Behind The Scenes: Why I’m Still Not Promoting The Program Significantly

Things have been a bit quiet on the blog front lately.  I have been keeping track of the impact of paid advertising, especially in how it relates to e-mails and questions and the tone of the conversation.  I have to admit that my weariness of the Internet hasn’t been decreasing – while I think we have made some fantastic progress together, I have a difficult time shaking the belief that you as regular readers don’t represent the general online audience.

Let me explain what worries me:

Consider an extreme example of a local practitioner:  You might run a chiropractic practice of the most questionable nature (by Western medical standards), dabbling in homeopathic practices and acupuncture and Chinese herbal remedies.  This would not be a problem.  In fact, you would likely accumulate a large following of patients, and run a very successful practice.  The efficacy of your work isn’t hugely important here, either.

I say this from experience, being quite familiar with several of these types of establishments.  It boggles the mind, what one can pass on as treatment advice, so long as it is done in person.

The key is face-to-face, local, an office, the receptionist, bottles of medicine.

It appears to me that the most questionable local practice is many times more acceptable than even the most legitimate online advice.  I’m not stipulating this as a basis for philosophical debates of human nature or the merit of the Internet – merely taking stock on what is feasible, and acceptable, depending on the medium of delivery.

Think of how people behave when you encounter them on the sidewalk, vs. them driving in a car.  Humanity goes right out the proverbial window, with people behind the wheel.  The same appears to go for the Internet.  Reading some of the conversations in various online outlets makes me more than a bit weary of engaging with a wider, unknown audience.  And of course by weary, I mean I’m unwilling to do it.  I’m sure you know what I mean, if you spent any time reading any forums or comments on popular blogs.  There is just no respect in discourse among strangers in this virtual setting.

So far, this hasn’t affected your old Web illiterate friend personally.  But I worry.

The small scale advertising hasn’t brought the trouble out of the woodworks.  But every time I push further, I look at my e-mail the next day with some consternation.  Like poking the sleeping beast, I think the Internet is as likely to bite, as it is to become a medium for some better eyesight health options.

While you may have come to visit and not found many new articles, this has been the subject of much debate behind the scenes.  

I have a dozen offers from ophthalmologists to collaborate.  Guys that initially called me a fool for going online are now open to having their name attached to this project.  It is now I who calls them fools for considering it.  They think I have conquered this medium and proven that people are open to the subject.  After all, we have been online for a few years now, and all the stories are very positive.

And indeed I don’t have any immediate tangible proof for my uneasiness.  All of you have been amazingly supportive and helpful.  I’m still amazed how well the online course has translated into improvements.  It is all very very encouraging.

But I know where you come from.  I see the traffic stats.  You read a lot about health, you are aware of the complexities of these subjects.  You are willing to dig through this poorly organized site for answers.  You are not the average user.  I haven’t reached the average user, and from research I don’t feel confident about a wide spread campaign.  Going against the grain of established wisdom doesn’t usually bode well for the messenger – and if we combine this with health topics and a vastly profitable industry, we aren’t exactly improving the odds.

I’ve so far told the ophthalmologists that I’m unwilling to stake their reputations on my experience with this online experiment.  

Truth be told, I get so many requests for one-on-one that I could just as easily close the Web course and just distribute those requests among like minded ophthalmologists.  It would certainly be easier (and also profitable, much unlike selling a 99 Euro course with personal support is).  I have a list of requests for personal visits (which I very occasionally do), which would pay for years and years of Web course participants (and also require much less work).

Of course none of that will happen.  We will keep working on improving this resource for you and with you.  I’m merely putting this article here for you as a bit of background of where my head is at in this process.

Recently a client forwarded me a string of litigations against optometrists and ophthalmologists suggesting alternatives to glasses on a wider scale.  The message appears to be clear – stay under the radar, and nobody gets in trouble.  Make waves, and they will bring the lawyers.  It’s easy to shut up one or two old men who talk abut another way.

There is also one individual, younger and more willing to take the heat, proposing to take some of the publicity risk.  He interned with me for a few years and is a brilliant young(er) man.  We have had some rounds of chats about ways to increase exposure, using my few decades of experience, but without risking my peace and quiet.

I wish I could open this into a discussion with some of you participants.  You have the most experience of any of us in this context.  You found this site, you read, you had to overcome your concerns, you tried it, you made progress.  I’d love to get some thoughts from you.  If you think of what you know as a wider audience, what would you suggest?  Knowing that I’m old and retired, and unwilling to get into public disputes and arguments?  I’m glad to continue contributing my knowledge to the subject, though I won’t ever be the guy you will see on Ted Talk saying that the billion dollar myopia industry is just taking your money.  It would seem to me that y stance on publicity will prevent us from getting larger traction.

Should we just keep on this road, not change a thing?  Should I be risking some trusting ophthalmologists peace and quiet, to increase credibility?  Or should we let someone willing to take on the debates and ire of the industry become a larger part in the discussion?

If you have thoughts, please drop me an e-mail.   Of course if you prefer to discuss in the forum, that’s an avenue as well.

I appreciate your insights, as always.