The ever-wonderful Neil from Citizen Of The Month came up with a fun game in which bloggers interview other bloggers:
The Great Interview Experiment!
I know, I know, we've all done memes in a similar fashion, but the fun part about THIS game is that most of us are interviewing/being interviewed by bloggers that we don't really know, as opposed to our friends & regular readers.
I've found an assload of groovy new-to-me blogs, so THANKS NEIL for that!
One of the excellent new blogs I've found is She Just Walks Around With It...who just happens to have drawn me to interview.
Poor thing.
I know. I'm a crappy interview subject, because when I TRY to be funny, it just never works.
So, sorry in advance.
Interview conducted by She Just Walks Around With It, in a top secret location.
1. Getting right into it -- blogger to blogger, what is your overall philosophy on mean commenters (or emailers) who feel the need to make personal judgments about you and your life choices? (I think a lot of bloggers, especially females, have this happen to them for various reasons.) Is it best to ignore them? To engage and argue with them? To call them out and publicly refute them? Or do you handle them on a case-by-case basis?
Funny you should ask, since this situation recently came up! Mostly I laugh it off or take the emails/comments with a grain of salt, since most of those people think they're just well-intentioned. Personally I handle it on a case-by-case basis; if someone is particularly offensive or stupid I'll call 'em out and make fun of them publicly on my blog. Why? Because I can. And they deserve it.
Sometimes my commenters and I disagree, but for the most part I'm lucky in that we can debate without the whole troll thingy, without name-calling and general ugliness.
Knock on wood, in three years I've probably only deleted two comments.
2. What type of blog or blogger do you just not "get"? Like, what kind of blog makes you go, "WHY is someone READING that?"
I'm interested in SO many types of blogs (although I prefer the personal ones that are funny and clever and interesting too)...the ones I don't GET usually contain a lot of misspellings and bad grammar, chat/textspeak, or stuff like "I ate three blueberries for dinner and then I went to bed, after brushing my teeth thoroughly and flossing."
*yaaaaaaaaawn*
I MUST BE ENTERTAINED! DANCE FOR ME!
3. What is the most inspiring aspect of blogging? In other words, why do you keep on doing it, even when it's hard or frustrating or time-consuming to maintain?
Tough question. I keep doing it because every time I think about quitting, somehow that's when my mind comes alive with ideas that I JUST HAVE TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE for their own good. My poor little space here has been sadly neglected of late, because I've used up all my good thoughts on Twitter. Plus also? I'd miss all of my friends too much if I quit blogging...so I guess THEY'RE the inspiration for my blog.
4. What subject/s (if any) are off-limits for blogging about? How come, and/or where do you draw the line?
For me? No subject is TOTALLY off limits. If I feel like bitching about how rotten my life has been lately, I do it (although I do try to limit THAT kind of thing because it annoys the hell out of me to read constant whining on other blogs. Yes, I am also a hypocrite). Back when I had some sort of social life, I blogged about my dates and boyfriends and yes, even The Ess Eee Ex. Unfortunately THAT hasn't been an issue (or inspiration) lately. *sigh*
I mostly stay away from politics and religion because they're such hot buttons, but I've been known to speak my mind on even those once in a while (only if I feel like I really know what I'm talking about though).
5. What or who inspired you to begin blogging in the first place? What was the first blog you ever read?
A few years ago I was struggling with anxiety and depression, and one of my online pals had a livejournal and she said it really helped her to be able to just let it all hang out. Hers was the first one I ever read--I hadn't even HEARD of it before that! I was all "Journaling? Blogging? Wha'?"
I tried it.
It DID make me feel better! Like keeping a diary only with people to say "I understand". Eventually I discovered blogger.com and moved over here...although I still keep my livejournal (though most of the posts are hidden these days).
6.Imagine you're at a small cocktail party and you only know a couple people in the room. You have just met a handful of strangers and chatted with them for a few minutes. What words would they use to describe you?
Well I HOPE that they would describe me as captivating, charming and the most beautiful creature on the earth.
But probably not. :)
Most likely they would say I was personable and funny and nice.
SHUT UP, I CAN DO IT WHEN I TRY. STOP ROLLING YOUR EYES.
7. Imagine someone is totally new to your blog and spends 15 minutes reading it. What words would s/he use to describe you?
I hope they'd notice that I'm a really good speller and mostly my grammar is good. :)
Probably they would use funny, bitchy, and...opinionated. And mood-swingy. Perhaps NUTSO or FREAK.
Of course, that all depends on what posts they happened to be reading.
(The point here is, is your in-person you the same as your online version? If so, how so? If not, why/how are you different?)
I've actually asked this question before, and I think my blog-self is pretty much like my real-self, except that I tend to put a lot more anger out here on the interwebs than I do in real life. Which is weird, because I'm a little meaner & grouchier here, but online people like me better.
That means YOU'RE the freaks!
8. Is there any person or persons who you really hope never read your blog? Is there anyone or anyones you hope DO?
I only have one "real-life" friend (who does not blog, btw, which is weird to me) who reads this blog. My family is completely uninterested in blogging and such, and while they know I HAVE a blog, they don't KNOW, you know? I probably wouldn't want them to read it, nor any of my other 'real-life' friends, because I prefer to keep it separate. Too much "closeness" is not good for me, it makes me jittery. Plus? Then I would censor myself far too often, and I'll be damned if I do that.
9. What has been the most surprising thing about blogging?
Oh, only EVERYTHING! I was surprised that anyone ever started reading my blog. I was surprised at the comments. I was surprised at the incredible love and support and friendships that have resulted. It's luverly, and now I can't live without it.
10. I don't know if you've seen the "100 things about me" that many bloggers do, but I think it'd be great if you ended this "interview" by listing 25 brief, fun facts about you that you bet your readers don't know and would totally get a kick out of learning. :)
AAAH! See, that's why I haven't done the "100 Things", because there just aren't that many interesting things about me. I'll do my best, and some of these will be be repeats for my friends who've been around a long time, but I'll try to think of some new stuff.
1. I hate going to sleep in a completely dark house. I often leave on a living room lamp or my tv. YES, I'M SCARED OF WHAT'S IN THE DARK AND SO WHAT OF IT?
2. My bugophobia is so severe that the thought of any part of any bug (including butterflies, gnats, and moths) touching my skin makes me nauseous.
3. However, earthworms and snakes and frogs and toads and such don't bother me at all.
4. I once dangled on the outside of a helicopter
5. Sometimes I pretend to agree just so people will shut the hell up.
6. I'm extremely, terribly shy.
7. I got my first job (which was waitressing) when I was thirteen.
8. When I was fifteen & a half I wrecked my mom's car when a bunny hopped across the gravel road and I slammed on the brakes & jerked the wheel to avoid it...and slid right into a ditch. Who knew gravel was sort of like ice that way?
9. I can change the oil in my car and also change the brake pads.
10. Even though #6, I still love to be the center of attention. I have no idea how that works.
11. I will not eat lunchmeat after it has been opened more than two days. It smells funny to me, even if it doesn't really smell funny.
12. I don't plan to ever get married again.
13. That does not cancel out my hope that I might get the opportunity to get married again.
14. I usually do not find myself very interesting at all.
15. I hope no-one noticed that I published this list WITHOUT number a #15, originally.
16. Every time I watch particular episodes of "Nova" or "Nature" on PBS, I wish I'd have studied marine biology.
17. I love PBS.
18. I made a perfect score on the English section of my ACT tests, allowing me to skip the first year course in college.
19. Didn't do NEARLY so well on the math section, though.
20. I do not go out of my way to avoid confrontation.
21. Once I coerced my daughter into taking a bite of a dog biscuit.
22. That still makes me laugh.
23. Which probably means I'm going to hell.
24. I love love love music in almost all its forms, but I cannot read a note nor play any instrument, including my voice (which is sucky).
25. I find people who think they're the only ones IN THE WHOLE WORLD who 'just can't be labeled' because they think they're so infinitely complex to be both extremely annoying and extremely amusing.
THE.END.
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