I decide to abandon my unschooling blog, leaving it online to look after itself while I move on. But then I discover I can’t actually do that. Blogs need attention, whether we’re writing on them or not. If I don’t keep a close eye on my website, making sure everything is updated regularly, and paying for the latest versions of plugins, things start to go wrong.
Something goes wrong. Despite my best efforts to protect my blog, it’s infected with malware, which shuts it down. I look for a way to get everything back online quickly. And while I’m researching my options and trying to make some decisions, I suddenly feel weary. Is my blog worth retrieving? If I get it online again, will something else happen? What problem will I encounter next? Perhaps I should just let my website slip away.
After thinking about all the work I’d lose if I don’t do anything, I pay an IT person to debug my site. And so Stories of an Unschooling Family reappears. Did anyone notice it had gone? Maybe not. That might be a problem.
I still get a fair amount of readers even though many more people are writing about unschooling than when I created my blog thirteen years ago. But is people’s interest high enough to warrant spending more time, money and effort on this site?
“I could put a buy me a coffee button on my blog,” I say to my husband, Andy. “If my posts are useful, someone might want to pop a few dollars into my blog-hosting-fee fund.”
So, I create a buy me a coffee button.
A while later, Andy asks if I have any ‘coffees’ in my account.
“No.”
“It’s just as well I like buying you coffee,” says Andy.
I smile. My husband buys me ‘coffee’ all the time so my blog can continue.
Deciding not to be crushed by the lack of ‘coffee’, I ponder another idea: would anyone support me regularly by paying for a membership if I offer extra content?
I spend a few days thinking about bonus content I could create. Perhaps, if nothing else, I could offer access to this blog in return for support.
I generate some fun images of good, encouraging and helpful friends chatting to each other and put together a Youtube Shorts video, telling everyone about my latest idea, the Friends Club. And now I’m waiting to see what will happen.
So, is my blog still helpful? Or has it had its day? Could it be time to pack everything up and delete my posts?
“What will you do if you delete your blog?” asks Andy. “Don’t you want to continue even if no one wants to support you?”
“No,” I say. “Even though I have lots of fun creating posts and videos for my blog, I want to do something that makes a difference. I could still use my skills and have fun doing something else.”
”Won’t you miss the friends you’ve made through your blog?”
I think about the fabulous friends who buy my books and stop by with encouraging words that are far more valuable than virtual coffee.
“I hope we’d stay in touch,” I say to Andy, “even if my blog disappears.”
So, friends, I need your help. Do you need mine?
PS: if you watch my video carefully, you’ll discover two women who share an arm. One of them also has an extra hand around her waist. That’s the fun of creating AI people!
Update
After a lot of thought, I’ve decided not to go ahead with the membership Friends Club idea because I know I will find it almost impossible to create content for three different sites: this blog, my Wholy Souly blog and the Buy Me a Coffee site. Trying to keep up with everything will drive me crazy and squash my love of sharing stories. I’m keeping my Buy Me a Coffee button, so if you’d like to donate a coffee in return for what I share here on my unschooling blog, your support will be greatly appreciated. A coffee always helps!
I still read your blog!! 💕 but if you need to move on I understand.
Hi Sharelle,
It’s so lovely to connect. Thank you for stopping by! 😊
I love your blog even though I’m no longer a regular visitor. My children, like yours, have grown up. Today is the last day I’ll have a teenager! Yesterday I met a friend for coffee and chatted about friendship. We may only see each other every few months and text now and then, but when we’re together that time and distance disappear. That’s the same feeling I have when popping into your blog ♥️. I do miss the day of our beautiful Yahoo! friendships – those strong bonds formed over email conversations. Much love, dear Sue.
Beate,
We’ve both reached a new stage of our lives. I no longer have any teenagers either. Gemma-Rose turned 20 towards the end of January. Do you remember how our girls exchanged a few letters when they were much younger?
You are right: strong friendships can be built while having email conversations. Do you still belong to the Yahoo group?
I love my blog because it contains my family stories and has led to many beautiful friendships. Thank you so much for staying in touch and being my friend! 💛
Hi Sue!
I still semi-routinely read your posts, and always enjoy them!
I’ve faded in and out of writing about unschooling over the last few years. I’m finally pitching the unschooling book I had ready years ago to agents. I’ll see where it goes.
Thanks for all you do here!
Hamilton
Hamilton,
It’s good to hear from you! I’m interested in your unschooling book. What angle does it have? Is there a particular aspect of unschooling you particularly wanted to share? I hope you receive a positive response from an agent. Let me know if you do!
Thank you so much for your thanks and for stopping by!
I appreciate your posts, and wish you luck on your next endeavor. In case it’s helpful, your blog wouldn’t be completely gone even if you deleted it. I checked and at least some of the posts are on the Wayback Machine from the Internet Archive. I believe there are services for nicer archiving if you would like as well. I did a quick search and found https://conifer.rhizome.org/ that looked interesting.
I’d forgotten about the Internet Archive. I took a quick look and enjoyed seeing what my blog looked like in its early days. Nothing online disappears forever, does it? I’ll remember the archive service if I decide to delete my blog. Thank you for offering this suggestion!
I do still read it although life has got a lot busier these days as my kids have gotten older and implementing some of your ideas take up much of my time as its much more challenging than buying a set curriculum, but since this is the second time you seem to have had these feelings I would suggest the blog seems a drag for you and you should do things that you love. I began reading your blog and commenting on it when my kid was ill and I was going out of my mind. I had more time because I couldnt do anything with him. He’s better now and is doing things again so I tend to duck in and out of the blog but I’m grateful for what it provided at the time. Whatever you do I hope it brings you happiness and peace x
Willcress,
Yes, I’ve questioned whether I should continue this blog more than once. I sometimes wonder if I have anything new to add to what I’ve already written. Maybe it’s time to write about something else.
But, recently, I’ve had a new burst of enthusiasm for my unschool blog because I’ve found a new way to tell the story. I’ve been playing around with AI images and YouTube Shorts, and I’m using these as the inspiration for new posts.
So, at the moment, I’m enjoying posting here on my blog. That’s not the problem. I’m just questioning whether it’s worth investing more time, money and effort into the blog. Is what I produce worth a coffee or two? If it’s not, then I have a decision to make. I can either continue funding the blog myself or delete it.
Most of the kind comments on this post were written by friends I used to interact regularly with but have now moved on. I appreciate everyone taking the time to say how much they used to enjoy my blog. And I understand about moving on. Our needs change, don’t they? Do I move on too? I’m still pondering that question. I want to do something helpful, but I need help doing that!
I’m so glad your son is better and you’re busy doing things with him. That’s good news!
Thank you so much for your kind wishes. It’s always a pleasure to talk with you!
Whatever you decide, I have your books and will keep them forever! They’ve made every decluttering cut because their words encourage me so much. I hope they continue to be purchased for years to come. Thank you for all your work sharing unschooling thoughts over the years!
PS I did notice when your website was down. Starting a patreon could be a good option if you’re looking for a way to continue.
What a beautiful comment! Thank you so much. I really do appreciate your encouraging words. I’m smiling! 😊💛