Interview with Top Blogger Rebecca Blood

Rebecca Blood, author of The Weblog Handbook: Practical Advice on Creating and Maintaining Your Blog considers herself a "blogging pioneer" since the inception of her blog "Rebeccas Pocket" in April 1999. She speaks internationally on the subject of blogs and blogging and is considered one of the world fore-most authorities on the subject. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and recently shared her ideas on blogs and blogging with me.

Where do you think blogging will be in 10 years?

I think in 10 years blogging will so common it will be unremarkable. So many people will have them, and so many organizations will be using them internally and externally in effective ways that no one will notice them anymore.

What do you hope people take away from your blog?

Most of the time I just hope they leave my site with a bit of interesting information in their heads. Over time, I hope they feel that reading my site regularly makes them a little smarter. I hope that occasionally my site will inform them about an important issue, inspire them to make the world a better place, or move them to action.

Do you remember the first weblog you ever read?

The first weblog I ever saw was Scripting News (http:// www.scripting.com). Scripting News led me to Camworld (www.camworld.com) and Camworld led me to a dozen other sites.

Why did you start blogging?

Before I was on the Web, I used to sit in cafes with my friends, reading them bits of whatever interesting newspaper article was in front of me. After I got email, I would send my friends several links to news articles a day, with a line or two of my own commentary. Once I discovered weblogs, it was simply a matter of transferring that activity to the Web.

How has your blog changed since it's inception?

I am more inclined to mention aspects of my personal life now than I was at the beginning. The design has changed several times. My interests have probably shifted a bit over the years. I am more likely now to write longer posts than I was when I started. But on the whole, my approach and my interests have been fairly consistent.

How do you feel about tools like Technorati and Blogsplosion? Are there tools that you wish were available that are not? Which tools do you use?

I'm not really satisfied with any of the blog search tools that are available. None of them are very reliable. I'd like to see more effective tools for tracking user visits and behavior on blogs, and better tools for tracking the various connections between blogs.

Has your blog led to other opportunities?

My blog has led to speaking engagements, my book (I got an email out of the blue one day from a publisher, asking if I would be willing to write it), and my husband. Not bad for a little hobby website.

How long does it take to write an entry?

It depends on the entry. Sometimes just 10 minutes or so, sometimes a couple of hours. It depends on how much research I need to do, how long the entry itself is, and how easy or difficult it is to say what I want to say.

What was your most memorable entry?

This is a post from 2001 about the practice of embryo screening and why parents do it. Some to make sure their children are born healthy and some to try to heal other children born with incurable diseases. It then goes on to mention a woman, Joy Nightingale, born with locked-in syndrome: she cannot speak; she cannot control her movements. There is a quate from Ms. Nightengale from an AP article where she says "Some adults would kill me up until the day of my birth, some adults think I should be put down even though I am alive, well and kicking, some ... see me as someone who is being punished for wickedness in an earlier life, some people feel sorry for me. These people are unable to see past disability, see the whole of me. They ... fail to see the whole person is just the same as them." Do you ever get hate mail?

No. I have occasionally gotten a somewhat critical or unpleasant email, but no one who hates me bothers to write.

How often do you update?

I try to update Monday through Friday. When I'm very busy - writing, preparing a presentation, or working offline - or traveling - that can become difficult. Now that I'm using blog software, I often schedule entries ahead when I know I'm going to be in one of those periods.

What blogs do you read?

This is my current list: This is currently a gigantic list of more than just blogs. There are also information on blogs and blogging- what they are, when they started and how to make yours great.

I add to it frequently, and then from time to time I'll weed it down to a more manageable size. There is more good material on the Web than I have time to read, and more than that waiting to be discovered!