Today I’m welcoming Jeffrey Scott to Write with Fey. He’s telling us about his R.A.N.T. feature and
Titanic. Sit back and hang out with us for a while. :)
1. What
is your blog feature R.A.N.T.? How did it start and how can people join in on
the fun?
R.A.N.T.
(Rage Against Nothing, Typically) was started in 2004. I maintained my own
website and for a few weeks, tried something new. I would rant about something
in my forum and asked who else felt the same. With little to no replies, I gave
up. Fast forward to 2005 when I messed with Myspace. It had a blogging
feature which I toyed with briefly and did a few rant style short posts. This
(in a way) drew me to the blogging world. In 2008, I finally did so. I began
with the rant feature once more, but I started blogging so much about other
things, it fell by the wayside. I was also writing Doctor Who and Biggest Loser
episode reviews.
Finally, in 2012 I broke my blog into three separate entities
and I once more picked up the rant feature. Unlike the first few attempts, this
one stuck and I’ve been continuing my r.a.n.t. feature to this day. For the
time being, it’s a monthly feature rather than weekly, but I welcome any who
wish to participate in one or more months to follow along. I rant on the second
Monday of the month. I try to keep my ranting lighthearted and whimsical if
possible. Full details can be found on my blog under the R.a.n.t. tab, along
with my archive of past rants. i.e. (Super Bowl commercials, TV shows jumping
the shark, Stores selling ground coffee).
2. I participated this past Monday. :) What
was your very first blog post?
Armadillo Walkers – It was a rant about people who walk into the street as you are
driving past them.
3. You’ve
visited the Titanic Experience in Belfast and blogged about your experience.
Tell us about your fascination with this fated ship.
I’ve
always loved learning about histories tragic events. None have fascinated me
more than the Titanic. I could, and have, spent hours researching. I’m not sure why exactly.
Perhaps because I think the majority of the suffering could have been avoided
and I wonder how I would have reacted in the same situation. The stories of how
different ones survived or perished in the experience are fascinating. Would I
have been one to play an instrument as the ship sank or would I be first in
line for a lifeboat? Knowing most lifeboats departed without being filled to
capacity still amazes me to this day. When I was 13, I wrote a short story
called The Titanic 2, it also sank, but because of an alien invasion.
4. An alien invasion sank the Titanic? Nice! You’re
a member of Battle of the Bands and always have interesting matchups. Which of
your battles has received the most feedback?
My battles
have been a mix of just about every genre; jazz, reggae, country, top 40, 80’s,
and such. However, the one most viewed and has received the most comments was
one I did on early morning super hero cartoon shows of my youth.
5. What are the top 5 most-viewed posts on your
blog?
My
evening with Diana Krall – Concert photos.
Early
in my blogs history, I was doing CD reviews.
One of
a few poems I wrote about an unrequited love.
Selected
photos from my solo European vacation.
Another
in my series of CD reviews.
6. Share
your number one tip to bloggers just starting out.
Advertise,
advertise, advertise. If you are looking for readers and want a successful
blog, you need to reach out to others and let them know your blog is active.
This means you need to visit other blogs, reply to comments and get involved in
the blogging community. Blog hops are a great way to meet new bloggers. You are
also going to need patience. Nothing happens overnight. When I first started
blogging, I received little to no traffic. Only after a joined a few blog hops
and became a regular reader and commenter to other blogs did I start seeing
traffic.
Hyper
Round:
1. Favorite
time to post blogs? Early morning.
2. Blogger
or Wordpress? Blogger
3. Do
you host guests? Yes
4. Where
are you when you’re blogging? Airport,
coffee shop or recliner at home.
BIO:
Jeffrey Scott has lived in Milwaukee Wisconsin his entire life. He
is divorced with two children, both of whom have already moved out. This leaves
much time to pursue his interests which include writing, photography, music, travel,
poetry and comedy. His dominant interest is writing. Besides blogging, Jeff has
kept a personal journal since 1984.
In High School, Jeffrey wrote a YA series of eight short stories
that he passed around to his friends. Though they all seemed to enjoy reading
it, he never sought out the possibility of having it published. Now, nearly 30
years later, Jeffrey has returned to the series to update, drastically rewrite
and possibly have it published.
LINKS:
Twitter: Twitter: @Jeffrey__Scott
Note: That is 2 underscores not one.
Thank you for chatting with me, Jeffrey!
Please leave a comment for Jeffrey! :)
Great interview... I like Jeffrey's "Rant Feature"
ReplyDeleteSo do I. :)
DeleteIt's great fun to put together.
DeleteEspecially on a day I'm really feeling irate.
I love the sounds of that RANT feature, too. And admit that I have been, on occasion, one of those armadillos he talked about.
ReplyDeleteReally great interview!
Haha! I wait until cars pasd. I'm a chicken walker. ;)
DeleteI'm always more afraid of accidentally hitting the person walking into the street.
DeleteGreat interview Jeffrey! I'll have to check out your RANT; sounds like a fun feature to include on your blog. Great tips too you gave for blogging!
ReplyDeletebetty
I think you'd have fun doing rants, Betty. :)
DeleteI think you'd have fun doing rants, Betty. :)
DeleteI agree with Chrys, ranting is a lot of fun do to, especially when it's about those little things that annoy us all.
DeleteGlad you appreciate the tips. :)
Thanks for the interview Chrys, it was fun. Incidentally, I ended up doing more Titanic research after I answered the questions. Even finally bought 'A Night To Remember' which is surprising how accurate the film about the Titanic actually is.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I enjoyed having you join me for r.a.n.t. this month.
Damn those aliens haha nothing wrong with a good rant, enjoying ranting away from time to time.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to join in one of these months. :)
DeleteYes, I hate when aliens come to Earth and sink our ships.
Hi Jeffrey, Hi Chrys:
ReplyDeleteI love a good rant, and have a few I should write down. Puts the angst to rest. :)
That's one of the main reasons I love to rant.
DeleteOh, now I'm heading over to check out this RANT section. And I find the Titanic's story fascinating, as well, and so incredibly sad. I'm starting over on my blog. I had it up and running successfully with lots of activity and feed back, then got burned out and let it go for a couple years. Now I'm trying to get it going again. It's so much work, but the great community of friends is worth it. Missing that community is what has brought me back.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy the rants. Yes, there was a time I stopped writing for a bit. But I missed it so much, I had to return to it.
DeleteRants are fun to do, but I'm not sure I could come up with a new rant once a month. Unless it was about writing. I can rant about that all day.
ReplyDeleteAny time something ticks me off, I write it in a notebook. You'd be surprised how fast that fills up.
DeleteHi Jeffrey, great interview! Your blog sounds really fun! I love rants. It really gets the conversation going. I liked Chrys' the other day :) good luck with the YA series!!
ReplyDeleteI like to have fun on my blog. I try to incorporate a little humour with my rants and music postings. Thanks for reading. :)
DeleteGreat interview! I've always been fascinated by the Titanic story too, in fact I love all kinds of historical places and events. R.A.N.T sounds like fun:-)
ReplyDeleteWay to bring in the readers, Jeffrey! I've already put you on my favorites list - along with Chrys, of course;-)
Awesome. I love reading your blog.
DeleteHistory is so fascinating, it's interesting to check out all the little details too.
I started my blog on MySpace, too.
ReplyDeleteIt was simpler times. But it was people like you and me and eventually lead to blogs, I believe. We've come a long way.
DeleteHi Chrys and Jeff - interesting to see how you started out blogging and to learn a little more about you. You rant well - not too much vitriol!
ReplyDeleteFascinating to see your notes on the Titanic - and to read how factually correct the story appears to be ... must be one of the first 'immediate' connectivity between humans across the globe: telling what happened from the survivors - that was then recorded. I just remember the plaque in Church we used to attend when I was at school ... so it was a date I remembered.
Joining in with other bloggers and relating is so essential to gathering friends around the blogosphere ...
Good to see you here .. and cheers to you both - Hilary
Great to have you stop over an visit. Yes, the Titanic was a heavy story for a long time on both sides of the pond. Especially in Belfast, I would imagine.
DeleteThe RANT is a good idea. I also have a category Rant on my blog. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Have a lovely weekend!
I will stop by and check it out.
DeleteI also think ranting is a good way to get it all out of your system.
I think the tragedies that could have been avoided haunt us the most. Should, coulds, and woulds really get under the skin.
ReplyDeleteSo true, and the Titanic story has a plethora of them.
DeleteI'll check out the RANT tab and I enjoy Battle of the Band posts.
ReplyDeleteI'll welcome the visit. Everyone involved in the BOTB appreciates when others (outside our group) stop in to battle with us. It's a lot of great fun.
Delete