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Going
to war
These
days he is on the offensive on the Internet battle field. Not a smart move some
people might say. Dot coms have been under attack, companies that only a few
weeks ago was a sure thing to riches. Internet companies are dropping like
flies, people are out of work – out of stock options. It’s not a pretty
sight. Venture capitalists are running scared, trying to rescue what they can
from .com investments that went south. Some say that Mr. Chua is out of his mind
to risk his considerable reputation on web sites.
It’s
typical Chua. Go where no reasonable man has never gone. Go where the risk is.
Where the action is. Beat the odds. And he has, and he will do it again. Just
when his TV station almost went under, he negotiated an investment and strategic
alliance with Time Warner. Can he make it on the Internet front? My bet is
that he has a better chance than most.
Partnerships
Why? His secret strategy includes partnering with
web developers to create the sites. For little or no
money. The reasoning is that smaller design firmswill be able to ride on the
coattails of Chua's reputation and considerable marketing
clout while owning a percentage of the site. Mr. Chuas track record
for creating valuable content is undisputed. He takes credit for shows
like: "Enjoy Yourself Tonite" and is often called "TV's Wiz
Kid". He's also well know for his successes in other
creative content venues - even a "900"
infocenter a few years back. The "900" business is reputed to be one
of the key sources of financing for
his TV station.
The partners I interviewed all say they
could never be able to afford the kind
of credibility Mr. Chua can give them. So they put in long hours and have
to endure Mr. Chuas constant input. Input of considerable creative value.
So
far he has partnered with about half a dozen Hong Kong based web firms. Sites
are beginning to emerge – creative sites such as COMPLAINASIA.COM.
A clever site where Asians can register complaints about any business. Another
site under development is MEANDMYLOVE.COM,
a site where lovers can register their vows, upload their wedding pictures and
commitments. He is actively soliciting endorsements from government health and
welfare agencies – the pitch is that he feels he can help keep families
together. It is working. He recently told me that a certain unnamed government
will officially endorse this site. Governments endorsing web sites? Only Robert
Chua would have enough guts to even approach the seriously conservative Asian
ministers. Typical Chua. Now
he is about to launch several web sites to continue the tradition of providing
content. Valuable content, stuff people find useful.
He
wants your number
One
of these sites is NUMBERSTO.COM.
His reasoning is that people often have long URLs for their web sites. Such as
yahoo.com/myname.html. The site is deceivingly simple. Register with your phone
number and list your web sites, e-mail address, wap site and soon to come a
brief bio. I simply enter your phone number on the site and it cross references
with your info.
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Domain
Name Czar
I
recently met with Mr. Chua in Hong Kong and the speed of which his thoughts are
delivered is astonishing. He has registered 6,300 domain names. Not to sell
them, but to have a ready supply of names just in case he comes up with another
idea. Which he does pretty well every minute of the day.
Collecting
domain names might have something to do with the fact that he has an incredible
collection of Chinese artifacts. He might be a non-curable, compulsive
collector. He lives with his charming wife Peggy in Hong Kong's Kowloon Tong
exclusive district. Their home is
filled with treasures from every dynasty in history. Figurines, vases,
furnitures, potteries, porcelains, ivories and bronses fill his entire house.
And
two geese in the back yard to keep out the bad guys. A visit to their house is
truly a historic event.
Peggy
just shakes her head and let him bring in more stuff. To Mr. Chua it’s not
stuff. “There are two types of collectors. The ones that do it for the money,
and the ones that do it for love. I’m the second type.” He proved it to me,
when he found out that I had to be away for my son’s 14th. Birthday
he gave me a 60 million year authentic dinosaur egg to bring back to Erik.
Incredible. Says Chua:” I have been blessed with the opportunity to collect a
part of China’s history, and I want to share with others.”
Personal Web Site
During
the next few months he will launch several sites. One that is already up and
running is his personal site. It’s a site worth keeping an eye
on. In fact, it’s worth keeping an eye on Robert Chua. Asia knows him, now he
wants the world to know him. I think he might get his wish.
Ingvar
Grimsmo is a free-lance writer
and consultant living in Lynden, WA.
He recently interviewed
Mr. Chua in Hong Kong.
For further information: ingvar@j2mediagroup.com
or visit www.j2mediagroup.com
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