Interviewed!
2 Aug
[This is cross posted to Rudius Media]
Holy shit! I’ve been interviewed!
I’ve noticed that most people who comment on your blog entries tend to write something like “oh yeah I can totally relate, this is just like what happened to me”, before they go on to describe a similiar experience they had. I notice this happens a lot on Ryan’s blog, too. Maybe it’s a wider blog phenomenon, but it seems really concentrated on the Rudius sites. Does this kind of reaction to your writing bother you?
Not really. I’m usually so happy that people are reading and commenting that unless someone is obviously trolling, I’m happy that they’ve taken the time to hang out at my site. It’s not like I know my readers; they have no obligation to me to keep coming back and reading what I have to say. But they do, and that’s incredibly rewarding. That they then want to share their experiences is pretty cool.
There’s all these articles out there about narcissism, and about how blogging and Twitter and everything else is just an extension about how narcissistic we’ve gotten as a society. I’m sure there are elements of that out there, but for the most part, I think people blog and Twitter and share on flickr and goodreads and del.icio.us and messageboards because they’re looking for a connection with other people. I don’t see it as narcissism, but as us really trying to connect by saying “here’s what I’m about”, and seeing if that resonates with other people.
Yeah, the downside is that there are a lot of people blogging about their cats, but you know what? If that person has twelve readers, I bet there’s a cool little vibe happening where they all get to just geek out about their love of cats. It’s easy to shit all over that, but most people aren’t trying to do this for a living; they just want to find other people who share their hobbies and passions.
So if my writing connects with someone where they want to share their experiences back, I’m not sure how that could bother me.
Hit that link to see me sound smart. And a big thanks to Andrew for putting together a really well done interview.
Nice reading, man.
From reading your interview, it seems you’ve nailed the blogging/twitter issue on the head. Just glad others notice that its just not normally a “look at me” ploy. Great read, good interview, wish there was more to it though.
Thanks guys. What would you have asked Ben, Aeon? Do it here, and he might just answer..
Hey Andrew,
I’m happy to answer anything I can. Either asked here or in the comments on Andrew’s site.
Honestly, there’s many things that he could have asked, but after rereading the interview a second time, I hardly find anything I can think of to ask about. If anything, I’d feel like a schmuck asking a question like “What, in your past, do you believe has driven you to make some of these decisions?”. It just wouldn’t sound good at all. Well written and thought out interview. The only thing I can think of to ask is; What drives you today? What makes you want to get up, to continue on? Is it the adventure, or is it what the next step of the company may bring?
Thanks Aeon! I know what you mean. While reading Ben’s blog over the years, I dreamed up grand and impressive questions, yet when the time came to actually do it, the results were perhaps.. less impressive than what I’d imagined.
Oh well; it’s just a snapshot, to be used as bedrock upon which other interviewers can build on over time.