Blogger hacks his own site 7 Nov 2007

Blogger John Cow has hacked his own site. Take a look at johncow.com, or the image below, to read his ransom note:

Clicking on the PayPal link at the top of the note, reveals that the ransom money goes to cownapper@johncow.com - i.e. John Cow himself.

In one sense, this is a brilliant idea: It's generating a shed load of interest across the blogosphere (see here, here and here, not to mention the post you're reading!) and thus generating a lot of exposure for the author and his site. Unfortunately, in asking for only $100 to set his site free, he has placed a very low value on the content he provides, which can only damage his brand in the long-term. In hindsight, he would have been better off asking for a ridiculous sum, like $1 million, and then releasing the site when he felt that the campaign had run its course (whether he'd made the $1 million or not).

[via Wisdump]