RP: [If] you could earn money blogging, would you start again?
Bullard: I don’t know. Probably not. I think probably because it’s so time consuming and because the emotional and intellectual reward is quite low. It’s easier for me to go and shoot a couple of episodes of Car Torque…where…um, at least if the cameraman or director says I’m a shit that’s fine, because I know who they here. But [with this] you’ve got a whole load of people and you don’t know who they are. I think it’s quite emotionally draining. I think there’s a lot of pressure to be original because I think if you want to do it properly – it’s like a column – you’ve got to be creative. You can’t just put up: [BARITONE VOICE]: ‘I had some wheat bix for breakfast.’
[Laughter].
Ingredient X
You’ve got to come into today’s news and throw an angle on it. And it’s got to be – for me – as fresh as the column. It’s got to have ingredient X – a couple of gags maybe – that says, this defines it. This actually puts it head and shoulders above the others. Another point I’d like to make – which I've made in an article – is that I’ve yet to meet what I’d call someone of substance who blogs.
I mean, Johan Rupert didn’t rush up and say: ‘I always read your blog.’ I mean, you want to aim at that market. I mean it could get there…
NVDL: Yeah.
RP: I think you should read Nick’s blog.
NVDL: No but I totally agree with that because 99% - this seems to be changing though – but 99% of what’s out there is actually drivel. Which is actually quite scary.
Bullard: Are a lot of people sort’ve sitting in libraries pretending to study for exams and actually blogging? I mean how- when- I mean downstairs there are one or two people, you know their names, they’re on every blog. They were on Sarah Britten’s, they were on mine…
NVDL: Mmmm
Bullard: And these weren’t three hundred word responses. These were three thousand word responses.
NVDL: It seems to mean if you’re a blogger, by implication, you don’t have a life. You know what I mean?
Bullard: You get this image of someone who has a dogeared copy of Loslyf, a half eaten Debonnairs Pizza, a rather untidy room in a sort’ve run down area of Joburg where the guy hasn’t actually emerged into the light for at least five weeks.
NVDL: The other things is – I mean I also blog – and I think part of it is, because of cellphones and everything else, I have this perception that no one actually listens to you.
Bullard: Mmmm
NVDL: You know what I mean? I mean, we are listening right now but you do have this perception that in a lot of conversations you have with people, one person is speaking [while] the other one is somewhere else. There’s not actually a…[EMPHATIC GESTURE]: I’M HERE NOW AND SO ARE YOU HERE NOW. Know what I mean?
Why Do we Blog?
I think that’s part of the reason why people blog. It’s that desperate yearning to communicate something.
Bullard: Absolutely. Is there anybody in there?
NVDL: And it is desperate. But what I would like – as a member of the pubic – from your blog which doesn’t exist is an almost one way stream of information. Not really commenting or reacting to what people are saying, but basically, you’re a writer and you’ve got your opinions… I mean that’s how I started blogging regularly – I was writing anyway. I’m not in your league at all but what I’m saying is, what you’re writing anyway, why not – once it’s published – why not put that in the public domain so it’s accessible. You know there are people who want to know what you’re saying…
Bullard: They haven’t done that with the weekly column. I don’t know if it’s a policy decision.
NVDL: I think with this company they wanted to get some sort of…
Bullard: Interaction.
NVDL: I think they wanted to utilize that[The Hype Around David Bullard], but I would think, for you personally, if you’re writing anyway, all you do is you copy and paste it – it takes no time – and all it is is a resource of David Bullard’s writing. It’s a resource. If you like it read it; comment if you like it, but that’s not really what it’s there for. It’s a resource; use it if you like.
Bullard: How many people look at your blog? Do you know how many people pass through?
NVDL: My record hits was earlier this week. 871 on Monday [8th October 2007].
Bullard: And what’s the general percentage of comments? Is it difficult to say?
NVDL: It’s not very high.
Bullard: I don’t know how many people pass through my blog, but I know how many people comment, and how many reactions I’ve had.
When and Why Do We [Care] To Comment
NVDL: I think there are a few reasons why your blog elicits comments. One of them is you’re high profile. Another thing is what you’re saying is part of the public consciousness at the time.
Bullard: Yeah, you can’t go wrong putting up why I’m a white supremacist. I mean it’s bound to get a reaction.
RP: Yeah [Laughs]
NVDL: And - yeah, it’s controversial - and the other aspect is it’s intelligent. What I’ve found – I’ve read some of the comments on your blog – there seems to be this desire to out-think in quite a nasty way though. You sort’ve try to blast someone with an insult, which is better than another insult.
RP: Yeah.
Bullard: Yeah, I know what you mean.
NVDL: I think you called it ‘kindergarten bashing’.
Bullard: Someone comes in and says: ‘Oh you should be reduced to a cub reporter.’ Or, you know: ‘You’re a failed stockbroker.’ I was never even a stockbroker. But you get all of these strange perceptions…
NVDL: Yeah.
On Defending The Perceptions of Cybersquatters
Bullard: I think once you start defending those [perceptions] you’ve shown you’re even interested in the debate, and it’s just a waste of space. What I eventually did was just delete the one’s I didn’t like.
RP: [LAUGHS]
Bullard: And then I got accused of censorship; I was quite happy with that. It’s my blog. If you want to come to my party and you actually start throwing up over the furniture, and nicking my CD’s, I’m gonna chuck you out the house. Same on the blog.
NVDL: I’m sure you’ve experienced this: You tend to get a lot of response[s] when you’ve made an error. That’s how people are. If they agree they don’t say anything. It’s this crazy aspect of people [especially on blogs] that people are quick to criticize [and show you they're right and you're wrong] and slow to praise. People do praise, but they’re much quicker [snapping fingers] to criticize.
I think it’s an ego thing, like: Oh, I see you made a mistake. You’re this intelligent person, there’s your error and I’ve spotted it, so that elevates me.
Bullard: Yes. But you know what can do [WRY SMILE], at least in the print medium. Blame the subs. You say, well of course, the bloody subs should have picked that up. And no one actually excuses you, but at least you’ve got someone else to blame. Blogging, unfortunately, you can’t, can you, really? It’s your court.
Tune in here next Wednesday (or whenever), for Part 3: Bullard - An Out to Lunch TV Talk Show?
For more refer to search label: The Bullard Tapes
