This morning, before I went winter coat shopping, I received an email to join whohub.net. I had never heard of whohub and immediately thought it was a scam. The email invited me to join a free community of artists and writers by answering a set of interview questions about my chosen craft. My answers would get their own snazzy (generic) page and my name would be listed in the directory next to other people know one cares about. I did a Google search to ascertain whether or not this whohub really was a scam. All I found were people,just like me, feebly yelling into the vast caverns of the Internet wanting to know if whohub was here to harm or help. There were a lot of people who said it was a scam but had not been victimized. Whohub never asked anyone for their credit info or spammed anyone to death. (Why are we so afraid of spam anyway? Just delete it people; it's not like you have to open it.) It seemed like whohub was just like that Who's Who Among American High School Students offer. Unlike Who's Who, whohub doesn't shame your parents into buying a book that has no more value than a flower press. In conclusion, Whohub is cheesy and useless just like all the other social networking sites we use.
However, my vanity reared its ugly head and I desperately wanted to answer a set of questions about my all so important creative ventures in order to network with other Internet trolls. After a lengthy iChat discussion with a friend we decided answering whohub's questions was harmless. It was important to remember this would not lead to jobs or fame like many people might have thought. I didn't want to join but my friend suggested that if I so desperately wanted to navel-gaze I could just answer those questions here on my blog. So I chose the two sets of questions closest to what I do, or think I do, and will answer them in a two-part blog. Enjoy!
What is your blog address? What subjects do you deal with?
Well, you are already here so it seems useless to repeat the address but what the heck: http://socalcentric.blogspot.com/. I tend to blog the most about being a California girl in a strange Ohio world and the never ending fun that is married life.
What was it that made you create your blog? On what date did you start it?
I started the blog as way to vent about the ways of a world I just don't understand and to keep my friends up-to-date about my life so I wouldn't have to repeat myself a hundred times a day. I started the blog in Spring/Summer of '08? when I learned my life was going to drastically change and decided it was "too late for second guessing too late to go back to sleep it's time to trust my instincts close my eyes: and leap".
What blogging system have you adopted and why?
System? Is that like what server I use or like my blogging process? Clearly, I am an amateur.
How many visits a day do you get? What type of comments do you receive?
I don't have a clue how many visits I get a day. Does blogger.com even keep track daily? I get comments sporadically. Mostly my friends and relatives lamenting and laughing with or at me.
How has 'having a blog' contributed to your life?
'It gives me something to do with my smart-ass attitude and Eeyore-like tendencies. Though that hasn't stopped me from being a brat in real life.'
Have you created relationships with other bloggers or readers of your blog?
Not really. I'm not sure. That's a tough questions relationships are two-way streets. Blogs tend to be one-way.
How often do you post? Does regular posting of your blog require a lot of effort on your part?
I try to post 1-3 times a month. Regular posting can be difficult if I haven't done anything blog-worthy. Let's face it no one wants to hear about what your cat threw up or how long it takes to brush your teeth.
Does blogging bring in income for you? Can one make a living from posting?
If blogging provided a steady income I wouldn't be wearing $5 jeans from the Goodwill. I'm sure there have been financially successful bloggers but you really have to be good or relevant or just lucky and I don't think it's the posting that brings the income. I think it's getting picked up by a news outlet or publishing a book. Today it seems to be all about branding not just musing.
How do you promote your blog?
Generally, I just yell at my friends on Facebook or post a link to it when I think the blog is especially amusing.
How would you define your readers? Have you got a faithful audience?
My readers are friends and family. So that means they have to be faithful they are blood. They are all about my age or share my sense of humor.
Are there any blogs you follow daily or regularly?
(this is where they ask you to list the web site addresses. I assume that's how they got my info and many other peoples.) Nah, I don't think the websites need listing. Mostly gossip sites and parody sites. I'm pretty generic so stuff like cakewrecks and perez hilton.
How do you see your blog evolving in the future?
I hope it gets technically better.
What advice would you give to someone who wishes to begin a blog?
I'm hardly one to give out advice. But I guess just go for it, write about what you want when you want. Just keep it cohesive, read it over, have others edit it and don't take yourself too seriously.
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4 comments:
Oh, good to know. I found you via a Google search "Whohub scam" since I just got an email from them.
Maybe I'll give it a go.
That was hillar... I may be back.
(I, too, found you after yelling into the internets, "Does anybody know if Whohub is...?")
Best wishes,
W.
Thankies. I'm another fellow wondering how legit WhoHub is.
I may give it a go. Or maybe not.
And here it is almost a year later, and WhoHub is still doing it. Now via Twitter. And no clear approvals or indictments that I can find. I suspect they're just trying to cash in on the social-networking meme.
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