Name of your website?The Mindful Hiker
Your name?
Stephen Altschuler
Your Location (city, etc)
Sebastopol CA
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Delves into the spiritual side of being in nature, through essays, photos, books written by Stephen, daily quotes, and links to other relevant sites.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
The publication of my fifth book, The Mindful Hiker: On the Trail to Find the Path (DeVorss Publications, Camarillo CA, 2004)
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
This is my first website, launched in 2004 just after the publication of The Mindful Hiker.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Named after my book of the same name.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
It is not merely a promotion for my book, but an educational and inspirational site, dedicated to healing both people and the planet.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I intend to continue writing and maintaining the site as long as I continue to receive positive feedback about it. I also have a free monthly e-newsletter based on the site. As long as the mailing grows, I'll continue with both the site and the letter.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
It's hard to measure success. My statistics on visitors are encouraging, but book sales are rather slow at this point. But I do derive alot of satisfaction from the site and the comments it elicits.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would add flash, video, and more interactive features.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
It would be a stretch, but yes , I think I could.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
None.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Finding time to add to and maintain the site, particularly the blog.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Link exchanges.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It involves more time than I anticipated.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
Have been running it for four years, and will probably run it another two, even if popularity wanes.
Would you consider selling ads to the websites?
I might if the ads were compatible with the content of the site.
What is your website address?
The Mindful Hiker
