The Pakistani Spectator

Q: Would you please tell us something about you and your site?
A: My name is Paul Eckstrom and I was born and raised (and still reside) in San Francisco’s Bay Area– more specifically, the area now known as Silicon Valley. I write a tech Tips &Tricks, Answers, & How-To weblog titled Tech–for Everyone, which I strive to make an excellent resource for answers to people’s tech questions.

I am a Certified Computer Repair Technician, and have been involved with computers since the very early days (I have an operating 486 machine running Windows 3.11, to give you an idea of just how long). I am what is often referred to as a “computer geek”.

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

A: Writing is a  craft, and like any other creative process, I truly believe that the more you practice at it, the “better” you become. I started writing Tech–for Everyone a little over a year ago now, and publish it six days a week — over 300 articles so far — so I have had a lot of practice!

I take my writing very seriously, and treat it as if it were a job. I cannot say that I would have started blogging if I truly knew how much time and energy it required (sometimes, ignorance is bliss) but I can say the process has been an education, and a ‘growing’ experience.
Because of my writing, I have made friends, and learned about aspects of Web 2.0, that I wouldn’t have otherwise.. and having to come up with a topic everyday prevents me from being stagnant in my thinking and education: it forces me to keep abreast of tech-related news, and aware of trends and innovations. Could I be taken seriously if I didn’t know all about Vista Service Pack 1, for example? All this keeps me learning, and “involved”.. and I think that’s important for all of us. Hopeful my craft improves over time as a result.
I very much enjoy working with computers and I (mostly) enjoy writing, and so you could say writing about Tech was a “natural” for me.
Q: What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?

A: Some bloggers can– and do — take an active role in politics, reporting events that might otherwise be censored by governments, promoting global charities, and in other ways help share/spread information that can lead to greater understanding amongst peoples. I do not. My site is simply about technology, and how to use it.

However, if you read it frequently, you might find that I am “regular guy”, and that I’m friendly and helpful.. and that even though I’m an American, you might even feel comfortable inviting me into your home or having me as a neighbor. You might see that all Americans are not racist Imperialists (I don’t even know any racist Imperialists.. and I don’t think I’ve ever bumped into any at the market..) or raving lunatics or money-obsessed (my blog has no advertising) or whatever.
Blogs allow us to see what other people (in other locations/countries) are like, and allows  all people a forum for them to tell us what life in their area is like. This, in turn, allows different people to find commonalities.
Blogs allow us to join communities that exist only on the Internet, and the Internet doesn’t have a preferred religion, specific government, single language, form of currency, etc. that causes people to keep separate, and mistrusting of others– it does the opposite, it welcomes all.

The “world wide web” is showing us — like nothing before us in History ever has — that we ALL live on the same planet. We’re ALL neighbors. And we have more in common than we think.

I hope that answers that question.. It’s a good question.

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

A: People-based reporting of events– as opposed to “mainstream-media” reporting, or State-sponsored reporting.
Blogs are being read more for news and current events than newspapers are. Text messaging, and digital cameras in cell phones, allow actual witnesses to the event to “upload” to the Internet, and show us how things really looked… via such sites as YouTube, Twitter, and others.
We used to watch the CBS Evening News, and what we knew about the world came from them. Not anymore. Now we get the facts from Google search results.

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

A: I guess that depends on what you mean by “responsive”. There is such a thing as “too much information/too many choices”. Thanks to the Internet, mankind now has more information instantly available to him than ever before.. and this can be both a blessing and a curse. But, yes; I believe that we are now more aware of what is happening not only around us, but all around the globe and we (everyday people) can let our outrage be know quicker, louder, and in more places now.
Q: How can bloggers  benefit from blogs financially?
A: People can use their blogs to directly or indirectly promote their businesses (and/or goods and services) for profit, or use the blog format to actually conduct e-commerce.
* If you have sufficient numbers of visitors (and your Hosting service allows it) you can contact advertisement servers, such as Google’s AdSense, and have small ads presented on your site, which will earn a small commission when a viewer clicks on them.

* I have heard of bloggers who have received very lucrative job offers due to their writing.
* If you are a known expert in a certain field, or a kind of celebrity, you might make money writing articles for blogs, on a piecework basis.

The real truth is 99% (and up) of people who write blogs do not make a single pence for their effort.. even those who place many ads. There are a few blog sites that do make money.. and there are even some that make a decent amount of money, (mine isn’t one of them!) but I think you should blog because you are passionate about something, not for the not-terribly-realistic expectation of fiscal recompense. There are simply too many blogs competing for readers, and all of them got there ahead of you.
That said, I hope people prove me wrong!

Q: What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

A: My perception.. is of a place that is currently in a great deal of turmoil. Where life can be very dangerous. A place where the “new” is clashing with the “old ways”. I sincerely believe in Pakistan’s sovereignty and place among the Nations.

The Pakistanis I have met and/or talked with are generous and hard working.
Thanks to CNN, my perception of Pakistan includes a lot of violence, unrest, and clashes between its citizens (and between its citizens and outsiders) I wish that were not so (and I also understand that I am getting CNN’s view of things.. I have never visited Pakistan myself).
I perceive that life can be hard in Pakistan, and its people have faced, and overcome, many adversities.

Q: What is the future of blogging?
A: I have read statistics that say over 100,000 new blogs are created every month… and that most blogs “die” (go inactive) within a week. It is also a common ‘joke’ that most blogs have a readership of 1– the author. I think it’s true that the “fad” aspect of blogging has passed, for the most part. It’s just not “hip” and “trendy” to be blogger like it is to be an active member of Twitter or Facebook, as an example.

On the other hand, certain writers and blogs have been around long enough (and some have numbers that would impress a newspaper publisher) to have gained legitimacy, and have an equal standing in the galaxy of different information sources. Many journalists prefer the weblog today, and most (if not all) of the “old media” have online editions now.

So the blog is here to stay.
As for what the future holds.. I think people will always enjoy writing, and getting at least some of their information from the written word. But I predict that more video and voice will be used than it currently is, (video-blogs, or vlogs) for a more “multimedia” experience.
Thank you.

Last 5 posts by The Pakistani Spectator

• Interview with Blogger Tikun Olam - November 30th, 2008
• Interview with Blogger EngSpeak - November 29th, 2008
• Interview with Blogger Jeff Noble - November 26th, 2008
• Interview with Blogger Jan Marshall - November 24th, 2008
• Asif Zardari: ‘India & Pakistan Share Blood Ties’ - November 24th, 2008