Bloggasm

For today’s interview, I questioned Rebecca Blood, from What’s in Rebecca’s Pocket?.

Simon Owens: The concept of the 2004 election being stolen keeps coming back into the debate, and has reared around again with the new Rolling Stone article, and yet most the media refuses to pick up the story. Do you think anything will ever come to light on this matter?

Rebecca Blood: It’s impossible for me to say. Even if there was criminal wrongdoing, there is a strong incentive on the part of the public to want to believe in the system, so it would take strong evidence combined with a concerted effort on the part of the press to really get the attention of the public. It will depend on the evidence itself, the determination of the press to discover the facts, and what else is happening in the world. Dramatic new events can easily overshadow older news.

Simon Owens: With the recent lobbyist scandals and the Kenneth Lay verdict dominating the news do you think these are prime examples of the imbalance of power where money is concerned? What are some methods that those in poverty should take on in order to have an influence on politics?

Rebecca Blood: From time immemorial, some people have been responsible stewards of money/power, and others have abused their position. In the US, we are fortunate to live in a system that is designed for easy, regular regime change. Those of us without money/power can do three things: inform ourselves, think critically about the news we read–everyone has an agenda, whether or not they are calling the shots–and vote.

Simon Owens: Your interests seem to be more scattered than most weblogs, which try generally try to focus on a niche. Do you find that this helps you in finding new readers?

Rebecca Blood: I think it actually works against me. I have such a broad range of interests that very few people are likely to share them all. Some people just don’t feel they have time for information that isn’t targeted directly at what they want to know. Many of my readers seem to visit my site every few days. I’ll bet lots of my readers just scan the site for the kind of thing they are interested in and ignore the rest.

Simon Owens: As someone who blogs as an Amazon Associate, do you find that this is an effective way to make money while blogging?

Rebecca Blood: I suppose I make about $30-50 a month in affiliate fees, enough to pay to host my site ($12/month), and maybe pizza. I’m just happy to have a hobby that pays for itself.

Simon Owens: Do you find most the things you link to in your blog from other blogs, or is there another source you turn to?

Rebecca Blood: I get a lot of my links via other blogs, but of course I read newspapers myself, too. Sometimes I find interesting sites and articles while I’m researching a topic unrelated to my blog. So it varies from day to day.

Simon Owens: What are the five blogs you’d recommend to supplement the reading of your own?

Rebecca Blood: Dangerousmeta
Robot Wisdom
43 Folders
Fragments from Floyd
Dooce