2014 is almost over, and the time is hopefully finding you with much better eyesight than when you first discovered this site. I’m glad to be looking back and finding that everything is still here and functioning! A few of the things worth noting:
Course Participation
We had a pretty steady stream of new participants in the paid course this year. It hasn’t quite managed to get the site to break even, but it’s reasonably close. At this point without spending money we don’t quit get enough traffic to justify all the work, so I have been doing a fair bit of paid advertising. Hopefully next year we’ll get into some more partnerships with other health sites and possibly lower the cost of running the site.
Participants feedback has been almost universally positive (which I continue to be surprised by). A lot of it is probably patience and kindness, more than the quality of the course presentation itself. This year in total I had three refund requests. Everybody who actually did the course and communicated with me at all, mentioned improvements. Excellent work on everybody’s part!
Marketing
There still isn’t anything that is sustainable. I know that we need to be talking to other health related sites and become part of a community. As I’m entirely averse to e-mails and digital communication beyond any bare minimum, I haven’t engaged in that at all.
I did hire a few people to do this for me, but none of them ended up being well suited for the task. Likely it’s related to me not having much skill in managing people, much less remotely. Let’s see if I get things together on that front next year – and if you have any inclination to help, this would be the place I need it most!
The Website
I can’t count the times I wanted to host the site myself, in my own house. That way I could take the physical box and blow it up.
If you are not technically inclined and old like myself, you can possibly imagine. These things don’t just function in some predictable, linear fashion. You might set it up, it will all work, until one Sunday morning when you really need some time to relax. Then everything will implode, without any warning or notice. And it will refuse to resume operation, while also and magically everyone will want to be online just at that time. Then you get dozens of e-mails with questions and confusion, and your Sunday turns into an eternity in some virtual cage of doom.
Fortunately, I have had a lot of help. Jake Steiner himself has built and/or fixed things countless times, all while refusing to participate in any way in the discussion or be identified. That part has always been amusingly ironic to me. And speaking of …
Jake Steiner
I have seen a quite good ebook, part of a series, and several instructional guides that will make it online soon. These are exciting developments.
More than this site or forum or blog, I consider this one of my better accomplishments on the Web front. I have managed to annoy Jake all year (almost two by now) with a carefully timed mix of articles of professional incompetence, and pleas for help from readers to his inbox. I think he realizes by now that the Web is not all bad, and that more needs to be done to prevent all of the pseudo science, optometric illiteracy, and corporate greed from monopolizing the conversation.
Mostly we have just been getting site improvements anytime I ask him to partake. Instead of writing about how to use sports for focus pulling, he will make animated banners instead – which is understandable in a way, since there is nothing like going online to ruin your professional reputation. Jake is one of the best in the industry, a consult with him will set you back five figures, and even if you want to spend the money you’ll still have to wait a year to get on the schedule. It’s great for Jake, but of course a waste of skill and talent as far a the public is concerned. I think we might finally have a bit of an understanding, and access to very valuable insight, without the prohibitive cost and long wait times. Keeping in mind that I won’t be around forever, and also that I would prefer that you have more alternatives than just this one site.
Mobilizing more professionals to take part in the dialog, from a holistic and rehabilitative perspective is key to give readers like yourself a meaningful option when researching your own vision health. Of course the big theme always is …
Looking For Ways To Make Eyesight Health Appealing
The marketing guys always tell me all the things wrong with the site. You might see it if you come often – one day there are promotions for the course, popups and reminders, and the next day they are all gone again.
I’m not a fan of pushing people or tricking people into working on their eyesight. Unfortunately though the Web is host to so many misguided eyesight practices that most sane and reasonable people find themselves very hesitant to try yet another scheme. What you are seeing then, is me looking for a good compromise between incentive and self determination. Right now I extended the trial of the core course to really let new participants get more than just a taste of the process, before they decide whether it has merit (and whether it is worth their financial support).
All in all, it has been a good year. You have all been very supportive, and also a few of you take the time to post updates in the forum – which is great encouragement to others! Looking on to next year, the biggest hope I have …
More Participant Engagement
I realize of course how things work. I use the Web all the time, to look up things. I’ll read some article, get the answer, and go on with life. I don’t start helping the site owner promote his subject area or otherwise ever even think of the effort that went into creating the answer I was looking for. Entirely normal.
For that the paid course is perfect. It’s a good trade between the streamlined answer to myopia reversal, with a bit of personal support, for the participants financial support.
On the free side however, which makes up a very large part of the site and my time, we don’t really get that trade. I’d love to see some of those who enjoy just the free content (which, by all means!) to possibly find time to return the favor by helping me get into a bit more of a community oriented, online dialog with other health related writers, blogs, and sites. It’s not something I’d expect, but it would be a fantastic experience for 2015! Remember that you could only find this site by either paid ads or Google searches, both of which require resources and time on my part – if you want to pay it forward, have others be able to find this site, we need to continue to build the voice and reach.
This, and continually more free content, some of which the likes of Jake are creating, should help many more people get a real alternative to being trapped with glasses and contact lenses.
I hope you have enjoyed more healthy eyesight this year!
