(Click on thumbnail for enlargement) I was interviewed by GQ Japan a while back.
Here's a translation (courtesy of Ben List):
"bOING bOING" began before the word "blog" began appearing circa 2000.
Mark Frauenfelder has reached the top position in the world of bloggers.
We flew to LA to hear his secret.
1. The power of persistance
"We started early, and found our readership. It was really just lucky."
he says modestly, however the popularity of the site is largely due to
"frequent updating." Though "bOING bOING" was essentially started by
Mark, he now collaborates with three writer friends contributing
material from their various fields of interest.
"The readership of a blog is proportional to how frequent one is able to
update."
Frauenfelder spends only two hours a day on the blog, however is able to
keep the content fresh with the aid of his partners.
2. Curiosity and the spirit of fun
"bOING bOING's" core staff are all professional writers having gained
experiences writing for such publications as "Wired."
"By nature, our curiosity is twice that of most people and are able to
keep the content fresh."
In their search for interesting content they do daily searches through
magazines, newspapers, nerdy trade publications, and the internet.
There was never any intention of making a profit (with "bOING bOING"),
so they are driven mainly by "simply having fun with it." Unlike
traditional media, the instant feedback of publishing on the internet,
and direct contact with the readership is also part of the appeal. "The
improvisational aspect (?) is as addictive as an adrenaline rush"
3. No compromising to advertisers or to readers
While they haven't created a corporation in the traditional way, "bOING
bOING" has become a true business. With 200,000 hits daily from inside
and outside the U.S., the company made $20,000 in advertisements from
skateboard brand and a T-Shirt company in March, however maintaining an
independent spirit is the the most important thing.
"We have been known to criticize corporations, but we don't kowtow to
our advertisers. The popularity of the site was earned by writing what
we want, but we aren't looking to change anything for our readers.
4. The key is in community collaboration
"The best part is the spirit of being able to share your thoughts and
what interests you with the readers and community" Frauenfelder says.
Communication with other bloggers has been the key to increasing the
readership. By trading links with other blogs, communication becomes
much more active, and traffic to and from the site increases. "The
world of blogs is made up of innumerable tiny islands in a vast ocean
all communicating with each other. It's the ultimate success for a blog
to become part of that community."
