How long ago did you start blogging and why did you start blogging?

Four years ago, now. I was writing professionally, but wanted somewhere to publish my own stuff: ideas, notes, whatever. Cory Doctorow calls the blog an ‘outboard brain’. I wanted one of those. Also, I was a technology journalist at the time, and blogging was the Next Big Thing. I guess there was a professional interest too.

What make a person’s blog a good read in your mind?

Good writing, interesting things to say, good links. The usual stuff, I guess. It’s rather like asking what makes a book a good read: it varies, naturally.

What is on your current blog reading list?

A whole mix of things at the moment, from Andrew Brown to Ben Saunders, and over to Ben Goldacre

Why do you think Blogging is so disruptive?

Well, the very low barrier to entry is the obvious answer, and the way the weblog form is, both technically and socially, perfectly adapted to the web. But I’m not sure we’ve seen whether blogging is truly disruptive as yet. Not in the same way as, say, spreadsheets were.

How long did it take you to build your base? And how did you build your base?

I’m not sure I have a base, to be honest.

Where do you see blogging in say 5 or 10 years?

Same old nonsense, really. People stay pretty much the same, and blogs are, at heart, just people.

How do you think Blog Networks will affect blogging in general?

I don’t think they will at all. In just the same way as Time Magazine doesn’t effect the way I write my diary. If you’re interested in making some money doing extremely-short-form freelance journalism, Blog Networks, are the way to go. But will they have any effect on blogging in general? Nah.

How do you think will blogging affect what people consider ‘Mainstream Media’ in the next 5 year?

The one big change blogging has made for Mainstream Media is the sudden availability of cheap, powerful, content management systems. I do a lot of work for Big Media organisations, working with them to use blogging tools to produce their sites, and it’s certainly transforming the way we work internally. Will blogging kill the old media? No, it will actually make it stronger. Or at least, make those who embrace the ideas and techniques. It’s an evolution, and many Mainstream Media companies are very well placed indeed to take advantage of it.

What has changed since you started blogging?

Pretty much everything, but then again nothing. Flickr and Del.icio.us are the two standouts, though. I think they’re by far the two biggest things to hit blogging, as such. It’ll be hard (and fun) to replicate their success.