I GIVE IN

by John

I had decided to cease my WordPress subscription, and cease writing these blogs, recently, and a few readers have very kindly expressed regret about the impending demise of johnsmachines.com.

The annual WordPress fees increased by 23% a year or two ago, and this year they added a domain name charge which amounted to another 25%.  It adds up to about $aud160 each year, not a fortune, but it would buy a handy supply of end mills.  And the price increases are way in excess of inflation levels, and show no signs of slowing.

But more importantly, I do wonder just how much interest there is in the blog.  Roughly 150 people log in each day, and look at one or two entries each.  The “like” button is pressed maybe once each day.  And a comment is entered about once each day or less.  Not very encouraging.  I do wonder if I am wasting my time and money.

So those are the reasons I had decided to stop.

Then yesterday, a friend who I shall call Les, told me that he was very disappointed that johnsmachines was stopping, and how much he had enjoyed it.  He said that he was always pleased to get the notification of another johnsmachines entry, and reading what was going on in my workshop.

Les is paralysed from the waist down, the result of polio when he was a teenager.  He was a champion athlete when he was struck down with the then dreaded disease.  In those days, vaccination against polio was not widely available.  (If you would enjoy a highly articulate tongue lashing, just make critical comment about vaccination to Les.)  Despite the disability, Les worked full time, and was very active in the workshop, and at our model engineering club.  In fact he was one of the founding members of GSMEE, 30 years ago.   He has an incisive intellect, and when he speaks, it always pays to listen carefully.

So when he made that comment about johnsmachines.com, I listened, and reflected.

And I have decided to continue for another year.

(thanks also to Huib Hoogendoorn, Tim Gee, Brendan Wallace, daredesign, someone, Peter, Jenny, johnf, Ben, and others, who encouraged me to continue).