This weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada, and was extra special because it was the first time my grandparents met Veronica’s family. I lived with my grandparents for 6 years prior to moving out with Veronica, and they are some of the most important people in my life, so needless to say I was really looking forward to the gathering – and the food! We had our dinner on Sunday and Monday was the holiday so Veronica and I spent the entire day (literally) in bed watching television, with the occasional lap top session.
I really wanted to do some catching up on all of your websites this weekend, and while doing so I stumbled upon a post over at Ashley Morgan’s UpstartBlogger.com – which I frequent almost daily. Ashley recently wrote a post titled Deconstructing The Tim Ferris Four Hour Work Week, and to my expectations it was written in his opinionated, honest style of commentary which I’ve grown to appreciate him for.
Throughout the deconstruction Ashley openly bashed Timothy Ferris stating that his qualifications are deluded and that the book’s success is nothing more than marketing fluff from a persuasive fraud. Here’s a favorite line of mine:
Unfortunately it’s all a load of rubbish. Like most books of its ilk, The Four Hour Work Week is all about the dream, not the reality. All sizzle and no steak. Still a best seller though. Because blog marketing works.
No matter how much I enjoyed reading this book, I have to agree with his statement. Blog marketing does work, and even though I disagree with the open bashing of someone whom he’s never met or shook hands with, I do agree that a huge factor in the success and viral push behind The Four Hour Work Week is that Ferris utilized the power of blog marketing to capitalize on his interpretation of this “dream” we’re all chasing. On the flip side, I do have to disagree with one particular commentator crapped on Ferris calling him a liar and a cheat and getting up in the face of another person who jotted own their opinion. This really made me laugh:
Todd, you’re obviously a shill. And who the hell are those so called famous people. Doctor Phil? Doctor Phil who? Clean up your grammar next time as well. You wrote “couple famous people” when you should have written “a couple OF famous people”. Learn English for crying out loud. For someone who is claiming to earn over six figures with little effort you are coming across as an idiot.
When I read what this guy was yapping about I couldn’t help but start to chuckle a little! The reason I found this particular individual amusing was because I can tell he is the type of cat who will blast up forums and blogs telling people where to shove it, because he knows everything, but I can almost guarantee if he weren’t hiding behind his computer with a box of tissue and the little girls section of the Old Navy fall catalog open, he wouldn’t say shit. Here’s what I replied after reading his comment, and I pray he pays me a visit and reads this:
What really makes me laugh is how most of you guys sit behind a computer talking trash, but if you were to see the person you were talking trash about in public you would continue talking under your breath and not say a damn thing to their face, eye to eye.
I really hope he takes me up on my challenge. We’ll see how quick he is to open his mouth when Tim Ferris throws a round house to his temple – the last I heard he was a black belt martial artist! Good luck buddy! If you’re going to talk smack about someone, tell them directly – don’t be hiding behind blogs looking all tough and well read, because you’re the one that ends up looking like you ride on the special bus.
How do you guys feel about The Four Hour Work Week and smack talking on blogs?
Cheers,
Elijah