readers' questions, answered
A quick and dirty Q&A session about how this blog works behind the scenes based on readers' most common questions.
Weird Things in entering its ninth month online and in this time, it evolved from a blog about conspiracies and bizarre tales, to a project covering cutting edge popular science topics and promoting skeptical inquiry. It also grew in traffic from almost nothing to an average of about 2,000 views a day.
As the months went by, I got a lot of questions from readers who want to know about my avatar, how I pick topics for posts, how much it takes to maintain this blog, and whether I want to help them transfer two or three billion dollars from Nigeria or China for a small percentage of the sum as a token of appreciation for my services.
So, to liven things up, I thought I'd answer a few of the most popular questions in a full post and give you a little peek behind the scenes…
Q: Why did you start this blog and what did you want to do with it? Has that goal changed over time?
Like all bloggers, I gravitated towards the fame and fortune which inherently comes with the job. But primarily, I was constantly being told about how fun and rewarding it is and wanted to try it for myself. I experimented with the system until I felt comfortable enough to pick a format and start putting posts out there.
Knowing quite well that there were a lot of other blogs, I just wanted see what would happen and explore my options as the blog grew. So far, I'm still trying to figure out what will ultimately happen to Weird Things, but my immediate focus is on trying to consistently provide fresh, original content to my readers.
Q: How do you decide what to write about?
Picking topics for new posts is usually accomplished with the help of a Magic 8-ball, a long list of bookmarks for potential subjects on quiet days, and doing a lot of reading to find interesting post material. Sometimes, I'll get an idea out of the blue and try to see how far it can go, provided I didn't write a post on a similar topic the previous day.
I try to spread out the topics a little bit to keep things fresh and provide a little variety for readers who don't want to read about the same thing two days in a row. Though if the topic is impending doom of the planet Earth and all who live on it based on a recent scientific discovery, I think there may be a policy change…
Q: What is the cat in your avatar and why do you use it?
It's the Fat Cat from one of the first computer animated shorts, Fat Cat on a Diet. No, it's not really a reflection of myself since I'm not a cat nor am I on a diet. And come to think of it, I'm not a big cat person either since my allergies to cat dander make it hard to be around them for more than a few hours.
The cartoon cat is there just because I like the drawing style. As for why I don't just use my photo, you'll have to ask the hazmat team which took it away in a container marked with a nuclear fallout symbol…
Q: Why do you focus on popular science rather than something like politics or gadgets?
Because it's challenging. You need to do a lot of research and have a good grasp of what you're writing. If you do it right, you learn something new with every post you make. There's also the danger of invoking the wrath of scientists when you make a mistake and there's nothing like the threat of e-mails and comments from angry scientists to keep you on your toes.
Q: Have you found Jesus or do I have to send quotes and chain e-mails your way?
If I really found Jesus, I would be on international TV and getting an honorary something in archaeology. And no, that's ok, I'm not much for chain e-mails, especially the proselytizing type so I'm probably not going to read them. On second thought, scratch the probably.
Since I write from a skeptical standpoint, I get plenty of angry feedback from people who believe that relying on science to learn more about the universe is narrow-minded and those who want to misuse something I wrote to ridicule atheists. Doing more of the same won't change my writing, nor will it change the science. All it will do is keep the status quo.
