Interview with Blogger Eldercato
By The Pakistani Spectator • Jun 23rd, 2009 • Category: Interviews • No ResponsesWould you please tell us something about you and your site? I am a college student in the United States.My blog started late on the Saturday after the Iranian election (13 June 2009). On the first full day I had 65 views. On the 20th I had 18,109 views, in just that one day, followed by 17,133 the next day.
Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you? Yes, I feel that my writing has become more advanced, even in the short time I have had my blog. This is important to me because I am better able to communicate my message with the intended audience, thus helping to inform more and more people.
I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging? I compiled the first and only list of Iranian embassies taking wounded Iranians. On that day my views went from in the hundreds to 18,109 in a matter of hours. Many newspapers linked to my blog, including Huffington Post.
What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers? People from around the world commented on my page to give me information and some even emailed me.
What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now? Twitter is the most exciting to me because it allows information to get out in real time without being hindered by bureaucracy.
Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive? As stated above I think Twitter and other social networking sites and blogs keep the world aware of what is occurring even when the mainstream media does not want to show it.
What do you think sets Your site apart from others? I created and had the ONLY list of embassies said to be taking Iranian injured. My list, which became widely circulated via Twitter, became the topic of many speeches and statements issued by governments all over the world, with Austria even saying it was “imperative to humanity” to take Iranian injured. Canada came under so much pressure from their citizens they issued not one, but several statements verifying their position and the reason for it.
If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be? I am still working on becoming successful, but when I do I will let you know.
What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life? The happiest moment of my life was when I realized that people in Iran were being helped by the information only I had. When I realized that world policy may have changed forever because of my list and the pressure from thousands across the world after.
What is your favorite book and why? The Ender and Bean (Shadow) series by Orson Scott Card are the best books I have ever read and will ever read.
What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)? Their eyes and the way they hold themselves. Both show the level of confidence and self-esteem a person have.
Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t write? Many people, and quite frankly they were right. I couldn’t write what I was told to write in school, but I can write blogs I think.
How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially? Through ads, but that is not the purpose of my blog. The purpose of my blog was to help people on the other side of the world stay alive and destroy a tyrannical government that has too long oppressed them.
Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands? No, they know who to talk to, how to talk to them, and how to write about what they found out. I got that many views primarily from two posts: two posts that influenced world policy in this crisis.
What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile? They can show the world the true face of war and human rights violations that mainstream media has thus far shied away from.
Who are your top five favourite bloggers? I honestly don’t have any. I’ll give a shoutout to www.giagro.wordpress.com who had information on the Iranian crisis in many different languages. I applaud them all.
Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people? My post: List of Embassies Accepting Injured
What is your perception about Pakistan and its people? I believe the Pakistani people are a great and brave people. Seeing the effort the Pakistanis are putting into pushing back the Taliban and Al Qaeda make me proud of humanity, which oftentimes forgets how much Freedom costs. Pakistanis have not forgotten as every single one of their people has placed a sacrifice on the altar of freedom. I praise the Pakistani people and applaud their efforts. I would like them to know that the people of the world support them in their fight against Terror and Hate, even if it sometimes feels like the world is against them.
Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger? I was stunned by giagro.wordpress.com for the way they were blogging in at least 5 languages.
What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country? The people of a developing country do not take freedoms for granted, whereas more people in developed countries do.
What is the future of blogging? The question should be: “What is the future of the media?” And the answer is “blogging”
You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life? It drained a lot of time, but I’ve been learning to complement one with the other and make room for both, even though it oftentimes means I don’t get as much sleep as I would like.
What are your future plans? My future plans are to help the world in anyway I can and eventually enter into politics.
Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
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