Ten Questions with Damien of Postcards From the Funny Farm

1. Describe your blog in five sentences or less.
My blog is part journal about my impressions of life and part photos, links, quotes, and stuff I run across everyday. It’s an ongoing art project. I see myself as a blog artist and I have some good artists on my blogroll that I read every day. I write about stuff i think is funny, touching, and cool. People drive my blog both in the subjects and in my readership.

2. Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are.
Driving by Houses of My Youth

3. What sets you apart from other bloggers?
I’m a teacher/writer/musician who is fascinated with people. I record my life on my blog somewhat from a voyeur perspective. By that, I mean: I study people in all their walks, shapes, and sizes. I write often on ”inspiration.” When I seek out blogs to read, I look to be entertained but I also tap into the inspiration of people going through the sludge of life.

The good ones find the humor and light in it all. I try to be like that. I also study the blog culture and post information relating to technology and trends that apply. I guess I am most unlike other bloggers in how I am constantly trying to be different from the crowd in my blog content and appearance.

4. When and how did you first discover blogging?
I tried blogging a couple years ago, but I didn’t really understand what it was until December of 2006 when I was sitting home on a break and started exploring Technorati. I started a self-hosted WordPress blog and started writing my heart out. I haven’t stopped since! The neatest thing at first were the comments.

5. What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?
I will take a lot of flack for this BUT, though I read them I cannot stand the blogspot.com service or the interface. Google has really dropped the ball there. I hope to see it turn more like WordPress in future revisions. Besides that major pet peeve, I suppose I am irked by people who have ads on their site when you know they are getting no traffic. Why clutter your presentation? I don’t get it.

6. Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.
Subscribe to Comments is a must.

7. If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog, who would it be and why?
Lorelle van Fossen. She has an amazing sensibility for balancing technology with effective writing skills. She is someone who sees the blog culture as a connective tool more than simply a ”make money online” tool, and she is monster popular with people in the hobby/trade. She’s got a great sense of humor too!

8. How has blogging made you a better person?
Looking at myself in print helps he see the good, the bad, and the ugly and adjust my image each post to suit. It’s given me self-esteem in and offline because I get reinforcement through friends who comment. A better writer is a better person, and the blog has made me that without a doubt.

9. What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?
Everyone wants to be into everything at the beginning. Force your focus onto one thing like, for example: Write a 3 paragraph post every day. -OR- Take a picture once or twice a week and write a narrative to go with it. When you have these goals and you are regular at them, you will understand and discover the many tools available to bloggers. If you have no ”center” of focus however, you’ll get overwhelmed and these tools won’t really help you much. In a word: Don’t blog until you’re focused on a simple goal. In time that will get more complex.

10. Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?
DerekSemmler.com - Derek is a guy I have watched grow with his blog to the point to where now he is interviewing huge names in the hobby/trade. For example, yesterday he posted an interview with Darren Rowse of Problogger. Derek takes the time to answer all the comments I leave at his site and he takes care in choosing topics that stimulate readers and keep them coming back. He is very concerned with his readers’ opinions and regularly asks their input through contests in order to keep his blog relevant. While his blog is a bit different than mine in intent (mine is more of a free form ”anything goes” personal journal) I go back to his blog daily to see what’s up because I am always curious.

Categories: Humor, Personal, Ten Questions