Interview Questions

We've contacted some people who are interested in interviews, which is great. I'm very much looking forward to what they have to say.

I'm going to post our interview questions, so everyone can see the seedy inner workings of our project. :D We're interviewing people from three groups of bloggers: those who maintain personal journals which don't particularly tackle issues (your garden-variety personal anecdote blog); those who write independent political or news blogs (not connected to a publication); and those who blog for a major publication. We want to see how each of these groups experience blogging.

So, here are the questions we asked.


Political/Newsy Blogger Not Affiliated With Publication

1. What do political bloggers provide that the mainstream media lacks, in terms of coverage of American/Canadian politics? Has your blog or blogging community ever helped expose a problem which otherwise might have gone unnoticed in the mainstream media?

2. Do you feel that your political commentary is more or less biased than other news sources?

3. If your blog does not allow comments, what influenced you to make that decision? If it does allow comments, then how do you engage with your commenters, i.e. how does what they say shape how you feel/write about certain issues, if at all?

4. What do you want the average person to get out of your blog? Is it meant to facilitate change, or to make people see the world differently?

5. Do you think blogging will ever overtake 'traditional' media?

6. We are also interviewing people who maintain personal journals for fun, and people who maintain blogs that are connected to a major media source. Can you identify with the other groups of bloggers we are interviewing, or do you feel that what you do is completely different from what they do? If so, how?

7. Do you have any questions for us? Ask as many as you like.


Blogger Affiliated With Publication

1. How much freedom do you feel you have in blogging for your publication? Does the publication ever influence your output, in terms of subject matter and/or how you address certain issues? Is there a certain line you can't cross?

2. If your blog does not allow comments, what influenced you to make that decision? If it does allow comments, then how do you engage with your commenters, i.e. how does what they say shape how you feel/write about certain issues, if at all?

3.What do you want the average person to get out of your blog? Is it meant to facilitate change, or to make people see the world differently?

4. How would you respond to people who feel that the practice of hiring bloggers for mainstream publications is an attempt to co-opt an alternative form of news expression?

5. Do you think blogging will ever overtake 'traditional' media?

6. We are also interviewing people who maintain personal journals for fun, and people who maintain independent political or newsy blogs that aren't connected to any particular media source. Can you identify with the other groups of bloggers we are interviewing, or do you feel that what you do is completely different from what they do? If so, how?

7. Do you have any questions for us? Ask as many as you like.


Personal Anecdotal Blogger

I... haven't made them yet. :D But I'll post them when I do.


If you're reading this site and haven't already answered these questions, feel free to tackle them in the comment section. Or make any other comments. Bye for now!

- Kelly (I am half of the project. The other half is Michael. I'm slowly trying to coax him into making a post.)