www.lingscars.com is an annoying site, but it performs! Over 100,000 visitors a month, and does 3.5 million pounds of business per month.

Amazing what Promotion can do!

It seems she got a Chines missile truck, parked it next to a highway, and got a lot of people to notice here business that way. Huge branding, since the site is all about her. Very over the top. If your at work, turn down the volume. It has sound!

I liked her comment in Dragon's Den, where all she came with was perfect Chinglish. Reminders me of a friend, in a forum, who responded to a comment with "excuse my Chinglish".

How I use publicity stunts to promote my online car leasing business - Marketing Donut

Lings Cars and the art of persuading visitors to buy - eConsultancy

Youtube Video of Dragon's Den, Investors TV Program in the UK.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc1ktZRZ5ZM

Labels: childbook Web Site, chinglish

Wow!

Google bought Motorola for $12.5 Billion in May 2012. Sold the set top division for $2.35 Billion. And Google keeps the smart phone patents, plus $7 Billion in tax benefits. And Google is selling the rest of Motorola to Lenovo for $2.91 Billion.

This is actually a good move for Google.

Why you may ask?

Google makes money by selling ads. More and more ads are being sold on mobile devices. Google made in 2013 $8.3 Billion Dollars.

The reason that Google gives away the Android operating system, is so Google makes huge the majority of their money from advertising. Making hardware current is a low margin business, that is not Google core business. With the patents from Motorola, Google is in a better position with Apple to protect their mobile advertising. Apple is focused on not repeating with the iPhone, what happened with the MacOS and Windows. Windows copied the MacOs, and did a better job of marketing it and won the PC operating system wars. Yes, I know about Xerox PARC and Apple. Apple is doing everything they can legally, to make sure competitors are not able to copy the iPhone and Operating System, IOS.

References:

Google Selling Motorola at Multibillion-Dollar Loss - Wired

Motorola Mobility Isn't A Disaster For Google, It Only Cost Them $1.5 Billion - Forbes

Google to take home half of $16.65 billion worldwide mobile ad market -  http://www.emarketer.com

The Xerox PARC Visit - Stanford Making the Macintosh

Labels: apple, google, made in china

Why should Chinese Schools and Tutors have a Website?

Because people who are willing to pay you for Learning Chinese, are online. When they are talking to you over the phone, they may also be looking at your website.

What will a web presence do for you?

1. Increase credibility on your abilities
2. Give customers assurance, you are a real business
3. Give you the opportunity to show customer testimonials.
4. Allow you to have a video, with a simple Chinese lesson. Upload it to Youtube, create your own channel if you like, and link your page to it.
5. Showcase your Value Proposition? More on this in a later post. Basically it's why should people buy from you?

But, I am not a Technical Person? How do I...

Use WordPress, which is free, select a hosting plan which has a minimal cost, and add some content. There are over 60 million websites using WordPress. Do not do custom coding on each page, it's not a good use your time.

Why Not Just Facebook?

 A web presence gives a more professional , reputable impression. Facebook for business is a bit trickier.

Why Not Just LinkedIn?

 LinkedIn is basically an online resume. It is good, but it's not a focused, dedicated website. For your professional development, I do recommend LinkedIn. Here is my profile that is a hobby of mine:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/rayritchey

You can create a company page on LinkedIn, but a dedicated website is superior. The company webpage on linkedin is limited.

How Do I Create Content?

Audio tape yourself, talking about what you do, get it transcribed and put on your site, and instant content! Sometimes it's easier to talk about your business, than it is to write about it.

Labels: Business of Teaching Chinese, childbook Web Site

Finally, and explanation that makes sense!

Basically many app makers do not encrypt the data they transmit over the Internet, for example Google Maps. So if you have the right Internet Access, you can watch everything they do through the information sent back by Apps. With map programs, they are telling you the location of the person. So you don't even need to physically do anything to track a phone, you can just watch the Internet traffic they send back. Wow! And very clever.

How App Developers Leave the Door Open to NSA Surveillance - MIT Technology Review

Labels: privacy, smart phones, spying

11 students were accused of changing their grades, with the help of a tutor that helped with the hacking.  A key logger was used (it's put between the keyboard and computer, and copies the passwords. This reminds me of the case a couple of years ago in Northern California. It was 2004 in Saratoga.

Wow, my Daughter's High School Assistant Principle went to Corona Del Mar to be the Principal. Good person.

Note the tutor has a Chinese name.

11 Students Expelled In Corona Del Mar HS Cheating Scandal - CBS LA

New Details Emerge as CdMHS Student Hacking Investigation Continues

Labels: Best Schools, cheating

I wish the local restaurants in Rowland Heights would do something like this!
Mastering the art of soup dumplings in Shanghai - NY Post

Rowland Heights has a lot of excellent Chinese restaurants. The San Gabriel Valley has an amazing amount of A+ Chinese restaurants, that does spoil the locals for choice. There is a Din Tai Fung in Arcadia that has amazing Xiao Long Bao (steamed bun with super thin skin, with pork or some other meat inside of it, and lots of juices when done right). There are unfortunately a lot of Chinese restaurants that don't do Xiao Long Bag right. The skin is too thin, too thick, over cooked so no juice, or the meat is just not done right. Sometimes it's surved in a bamboo steamer, and other times a steel one. I don't think this makes much of a difference. At the bottom of the steamer, cabbage leaves or non-stick oil is used so the Xiao Long Bao does not stick. I have steamed them at home, using a big steamer I have after buying frozen ones at the market.

Labels: china food safety, Chinese Food

I am surprised that Apple would sell on a third party site in China. Maybe the reason is payment issues?

Apple sets up shop on a big Chinese web marketplace - Internet Retailer

Labels: apple, china economy, made in china

Reminds me of what I have read about some Wilderness therapy camps in the US. That use a tough love approach with kids.

Web Junkie’ Is a Harrowing Documentary on China’s Internet Addiction Rehab Clinics - Daily Beast

Labels: child raising tips, chinese children

I find it very shocking what this Doctor did. It's just wrong. Poor parents.

Chinese doctor sentenced to death for selling babies - NY Post

The Chinese government has reduced foreign adoptions dramatically from what I have read. With the 1 Child Policy being loosened, per the Daily Best Girl Children are no longer stigmatized. The challenge in traditionally in Chinese society, it's the Boy child that takes care of parents. The Girl Child when she married, becomes part of the husband's family. This has changed a bit, as Women can get jobs outside and send money home.

And this article is troubling: Guatemala's Stranded Orphans - WSJ

Labels: chinese Adoption

I am so glad my daughter is almost finished with College! It's been educational going through the entire college experience, from applications to some of the classes she has been forced to take, and what she has learned. She is going to a great school, but it's frustrating as a parent, how her time has been wasted with some agenda driven classes. Not to mention how the tuition in California has doubled, over the last couple of years.

A good read by Victor Davis Hanson

How to Fix College, Via Via Meadia

Related topic, about how tuition by the middle class and upper class students, is subsidizing other students. I wish there was more openness on the practice. With the huge increase in student loans taken by students, over a trillion dollars, this is a huge issue that is current hidden by most colleges.

More Students Subsidize Classmates' Tuition - WSJ

Labels: college, college admissions

So what does Yelp have to do with Teaching Chinese?

Parents want to find the right help in Learning Chinese, so they are going to Google your Teaching Chinese business probably looking for reviews. And the major player for Reviews for businesses with a physical location, is Yelp!

Why Get Reviews!

Getting reviews adds credibility to your business, which will increase your revenue. If a Learning Chinese Student's parents are choosing a tutor, school, or Teacher, if you have Positive Reviews that will set you apart from your competition. What clients want is to know they will get the best value for their child for Learning Chinese. Employers Google potential employers,  people use Yelp to find out if the new Restaurant is any good, and businesses are checked out online all the time. Your online reputation is hugely important, and reviews are part of that.

Claim Your Profile!

So the first thing you need to do is claim your profile. Create a Yelp Account, and then create a Business Listing. You will need to have a physical address for this. Yelp, for some reason, does not cater to Internet businesses (I disagree 100% with this). But, Yelp is based on location. And for most Chinese Tutors, Teachers, and Schools you are location based! Adding a picture to your profile is also a good idea.

Get Reviewed!

 Ask your clients to post reviews. Find Happy Clients, and ask them as a favor. Most review sites get upset if you offer something in return. For example, don't offer money or a gift card for doing reviews, this gets you in trouble. You can offer discounts in exchange for Likes. If you get a negative review, post a respectful response. If possible, take care of the customer issue.

Get Check-ins!

 Everyone it seems has a mobile phone, so check-ins are easy.

Labels: Business of Teaching Chinese, Chinese Schools, Chinese teachers, reviews, Yelp

Your brain does not do multi-tasking. What it does is switch incredibly fast between processes, giving the illusion of multi-tasking. And some tasks are done by memory muscle, such as driving, so you don't need to focus on it. That is why for some tasks, it's better to have an office so you can focus. For other types of work, it helps to be in an open area.

So as a parent, how can you help your children focus?

Multitasking: What a professor knows that students don’t - Christian Science Monitor

Labels: parenting

A link bait article.

My thoughts are yes, College can provide you with tools that can help a lot and can be valuable. It depends on what you want to do, as well as what degree you get. Some degrees have little market value. And for some students, going to college provides them with a structure while they figure out what they want to do. The challenge, is some college have low value and high cost, and burden the student with huge debts. And it even worse for those who do not finish college, and get high debt. And student loans in the US can't be discharged in bankruptcy anymore.

In Chinese Culture, there is a huge amount of focus on education and a lot of family prestige for achieving advanced degrees.

More College Does Not Beget More Economic Prosperity - Forbes

Labels: college admissions

I disagree with the article, I see it as US companies have lost a lot more business than the article mentions. IBM and Cisco have both been lower sales in China and Brazil. And the potential threat to your security by ordering a US electronic product is scary. It's interesting the US government was not allowing US Telecom companies to buy Chinese made equipment due to the perceived security risks, and now it turns out US equipment has been compromised. And it has been mentioned, that the NSA may be deliberately making it easier to compromise privacy, which is making is increasing the risk from other parties. And if your using Snapchat to increase your privacy, I would be careful...

The good news is long term, the revelations will increase the security of personal data. There are a lot of troubling longer term issues which are scary. The fact your Smart Phone has so much data on you, can be easily hacked, and tracks you is troubling. How facial recognition software will decrease your privacy. And the increased use of license plate readers will not help.

References:

How the NSA Almost Killed the Internet - Wired

Bruce Schneir has great essay that was published in the Atlantic:
How the NSA Threatens National Security - The Atlantic

The article in the on the tool box of the NSA was horrifying:
Inside TAO: Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit - Der Speigel

Will Snapchat users' illusion of privacy vanish? - SF Chronicle

Labels: privacy, US Chinese Image

With her last book, all the juicy parts were put together to make it controversial. I would not be surprised if the same thing is being done again. Whomever did the PR did a great job on her last book generating a huge amount of press:

Tiger Mom: Some cultural groups are superior - New York Post

Labels: Chinese Americans, interracial marriage, parenting, Tiger Mom

Quite a few articles I have read recently comparing Europe of 1914 to the Pacific of 2014. China is a growing country, and it's being aggressive with neighboring countries on territorial issues. Some have characterized it as bullying. Germany before World War 1 had the world's leading universities, the strongest industries, and strong banks. World War 1 was started by a small incident, that was blown up through secret treaties and alliances. Could such an incident happen between the US and China in the Pacific?

My opinion, and hope is no. China and the US do not want war. It would be a lose lose situation for both sides. But, China's nationalism is rising, and there is a lot of determination within China that China will never again be humiliated, as it was with the Opium Wars, foreign spheres of influence , Japanese invasion of China, and the Boxer Rebellion Reparations to name a few.

2014: Good Year for a Great War? - The National Interest

China's Risky Flirtation With Military Adventurism - WSJ

Behind Japan's new military plans: China, nationalism, or both? - The Christian Science Monitor

Why Is China Feared? Resurgence, Pride and Uncertainty  - Huffington Post

How I Lost the Battle of the South China Sea - War is boring

Labels: china's future, Chinese History, US Chinese Image

Fun to do. The US does have different dialects or accents. In China, they are actually a different language, that shares the same writing system. Mandarin and Cantonese share the same writing, but if you know one you don't automatically understand the other.

How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk - Ny Times

Labels: baby learning mandarin, dialects, Learning Chinese

Excellent point by Robert Reich comparing how US companies in the US, and in China define corruption. I agree with him, it's unfair to use the US Foreign Corruption Act in China, when a similar hiring in the US is acceptable? It's amazing how many of the US elite get entrance to Wall Street due to family. It's wrong in both countries, I believe in a true meritocracy for hiring the best person available. Unfortunately, it's often who you know that is more important than what you know.

JP Morgan Chase, the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act, and the Corruption of America

Labels: chinese corruption

Sad how much farmland in China is toxic. And unfortunately, the true size of the problem is hidden by the designation of state secrets.

Relentless Pollution is Poisoning China’s Food, Soil - The American Interest

Labels: chinese pollution