Interview with Blogger Bobby G

By The Pakistani Spectator • Aug 10th, 2008 • Category: Interviews • No Responses

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?

My name is Bobby G, and I’m an 18 year old Sixth Former from Gloucestershire in the UK. My site was originally created as part of a Media Studies project, hence the title, “Bobby’s media studies blog”. The content originally consisted mainly of observations regarding the media and media studies revision, but has since diversified.

Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?
Probably. I think the more anyone writes, the more confident they become in their writing; I think that my later posts are more mature and intelligent than my earlier ones, for example. That’s an important skill to learn, and I hope to continue to grow as I write!

I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?
The most memorable thing about blogging is the readers. Seeing comments on my blog for the first time, and realising that people were interested in what I was saying and wanted to give their views on the subject was a very rewarding experience. I especially like seeing media studies student’s comments about how posts were helpful or interesting. It’s a great feeling, knowing that people are reading your blog and finding it helpful. One interesting experience was when I received a comment which purported to be from a fairly well-known children’s author whose work I had blogged about; I have no idea whether the comment was genuine, but it was certainly plausible. I may never know!

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?
I think the most important thing is to always respond to comments. I try to respond to every comment I receive as best I can. I think if people take the time to comment on my blog, responding is the least I can do.

What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?
Honestly, I’m not altogether impressed with the use of technology by politicians. Very few use the Internet or similar technologies to their full potential. The most exciting thing in politics to come out of new technology, in my opinion, is the way in which the Internet allows people of all political ideologies and cultures to express their views.

Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?
Most definitely. You very often see bloggers giving their two cents on the latest issues. News sites such as the BBC also sometimes enable people to have their say on the events they report. It’s interesting to see the range of opinions people express.

What do you think sets Your site apart from others?
Frankly, I’m not sure there’s anything that does. It’s very much my site, and it’s unique in the same way that any other personal blog is unique. I guess people must like it, because people read it. I try to keep it welcoming.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?
Perseverence, I suppose. Once I’ve set my mind to do something, I keep going until I’ve done it right. The problem is motivating myself in the first place. I think it’s too soon to make any statements as to whether I’ve been successful in life, though.

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?
No idea what the happiest moment was. The darkest period of my life was when my best friend died a couple of years back. That’s when I was closest to despair. For some reason, happy memories never seem to stick in my mind so firmly as sad ones. If only that were not the case!

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?
Australia, Italy and the USA.

What is your favorite book and why?
I find it impossible to pick one book and say that it’s my favourite. One book I read fairly recently was Pat Barker’s The Ghost Road, which I found to be very moving and thought provoking. However, the books I enjoy the most tend to be pure fantasy, with favourites including J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?
Hard to say. Possibly it’s the tone of voice, which can tell you a lot about a person’s attitude and personality.

Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t write?
No, quite the opposite in fact: my parents and school teachers were always very supporting and encouraged me to write regularly. I have been told that my handwriting is terrible, although supposedly I have a nice signature!

How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?
I don’t have any experience of that personally, since my blog is non-commercial. To my knowledge, the easiest way to make a profit online is to find something people are interested in, write about it, and run ads. I think it’s very rarely that anyone makes a significant profit that way though.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?
Not necessarily. There’s probably a grain of truth there, since blogs that update regularly tend to get more views, but many of these bloggers actually lead fairly busy lives offline.

What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?
I think blogging, and the Internet in general, removes a lot of the usual communication barriers. We are all equal online, and when bloggers of many nationalities and political ideologies and religious views come together and treat one another with respect, I think that is a thing of beauty.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers?
I don’t really have a top five. Off the top of my head, though, http://museditions.wordpress.com/ , http://sulz.wordpress.com/ , http://gentledove.wordpress.com/ , http://cjwriter.com/ and http://willrhodesportmanteau.com/ are all blogs I enjoy reading, and I have a lot of respect for the authors of them.

Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?
Not really. I have noticed that personal posts tend to draw more interest than general ones, at least in the short term. In terms of overall hits, though, I think my most popular post has been a glossary I wrote of media studies terminology, which gets a lot of views, particularly during exam months!

What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?
I’m afraid I don’t know a lot about them. I believe it’s a very religious country. Never having met anyone from Pakistan face to face, I haven’t really formed a perception of how Pakistani people are supposed to be.

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?
Not really. I find http://raincoaster.com/ rather overwhelming at times, but in a good way.

What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country?
I have lived in developed countries all my life, so I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer that question. I think all countries have their own distinct characteristics.

What is the future of blogging?
I think blogging is only going to get more popular as time goes on. The Internet is becoming available to more and more people worldwide, and it’s a great resource for people who are otherwise unable to make their voices heard. I can easily see it becoming a major means of long-distance communication. Maybe, in the not too distant future, the majority of the world’s online population will have blogs.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
Other than causing me to spend more of it online, I take it? Well, I don’t think it has had a huge impact on my personal life. I often find myself quite strongly influenced by things that I read on blogs (including comments left on my own blog), but I don’t know if it has directly affected my behaviour offline very often. As to my professional life, I don’t currently have a job and I’ve never worked full time anywhere, so that’s not really applicable.

What are your future plans?
I’m going to keep blogging, although my blog has lately been somewhat directionless after finishing my media course. I’ve recently began writing a story which I’ve been posting on my blog, chapter by chapter, which I’m planning to continue with.

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
Only to encourage them to take up blogging - even if you don’t think you’ll like it, give it a try; I was apprehensive at first, but it’s been a very worthwhile and enjoyable experience. Thank you very much for reading!