Senior Housing Forum is a year old.  On June 10, 2011 I published the first article at Senior Housing Forum, Senior Housing, Opportunity or a Sows Ear? That first article, that first week was read by maybe 50 people which included my best friends, wife, children, boss and parents. Before I started Senior Housing Forum I spent quite a bit of time reading about what made blogs successful and  how likely I would be in making this blog successful.  Honestly, it was pretty daunting.  Most blogs fail, which means hardly anyone reads them and, before long, there is no new content. It is estimated that there are thousands of defunct or dormant blogs. The one consistent piece of advice across all articles on blogging was that creating new content on a regular basis was critical.  I made a commitment to post new content a minimum of once a week.

 I have never missed a week. Here are some rough numbers of what it looks like today:

  • We have published 74 article
  • We have had well over 1,000 responses to those articles
  • In June, 2012,  there were around 100,000 hits and 15,000 visits to the website
  • Because of the increasing number of website subscriptions, we were forced to move from the native wordpress email system to a more robust mailing system
  • We have our own LinkedIn Group which, in less than 4 weeks, has almost 700 members.  If you haven’t already, you can join it here: HERE

Some Thanks

  • You, the readers, for without you the blog would be pointless
  • Those of you who comment on the articles.  My ego likes it best when you agree with me, so keep that up; but honestly, I appreciate it when one of you comes in and says,  “I think you are wrong or ridiculous”.  It makes me think and stimulates further conversation
  • Troy Griffiths, the CEO of Vigil Health Solutions, for supporting this blog
  • Troy, again, and my wife Pat who do my editing.  Because of their corrections and suggestions the content is better than it would otherwise be
  • The writers who have provided content and a fresh perspective
  • Louise Johnson, the first brave soul to write a guest article
  • Diane Twoty Masson, who wrote the two most read articles
  • Lori Juneau-Alford, Matt Anderson, Deena Neste Martin, Patty Cisco, Tim Cassidy, Mike Gastin, Michelle Greiner, Anthony Cirillo & Greg Irwin
  • The others of you who have provided suggestions on how to make the reader experience a little better.

Looking Forward

The first year has exceeded my hopes and expectations for Senior Housing Forum.  Yet I believe it has way more potential.  In the next few months I am planning on doing a major redesign of the website. The biggest competitive threat to senior housing is that people who need care will stay home, to their detriment.  I am not talking about people who are better off at home, but those people who stay home in loneliness, with inadequate social interaction, inadequate assistance with food, cleanliness and medication.  We need more innovation and we can achieve that innovation only through conversation and collaboration.  The place to do that effectively does not exist except that we see a glimmer of it here at Senior Housing Forum. The web redesign will have the singular goal of making that happen.  It will include forums for people to ask practical and theoretical questions.  It will be a place where job seekers can sell their skills. It will have a wiki that will serve as a place where we can share knowledge.

Two Requests

1.  I would love to have your feedback on how we can make Senior Housing Forum better.

  • Are there things we should be doing that we are not doing?
  • Are there things we are doing that you don’t like?
  • Should we be adding other features I have not mentioned?
  • Are there topics we should be covering but are not?
  • Is the mix of topics about right or should it be changed?

I would prefer that you post your suggestions in the comments, because it might trigger an idea from someone else.  

2.   Senior Housing Forum today is not a money making operation.  As I look to expand the features of the website, it will cost money to do the redesign.  I have been intrigued by the concept of crowdfunding and have set up a site at  Indiegogo (yep the same place that generated half a million dollars for the harassed bus driver) I have provided some pretty cool premiums for investing and more importantly you will help make senior housing an even more vibrant place.  While I would love to have a larger contribution, a bunch of $25 and $50 contributions will get us there.  All of the funds will go toward improving the site and promoting readership. Thanks again Steve Moran

Don’t miss a single issue of Senior Housing Forum, subscribe today. It is free! We do not sell or share your contact information. The posts are practical and never too long. Go to the main page of Senior Housing Forum and on the top you will see a place to enter your email to subscribe. You will receive notification when a new article is posted. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Finally: If you know anyone who is looking at emergency call systems I would appreciate the opportunity to talk with them about Vigil Health Solutions.