It's not a bad looking site, but the ads really take away from the content. The first thing I noticed were the 10 really big buttons on the right side, the sponsored buttons. Granted, it will bring him more money but it really appears to detract from his comment. 30+ advertisements is a bit extreme in my opinion. It's almost as if he's sold out and cares more about topping last month's revenues than blogging. But I'm a newbie. What do I know.
Steven
· 2 years ago
Theres only 8 buttons
John Cow
· 2 years ago
It's not bad looking at all, we'd be inclined to change to something similar too :D
Steven
· 2 years ago
I don't think the theme was free. I had previously had this discussion with the big beef before the new theme went live and he said that nate did in fact approach him with the offer. When I asked if he got it for free, he suggested that it was not. I think he just like the idea of transitioning into a new theme so he went ahead and gave Nate the okay to present him with a rough draft.
Nuts & Milk
· 2 years ago
The site no doubt looks highly authentic. I found it inspired from Problogger. As a comment in his blog said - with the old theme the blog could not make much money. Now it will!
Cash Quests
· 2 years ago
John Chow has always only cared about topping last month's revenue. Those who think that he truly cares about quality content are rather naive - I'm sure he only cares about the content to the extent that it helps him make money.
The Cow put it perfectly - it won't stop people reading it and it will make him more money. The man is a genius to be worship.
I don't if JohnCow needs a new theme as Misty is spectacular, but now that you're not restricted to copying Chow there are probably some design modifications that would be beneficial.
Tony
· 2 years ago
Like giving away his pdf for free? If he really really cares only about money, he could be selling that pdf for $5 a pop.
Michael Kwan
· 2 years ago
Wrong. John Chow's e-book is filled with affiliate ads to different things that will bring him a constant flow of passive income. Because it's free, people will freely share it, expanding Chow's audience to new people, creating more blog readers (and more potential income).
Steven
· 2 years ago
Tony,
That was also a scheme to attract traffic to increase his visitors and thus increase his monetizing value.
ray
· 2 years ago
The awesome cop at the banner would drop attention. meaning if someone got their via search engine and hand never had of your boy Chow. they would probably stay to see what the mogul is rambling about.
ray
· 2 years ago
i meant awesome car* sorry
John Cow
· 2 years ago
you meant cow, admit it!
Steven
· 2 years ago
LOL
Nuts & Milk
· 2 years ago
With the new design, he will definitely closs the 20,000 mark next month, unquestionably!
lilian
· 2 years ago
Yes, yes, yes! Do get a bull's face this time. One with its nostrils flare, ready to charge. Close-up.
2xKnight
· 2 years ago
That's exactly what I was thinking. That'd be perfect.
Just by looking at it I don't see any really odd positioning or anything. If you still want to imitate the Big Beef, it shouldn't be too hard.
tombeiser.com
· 2 years ago
Let's kidnap Nate and steal the design :)
Personally, I think the design is nice. It's hard to find templates like that.
Nuts & Milk
· 2 years ago
There's nothing wrong with the design, but it's DEFINITELY not impressive! You get to see so many beautifully designed themes every now and then..
Darin
· 2 years ago
Flash Banner Where ... all i see is a Animated gif!
LOL
Darin
Brian Vaughan
· 2 years ago
Just saw the new design, I like it looks spiffy. Puts me back into the frame of mind that I need to update my theme. I'll get around to that once I get a computer that runs good.
Making The Money
· 2 years ago
Other than the scrolling to find the first post problem I think it's ok and he'll probably make more money from it.
You could go for a new template but I'd not bother with <strike>stealing</strike> borrowing Chow's. The Cow now has his own identity, a perfect time to push the Cow brand whilst still taking the piss out of Johns posts.
I must say I am not impressed. No disrespect to Nate Whitehill, but it's just too cram packed with ads and more ads !
Alex
· 2 years ago
Yup John Chow is evil. John cow are you going to change your theme
JohnChow
· 2 years ago
I don't care if anybody likes my new theme or not. I'm making money and you're not and that's all that matters. I'm making so much money that I don't even have to write about anything particularly interesting anymore! I just talk about how much money I make and more people give me more money!
I added money more ad money spots on my new money theme so money that I can money make more money money money...
*edit* Not the real John.
Steven
· 2 years ago
LOL sounds like this is a good time to put the blog pest control to a test. I am sure the big beef doesn't like being impersonated.
Joyce Babu
· 2 years ago
The page is above 2MB in size and took me 5 minutes to load completely. Disgusting.
I don't think he will continue making money with this attitude.
PS: I am not referring to the above comment.
Steven
· 2 years ago
I left you a comment, your site still isn't fixed and I am not too sure if its the brian threaded comment plugin or not that's actually causing the issue.
Raesmom
· 2 years ago
When I first saw the new theme, I wondered if it was still a blog. The blog posts seem to be buried down on the page. Way too many ads.
James Wilcox
· 2 years ago
Don't forget that John already mentioned previously he wasn't making much money from Adsense ads anymore and that's why he decided to put that space up for sale, which has turned out extremely well for him.
Affiliate sales have always had a potential for better income because they don't solely rely on people clicking random ads and you can target your readers rather than hope the content you create has the right ads served up.
I think the new format is great, sure it's different but hey, it's working for John and that's what matters.
Aren't we all always trying to get a leg up on the competition and bring those greenbacks home?
Jorge
· 2 years ago
So you're saying John's behind the Save the Greenbacks foundation? :-D
2xKnight
· 2 years ago
Nah, he's behind the Send the Greenbacks to John Chow Foundation.
I was reading some of the comments over there and I saw something interesting.
Even the people who dislike JohnCow were wondering what would happen to JohnCow.com.
When even the haters wonder what your next moove will be, it might be time to make JohnCow.com it's own brand. I say strike while the iron is hot.
Woo! Three cow jokes in one paragraph. I shoulda wrote a guest post. *L*
steve
· 2 years ago
What I can't get over is that John Chow says if you can't view his page correctly (referring to the horizontal scroll bars) then you should buy a new monitor! HHHHHHHAHAHA! The nerve of that guy. Why doesn't he come over here and buy me a new monitor so that I can view his site properly!
He doesn't even make any sense anymore.
Steven
· 2 years ago
LOL, well at least he is offering to give away a free monitor in his blog contest :wink:
Sueblimely Discovering - Blogg
· 2 years ago
I think the the theme very well designed given the constraints the designer was under - to create a page of ads that could also accommodate a blog. The ads, given their multitude of colors, are at least tidily placed and less offensive to the eye than other sites with similar aims.
I actually like the look of it - when only the footer area and bottom posts are visible.
Steven
· 2 years ago
I saw John Cow hire Nate to make him a duplicate theme to keep up with the changes LOL
Linda R. Moore
· 2 years ago
It's...loud. And the flashing ads make me blink.
Since I only come to the site to comment, I don't care what theme everyone uses. ;)
Kyle M Stephens
· 2 years ago
Cowdaddy- you sound a bit jealous. I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure Nate would mock johncow.com up the same for a few prominent mentions and a glass of milk (and maybe a block of cheese).
Kyle M Stephens
· 2 years ago
Moo-daddy: You sound a bit jealous. I'm sure Nate would mock-up the same for you as long so you give him a pale of milk (and maybe a block of cheese).
Tay
· 2 years ago
I absolutely love the theme. It's sharp, bright, organized, but not too flashy. To be honest, it's one I'm quite jealous of. However, I have to agree with you cows on the fact that there are way too many ads. John's already making plenty of money to live the rich life, so why does he still need so much more? If I was him I'd stop for a second and not do EVERYTHING just for the money. Even if he doesn't make as much, he could show some more respect to his readers and make it more about content than all those ads.
However, like I said, I do love the design and it's one I'd like for myself. :)
Steven
· 2 years ago
He isn't doing everything just for money, he is still trying to maintain a good user experience, otherwise his site would be a lot more than the way it is now. Keep in mind however, the objective of his blog is to push it as far as he can while still maintaining a good user experience. While this theme does have more ad spots, it hardly takes up any more space now than it did before that would technically interfere with the readers. That said, its not about whether he makes enough or not already, it's an experiment to see whats the maximum he can make. I am sure that his major income doesn't come from the blog to begin with, and that all the money he generates off the blog is pure gravy on the side.
People think that he's totally screwing his readers to make as much money as possible but you got to keep in mind thats not the case. There would be no point to keep up with the case study if he doesn't stick to his original goal of pushing his limits, afterall, that was the plan from the very beginning, not "let's see if I can hit $10,000 and then stop there".
Markk
· 2 years ago
Most new site designs will look nice or cool when you first view them. But after a while, some will survive the test of time while others will look jaded as familiarity creeps in. Chow's new-look is refreshing now. It looks more like a business website than a blog. As for the Cow blog, it can stay as it is and go about its merry ways, or continue to parody the Big Beef with another makeover. I don't know, that's up to Bob to decide.
Steven
· 2 years ago
Yeah, I like the new John Chow design a lot. I totally hated ProBlogger's new design and have no idea why people thought it looked good. Then again I never liked his previous design either.
Boycott John Chow
· 2 years ago
Boycott John Chow dot com!
Israel
· 2 years ago
hi cow, i have an awesome idea for a cow makeover. let me know if you are down.
Sajjid Manuel
· 2 years ago
Hi John,
Yes, it's true. Design is sort of an appetizer. Presentation is more like garnish, tantalizing the taste buds of the mind to act upon such cuisine.
Best Regards,
Sajjid Manuel
Mr. Rajawang
· 2 years ago
cow, go get a theme similar to chow.. :)
Shiva
· 2 years ago
cool blogging spoof. Didnt john chow said anything, he is even in ur mybloglog
All Comments
The Cow put it perfectly - it won't stop people reading it and it will make him more money. The man is a genius to be worship.
I don't if JohnCow needs a new theme as Misty is spectacular, but now that you're not restricted to copying Chow there are probably some design modifications that would be beneficial.
That was also a scheme to attract traffic to increase his visitors and thus increase his monetizing value.
Just by looking at it I don't see any really odd positioning or anything. If you still want to imitate the Big Beef, it shouldn't be too hard.
Personally, I think the design is nice. It's hard to find templates like that.
LOL
Darin
You could go for a new template but I'd not bother with <strike>stealing</strike> borrowing Chow's. The Cow now has his own identity, a perfect time to push the Cow brand whilst still taking the piss out of Johns posts.
I added money more ad money spots on my new money theme so money that I can money make more money money money...
*edit* Not the real John.
I don't think he will continue making money with this attitude.
PS: I am not referring to the above comment.
Affiliate sales have always had a potential for better income because they don't solely rely on people clicking random ads and you can target your readers rather than hope the content you create has the right ads served up.
I think the new format is great, sure it's different but hey, it's working for John and that's what matters.
Aren't we all always trying to get a leg up on the competition and bring those greenbacks home?
I was reading some of the comments over there and I saw something interesting.
Even the people who dislike JohnCow were wondering what would happen to JohnCow.com.
When even the haters wonder what your next moove will be, it might be time to make JohnCow.com it's own brand. I say strike while the iron is hot.
Woo! Three cow jokes in one paragraph. I shoulda wrote a guest post. *L*
He doesn't even make any sense anymore.
I actually like the look of it - when only the footer area and bottom posts are visible.
Since I only come to the site to comment, I don't care what theme everyone uses. ;)
However, like I said, I do love the design and it's one I'd like for myself. :)
People think that he's totally screwing his readers to make as much money as possible but you got to keep in mind thats not the case. There would be no point to keep up with the case study if he doesn't stick to his original goal of pushing his limits, afterall, that was the plan from the very beginning, not "let's see if I can hit $10,000 and then stop there".
Yes, it's true. Design is sort of an appetizer. Presentation is more like garnish, tantalizing the taste buds of the mind to act upon such cuisine.
Best Regards,
Sajjid Manuel
Didnt john chow said anything, he is even in ur mybloglog
http://www.supershiva.blogspot.com
http://www.versatilecollection.blogspot.com