Interview with Blogger Kevin Palmer of Pointless Banter

By The Pakistani Spectator • Jul 13th, 2008 • Category: Interviews • No Responses

Pointless Banter (http://pointlessbanter) originally started as a comedy blog on the social networking site MySpace. Eventually the writer moved it off of MySpace to it’s own website where his irreverent humor could gain a wider audience. Updated five days a week pointlessbanter.net looks at the underbelly of pop culture and the life of the writers.

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

Well pointlessbanter.net has become one of the fastest growing comedy sites on the web. I actually don’t write any of it, I have a group of chimps that are shackled in the basement that crank out this stuff.

Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?

Without a doubt I can see a difference on how I wrote when I started four years ago versus how I write now. I still feel like I am far from being a good writer but mechanically I am improving.

I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?

I put out a book, landed a webtv show, and I was voted the number one blogger on MySpace while I was on there. But honestly the most memorable thing has been the fact that I got a message from the director Kevin Smith who gave me some compliments on my content.

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?

E-mail, twitter, and various social networking tools.

What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?

Barrak Obama has an entire social network setup. Personally I think what he has done with it will transform politics (especially grassroots movements) for years to come.

Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?

I think it leads to better organization, I don’t know if it makes people that much more responsive. I think people that are into politics are going to be into it and those that aren’t will still have a blind eye towards it.

What do you think sets Your site apart from others?

Consistency. I try and crank out funny material 5 days a week and I feel like I have been moderately successful while doing it.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?

Hard work, it impacts every single facet of my life.

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

Happiest would be me finishing my bachelors degree. I know it was something that made my family proud and it was something that took awhile to do because of me taking time off of school.
Gloomiest would have to be when I pooped my pants after eating a chimichanga before class. As an adult that is a pretty sad thing.

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?

Barcelona, Italy, and probably somewhere where I could golf a lot with my friends… so Scotland I guess.

What is your favorite book and why?

“A Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius” by David Eggers. I just really enjoy his writing style and I think he has had a great impact on the way I write.

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?

How they carry themselves.

Is there anyone from your past that once told you couldn’t write?
Nope but I was called a “depraved youth” at one point. So I feel like I am sticking it to that person whenever I have any success.

How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?

I personally have landed a lot of freelance and consulting from blogging. My ad revenue for my blog itself is enough to almost pay the rent but it isn’t anywhere near close to live off of.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?

I don’t know about that. It all depends on what you want to do with it. Blogging has led me into social media and my own business so I guess I approach it like anything else I do for work.

What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?

I think it already does. I think blogging puts out different points of view for people to understand.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers?

I don’t really have a top five. It depends on the subject and what I am in the mood for reading. I really dig thecdp.net, eve-101.com, and socialmediaexplorer.com.

Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?

I have written some things that have made the front page of digg.

http://pointlessbanter.net/2008/05/20/generation-y-has-no-culture/
This was a satirical post that people took serious and it garnered a huge reaction.

What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

Um… That you and India don’t get along. Also it scares the shit out of me that your country is so unstable and has nuclear capabilities.

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?

I don’t know if I have found a blogger that really comes through as unique where my mind was blown.

What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country?

I would go with poverty levels and general standard of living.

What is the future of blogging?

I think it will decline at some point… I don’t know that it has peaked yet but the social web right now is a good platform for people to be discovered.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?

It has created an entire business for me, so professionally it has been really good. As far as personally… well a girl keyed my car after me writing about her. So um… I guess that kind of sucked.

What are your future plans?

Well I am on the verge of turning my site into a multi-author blog and about to start work on a new social media blog. I miss writing about serious stuff so I am looking forward to getting that going.

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?

Come by and check out my site. I mean I might be banned in your country before too long. Qatar already has it in for me.