I’ve been writing posts on ‘Journeys of Heart and Mind’ (JHM) for twenty-two years now. Sometimes I’ve written daily, or even more often than that, sometimes I’ve gone for months without posting at all, but recently I decided to deliberately write more frequently. But what I’m considering right now is not the frequency of posts, but the range of topics I cover.
The most successful blogs specialise on a topic, often quite a narrow topic – for example ‘Infra-red astronomy’, or ‘greenhouse gardening’; poetry or photography or evolution or Bronte or Paris. These topic-focused blogs tend to get large readerships. But I’ve always expressed whatever takes my fancy here on JHM; I’m not interested in audience size, more on variety and sharing an insight here or an opinion there.
My favourite topics include spaceflight, history, following Jesus, science, technology, astronomy, photography, world events and more. I’ve decided to continue posting an any topic that grabs my attention.
I spend £100 a year or so on the blog, about £2 a week. This is what it costs to keep and manage the domain name scilla.org.uk (though this covers my email address and Donna’s too and allows me to set up and manage subdomains like jhm.scilla.org.uk as well. And it also covers the cost of web hosting and a Word Press account to manage the blog, cover data storage, editing facilities and the rest. I could return to using Google’s Blogger platform which is free of charge; that’s what I used until July 2016. But it’s more limited and doesn’t provide such flexible formatting as Word Press.
All of this to say I shall probably leave things as they are, post a little more than I’ve managed for the last few years, and try to keep posting on a range of topics that interest me.
But it would be good if you, my readers, gave me some feedback. What do you like or dislike? Are there other topics you’d like me to write about? Are there things you wish I would not write about? If you have anything to say about this, do please leave me a reply. I don’t guarantee to follow your advice, but I promise I will consider it carefully. Thank you! And thank you also for reading JHM.
Useful? Interesting?
If you enjoyed this article, please like, comment, and share below. My material is free to reuse, but a coffee is always welcome! 
Hi Chris,
I’m afraid I have so much to read I rarely read your blog, except when you have family things to share. Good for you for keeping at it though. It’s obviously something you enjoy doing and although it’s out there on the web I think you really do it for yourself if you’re not so interested in a large audience.
In fact, I hardly ever read any blogs. To my shame, even the popular Writer’s Review, which I really should read, as I contribute in a semi regular manner. I review books from my teetering pile when I have time and Linda, whose blog it is, stores them up and publishes them whenever she has a slot. I try to keep her supplied with enough so she has several in the bank, ready to go. I know she only has one of mine in hand at the moment so I must write another one or two!
A lot of people like to use Writer’s review as their go to place when looking for a good book. The fact that they are all reviewed by writers or occasionally booksellers gives people confidence. We never review a badly written book, so people can trust us as far as that goes, and we cover most genres. That, I suppose confirms what you say, that the most popular blogs have a single purpose.
There’s only one Chris Jefferies, my brother, and so the articles you choose to post are very personal. I wonder how many people would be a perfect match for your combination of personal opinions and family matters? I don’t often read opinion pieces, not even in places like the Guardian, although if I read them anywhere that is the most likely place. I do read reviews in the LRB and reviews are of course no more than opinion pieces! Oh dear! This isn’t very helpful, is it? There’s nothing I want or don’t want you to blog about Chris. I like to think about you beavering away, posting your thoughts and opinions, photographs and diary entries. That’s my big brother, doing his thing and I do like to see them appear in my inbox. I’m sorry I can’t offer more than that.
By the time I’ve read what I want of the Guardian online, the BBC, The Conversation and the LRB over a coffee, when I have a subscription for the hard copy, answered emails and had another coffee I’m done, except of course reading for research and finally… pleasure. Hurrah!
On another matter I met a very interesting couple on Monday. I was showing them around my unit and they loved it. Everything was right about it until they checked the wifi speed. Even so, they loved it so much they went home and investigated every way they could think of to get more speed. No provider could help them. Fibre has no installation date there, so it’s not as though they could have taken the unit, knowing that they would have a fast speed in six or seven months, which they would have been prepared to do. They need to down and upload terabytes of data, working as they do to trace where ransomware comes from, for the government, NHS and many others. They would have built a forensic room in the unit, with a three door entrance for security. I would have so loved to rent it to them. We were all equally crushed. Still, it was great to have met them. Gavin would have loved to have talked to them too! The people before them were equally crushed when they couldn’t quite fit their chipper under the roll up door.; something else I have no control over. Maybe it’ll be third time lucky. I do hope so.
Loads of love,
Cindy xxx
Out now by Cynthia Jefferies! The Honourable Life of Thomas Chayne.
*Published by Allison **& Busby £19.99 Ebook £6.99 PB £8.99*
Also. The Outrageous Fortune of Abel Morgan
Published by Allison & Busby. HB £19.99 PB £8.99 Kindle edition £3.79
“Outstanding storytelling.” American Libraries Association”
Follow me on Twitter. @cindyjefferies1 Please visit my website. http://www.cynthiajefferies.co.uk http://www.cindyjefferies.co.uk/ http://www.cindyjefferies.co.uk
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Thanks Cindy,
Although I enjoy writing the posts, I don’t think it’s something I really do for myself. But a large audience is certainly not an objective for me either. Partly, I write out of obedience to the Spirit of Christ living in me and through me. I feel ‘called to write’ in a sense. Some of the posts are written for family or for friends, I know you dip into those from time to time. And some of the others are written in an attempt to help and perhaps influence others to help in some situation, I’d say that’s been true of posts about events in Ukraine. I hoe anyone that reads those will think about the war in ways that might not otherwise have occurred to them.
The rest are mostly topics that excite me or deeply interest me, and I want to stir up interest in others if possible.
You wonder, ‘How many people would be a perfect match for [my] combination of personal opinions and family matters?’ Probably none! But I hope everyone finds something here to spark a thought, help an idea to gel, or discover something fresh and new.
The people you mention who need fast internet could take a look at Starlink (domestic) (business). It might be too expensive for them, but it does provide blisteringly fast unlimited internet to almost any point on the planet, even polar regions, even the middle of the Sahara or a boat in the middle of the Pacific (but certainly Ashton Keynes).
Love and a hug,
Chris xx
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Chris, I really appreciate you writing this post and being as plain and honest as you are in it. I love this site and what you do with it and am particularly interested in your work on following Jesus. I love, though, that you use this as a platform to share the things that you’re interested and passionate about. If you feel the need to narrow things down, then that’s fine, but I’d encourage you to keep going as you’re going.
Thanks again, Chris.
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Hi Chris, you are Da Man as always! Thank you for your encouragement; there must be a deep vein of encouragement somewhere in your heart because it always flows out at every opportunity 🙂 I bet Barnabas would have been a lot like you!
Very best wishes and kind regards,
Chris J
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