I started the site after having spent five years in newspapers and on their websites, with a dash of PR work in the middle, and I've always had an interest in the internet.
Around 2003 I began to see a handful of tech orientated blogs spring up. One of the first I read was paidContent, and I still recommend people take a look over it to see how they make online publishing work.
And it was soon after stepping down from running the This is Lancashire site for the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, that I saw the potential to be a publisher and not just a freelancer.
The French way of life had always had a bit of an appeal: I'd spent six months working on the repair of an old chateau in Auvergne during my mid-20s, so I looked at what was already on offer online for people making the move to France, or already living there.
There was not a great deal of regular news content being served online at the time; much of what was available was aimed at property buyers, so I thought there might be an opportunity.
First steps
So I packed up the car, got the dog her Pets Passport and headed down to the south of the Dordogne.
Once there I fired up the laptop and registered a TypePad account to get the site up and running: offering news on changes in legislation, flight and ferry updates and interviews with people who had already made the move.
I saw the site then, and still do, as a way to offer a magazine style service with various types and lengths of news articles. This variety of articles ensures readers become regular visitors, as a result of bookmarking the site or by subscribing to my site RSS feed or newsletter.
Offering a newsletter service on your site from day one is about the most important thing you can do to help improve reader numbers.
The beauty of using blogging software to run a site is its search engine friendliness. Readers often land on a page that answers their question, which builds up a connection with them straight away.
Back in 2004, when the site was still finding its feet, the life of a freelancer was a difficult one and today it is even more of a challenge.
Becoming a publisher
After a few abortive attempts to offer an article or two to newspapers and magazines about my new French life, I realised that it was a waste of time and effort so instead I began to look at things from the perspective of a publisher.
I quickly realised that if I wrote a piece for a newspaper I would get paid once, if the same piece was to appear on This French Life then it could be found today, tomorrow and for as long as the site was up and running.
And this meant my advertising was running around it, not that of a newspaper group, ensuring I didn't just get paid once, but each month from services such as Google Adsense or affiliate sales.
Both Google and the affiliate companies also have the habit of paying on time, so there is no need to chase up editors, admin staff and the accounts department.
Obviously it isn’t a 'get rich quick' system and you do have to put the work in. The site has been running just over five years and has close on four thousand articles on it, but I hope it has become more than just a website.
Tackling problems
I can't know everything about life in France, so thanks to the comment facility and the willingness of people to help improve my articles as well as answer the questions of others, the site has become more of a resource.
There are difficulties: one of them is wearing many hats, be that journalist, publisher or advertising sales rep, but keeping things simple with templated replies, self service ads and a willingness to delegate can help get a lot done.
Clearly a stable internet connection underpins all that I do, my past frustration at a couple of hours downtime in the UK pales into insignificance when compared to my current situation - hooking into friends' broadband connections when I can. I should be up and running soon.
Looking ahead
I also see great potential for mobile publishing through the iPhone and the Nokia N series, both will let me publish updates direct to the site, be they text, images, video or sound.
When I was first here in France that would have been impossible but we are now in exciting times for individuals who want to connect with readers wherever they are.
My online experience can also help improve business opportunities for the people who advertise with me. I offer a variety of opportunities including a press release service that enables the smallest of operations build their online presence.
The way I see it is that the more I can help people make a success of their life in France, the more readers I am going to have on the site.
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