twist of fait accomplis

interviewer: Ok, so I'm new to this whole blogging business...how did you get into it?

lazeblogathon: The old story of "my friends were doing it."

lazeblogathon: Actually only one friend at the time was (Paul at phonezilla.net).

lazeblogathon: I've had a web site since 1994 and it's gone through many iterations, but around 1999 or so, I wasn't keeping it very frequently updated.

interviewer: Cool. And it was just a way of keeping up with friends who weren't around the corner?

lazeblogathon: Sorta'.

lazeblogathon: I've always been interested in the new subcultures that pop up on the Net, and this seemed like one that was worth exploring. It just gave me a new medium to communicate and be creative.

interviewer: What kind of people have been keeping up with your blog? Friends, strangers?

lazeblogathon: It started mainly with friends, but then as I started reading (and linking to) more blogs, more people that I never knew started checking in. One of the greatest thrills is seeing a comment on my blog from someone I've never heard of before in my life.

interviewer: I've been doing a little research into how people use blogs...there are a lot of people who see it as a sort of channel for "grass roots digital activism" or a way of challenging the way media tends to just hand us news and say "hey, this is important because we say it is" - but most people I've noticed take a much more personal approach to it. Any thoughts on that long winded statement I just made?

lazeblogathon: The blog format is so versatile and lends itself to so many different types of communication -- from "this is what I ate for lunch" to punditry to activism to corporate business -- that it really is one of the most important ideas to come to the web since the web's inception.

lazeblogathon: It's a great place for journalists to explore new ideas and make opinions heard that might not be as welcome in a (supposedly) no-bias newspaper.

lazeblogathon: But it's also a great place for someone with a passion to keep themselves informed while keeping others informed (that's what I do with the Veg Blog -- it keeps me on top of things while I try to keep others aware of recent news, etc.)

interviewer: what do you think of companies like apple who are consistently trying to squash out blogs that post info about their products/company that they don't want out there?

lazeblogathon: It's a waste of time. Trying to silence your user base's opinion -- especially when it's as active and obessive a user base as Apple's -- can do nothing but hurt you. It makes it look like you, as a company, don't give a flying fig about the people you're selling to.

lazeblogathon: It's an RIAA-type move: they don't seem willing to accept new ideas, and Apple (of all tech companies) should be encouraging that type of thing.

interviewer: how long have you been actively blogging?

lazeblogathon: Actively, just a few days over two years.

lazeblogathon: I had a kinda-sorta-blog on laze.pitas.com a few months before that, but I don't really count it.

interviewer: what would be your definition of a blog?

lazeblogathon: A frequently updated journal of personal thoughts, opinions, or items of interest.

lazeblogathon: Or... an impromptu personal knowledge management system.

interviewer: hey, i like that last one!

lazeblogathon: That was inspired by Blogroots (an upcoming book on blogs -- chapter 8 was just posted online for free... a great read on the potential of business blogs).

interviewer: i saw your post about that...i'll be curious to read the book when it comes out. seems like there's been a lot of press in the big papers lately about blogs, particularly within businesses...

lazeblogathon: Yeah... it seemed to come all at once...

interviewer: so even though thousands of new blogs appear daily, it still feels like there's a network of close knit communities. do you have a circle of bloggers that you keep in touch with? must be a way to really meet some random people from all over the world!

lazeblogathon: Yeah -- I have a series of maybe 20 blogs I read every day (and most read mine as well).

lazeblogathon: It's amazing how many people have such interesting things to say...

lazeblogathon: Out of those 20, less than half of them are people I knew in "real life" first.

lazeblogathon: And my mom reads my blog.

interviewer: wow. so do mostly check in to see what people have been up to or what news stories they've stumbled across that they've found interesting or...?

lazeblogathon: With my real-life friends, I like to keep up with what they're doing...

lazeblogathon: with the people I don't know otherwise, I feel like I get to know them better over time.

lazeblogathon: A lot of it's about entertainment...

lazeblogathon: I don't keep up with all that many issue-oriented blogs, really.

interviewer: what are some of the blogs that you've come across that really have stuck out in your mind as the best written/weirdest/funniest...

lazeblogathon: Best written: Dollarshort.org, especially early on. Funniest: Mecawilson.com (his early entries are some of the crudest, funniest stuff I've ever read online) and Poofle.com.

lazeblogathon: Paul's blog is also very high up on the list.

interviewer: how'd you get involved with the blogathon?

lazeblogathon: Actually, Paul mentioned it. He had a joint blog with Cat (the founder).

lazeblogathon: Last year was the first year it was a public thing. I joined up because I liked the idea of doing something for charity, especially something unique like this. Like a marathon but with no physical exertion required.

interviewer: 24 hours is a long time to be glued to the computer...how'd you get through the last few wee hours last year?

lazeblogathon: Eh, 24 hours is nothing. :)

lazeblogathon: I mainly just kept busy cleaning, chatting, baking, etc...

lazeblogathon: No major caffeiene needed or anything.

03:16 AM

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