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Hype Magazine Interview
Dear Mr Goh,
I am a student editor from hype magazine. Hype is a free, bi-annual pubication produced by final-year print journalism students in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. It is a magazine mainly for young adults aged 17-24. Hype has a distribution averaging between 3000-4000.
For our upcoming issue, I will be doing a story on blogging etiquette. The story is aimed at educating youths about propper blogging
etiquette as many of them are rather ignorant of the legal issues that will affect them if they write something ‘wrong’.The story will cover the basics of blogging, mainly on both the written and technical aspects of blogging safely so that bloggers
won’t get into any legal trouble. Thus, I hope to engage in a short email interview with you regarding this issue. I will need your advice
on the different ways of blogging safely and important things to look out for/avoid when blogging.Yours Sincerely,
Candace Zhou
Editor
hype magazine
School of Film & Media Studies
Ngee Ann Polytechnic
As the blogger most commonly known as Secret Agent Man, I have been shunning any and all forms of contact with the media, prefering to leave such matters to people who-post-their-faces-on-their-blog like miyagi, mrbrown and agagooga. But there is a lot of request for ingtervoos and the such, which causes the editors of Tomorrow to be constantly busy. So this one request came in from Ngee Ann Poly and we were like looking at each other and saying “So who’s turn is it this time?”.
And the guilt struck me like a stake in the heart, because deep down I know that I haven’t really been earning my keep. So I voluntered and said “I’ll do it, if they agree to an email interview - no meetups”, because it’s a small student magazine and I remember what it was like to be a student once. Several days later, an email (see above) arrived and I kept my end of the bargain.
Click on more to see my original replies to Hype Magazine’s questions.
P.S: I don’t think it’s published yet. And I don’t know if they will publish this. I’m just blogging this for my own personal records.
1. Being a prominent and veteran blogger, what are some of the
blogging woes that you have?
I’m caught in between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, I wish to preserve my original formula for blogging, which is to say I’ll write down anything that crosses my mind. But my audience has grown a tad too large for this. These days, I pause to think about the impact of my posts - I ask myself questions like “Does this have a negative influence on the younger readers” or “By writing this, would I be indirectly be endorsing unhealthy activities”? As such, some of my older readers have remarked that I have toned down my blog. But it’s for a good reason I guess. There are kids as young as 12 or 13 reading Cowboy Caleb now.
2. Bloggers often risk getting into trouble when they make direct
references to people, companies etc. they ‘bitch’ about. What are some
of the precautions they can take when they want to ‘bitch’ about
someone or something?
There is a very fine line between a complaint and an accusation.But you have to be objective about your complaints. Do you really have a valid complaint? Do you have proof? Have you stopped to think about why things are the way they are? Most importantly, are you being a decent person? Do unto others what you would have others do unto you. People have feelings as well, just like you do
3. What are some of the precautions you take when you blog?
The only precaution I have is common sense. Be nice, and others will be nice to you. A lot of problems that rookie bloggers are caused by inter-personal problems. In short, I try not to be a jerk.
4. How far do you think bloggers should go when they want to write
negatively about an issue, policy, person etc.?
They can take it all the way to the end of the road, but they had better be sure they can back up their words and understand the consequences of what they are writing about.
5. Do you think blogs should be an outlet for stress relief (e.g.
lashing out at people, issues etc. that you dislike)?
Blogs are an excellent outlet. But if you’re really frustrated, I would recommend you take up a hobby like cycling, swimming or craftwork. If you blog, it makes you feel better for awhile, but does your pain really go away? It may be better to pour your energies into something more useful.
6. Do you think there are other ways for ‘freedom of expression’ to
exist without being clamped down by authorities for various reasons?
Your blog is a perfect tool for freedom of expression. But if a tree falls in a forest and there is nobody there to hear it, did it ever really fall down? To make your voice heard, first gain an audience. To gain an audience you have to earn respect from the blogging community. And how do you earn respect? By showing respect to others of course.Respect is the currency of our Blogosphere.So much depends on your reputation for you to effectively ‘express your freedom’.
7. Lastly, do you have any advice/anything you want to say to bloggers
out there?
Blogging is a great way to express yourself and be part of a vibrant community. Don’t worry about web traffic when you start. Just keep writing and publishing whaever’s in your head. Get involved! Get all your friends and family to start a blog. When you find interesting posts on other people’s blogs, contribute them to Tomorrow.sg so others can read it. And remember to attend the upcoming Bloggers.SG 2005 (our local blogger convention) in July 2005.
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