Hey all,

I've just read and interview made buy Rebecca Blood. I think there were some very good questions and I've decided to answer several of them here for myself too. Have fun reading! And don't hesitate to this interview yourself too!

What is the first weblog you read?
To be honest? I haven't got a clue. I've been surfing the web for so long that I really don't remember it. I guess it has something to with scrapbooking or with television series I really like. In either one of these "categories" I've seen the first blog, I think.

Why did you start your weblog?
I've been busy with my own sites for about 8 years. It went from putting up information and photos about my favorite television series (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Charmed at the time) to a place where I could keep my own stories I'd written about the television series, to a place where I kept a Fan Fiction Archive with a few other people. The archive wasn't manageable. Fewer people could help out, so in the end I decided to quit with the archive. What remained for me was the fact that I wanted a place to scribble down my thoughts and everything that happens in my life. I also wanted a place where I could post my scrapbook layouts and the photos I make. This blog is ideal for these things!

I can do everything exactly the way I want it too. I don't need to know how other people think about it before I change or do something, I don't need to wait for others contributions, I don't need to wait for others reaction, nothing like that. It's exactly how I want it. This makes a site so much more manageable! And that makes it fun for me. This way I can try things out, I can do whatever I want and when something doesn't work.... Well, it won't be a disappointment to a lot of people, but only to myself.

This seems selfish, I know, but I know from experience. And most important, I think at least, it's my blog about my personal life. And that means it has to be the way I want it to be. I'm feeling comfortable with it right now :)

What is your site about?
My blog is about my personal life, scrapbooking, television series, books, and more. Just everything that keeps me busy. Sometimes I'll talk about things I've seen or heard on the news, things that worry me or that make me happy. It just depends on my mood.

How often do you update?
Whenever I'm in the mood. Sometimes it's several times per day. Sometimes it's just once every few weeks. It also depends on how much time I have to write something. And it depends on how much I want to write at that moment. If it's just a little piece, I'll write it that same day, but if it's something longer, I might wait until I have my day of or more time at night.

How much traffic do you get?
According to the counter not much. But that's alright. I'm not doing this to get a lot people to my site. It would be fun though if people would react on my scrapbook layouts or on my post more often. I guess I'd need more traffic for that. Oh well.........

Do you make money on your site?
No, not directly at least. I have a shop with CaféPress, but I definitely need to update it with new pictures. Right now it's not gaining any money. It would be fun if the shop would cover the costs of this site, but it doesn't need to.

Which tool do you use? Why?
I use MovableType. First I've searched for several Blog programs and I've even tried a few free ones. This was all to figure out if they could fit my needs. It turned out they couldn't. Movabletype can. I want to be able to make my own layouts easy. I'd like to include extra things whenever possible. For instance the fact that I can define categories and at the same time use tags to organize my blog for me and blog visitors is really good! Also the default templates come in very handy. I've been able to adjust them so I could have the layout I wanted. At the same time I have the files with the basics to turn too if something isn't working.
What I like the most is the build in junk filter. This works great! Sometimes it works a bit too well. Seen the fact that I can decide to delete all the junk comments and junk trackbacks, instead of having these deleted automatically is very good. That way I have saved a few comments I wanted to keep :)
And last but not least, this program is so easy to install and update! There's hardly anything that can go wrong!

Has your weblog led to any other opportunities?
Not really. It has given me some ideas though. Some of them I've included in my ordinary day, some of them I'll use in Scrapping Memories and some of them I've included in my blog already.

How do you choose items to link?
I have a few categories of sites I link to. I don't want my blog to become a link site, so that's why I've kept the link categories to a minimum. If I come across a site I really like and that fits in one of the three categories, I'll link it there. Otherwise I'll keep it in my favorites on my PC.

What is your advice for a new blogger?
First, think about what you want to be able to do with your blog. What features do you want to include. Then think about how much work you are willing / able to put into (extra) coding. Try out several programs before you make your final choice.
And remember, if it's your personal blog: if you think it's good, it is good! No matter what others may think!

Well, this is it. Do you want to know more about me and blogging? Let me know at ilse at ilsesjournal dot com!