action suit for differential pricing will be very interesting to watch. It will have serious implications for all products sold in both countries. When the two currencies are moving in different directions, life becomes extremely difficult for marketeers to keep track and adjust prices, if that is all that is behind the differences. If however a loss leader strategy is being followed, there is going to be fun and games.
Reply to this commentI hope i get it, so I can review the book!
Reply to this commentCongratulations John.
I would use it to promote your newsletter
(So give it away to a subscriber).
Cheers
Reply to this commentThat’s a brilliant idea. I pick me!
Reply to this commentCongrats on the iTouch!
Reply to this commentI’d love the book, thanks!
Reply to this commentCount me in!
Reply to this commentWe all dream a lot - some are lucky, some are not!
Reply to this commentJohn you might as well come over to my site and win the Video Nano too. MUUHHHAAAAHHAAA
Reply to this commentCount me in Mr Chow!
Reply to this commentCount me in for the book, or the ipod or both lol
Reply to this commentI think the ipod contest should be a winner from the RSS feed
Thanks for such a great blog, really enjoy reading your posts.
Going to give it another shot to win the book. Thanks for providing so many opportunities to win.
Reply to this commentI’m in!
Reply to this commentI’d be interested to learn a bit about Forex
Reply to this commentHi John
I just bought the web_directory page on MEW with your coupon….hope i win the iPod
Reply to this commentlemme win!
Reply to this commentspam for win
Reply to this commentMy extra entry for the 7 Winning Strategies for Trading Forex book.
Reply to this commentThis is my entry
Reply to this commentWhat happened to my previous entry?…
Reply to this commentRSS entry for the book!
Reply to this comment