Ten questions

Remember the times when we’d answer all those silly questionnaires about the most random topics and then tagged all our blog friends in it and asked them to do the same? Well, for some reason this whole thing was brought back to life recently. I got tagged by Marcel and it’s about one of my favourite topics: the internet. I’ve decided to do it in English, though, so bear with my shitty translation.

1. When was the blogosphere better: back in the days or today – and why?
   I don’t actively participate in the blogosphere anymore so it’s hard to say. What’s the “blogosphere” anway these days? Blogs are no longer a community, they’ve become media outlets, businesses, moodboards, status symbols. I remember having to explain to people what a “blog” was. Not only to my parents or my friends as a teenager, but even in university where I was studying “Media Science”. That was about six years ago. I’m finally not the “weird one” anymore for doing “something on the internet”.
   
   

   The tech-savvy and narrative blogging community from a few years ago was definitely more my cup of tea than the PR-infused semi-professionalism you come across nowayays but I’m not gonna judge that either. (I’m glad I grew into the internet the way I did, though – I definitely wouldn’t want to be 14 again now!)

2. How important is your blog to you?
   Well, definitely more important than it looks like! I’ve been doing this for almost ten years – twelve years if you count previous website adventures – so it will always have a very special place in my heart. I’ve written about school, travelling through the entire country for gigs, about moving around and becoming independent, university, my life in Berlin and my thoughts about the future. I’m still using my blog as an outlet and diary and haven’t made a single cent from it so far. And I’m not planning on doing so.
3. If the internet hadn’t been invented, what would you do for a living today?
   Oh dear, I don’t even want to think about this. The internet has had such a huge impact on my life that I could not possibly imagine how I would have turned out without it. I found my first true friends through the internet. I learned English through the internet. I got into music through the internet. I’ve learned about the world through the internet. All the choices I’ve made in my life so far are pretty much based on that and it made me who I am. But to answer the question, I would probably be a writer. Like, an actual journalist or something. I’ve always enjoyed writing, even before the internet.
4. Which German blogger should be the best-known one – and why?
   I don’t think blogging should be about fame. Or about being particularly well-known. If this is your motivation, you’re probably doing it for all the wrong reasons. Everybody should get the audience they deserve and of course I sometimes wish certain people would get more of it because they’re doing a great job.
5. If Yahoo gave you 50 million euros cash in hand, what kind of internet project would you start up?
   I’d probably invest the money in the German school system to make “Media education” (with a focus on the internet) a mandatory subject for kids and teenagers. (Although I doubt 50 million are enough to change anything about the school system.)
   
6. Which of your old favourite blogs should brought back to life – and why?
   I wish I remembered all the small blogs I used to read back in the days…
7. What does the German blogosphere do wrong that the American blogosphere is doing right?
   I didn’t even know this was a fact? I guess in order to discuss this, you have to distinguish between two things: blogging as a form of self-expression and blogging as a way to make money. These are two entirely different things. I don’t think there’s a big difference in terms of self-expression. Yet, monetizing personal blogs was already a big thing in the States before Germany finally started to catch on – not to mention the potentially bigger audience due to the language.
   
   

   Making your blog a business, at all costs – this has been the predominant topic for years and I always wonder, is this really so desirable? I read blogs for content I don’t find anywhere else. For content that neither of the conventional media outlets cover, content that really matters. And if I have learned one thing from working in print – an allegedly dying industry – for about three years, it is “High quality is the future.” I know this is a big statement in times of “Buzzfeed-style” journalism which generates money extremely fast. But as soon as the internet is oversaturated with fast moving, superficial content, simply because everybody can do it, it will collapse and fall back on one thing: quality.

8. Which three Instagram accounts should everyone follow?
   I have to admit, I barely ever look at what others post on Instagram, I only use it to post my photos. But I absolutely love Seb Lester for the almost daily typography and calligraphy porn, I love Frank Turner for religiously documenting his gigs and life on the road, and last but not least, my friend and journalist Karen Sofie was recently recommended by Instagram as a “suggested user” – and they’re absolutely right!
   
9. Which internet experience from the past ten years changed your life fundamentally?
   It sounds cheesy but yeah, a bit over 9 years ago, in July 2004, I registered this domain. And to talk about all topics internet-related I started being active in certain online message boards, started talking to people on ICQ and MSN and started expanding my horizons. Without that, I certainly wouldn’t be where I am now (see question 3).
10. Which person from your Twitter feed do you want to see naked?
    Ugh, no guys, keep your clothes on, please! (Apart from that, as much as I do believe nudity is beautiful, I have little to no interest in seeing people naked. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.)

(I’m not going to tag anyone, I mean, I don’t even know who reads this, but feel free to steal the questions! )