Well, as I wrote to some of my friends, I was sent an e-mail asking me to participate in a blog survey--but I had my doubts about that, as I was also requested to post my answers in my blog.
Well, mystery solved. It seems there's an English teacher doing a summer study course with some 16 and 17 year olds. She is trying to encourage them to start writing daily, by using their choice of either a personal journal or an online blog. As part of her introduction to blogging, this teacher asked her students to come up with some survey questions. Then, they were pair off in groups and select a certain number of bloggers to send the surveys to.
Apparently one of the students latched onto my blog.
So, it sounds kind of like an interesting project, and since the teacher was so kind as to respond quickly to my queries, I am going to post my answers here, as requested.
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1. What part of the world to you live in?
Northeaster New York state, United States
2. How long have you been blogging?
Since 2006
3. About how many visitors do you get to your site each day?
Well, it varies from week to week. I was averaging between 700 and 800, until this weekend. This week, it's been averaging just over 1000 visits per day.
4. What do you blog most about?
My daily life...what's going on in my day, how I'm feeling about something, stuff like that. Also, talk aboout my favourite television programme, make jokes and funny captions.
5. Have you ever used your blog to raise funds or awareness for a charity?
Good question, by the way. Yes. I have used my blog to help raise funds for a Hospice in Scotland, and also to twice I've spent the day blogging to raise awareness for an enviromental issue, and most recently for a human rights issue.
6. Do you ever use your blog to discuss social and/or political issues that are of concern to you?
Yes, sometimes. But not that frequently.
7. Do you ever discuss anything related to popular culture?
Just mostly Doctor Who (a British television series) and sometimes music I'm listening to. I'm not really into pop culture any more.
8. Do you ever use your blog for creative purposes?
Again, sometimes, but not that often. Sometimes I'll post poems or fan-fiction stories or short 100-word stores.
9. If you were asked to give your advice, what books, videos and/or music would you recommend to your blog readers?
That's a tough question, really.
BOOKS:
Of course, I'd recommend Dr Who. Books? Not sure. I just finished reading a book called My Father's Notebook that was interesting reading. Erm--I am fond of Louis L'amour's westerns, and his book, "The Walking Drum," is my #1 favourite read of all time. I also like Steven Saylor's mysteries set in ancient Rome, and the mysteries of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, and the detective stories of Raymond Chandler. Biographies I'd recommend would be "Harriet Jacobs--A Life" which is about the life of a slave girl, and "Last of the Great Scouts"--which may be no longer in print, about Buffalo Bill Cody written by his sister. Non-fic...an interesting book called "Nickel and Dimed," about America's working poor, and one called "The Lost Ships of Pisa," and "Essays" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. My favourite classics are Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (a "new" classic), The Three Musketeers, Wuthering Heights, and Robin Hood.
DVDS/FILMS:
I don't go to films or rent DVD's so all I can recommend there is some favourite older films: Arsenic and Old Lace, The Little Shop Around the Corner, Stagecoach, Errol Flynn's "Robin Hood," Vertigo, The Birds, North by Northwest, Guarding Tess, True Grit, My Fair Lady, The Christmas Story, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Zorro, The Dirty Dozen, The Out-of-Towners (orig. Version w/Jack Lemon), all the James Bond films (except Moonraker maybe), The Guns of Navarone, Breakfast at Tiffany's, A little-known film called, "Lilies of the Field," Disney's Love Bug movies, the first Star Wars film, Gone in Sixty Seconds, The Goodbye Girl, The Outlaw Jose Wales, Nine to Five, Tootsie, Galaxy Quest, Saving Grace, School of Rock. Foreign Films: The Colour of Paradise (ending made me cry) and The Closet.
TV DVD's: Dr Who, Star Trek The Next Gen, West Wing, Are you Being Served? All Creatures Great and Small, Father Ted, Keeping Up Appearances, The Equalizer, The Wild, Wild West, Columbo, The Lucy Show (NOT to be confused with "I Love Lucy"), Law and Order, MASH, All in the Family, the Carol Burnett Show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (US version) and theearly years (1970's) of Saturday Night Live. And, if it's out there on DVD, very highly recommend "Remember WENN," a very high-quality short-lived programme on the A&E network, that was like watching a Broadway play each week...and actually starred top stage actors, instead of the usual American sit-com buffons.
MUSIC:
Well, I'm a John Denver fan for over 30 years...but other than that...I'm just getting back into listening to music regularly (long story)...hard to recommend stuff when I'm new to most of it, myself?
that said, right now, I like The Proclaimers, Ramsey Lewis, The New Pornographers, Heartsfield, The Kaiser Chiefs, Runrig, Kate Wolf, Three Dog Night, The Beach Boys, Queen, recently discovered Kylie Minoque and a band called The Mystery Jets...there's a few more, but I can't think of them, at the moment.
10. Have you made any friends or enemies from blogging?
Another good question! Yes, I've made some good friends through my blog..some best friends, even. Enemies? Oh, probably, sure. Not everyone is going to agree with everything you have to say--and quite frankly if someone did, that would worry me. It's fairly rare, but unfortunately, sometimes you attract some nutters. Mostly though, blogging has been a very positive experience for me.
