FAQs for Journalists

I’ve been interviewed a lot by journalists lately, and I’ve noticed that they ask a lot of questions that don’t tend to wind up in the final pieces. That’s probably evidence that they’re just not very interesting questions, but on the off chance that some people might be interested, here are some of them, with my answers:

How do you find time to do this?
Much of MAOS gets squeezed into the cracks of the day: with always-on Internet connections at home and at work, all I need is five or ten free minutes to come up with a post. There are a lot of wasted five-minute intervals in most people’s days. I’ve managed to put more of mine to work.

How does it feel to be a celebrity?
I’m not really a celebrity. Being a blogger celebrity is like being a champion beer can collector: you may be well-known within the group that cares about that stuff, but most people don’t know who you are. It’s nice, but it’s nothing to get a swelled head over.

What about your professional work? Do your colleagues like MAOS?
I try my best to separate work from play.

Do you think weblogs are having an impact on the mainstream media?
Yes. I get calls everyday from folks in the MSM asking me for help, reports, or intel.

Do you think weblogs will replace mainstream media?
Nope. But I think a much tighter merging of the medias will take place.

Do you think people will be able to make money from weblogs?
Absolutely. Look at the HuffPo.

But I think the bigger question is whether weblogs need for people to make money. I think the impulse among humans to share opinions is pretty well hardwired, meaning that as long as weblogs aren’t expensive, people will happily do it at a loss. Andrew Sullivan blogged himself out of a steady gig with the New York Times and I doubt that made sense economically.

What do you think will come next?
Fun is what this is all about. If I really wanted to make money, I’d go work for TMZ.com.

Will the blog bubble burst?
Sure. Just not anytime soon.

Will you miss the attention when it’s gone?
Maybe a little. But this is a hobby. I’ve got a life.