10 Questions with Mike Rundle on Blogging
Well it’s that time again and today I will be posting the 2nd part of the interview with Mike Rundle. This time we focus on blogging in general and where he sees it headed. Like the last interview he did it provides some very useful information and is a great read. It looks like I am finally starting to really find my stride with these 10 questions segments.
What has changed since you started to blog?
Wow, what a question. So much has changed that it’s nearly impossible to outline the evolution, but I think the biggest change is the reception to weblogs and blogging from the mainstream media. I still chuckle a bit whenever I hear “what the bloggers think” on CNN or in the NY Times, just because I realize how hilarious that sentence must be to the anchors and reporters. They probably went to school for journalism or writing, and then they see these outspoken bloggers with 100,000 people reading their thoughts everyday. The fame must really get to them, because blogging is basically anonymous. How well do you really know the people you read everyday? The most popular blogger in the world might have dropped out of high school for all you know, because it doesn’t matter, credentials don’t really matter much in the weblog world. As long as you have intelligent things to say, an opinion that others might share, and a knack of showing charisma online, you could start a weblog and might just take down some major news organization. You never know.
Why do you think blogging is so disruptive?
Blogging is disruptive because it’s unregulated, and there’s no bona-fide reputation system. If ABC News starts telling lies in their broadcasts, they will get reprimanded by other major news organizations and their reputation will be gone. If a blogger starts saying things that are completely untrue, nothing will happen. In fact, it might even get them more traffic.
A blogger’s reputation is based on their readership and how many other people link back to them saying something positive. It’s a distributed reputation system that keeps the blog world in check, and because of this it’s extremely democratic and also extremely bothersome to the mainstream media. The MSM could broadcast something on Tuesday, and Wednesday morning 100 weblogs could have done their homework and figured out that what was said on Tuesday was false, providing evidence to this. This is what happened with Dan Rather at CBS — he slipped up for one second, and because weblog authors love to scrutinize the details, the situation blew up.
Where do you see blogging in 5 years?
It’s really difficult to say. Five years ago I didn’t know what a weblog was, so five years from now, I think it’s safe to say that the late majority and the laggards will now be familiar with blogs, while the early majority and the innovators will be utilizing them for bigger and better things. Right now, the knowledge of weblogs has only penetrated X percentage of the computer-using population, while in five years it will probably move to 1.5X. Of course, who really knows 
What is the most important aspect of a persons blog?
Weblogs, to me, are an extension of the feedback loop layer of the communication model. A weblog is essentially a one-to-many communicative medium where one author speaks to many readers. The most important part of blogging to me is the two-way communication aspect, namely, comments and reader feedback. Without opening blog entries up for comments I think the author is doing the medium a disservice.
When you read a blog what gets you to add it to your RSS feed and what gets you to not visit the site again?
I think the criteria that gets me to add a site to my feedreader are pretty nebulous, but I can say that it’s extremely difficult to get me to amend Bloglines with a new subscription. I am currently subscribed to 61 sites, but that number fluctuates weekly because normally when I add a new site I delete an existing site that wasn’t cutting the mustard. Reading weblogs consumes time out of my day, so I only keep ones in Bloglines that are actually adding value to the time I spend instead of just wasting time.
What blogs are you reading currently?
Well I read a lot of the normal design blogs: Airbag, Authentic Boredom, Asterisk, Whitespace, Subtraction, Signal vs. Noise, etc., mostly because the content is good, but also because I’m friends with the authors. I like keeping up-to-date with what my colleagues and friends in the industry are up to, just because the design industry is almost like a family. Keeping tabs on the work others do, patting people on the back for completed projects, reading about their design processes, they’re all very good things to do in my opinion.
Other blogs I read are more web business and investment related: TechCrunch, GigaOm, Niall Kennedy, Ventrepreneur Partners, Web 2.0 Explorer, A Venture Forth, Read/Write Web, etc. It’s no surprise that many of these weblogs are part of our 9rules Network (www.9rules.com). We have a great selection of the best blogs on any topic, so if you’re looking to add any new feeds, check there first
Blogging has become a powerhouse in the last 2 years why do you think that happened?
For the past few years, the web industry has really been doing well. New companies chock full of young people are springing up and putting out amazing work and software, and it seems as though everything is fresh and revitalized now. The exposure that web standards and blogging have gotten the past two years has really made an impact with a new generation of technologists; younger and brighter people are starting to blog and get in the web game much earlier, they’re putting out great content on a more regular basis, they’re extremely driven, and all of this is just leading our industry in the direction that we need to go.
People my age (22) and younger don’t really remember the dotcom crash as tangibly as 25-28 year olds since they had a big stake in the game and we were still in high school or middle school. A lot of my friends and I feel as though it’s time for us to make our mark on the industry, so we’re going like gangbusters to blog, design, code, and just put out amazing work 24/7. People aren’t really talking about the older technologists anymore, it’s all about the younger class, the faster and smarter class.
How long did it take you to build your base?
I started blogging in June 2003, but in August of that same year an article I wrote was picked up by all the major design figures of that time—Doug Bowman, Jeffrey Zeldman, Dave Shea, Dan Cederholm—so that started my 15 minute clock ticking. I’m still known for that article, but also for some of the work in my portfolio that’s won awards, and also 9rules has played a big part in building recognition.
Community involvement in a blog is key to its success how did you get your community involved in your blog?
I don’t think there’s a magic recipe for getting people to comment. Basically if somebody comments, it means that they took a few moments out of their day because they felt strongly about what you said and want to add their own two cents. If you write an entry that everybody agrees with, or that doesn’t ruffle any feathers, you probably won’t get as many comments as if you wrote a scathing review of a product everybody loves. Just like consumers don’t call up the number on the back of their ketchup bottle to tell somebody they loved the ketchup, no, they only call that number if they’re ticked off or the ketchup tasted funny. The same holds true with weblog comments.
What advice would you give someone who is just starting out blogging?
I’d give the same advice to anyone who’s starting out with anything — read as much as you can possibly read about that topic, and then participate as much as you can possibly participate. When I was starting out with my weblog, I’d leave comments on 30-40 different weblogs each day just so they’d get accustomed to seeing my name and URL. Face time builds recognition, so there’s nothing better than leaving a comment on every single entry one of your heroes has written. That will get you recognized pretty quickly.
Also, don’t be afraid to email people with a link to a particular entry you just wrote. If you think your article is worth somebody’s time to read, then let them know and they’ll probably read it. If it’s good they might even link to you. If it’s great, they might add you to their Bloglines account. If it’s astounding, they might know somebody who can give you six figures of angel money for your startup. You never know how far one email can get you. 