10 questions with Jeff Clavier
Today I am pleased to bring another 10 questions segment and today we have Jeff Clavier on the hot seat. Mr. Clavier is the maintainer of Software Only and a venture consultant.
How long ago did you start blogging and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging the day before BlogOn 2004. I had been tinkering with blogging platforms for a while, but never found the motivation to jump in. Then, seeing that I was about to speak at a premier blogging conference without having a blog myself, I deciced to go for it. As to why, I have been interested in Social Media, Social Networking, Communities for a while and it became clear to me that if I wanted to understand the medium, the tools and the impact of that conversation, I had to engage – which meant reading, commenting, tagging and publishing. And now that I see the positive impact of my blogging on my business, I am continuing… time permitting.
What make a person’s blog a good read in your mind?
Someone whose writing is engaging, sharp, “efficiently” expressing ideas (i.e not dabbling) and contributing something even when he/she only comments upon an already covered topic.
What is on your current blog reading list?
I have 250 feeds in my blogroll. My must reads these days are the Web 2.0 and Search related blogs: TechCrunch/CrunchNotes, Read/Write Web, GigaOm, John Battelle’s SearchBlog, and the ever expanding list of VC bloggers.
Why do you think Blogging is so disruptive?
Because of the power of the network: TechCrunch has grown to be the powerhouse in the Web 2.0 space in six months, just because a few of us linked to it at the beginning. And as long as your writing/content is interesting and of value to your audience, you will pick up new subscribers and you will build a personal brand.
How long did it take you to build your base? And how did you build your base?
I have seriously been blogging since early 2005 and this is when my readership and links have started growing. But it is really in the past 3/4 months that I have started to be referenced by high trafficked bloggers and journalists on a regular basis that things have taken off. For example, I was far from making the Feedster 500 in August, and I am 394 in the most recent one.
Where do you see blogging in say 5 or 10 years?
The concept of personal expression, and identity, through a blog or a set of blogs is going to further develop into personal shelf spaces – aggregating photos, videos, calendars, essays, wine cellar, etc. Busines-related content will also be published on these platforms, and will be syndicated, aggregated, repurposed and delivered to the relevant audience/format/device.
How do you think Blog Networks will affect blogging in general?
They provide both context and distribution, as well as a tight community amongst writers in some cases. For example, the Web 2.0 Workgroup is made up of 20 blogs related to the topic, written by individuals from different backgrounds and perspectives – which makes the aggregated content quite interesting. On the other side, you have blog networks that are created solely to federate advertising sales, loosely aggregating bloggers around large themes.
How do you think will blogging affect what people consider ‘Mainstream Media’ in the next 5 year?
We are already seeing the effect on the MSM ecosystem: journalists using blogging, podcasting, videoblogging as complementary channels for their content; readers engaging and commenting either directly or through tools like blog/feed search engines or conversational tracking tools like Memeorandum or TailRank. We’re also seeing mainstream media quoting and linking blogs as authoritative sources.
What has changed since you started blogging?
I sleep much less than I used to. I feel more informed because of all the smart people I read. And sometimes people come to me in unexpected places telling me that they read my blog.
Is there anything else you would like to share that I didn’t cover in this interview?
Read, Engage, Publish – is just what it takes.