Scrooge Strategy

Really bad feedback I have received

20 comments — written on February 16th, 2006

“We love your site but the name ‘I Will Teach You To Be Rich’ is over the top. If you were to change it, we would be happy to fly you out to speak at our company.”

(ATTENTION LUMBERING CORPORATIONS: I REALLY LIKE THE NAME OF THIS SITE AND IT’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE ANY TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE. SO PLEASE DON’T ASK.)

“http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com is too long of a name. No one will ever remember it.”

“College students already have economics classes and education through their banks.”

“Make sure your articles are short. Nobody reads long blog posts.”

The solution? Find the people you trust, the ones who’ve done it before. Ask them what they think and listen hard. And then ignore everybody else.

20 comments

Leave your own

  1. 1
    February 16, 2006

    John Cox

    Maybe I am in the minority, but my eyes tend to glaze over the very small blog posts. I tend to only “read” the ones that have any substance at all.

    I certainly only remember the posts that are over a few hundred words…

  2. 2
    February 16, 2006

    GHoosdum

    What I’m wondering is how much actual financial wisdom you’d ever be able to impart in a short post? Nobody’s going to follow advice without explanation, and the explanation for why many of your pieces of advice are financially sound is a long one.

    Making short posts seems like a good way to kill your own blog. Good thing you’re ignoring it.

  3. 3
    February 16, 2006

    Mark

    I honestly don’t care to read posts over 50 words long. it’s just too much for my feeble mind to grasp. Also, please change your website URL to http://www.iwtytgr.com (that’s “i will teach you to get rich” abbreviated) that would be much easier to remember.

    thank you,
    -mindless drone/mainstream media whore/unintelligent wanker

  4. 4
    February 16, 2006

    Stefan Hayden

    only short vapid post from now on! The best way to get a short URL is to horrible misspell a word or just pick random letters. I see GAFGFG.COM is now available! ho can you pass that up!

  5. 5
    February 16, 2006

    Mike

    What a joke this person/company is. First of all there are no personal finance classes in college. In economics I learn what GDP is, not what a stock broker is. All my bank has taught me is that if I overdraft my account I will get charged $33.00

    You also have mentioned several times why you chose the URL for your website, it isn’t too long to type in unless you are using hunt and peck, and its easy to remember.

    Short articles are good occasionally because it might get people to start reading your site that don’t normally because they can’t sit still for more than 30 seconds to read a blog.

    Oh one thing though Ramit, you should probably change your name to something more Americanized, then I would be willing to have you come and speak to my University.

  6. 6
    February 16, 2006

    Chris Johnson

    I have to second the idea that the longer posts are definitely the most worthwhile to a reader trying to learn and grasp something new. Also, in terms of having a long name, in today’s day and age most people I know use bookmarks so the length of the name doesn’t matter.

  7. 7
    February 16, 2006

    Araceli Romo

    If somebody truly wants to be rich than they shouldn’t have a problem with the name of your site. In order for anybody to be successful they have to be knowledgeable. So, I say keep up the good work.

  8. 8
    February 16, 2006

    K

    Okay, I’ll fess up.
    Everytime I go to this blog from a different computer,
    I have to google “Ramit”,
    go to your personal site
    and then link back.

    Can never remember the actual title of this blog.

    As for length,
    I don’t mind longer posts as long as they’re broken up with sub titles.
    That way if I grasp a concept fully, I can skip down to the next one.

  9. 9
    February 16, 2006

    Dave

    I especially like this gem:

    “College students already have economics classes and education through their banks.”

    In other words, don’t be proactive, others will take care of your education for you.

    And “www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com”
    is long, but the freaking blog is called “I will teach you to be rich” how hard is that to remember??

  10. 10
    February 16, 2006

    Dan Esparza

    Your site rocks. I remember your domain with ease … because it’s something that summarizes everything I want with my life — rich in finances, rich in experience, rich in family blessings. I’m going to be teaching a class on personal finance, and your site is going to be at the top on the list of online resources that I talk about.

  11. 11
    February 16, 2006

    Tina

    My “assvice” is to keep your eyes on the prize. Which is what you set out to do and through evolution what that idea will become. Everyone’s an expert once the ball is rolling.

    To start out and carve a piece of true creativity you will hear more no’s than “attaboys”.

    I personally have learned much more here than through my “banker” or even my financial advisors since both of those people have a vested interest in my money.

    So I say. Keep on Keeping ON.

  12. 12
    February 16, 2006

    tyler

    Don’t listen to the haters.

    If “I Will Teach You To Be Rich all as one word” is too hard to remember, maybe they don’t want to put in the effort to learn to be rich? Besides, there are workarounds as someone mentioned above…

  13. 13
    February 16, 2006

    John

    way too long, didn’t read

  14. 14
    February 16, 2006

    Jennifer

    Having taught college students, I’m lmao at #3.

    “I will teach you to be rich” are 7 non-random words. You should send them a very lengthy article on digit span research and intelligence. They probably won’t read it as it’s too long, but it would be a subtle and funny way of calling them morons. Then you should right back a few days later and point out that you have site feed.

  15. 15
    February 16, 2006

    Cristi

    I really like the detail you write, don’t pay attention to them. I have never book marked your site, your website link just sticks out in my mind.

  16. 16
    February 16, 2006

    robin

    short blog posts read like blog post comments – easy to lose in the chaos.

  17. 17
    February 17, 2006

    Brandon

    I’m so glad you have the insight to see what’s important and what’s not. I agree that this comments are unwarrented.
    It’s exactly the opposite case with the name of the site. It is extremely easy to remember, I haven’t had a probme with it sense I started reading last October, and I’m not one to remember URL’s.
    I am a current college student and I can honestly say that I already knew very little of what I read here about finance, investing, EVERYTHING! Classes are often worthless, economic classes aren’t required, and if its not your major, you’re either not taking it or not paying attention to it. About banks, that’s crap. I have never in my life learned anything good from a bank that didn’t involve them getting over on you. ingDirect is the one exception, and I learned of them from here.
    I love the long posts, they’re the most informative. That’s the one and only most important factor.

  18. 18
    February 17, 2006

    jim

    If you don’t want to read long blog posts, then you really don’t want to learn. TV and commercials have taught too many people that everything worth saying can be done in short bursts.

    The only thing I would personally suggest is to make the text a darker black to make it easier to read.

  19. 19
    February 17, 2006

    Justin

    This sounds like another barrier at work here. Weed out the people who are too lazy to read the really good stuff!

  20. 20
    February 18, 2006

    WTJ

    it’s the website name that attracts me! don’t change it no matter what people say, and it’s easy to remember as well

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