Comments on: Review of The Dojo by Charlie Gilkey and Jonathan Mead

By: Milo

Milo — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:04:08 +0000

Thanks Ali. I'd read that with great interest! .-= Milo´s last blog ..Creative Types #1 – Bartholomew Owl (from eagleowl) =-.

By: Ali

Ali — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:37:15 +0000

Cheers! I think it’s only fair to write what I really think, even when that might be a bit negative. I’m very aware that people may well choose to buy this based on my review, and I want it to be as helpful and as fair as possible.

By: Ali

Ali — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:03:00 +0000

I think sticking to a budget is fair enough. You can’t buy EVERYTHING, however great it is. (Not do you have time to read/use it all.)

Being on advance discount lists is a great idea; I’m on several for my favourite people (Naomi Dunford and Dave Navarro both have lists, too.)

Good luck turning your info into action! Hm, maybe I should do a post about that…

By: Milo

Milo — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:26:04 +0000

I’m with Naomi on this, I’d be happy to buy products from all three because I follow them and respect them. Personally though, I waited patiently for the price of Rich & Happy to go down because I didn’t feel I could justify it at the original price. Okay, I admit I’m a cheapskate, because the info in there is invaluable, but I’ve got a budget and I try to stick to that.

In terms of the Dojo, I made sure I was on the advance discount list and got it at a very reasonable price – in fact I pretty much only buy info products at the advance discount price which means I can afford to buy a whole lot more juicy stuff than I would have been able to otherwise.

Having said that, I really need to follow your example Ali and go on an info product freeze for a while because I still have a lot of great tips and suggestions to put into action from the ones I already have..
.-= Milo´s last blog ..Creative Types #1 – Bartholomew Owl (from eagleowl) =-.

By: Julius

Julius — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:44:10 +0000

I like how you honestly wrote the things you didn't like so much about The Dojo. I'll think more about it and decide if I want to get it. Thanks. .-= Julius´s last blog ..Do Blind People Use a Special Keyboard? =-.

By: Ali

Ali — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:22:57 +0000

Thanks, Naomi. And make time to read ‘em, they’re both great books (and very readable — I think I read Tim’s over breakfast for a couple of weeks running!)

You’re totally right about making use of products. Dave Navarro’s great at encouraging people to do this — I don’t know if you have any of his stuff? He puts in worksheets and reminds you to print it, etc. I’m working on a new ebook at the moment, and I’m trying to figure out ways to make it as “actionable” as possible (with worksheets, a “start here” bit like Charlie and Jonathan provide, etc).

I’m all too aware that if I don’t make myself get involved properly, ebooks just end up gathering virtual dust on my hard-drive!

By: Ali

Ali — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:17:02 +0000

Thanks Mike, glad you agreed with my take on The Dojo.

Great points with “compared to what”. I find that I can be a bit blind to expenditure in one area only to count pennies in another. I’m spending £4,200 (over $6000) on my MA course fees, and frankly the price of an ebook is negligible compared with that. If the ebook helps me get the most out of the course, it’s probably a good investment.

By: Ali

Ali — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:14:33 +0000

Archan, I think you may well be right! I’m pretty sure Charlie and Jonathan explained The Dojo metaphor on the sales page. I think the idea of The Dojo (as in the product) is supposed to draw on that idea of entering a studio and learning from mentors.

Thanks for your kind words about me, too. I try hard to be balanced and fair in reviews, because I know how much other people’s reviews influence my own purchasing decisions.

Not sure about a rock and roller, but I’m hoping I’ll eventually be able to play more than the Smoke on the Water riff and the first four notes of the Master of Puppets intro… (that’s the extent of my guitar progress so far!)

By: Farouk

Farouk — Wed, 12 May 2010 06:40:44 +0000

the way you wrote the review is very organized Ali, it made it very clear for me to quickly absorb all of the information you wrote, thanks
.-= Farouk´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.

By: Dia

Dia — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:39:23 +0000

Thanks Ali for the review. You made me curious to check out the Dojo. I will make sure that I get it. Thanks again
.-= Dia´s last blog ..Eliminate negative thoughts in 1 easy step =-.