Friday, 6 June 2008

SBW interviewed!


I was recently approached by the folks who run a website dedicated to helping you find presents for people who are a problem to buy presents for. They asked me to answer some interview questions. Obviously as the worlds leading authority on my own opinion I jumped at the chance!

"As we're heading into Father's Day, it's time to have a man back on interview of the week, as the women have been dominating for a while. The Suburban Bushwacker blog is on Dr T's feed list, and SBW is a man with a mission and a passion. You might not agree with it, but it makes great reading, and, as with the answers we got to our questions, really well argued."


From Fat Boy to Elk Hunter.
It's a long journey between the rotund desk jockey my family and friends see me as, and the super fit backwoodsman Elk hunter I really am. My blog is about all the things I do outdoors and all the stuff I buy to do those things. Hopefully it’s also about the stuff I learn on the way to the hunting and fishing adventures of my dreams.


What do you do for a living?
I work in the sales industry, usually as a sales trainer.
I like to make out that hunting and fishing are my hobbies, but really it’s blogging and buying kit.
Owing to the positive feedback I’ve had from the blog I now have delusions of grandeur and see the blog as a starting point of an internationally acclaimed (and syndicated) newspaper column of the same name. Brad Pitt will be playing me in the movie.


Why did you start blogging about this topic?
There are plenty of self-proclaimed experts blogging away out there. A lot of them are a bit po-faced for my taste.  My angle is: while i may not be able to give expert advise i doubt you’ll meet anyone quite as enthusiastic as me.
The main reasons are:
1.The journey would be more achievable if i kept a record of it, Keeping a record would keep me honest about how much i was actually doing to achieve my goals.
2.As I’ve started reviewing equipment it would be good to have a second opinion after a few months of using the kit. Most people seem to have a box of junk they never use which they bought having read a review written by someone who either, only had the thing for an afternoon, or worked on a magazine that was funded by the manufacturer advertising.

How long have you been working on this blog?
I’m a relative newcomer to blogging I started this blog in may of this year (07)
How many visitors does your blog get per day?
I’ve not put a counter on it yet, but 111 people have now viewed my profile and a few people have emailed to say nice things.
Does your blog have an income? Which ways have worked, which haven't? How succesful has it been?
I do plan to put ads on my blog, if only so i can claim its a business to the tax office and claim back all the money i spend on kit!
What kind of person would be interested in this type of blog?
Irreverent bushcrafters, hunters, fisherfolk, lovers of wild foods, and gear freaks.
When i imagine my reader he’s a guy who’d love to get out more but the house, the job, and family life always seem to come first, he maybe a desk jockey at first sight, but really he’s an adventurer! It could be I’m just talking to myself!!
About how much time do you spend blogging per day?
I aim to post at least every other day, sometimes the average drops well bellow this. Most of my posts are written in one sitting. Due to work, getting the kids off to bed, ect i usually spend no more than an hour on a post.

Tell us why we should subscribe to your blog.
For the same reason as every other blog you subscribe to. It was funny and thought provoking the first time you read it, so you put it in your RSS feeds. And now it only takes a second to see if you’re interested in the latest offering. More often than not it’s quite funny so you’ll keep looking in case you miss a good ‘un.

What advice do you have for other bloggers trying to succeed?
The same advice my writing coach gave me
“Only one thing separates writers from non-writers. It’s called writing”.
What are your favorite blogs? (List at least 3 urls)
the American bushman comes across as such a nice guy, and we have similar interests.
The trials and tribulations of this lad’s life are life affirming. He’s not happy and he’s doing something about it. Gotta love a tryer.
The phantom can really write and he’s very knowledgeable about the area we both live
in.


Thanks for reading, post a comment or two
SBW