Obviously, my name is Wayne Smallman, I'm 32 years old and I'm from the county of Yorkshire, England. I'm a qualified industrial and product designer, but decided instead to become a graphic designer, and then latterly a web designer & developer. I've been running my own web design consultancy, Octane Interactive since June 1999. Let`s Start !
Euripidis: How old is your blog and why did you start it? Wayne Smallman: My 'blog started off originally as Blah, Blah! Speak Easy, which was a venue for me to vent, but with a slice of black humour, a splash of cynicism and a double measure of political incorrectness. I started Blah, Blah! Speak Easy in January 2005, but by March of that year, I started Blah, Blah! Technology, which seemed like a better avenue for me to pursue. I've always had a passion for technology, and given that Blah, Blah! Speak Easy was starting to get an audience, I wasn't sure how that might reflect on me personally or my business. So from there on in, Blah, Blah! Technology took over my 'blogging efforts.
Euripidis: Would you like to share your first post with us? URL please.
Wayne Smallman: Of course! Go first post here It's really very simple, nothing more than a welcome message.
Euripidis: What kind of people read your blog and who should read it?
Wayne Smallman: I tend not to get too many comments, other than from people complimenting me on my views. So there's no real discussion going on for me to figure out who my readership really are. However, I imagine my readership is the kind of person who's more interested in the story behind the news. The hidden dialogue, the politics, the social angle and how technology can change peoples' lives for better or for the worse.
Euripidis: How are their reactions?
Wayne Smallman: As I mention, it's typically praise. However, there have been notable exceptions from people who are wedded to a particular company, brand, software package et cetera, who would prefer me not to tell things as they are, but to provide a commentary more akin to something likely to satisfy their sensibilities. I think the reason that my articles don't attract too many comments is because they're complete, in the sense that my writing style sort of closes the topic down in a very final way. So the stuff I write becomes very linkable, but not an avenue for a dialogue with my readership, which is unfortunate.
Euripidis: Is there anything you ever wanted to post but didn´t post for some reason?
Wayne Smallman: Yes, and quite recently. I'd still rather not disclose the actual subject, because the person in question is known for her litigious response to even the slightest criticisms. And given that I don't have vast reserves of money to fight off such legal spats, It's a better policy to keep a dignified silence.
Euripidis: Are there any topics you wouldn´t write about?
Wayne Smallman: It's best to instead address the topics I do write about. From that, you can simply label everything beyond those topics and being, well .. off-topic! So the topics are ostensibly technology based, covering software, hardware, science, socio-technological issues, typically with a political slant, and by political, I mean that in a very broad sense. I'm not one for the echo chamber, so I won't just regurgitate what's already out there, unless I can add value to the story. For example, I had an article which highlighted 15 things about Adobe Apollo which at the time had seen little coverage. This one article has driven some serious traffic to my 'blog since I wrote it in January. But when Adobe released a beta version of Apollo, I remained silent. That to me isn't news, it's an inevitability, the domain of press releases and nothing more.
Euripidis: What do you like most on blogging?
Wayne Smallman: Communication, participation on different projects, ... My writings are an artifact of how my mind works.I see tenuous associations between technologies, and I then imagine "what if?" So for me to commit these ideas to the web, and then be right afterwards brings its own reward. No, it's not about ego, it's about exploring concepts and seeing great stuff thrive, and not-so-great stuff die. There have been some great technologies over the years, most of which worked fine in a lab, or on paper, but went crazy the moment the human variable was added into the equation. That to me is what makes technology truly interesting.
Euripidis: How many blogs do you have currently in your reader?
Wayne Smallman: You mean my RSS reader? I use Firefox and I've got nearly a hundred, maybe more. Who knows? I used to read every day, but I don't have the time any more. So now I save my reading for weekend and then write articles based on what I've read.
Euripidis: What do you think is the difference between bloggers and journalists?
Wayne Smallman: Less and less these days.OK, that was naughty!Seriously though, the difference is about 4 years of college education and the sense to proof read their missives. OK, OK, that last part was naughty, too. But true, I think you'll find .. well, for the most part, anyway! Good 'bloggers are journalists at heart. They know how to articulate their thoughts into words, and have a passion for presenting difficult, maybe technical, sometimes quite dry subject matters in engaging and informative ways. And finally, an eye for a good story and the guile to write a compelling title to draw people in.
Euripidis: If you could choose one blogger who writes about you who would it be? Robert X.
Wayne Smallman: Cringely.Probably not so much a 'blogger, but he'd certainly do his best to make me sound more interesting than I actually am.
Euripidis: Do you use any toolbars?
Wayne Smallman: Which ones and why? I'm currently using Firefox, and I have the official Yahoo! Del.icio.us Add-On installed, which provides a wealth of options for bookmarks, searching, grouping tags et cetera. Also, I have Web Developer (for web development, surprisingly enough) and Google Browser Sync (for synchronizing my stuff between more than one copy of Firefox,) which I would highly recommend.
Euripidis: Do you want to say something to other bloggers?
Wayne Smallman: I suppose it's a question of which 'bloggers I'd like to say something to. The hallmarks of any good 'blogger (which might not necessarily mean a successful 'blogger) is good quality content, the staying power to keep 'blogging and the sense to be social and engage with your audience. Also, while it's not mandatory, having the one topic and sticking to it is a good policy. There are those 'bloggers that just ramble on about personal stuff, but they're usually observational humorists, and they know how to 'dress up' their lives and make people laugh with them. To make a 'blog successful, it's a requirement to know as much as possible about Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing, both of which will put any would-be 'blogger in good.
Wayne Smallman´s Page: www.blahblahtech.com
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