the writing and photography of Neil Kramer

Tag: blogger

The Great Interview Experiment – Week 2

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Welcome to the second week of completed GIE interviews!

Do we we learn anything new about our community this week by reading about their lives and dreams?

Absolutely! The blogging community is comprised of a bunch of weirdos! Well, not all of them, but clearly bloggers are an odd bunch if characters, mismatched in the same way that the A-Team was hobbled together as an elite military team.

But as with the A-Team, bloggers are somehow able to work through their individual biases in order to solve each case and stop the bad guys.

What specifically did we learn this week? Well, we learned that:

Ann from “Ann’s Rants” is a perfectionist in her writing.
Jayne interviews Ann

Sarah from “Sarah and the Goon Squad” can use the HOV lane because she has twins!
Natalie interviews Sarah

Danielle from “Knotty Yarn” hopes to one day meet her biological father.
Girl Vaughn interviews Danielle

Christine of “Flutter” is turned on by a Scottish accent.
Danielle of Knotty Yarn interviews Christine

Modernemama lives in a house designed by Andrew Geller
Ozma interviews modernemama

Avitable pees in his pants.
Rimarama interviews Avitable

LZ from “Messy Paradise” finds it difficult to quit drinking coffee.
Voix de Michele interviews LZ

Danny of “Jew Eat Yet” once got a letter back from Roald Dahl!
NeCole interviews Danny

The Princess of the Universe likes to re-create cakes from photos.
Abigail Road interviews the Princesess of the Universe

Veach of “Snapperhead” creates kaleidoscope-type visual renderings.
Multi-Tasking Mom interviews Veach

-R-‘s prize possession is a quilt his grandmother made.
Magpie interviews -R-

Wench sees her namesake as a positive badge of honor.
Tiny Mantras interviews Wench

Tiny Mantras attends a Tibetan Buddhist temple.
Princess of the Universe interviews Tiny Mantras

Nat from “Nat’s Brain” ran in a 200 mile relay race.
Modernemama interviews Nat

Natalie of “The Bobby Pin” hopes to have an MBA in five years.
Average Jane interviews Natalie

Marcy of “the Glamorous Life Association” was the teacher’s pet in school.
Poolhall Ace interviews Marcy

Erika of Dryink is passionate about children’s books.
The Fabricated Goddess interviews Erika

Zeptimius Hedrapor adores the early 20th century American comic Krazy Kat.
Anna at ABDPBT interviews Zeptimius Hedrapor

Tatiana’s favorite museum is the National Geographic Museum in D.C.
MamaKaren interviews Tatiana

Blaiser’s number one influence on his sense of humor is his father.
Kelly interviews Blaiser

Lesley of Peregrinations enjoys photographing old, rusty dilapidated things.
Blaiser interviews Lesley

Anna of ABDPBT sees the importance in being a muckraker online.
Marinka interviews Anna

Also, as many of you know, a fellow personal blogger, Anissa Mayhew, a 35 year old mother of three, had a stroke this week and is still in the hospital. She has many friends online. During the last Great Interview Experiment in 2008, Anissa was interviewed by Fear and Parenting in Las Vegas. You can read that interview here.

Here is the official Caring Bridge site for Anissa if you want to learn more, or want to help.

Come back next week for GIE, week 3!

The 2006 Blogger Christmahanukwanzaakah Online Holiday Concert

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poster girl Jamelah

THE CONCERT PROGRAM

Ellen performing Jingle Bell Rock

Digital Father performing O Holy Night

Psychotoddler performing Sevivon

Becky performing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Elisabeth and Claire performing il est ne le divin enfant

Sheana and Colleen performing The Dreidel Song

Fitena performing Silent Night

Mr. Fabulous performing Blue Christmas

Villanovababy performing Santa Baby

Sophia performing Hanukkah, Oh Hannukah

Heather B performing O Come All Ye Faithful

Tiff performing The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

INTERMISSION

Nelumbo performing Up on the House Top

Non-Highlighted Heather performing Silent Night

Sophia, post-accident, performing Ocho Kandelikas in Ladino

Qatherinn performing A Christmas Song

Neil performing How to Make Latkes!

Stuntmother‘s son, Daniel performing Jingle Bells.

Danny performing Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah

Caryn performing The Chipmunks Christmas Song

Paintergirl performing Rock and Roll Round the Christmas Tree

F.D. (from Therapy Doc) performing Dovid Melech (more here)

Pam performing Santa Baby

Chana‘s daughter performing Ocho Candelikas

Doris and Edda performing We Wish You a Merry Christmas

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photo by Leesa

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photo by Jenny

chantel.jpg
photo by Chantel

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photo by Two Roads

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photo by Michelle

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photo by 3T

pearl.jpg
photo by Pearl

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photo by Orieyenta

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photo by Nics

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photo by LeahPeah

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photo by Smitten

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photo by Pam

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photo by Sarah

claire.jpg
photo by Claire

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photo by Edgy Mama

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photo by Tamarika

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photo by Leezer

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photo by V-Grrrl

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photo by Chloe

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photo by Neil and colorized by Sarah

Thou Shalt Not Use Pop-Up Ads

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Ever since I made mention of the Holiday concert, something very weird has been going on — as if Jesus himself was trying to send me a message.  Every day when I would go through my blogroll on my new RSS reader, I would inevitably end up on some Christian religious site titled Amazing Bible Studies: 

A mega-site of Bible, Christian and religious information and studies. By God’s mercy, one of the largest Bible-centered sites on the web (app. 6000 pgs). If it’s in the Bible, it should be on this site.

What does this all mean?  Should I be using the Holiday Concert as something more than entertainment for those too cheap to pay to go see the Nutcracker with their kids?  Should I be preaching the gospel?

Luckily, today I solved the mystery.  I mispelled blogspot as blogpsot, and no matter what Blogger site you type in, if you spell blogspot as blogpsot, you are taken to this weird Bible site (be careful of the many pop-ups).

Orieyenta’s site:  http://orieyenta.blogspot.com/

Scary Bible site:  http://orieyenta.blogpsot.com/

Have fun and try it with your own Blogger site!  Impress your friends!  But really — would God put so many pop-up ads on His Page?

Citizen of the Month World Tour

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Let’s be honest with ourselves.  None of us are getting rich off of blogging.  In fact we’re probably losing money by not doing something more productive with our time.  Yeah, we all deep-down believe that blabbing about the man/woman we shtupped last night is going to get us a book deal.  But the chances are pretty slim, even if we’re shtupping them a lot.

There is only one way sure way to make money blogging —  getting SPONSORS.  Hey, if Tiger Woods is OK walking around with a Nike cap on 24/7, why wouldn’t I?

I know what you’re thinking.  "Who the hell would want to sponsor me?"   But I know the answer. 

Companies involved in the travel industry. 

As Chris writes in Brainfuel

Have you noticed an increase in the number of people who decide to travel the world and at the same time write it off? Take a look at The Traveling Guys web site for a brief moment. Ok? Did you see the sponsors section? No? Well, they have more than a hundred individual sponsors and a good dozen companies sponsoring their trip.

They are not alone.  Chris also mentions 10mph, the story of three guys riding across America on a Segway.  And then there’s Fat Man Walking, some nut who’s walking from San Diego to New York.

All of these guys are travelling for FREE, simply by blogging about their stupid experiences.  As a cheap person, this is very attractive to me.

I thought long and hard to come up with my own gimmick.  I love to travel and I don’t like to pay for myself.  So far, so good. 

What else do I love to do?  I love to blog!  And I love all my blogging friends! 

That’s it!  The answer.

Today, September 7, 2005, I officially announce the availability of sponsorship for the "Citizen of the Month" World Tour.

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What is the World Tour?  It means that  I will take a year off and travel the world, visiting each person on my blogroll.  All travelling expenses will be paid for by my sponsors.   However, to save money, each person on my blogroll must put me up in their home, feed me, and take me on a 3-hour tour of their city.  

Estee, you will have to put me up for two weeks because I really want to see Australia.  Josia, we will have plenty of time to talk about Kabbalah when I stay with you for the entire Hebrew month of Adar.   Modigli, you know I love you, but do I really want spend more than two days in Cleveland?   Maybe you can come with me to Australia.  Estee has plenty of room.  JJ, I’ve always wanted to see Texas.  I even own a cowboy hat that I wore once at a country dance club.  Brooke, I will be visiting you in Florida for… well, let’s see how it goes…

I will be spending at least two months in New York, since there are so many bloggers there.  Please argue among yourselves over who has the best apartment for me to stay in.  I would prefer Manhattan over Brooklyn.  Please, no Queens.  If I have to live in Queens, I might as well stay with my parents.

London, Paris, Hong Kong — here I come!

Don’t worry, Californians.  I won’t forget you.  I will be giving up my apartment next month so I can live with each of you for two weeks.    I should warn you, I do snore.

In case any of my women readers are concerned, I am a perfect gentleman.  But if you do catch me trying to take a peek at you while you’re taking a shower — be advised that it is all for art — my next blog post and nothing else.

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Sponsors, do you hear me?  I mean you — American Airlines, Samsonite Luggage, Hertz Rent-a-Car, AOL, Australian Board of Tourism, Diet Coke, Bloglines, Gawker Media, NBC/Universal, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Hanes Underwear (the best!), the Rockefeller Foundation, Microsoft, the Jewish Federation, iPod, Taco Bell, and readers like YOU.

See you all soon!

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