Peter Shepherd (Trans4mind.com) Webmaster From The Last Century. Interview 1

Today we’ll talk to the author of the site Trans4mind.com Peter Shepherd. Peter Shepherd – author, publisher & webmaster.

1. Tell us a little about yourself, where were you born, what kind of education?

London, 1952
London, 1952

I was born in London, 1952. Went to grammar school in Sussex. Hated every minute but I liked the sports, although after being knocked out playing rugby, I forgot all that I’d learned in the previous 2 years. Although I went to university it was all double-dutch and I left to work in Lloyd’s insurance, a job my brother in law got me. Hated that too, all young Conservatives, and I was anything but a young conservative. Basically I questioned everything that was the standard line in politics, religion, economics, social practices, you name it. So I moved on… I wanted to understand things but not from what people told me, rather from my own experience and inner knowing. I learned about transpersonal psychology, and to get a job, also trained in rational-emotive psychotherapy. And I also got into photography and started a business in Brighton that was successful. So with keeping up with all that I was really busy.

2. How did the first acquaintance with the Internet come about?

I had written a book, Transforming the Mind, that was like a summary of all that I considered most useful and applicable from what I had studied and practiced as a therapist. A mixture of very practical and everyday know-how, and some really quite esoteric philosophy that was not about belief but owning one’s own feelings. Escaping cultural conditioning.

And at the same moment, it became possible to make a website with very little technical know-how. So I did, and made my book available to read online or download, and indeed over 2 million have downloaded the PDF. Of course, it helps that it’s free 🙂 I also created personal development courses that many people did and some of these were paid products. Plus I affiliated with some other companies’ products that I felt were worthwhile and filled gaps in what I was offering.

And then I had some good fortune that changed my life. Whilst in France, teaching someone who wanted to offer my courses in French, I met a lovely lady, Nicole. We fell in love and I moved over to France to live with her. This also gave me the time I needed to further develop and service the site, trans4mind.com, and since that time in 2000, running Trans4mind has been my main occupation.

3. Where did you get your knowledge, what difficulties did you encounter?

The knowledge was freely available, the problem was getting the time free to learn and practice, as well as pay the bills and look after my photography business. So like I mentioned, the big change-over to living in France and making my living directly from the web site, made it possible to get all my writing and courses online and start this next exciting period of my life.

4. Write the articles yourself? Where do you get the topics from?

By ’the articles’ I assume you mean those in the Counterpoint article library. These are largely written by individuals who have something they want to get across. Originally it was simply aligned with Trans4mind, i.e. about personal development, but gradually the scope widened. I accommodated all the new topics people wanted to write about.

Since it was taking much of my time, I needed to charge an editorial fee for each article, typically about $15, which people have been happy to pay as their article usually also features a link to their own site or to a product that they wish to promote. So it became a promotional tool for writers – but also hopefully a helpful resource when people are searching for specific information.

5. How did you promote your site? What were the difficulties?

Since it was at the start of the Internet becoming widely accessed, in 1997, I needed very little promotion – they simply wasn’t much competition, just a few good personal development sites online. Many visitors were easy to find, and in those days I ran a weekly newsletter to keep in touch.

6. What methods of website promotion are effective and work, which no longer exist? From your experience.

The newsletter became unfeasible after many people abused the email medium for spam, and then Google put mailing list content into the Promotions tab, which caused 97% readership figures to fall to 2%. Naturally I got pissed off with that. Also people used the Internet more and more for social purposes, and increasingly on the mobile phone as well, making reading articles and especially long online courses and such, much less popular.

7. What method of monetization do you prefer and why?

I’m happy enough with people paying for my time to put their thoughts and promotions online. And that enables me to keep the website running and continue to present my own ideas in the rest of the site, outside the Counterpoint article library, for those who are interested. Plus the ideas of many contributors over the years, whose work I will continue to present online as long as I’m able.

8. What site do you like and look up to and why?

I like The Atlantic because it has alternative points of view that are not too wacko. The Guardian to keep up with the news, though I realize you can’t believe a word in establishment sources – but then neither can you from much that’s alternative. They all have their agendas and vested interests. But you have to try and make some sense of all the crazy stuff going on these days.

9. How long do you think the sites will live? Is there a prospect?

With my site, I guess it will die when I move along, in 10-30 years. But I’ll keep it going as long as I’m going. And maybe someone who really gets what the site is about will like to take it over from me at some point – I’d be happy if that happened.

10. What advice would you give to beginners?

Respect what your heart is telling you, your view of love – rather than any authority, past practice or intellectual persuasion. Inner knowing is the spiritual path and it’s based on love.

11. Are websites / site your main activity? How much time do you spend?

I spend about 8 hours a day (on and off) maintaining the site. The rest of my time I spend with my wife relaxing and enjoying one thing and another, walking and traveling around, and sometimes reading or watching TV.

12. What other ways of making money on the Internet are familiar to you, have you tried something?

Not really.

13. How do you plan your day?

It’s pretty much same everyday, except when we’re traveling, which we do quite a lot as we have family all over France and it’s such a beautiful country. But even then, I have to keep up with my emails and all of that.

14. What are you inspired by?

Beautiful views, beautiful music, beautiful people. To be honest, that’s a lot. So many people are great in their own unique (albeit sometimes peculiar) ways.

15. What kind of people / blogs / websites do you read?

I like books telling the truth about history, society and politics, which so often turns out to be totally different from what we’re taught in school or hear as the standard line on TV. To be honest, not so many websites as I spend too much time in front of the computer as it is.

16. Do you have a hobby? Which?

Discovering new places off the beaten track with a special atmosphere.

17. If you had 100 million dollars, where would you spend, what would you do?

Keep a few thousand in the bank to pay bills, and the rest, try to distribute to people in real need, who would use the money wisely. Easier said than done, I imagine.

18. What country would you like to live in and why?

Mont St Michel, France
Mont St Michel, France

Here in France, because it’s still a democracy, just. It’s beautiful and I simply feel attached to it these days.

19. Do you like travel, where have you been, what do you recommend to visit?

Yes, I like to travel but it’s hard these days with all the Covid barriers. I’ve been to USA, Mexico, all around Europe, Malaysia. But I recommend British Isles and France the most, I just feel at home there but at the same time, still so much to see that I haven’t seen before.

20. What interesting things can you see in your country?

I like being off the beaten track, rather than famous locations in cities, discovering places that no-one has been before – or at least, it feels like that. So I recommend visiting a new region and then head off in a new direction and turn off the sat-nav.

21. What are your plans for the future, open a new project or something else?

Survive, at the moment, would be a good thing. Not more new stuff online, except I would like to end the article service at some point, perhaps two or three years, and then use that time to develop the Inner Knowing section of the site with relevant contents from my courses that no-one does any more, but which I don’t want to be lost.

With best regards, Peter Shepherd Founder & Webmaster of Trans4mind.com

On my own behalf, I wish Peter many years of life and creative heights. Thank you.

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