Last week, I wrote a post about XR.com, the URL shortening service launched by Richard Lau. Despite what some comments in the post claimed, that post was not a paid review. Richard emailed me about his service and asked me to help him get some feedback. I didn’t know who Richard Lau was. I figured he was a struggling entrepreneur trying to get his business off the ground on a shoestring budget. I mean, the XR.com blog is hosted by Blogspot!
It turns out that Richard Lau is a pretty big guy in the domain industry. He was named 2004 “Domainer of the Year” and has generated millions of dollars in revenue in the domain industry. I didn’t know any of this at the time. I was just helping out a fellow entrepreneur. So, imagine my surprise when the FedEx man showed up at my doorsteps a few days ago with a check from Richard for $5,000! This is the second highest amount I’ve ever been given for writing a free “pay it forward” post. The last time, I received $10,000.
Paying It Forward Again
With the holidays around the corner, I’ve decided that the best way to use the money is to pay it forward again. With that in mind, I donated the $5,000 to the Union Gospel Mission for their 68th annual Christmas Dinner drive.
Challenging My Readers To Pay It Forward
I’m challenging my readers to match the $5,000 donation to the UGM. In the past, I’ve asked you to donate and I would match your donation. This time, I’ve made the donation and now I’m asking you to match it so we can bring the total donation to $10,000.
A complete Christmas meal cost only $3.29. I think this is an amount we call all afford. Make a donation at the UGM online donation page, then email me a copy of the receipt to johnchow @ johnchow.com. Feel free to leave a comment about your donation as well.
All readers making donations will be recognized in a blog post next Wednesday. If you have a website or blog, I will link to it. If you think about it, this is a pretty inexpensive way to get a link on John Chow dot Com. 
I would really appreciate it if you could help me spread the word about the UGM Christmas Dinner drive via blog post, twitter, IM, social media, etc. The meals and other services we provide can be the start of a new life and new beginning for those in need.
Paying it forward does amazing things. I am where I am today because I know that in order to receive any blessings in life, you must first give. The more you give, the more you receive. Whatever you pay forward will be return to you ten folds. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s true.
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