Behind The Sites: A Mini Series Profiling Mac Webmasters
#2: Low End Mac's Dan Knight

by Joey Cooper

Low End Mac--the name of the site brings joy to the heart. Dan Knight, Low End Mac's founder and owner, talked with us about past, present, and future of the site. He also talked about his vast Mac collection, among other things. Read on to learn more about operating a Mac website...

Q: Low End Mac has been expanding rapidly recently... What's your secret to success?

Dan Knight: That depends on how you measure success. From the standpoint of site traffic, I've recovered to the level I had last February. It's been a slow uphill climb since leaving MacTimes and moving to my own domain -- none of the old URLs worked, so people had to find the material all over again.

In terms of site visibility, acquiring Low End Mac.com and Low End Mac.net was a good thing, as was moving to the infiniMedia Network in September. For the first time since leaving MacTimes, I would have ads on my site and be able to make some money. (I don't expect to ever see the money for my January through March stint with MacTimes. I then ran Low End Mac.com at my own expense until joining infiniMedia.)

Financially, it's the email lists and affiliate programs that kept Low End Mac (LEM) alive in 1999.

The big change in 1999 was people approaching me to write for LEM -- some new writers and some established writers. Having a group of regular writers provides a greater sense of community, a greater diversity of opinion.

Several years ago we did an assessment program called "Network" at church. Through it, I discovered that my real passion is creating communities, something I've been very successful at with the family of Low End Mac email lists. I'm trying to do the same with my writers: treat them with respect, let them set their own agenda and schedule, and send checks as finances allow. That's why it's nice to have ad income again -- I believe regular contributors deserve a regular reminder of their value to the site.

Q: What do your duties at Low End Mac include?

Everything except selling and running banner ads. I write. I edit everything my writers submit (with a light, respectful hand). I design. I run my own mail and list servers. But I leave selling banner ads to those who have the time and patience to sell and collect -- that's worth giving up a large percentage of potential site income, since LEM remains a part-time hobby site.

Q: What kind of computer setup do you have?

We have maybe two dozen Macs in the house. Some don't work, some might, and some are sitting aside waiting for my new office. My key computers are a SuperMac J700, which is my mail and list server, and a SuperMac S900, which is my working machine.

My current setup includes a 19" monitor, 96 MB of memory, a newer Tech G3/250 card (how low end!), a 15.2 GB UltraATA drive with TurboMAX card, the stock 2.1 GB drive that came with the computer, an ixMicro Ultimate REZ video card, a Macally USB card, a Microspeed keyboard, a Contour

UniMouse, a Pertek USB hub, an Agfa SnapScan 310 (bought at $149 for the bundled full version of Photoshop 4), a Zip drive, and a Canon MultiPASS C635 color printer/copier/fax machine.

My wife shares my computer until her business can afford an iBook. My kids all have Power Mac 6100 setups, except for the oldest who also has a SuperMac S900. All are networked together and share an internet connection via IPNetRouter on a Centris 660av and an ISDN connection. ISDN is expensive, but I hear AT&T cable service is coming to town soon.

Q: Your first Mac?

My first Mac was a Mac Plus that cost me income tax. I "earned" it during an Apple holiday sales program, along with a black Apple-branded carry case. Over time I added an external floppy, a fast 40 MB hard drive, boosted memory to 4 MB, and had a Brainstorm 16 MHz accelerator installed. Last I heard, the computer remains in use by its third owner somewhere in Ontario.

Q: Do very many other people help out with Low End Mac?

I now have four people writing the Mac Daniel advice column, nearly a dozen volunteers staffing the help desk (some overlap with Mac Daniel here), and five regular columnists.

Q: On average, how much time a day do you spend working on Low End Mac?

Too much and not enough, all at once. Probably three hours on average, which means I've given up a lot of television. However, with the other writers, I'm finding more time for my wife and sons. We're seeing more movies (loved Galaxy Quest!), renting more videos, and looking forward to Disney World in the coming weeks.

Q: What's your favorite part of working on Low End Mac?

The letters. "I just found your site. It inspired me to dust of the old (Mac Plus, Quadra 610, whatever) and get it running again. It's still fun to use." Then they go on to tell me how they've set it up for their kids, parents, friends, etc.

Macs have a useful life of about ten years (some would dispute that, since they're still using a Plus, SE, or Mac II). I'd say anything running a 25 MHz 68030 or faster can provide a good user experience -- best of all, when they find it too slow, upgrading to a Quadra or early Power Mac will blow them away at very little cost.

I do take the low end part of the name seriously. I've always lived with less computer budget than I'd like, so the advice I offer is usually tied to the cost/benefit ratio.

Q: Do you see Low End Mac ever becoming some sort of Mac portal? With the amount of articles and links on it everyday, it sure has turned into a place for users to start their surfing everyday.

I get a fair number of emails from people who make the LEM home page their startup page. I never intended that, but it is flattering.

In some ways LEM is a bit of a portal site. I've always had a policy of linking promiscuously. If you've written something good and it happens to be on another site, I may well link to it. And, with few exceptions, the sites I link to tend to feel the same way.

I guess these people like the type of links I choose and feel comfortable starting each day with the links I've picked. That's humbling.

Q: Can you give us any hints of surprises coming in Low End Mac's future?

I have a fourth Mac Daniel writer in the wings; we'll probably see his first piece later this month. I'm talking with a "retired" Mac webmaster who wants to write for publication but without the hassles of running a site, coordinating writers, and selling ads. (That's a common theme -- a lot of us don't care to sell ads. We'll gladly let someone else do that for us, sending us money after they collect it.)

I'm just completing a redesign of most of the site (now well over 1,000 pages), so don't anticipate any design changes in the near future.

If anything, my future plans include moving past the Macintosh, which remains simply the best tool for the job (Power Tools for Your Mind). I'd like to branch out, creating sites for digital cameras (DigiGraphica -- I have the domain, but need the time to develop it) and another where I can write DVD reviews.

Go ahead and give Low End Mac a visit... thanks for your time Dan!

© 1997-2002 MacMilitia.com, Contact Us
John Norton, Webmaster