Notice how the article was published on December 24th, but didn’t really explode until the 29th?  The story was released during a holiday weekend.  The 29th was the first Monday back to work for many people, but not a busy work day.  So a lot of idle office workers were surfing the net at the office.  Get back to work people and read the ghost stories on your own time!

Turnip:  How long have you been blogging, and what’s the most traffic one of your posts has received prior to your “long-distance” short story?

Ken: I graduated from a social network page in January ’08.  So I guess this is my anniversary!  I just started by putting up little posts which nobody read.  I took the ‘Field of Dreams’ view – “if I post it they will come…”  Boy, was I wrong?  I had to go and learn a thing or two about networking/socialising. 

The most traffic I would have seen before the New Year Stumble was around 600 visits in a day – the average is now somewhere around 150, I’d say.

Turnip: You have a long list of writing credits to your name, do you feel that translates to online success, or do you consider yourself an unknown blogger?

Ken: I don’t think the writing credits help me at all.  That’s why I don’t spend too much time shouting about them.  I reckon a Blogger is only as good as their Blog.  I definitely consider myself an unknown blogger but I am ambitious – I’d like to reach a bigger audience and I’m willing to keep working at that.

Turnip: I noticed you posted this on Christmas Eve, do you feel the success of the post was the content, the timeliness of it, or your promotional methods?

Ken: I think the timing couldn’t have been worse in terms of promotion.  It was Christmas Eve going on Christmas Day – nobody in their right mind was blogging.  I wanted to offer something nice for the holiday and there is a tradition here in Ireland of the newspapers printing a short story or two at the holiday season.  I also thought the subject matter was a little spooky, sentimental and ultimately optimistic – which suited the mood.  As it was I had truly lovely feedback on the story over the Christmas period but not an unusual amount of visitors.

I think that ultimately it comes down to quality of content – not necessarily this post but any post.  Anyone can get a few Diggs or Stumbles but, for something to take off, it’s going to need some people who don’t know you to just ‘like’ what you’ve posted, it’s as simple as that.

Turnip: People who are new to your blog don’t know if the story is fiction or non-fiction, which no doubt leads to the spooky feeling. Was this your first attempt at a ghost story and was it based off any real life experiences?

Ken: For a guy who aspires to do comedy, I seem to write about death an awful lot.  This particular story is fiction but it was written at a time when I was reading a lot of true life reports into EVP (electronic voice phenomena) and, indeed, some experimentation with my stereo system.  The little story in the middle of my story is loosely-based on a reported event – I think it’s the scariest part of the story.  I wrote the story in 1991 and it won me a fairly prestigious prize at that time.

Turnip: You successfully promoted your blog using the stumble network, any tips for other stumbleupon users?

Ken: As you and I have discussed on the excellent CMF Forum, I believe using StumbleUpon to find new material which interests you is a great way to build up some ‘stumble power’.  It’s a great tool for breaking out of ingrained surfing habits and adding a little randomness into the equation.  Beyond that, I would suggest that it is wise to stumble what you like rather than what you feel would benefit you most.  Build a genuine friends network and ask for their help only on the rare occasions when you feel you might have a post with ‘legs’ (let’s face it, nobody’s posts all have legs).  Don’t stumble yourself too much and don’t get into a simple stumble-exchange or you will be banned.

Turnip: Can you walk us though what steps you did to get the ball rolling. 1. You published the post 2. Then what…? For example, did you email friends to stumble it, use messenger, twitter, send direct messages to friends on stumble?

Ken: This post was remarkable in that I only did one thing.  I Stumbled the post myself, that’s all I did.  I put a little note on my review admitting I was doing the first stumble on it and then I left it alone.  Previously, on the few occasions that I’ve got a green-thumb or two, I have asked some close friends to consider thumbing it up if they liked it. 

On this occasion, it was January 1st, I’d put up a few more posts and I was looking at the story and thinking, “I really wish a few more people had seen it.”  So I stumbled it and moved on.  Then all hell broke loose – which was brilliant!  I think the fact that I tagged my review under ‘relationships’ helped in some way, I can’t say why though…

Turnip: What are your opinions of the CMF Ads beta test so far? Anything you would like to see added, changed, removed?

Ken: I’m really impressed with the CMF Ads Beta Test.  This one is right up my street.  It’s easy to use, intuitive and it looks great on the blog.  The master-stroke will be how the same space can be shared by a number of different ads at the same time – revolutionary, I’d say.  I think it’s been really well tweaked by Ben over the Beta Test period and I just want to see it up-and-running now!

Turnip:  Besides CMF Ads and StumbleUpon, any other social networks you recommend for bloggers?

Ken: I love Twitter.  I signed up for it months ago and left it sitting, bemused at the world-wide stream of twittering I was watching, wondering how I could ever jump in and why on earth I should even try.  Once you build a little cohort of friends and followers it becomes more bite-sized and manageable.  It’s a powerful tool, no doubt. 

The CMF forum is my virtual home though and I love how I am tolerated there.  I head over to the Batcave for increased levels of naughtiness and to watch some of the sharpest wits on the net bounce off each other.

Turnip: Thanks Ken.  I enjoyed your story, but I confess I didn’t stumble it until I wrote this article.  Hopefully your interviews are as popular as your short stories.

Ten questions you always wanted to ask Ben Barden, Dr Evil lookalike, Entrecard Mod, Programmer for the Injader Content Management System, and owner of Benbarden.com.

1. Is your Underground Lair still inhabited by the world’s deadliest assassins and what happened to Mr. Bigglesworth?

Ben: Not at the moment, the Lair is being refurbished and I am currently having to make do with an office chair and a desk. I think it’s time to find out why it’s taken six months to paint the walls. Maybe the decorators have gone missing.

2. Entrecard readers want to know if you wear those glasses for aesthetic reasons or do you actually need them?

Ben: I have suffered from a condition known as diabolical eyesight since the age of 7. Back in the days of frequent alcohol-related incidents I have noticed that what normal people view as beer goggles, I experience with my glasses removed.

3. Your website uses the Injader Content Management system. Isn’t this just WordPress with all the useful stuff removed?

Ben: It’s WordPress without the need to install a plugin just to change the “from” address on the contact form. I actually spend more time on Injader than on Entrecard. That might give you some idea of why it’s so awesome and everyone is using it. (OK, that might be a bit premature. It’ll get there.)

4. On one hand you bill your website as “Defining Web Jargon”, you then state you “provide blogging and website tips, but without the jargon”. If you don’t include the jargon, what exactly are you defining?

Ben: I just left that there to catch you out. Now it says that I don’t assume you already know the jargon.

5. I congratulate you on your successful bid to oust Lee Doyle as a mod, now who is your next target, Saphrym or Woobie, or are you aiming high and hope to replace phirate himself?

Ben: You’re very misguided. All these other people you speak of… they are illusions. We are one.

6. To what do you attribute the lack of commercial radio airplay of your song “Nine Intertwined”

Ben: It’s 18 and a half minutes long. Not exactly radio-friendly.

7. Your old card was rather gray and ominous, sort of a “Two Big Bens in Drab Old England” theme. Does your new Entrecard’s happy fruity look reflect a personal change in your life?

Ben: No, the happy fruity look just shows I am eating a lot of bananas.

8. Your blog has almost no ads, and yet the most common question a new blogger has is how to monetize their site. Looking very carefully I found an out of place ad for chitika. You don’t even have an ad for Injader. Why is this?

Ben: Too many blogs already focus on how to make money online, so I’m not planning to make it a major focus. I did have an ad for Injader but it got so few clicks I thought I’d do better to promote Injader in other ways.

9. What do you see the biggest challenge facing Entrecard and the biggest feature that needs to be added or changed.

Ben: Honestly, the main issue at the moment is only having one developer. And we really need to sort out the shop. All in good time.

10. As a mod, who’s post are you most afraid to touch; the person that makes you walk away and “leave it for Saphrym to deal with”.

Ben: Nobody. But we usually get a different group of people in the Community forum vs. the Support forum, and I’m in the Support forum more than anything else. That, and the feedback form.

I’d like to thank Ben for patiently answering all my questions with a sense of humor.  (which is why I didn’t ask “Do you have a sense of humor?”)  Hopefully everyone checks out benbarden.com to see what Ben’s latest plans are for world domination.  While you are there, be sure to sample the music he has composed and everything else he has to offer.  If anyone has any additional questions for Ben, ask them here or on his blog.

Stuart is the force behind missiontotrade.com, who is is starting with a bottle of Diet Coke, and hoping to “trade up” for better things over the course of one year.

Briefly explain your idea, and how has it progressed?
To be honest the idea started for me a long time ago as a childish thought, I wondered if I could start with a dollar and then get someone to trade it for two dollars, then the next person to trade that for three or four dollars and so on. Of course this idea was not at all practical as no one is that silly. So I guess the idea evolved. I had heard of Kyle and his ‘One Red Paperclip’ and the idea really caught my interest. I wondered how many people I could find who would be willing to trade something I had for something of greater value.
As for why it started with a Diet Coke, any of my friends or workmates could tell you that I might as well have a bottle of Diet Coke surgically attached to my hand, so it really does define me to a degree. As the bottle of Diet Coke was there on my desk that fateful day last week, that is the item I chose to start out with.

You were inspired by the guy who traded a red paperclip for a house, do you have a similar goal?
It is interesting, for me the goal is not a house, or anything in particular and it is not really monetary either. I do think it would be an awesome outcome to get something that is worth a little bit of money but what I am really looking forward to is the journey. Even though I just started out less than a week ago, I have already had the opportunity to connect with other bloggers in a new way, very much like yourself. I have had the chance to really start meeting some new people and I hope to make some new friends and connections both within Australia and around the world.

He also wrote a book, is that a possibility down the road?
That is not something I ever really considered. I guess this would vastly depend on how interested people were in the Mission To Trade idea as a whole and if they wanted to hear more about the lunatic behind it.

The “Red Paper Clip” trades were only completed 2 years ago, do you feel the internet is ready for a repeat scenario?
Truthfully, I do not know. I do not want to be seen as just a copycat, as I mentioned I have had a similar idea for a long time. But I am hoping that people might look at it and think… “Let’s see what an Aussie can pull off…”. We have a much smaller country and less people, which I think will make things a tad more difficult. So to sum up I hope people look at this and want to see if it *can* be done twice,

How has public interest been so far? Any media interest yet?
At this point there has not been any media interest. The first trade was only completed less than a week ago, so I have not actively approached any media channels yet. Interest from friends has been great, as has that of my workmates, and a lot of bloggers are keeping an eye on the site. After less than a week I am getting ~140 visits a day to the site, which is really not a bad effort and that figure seems to be steadily increasing. Also, with the trade of a keyboard for the golf balls today (see Mouse for Golfballs ) this brings me to two trades in less than a week; a great way to start off.

You also have a blog at www.secludedhabitat.com, why did you feel the need to create a new domain at www.missiontotrade.com?
I wanted somewhere I could dedicate to the idea, I figured if the idea took off people would want to be able to get updates on the mission without having to filter through all my other ramblings. I guess I also wanted to really show that I am willing to dedicate my time to the idea and give it additional attention separate to my two blogs SecludedHabitat.com and GeekyHabitat.com. Also you will notice that there is *virtually* no advertising on the site except for a single banner for my web hosting provider at the top. I wanted people to see that I am dedicated to the idea and am willing to go the extra mile for the site, and to do that by limiting the distractions (such as advertising).

Other than this interview, what are your plans for gaining publicity?
Once I have one more trade under my belt, I will start looking at contacting local radio stations to see if they would like to come on board with the idea for some fun. I am very much hoping that word of mouth will get around about the idea and that someone from the media will contact me directly, as that would be great. In the meantime, I am very much trying to spread the word by telling my friends, workmates and any new people that I meet about the idea. For instance, when I talk to people at the moment I ask them if they know anyone who might be interested in the current item I have on offer. And if worse comes to worse, I am willing to take to the streets *winks*.

Do you think there will be a rush to copy the idea if it takes off?
It is entirely possible, one blogger described me attempting the idea as “he has taken on something that completely confirms he is nuts” and “A genius most days, he is showing us just how far into insanity he can go.” While I know that I am nuts, I have to admit that there has to be people out there who are more crazy than myself. So I think there is a possibility that it may, but only time will tell.

Any fear of positive or negative publicity once the internet masses take notice of you?
What is the old saying… “Any publicity is good publicity”? It is something that is sitting in the back of my mind and has been for the last week. I can tell from some people’s reactions that they think I am just trying to copycat and pull some freebies. But for me one of the goals is that I want the opportunity to meet people, so regardless of good or bad publicity I will get to face that goal head on. My friends will also tell you that I often say “I live life by the motto that it doesn’t matter whether you are laughing at me or with me so long as you are laughing”. When I live life with that in the back of the mind it lets me do things that I would not otherwise do if I thought about it too much. So sometimes you have to take the bull by the horns… sometimes you might be lucky and wrestle it into submission, other times it may knock you to the ground. But most of all it is the journey and the lessons learned that count and that is what I am looking for. If that includes bad publicity then I will face that when it happens.

Critics of the “One Red Paperclip Guy” point out that the house is only worth about $8,000. He’ll do much better off the movie and book deal. Do you feel trading is a viable money making scheme for internet marketers?
Trade was around long before currency and I think one thing that is often overlooked is the value of an item to an individual or group, from things such as sentimental value or the rarity of the item. To be brutally honest I don’t believe it is a good money making scheme; however I do believe that it can leave two parties with a happier outcome. For example, both parties get an item that is more valuable to them personally, even though the monetary value may be significantly different.

Do you have to pay taxes on any of these trades?
I have consulted with my accountant about this and I have been informed that there is no tax implication.

How does somebody interested in trading contact you?
If someone would like to trade with me, they can get into contact with me on the www.missiontotrade.com/contact-me (Contact Me page) of the Mission To Trade blog.

Thanks and good luck with your trading!
Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me and for thinking up some great questions.
Stuart

Turnip Do you and graham ever argue over what changes to make, or do you simply take the coding orders?

phirate ok, the decision making process is pretty fluid.   I operate a very collaborative system with my clients, we talk through changes, sometimes I just make them if I think they’re a good idea, sometimes I talk to Graham, sometimes he comes to me with ideas or even just problems.  The main thing is to do what’s best for the project, and for the users. Graham is easy to work with because this is his entire focus.  If it came down to it and he put his foot down, with the exception of ethical issues, I would do what he requested regardless of my own opinion, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Turnip Are you simply paid for your time as a programmer for entrecard, or are you a partner, investor, partial owner?

phirate I am mostly paid for my time, but I do have a small shareholding as a gift from Graham for my work early on.

Turnip Graham recently announce a VC partnership, with plans to look much larger VC funding.  How will this affect you with more coders coming onboard?

phirate It really depends how it all pans out. Our ideal is to bring on a couple of people I’ve already earmarked, I’ve worked with them both before and their strengths will contribute significantly to Entrecard without requiring layers of management.  But it’s hard to predict exactly what the best structure will be in the future.  Hopefully, more coders will mean the ability to deliver stuff faster and better, more happy users, and a bit less weight on me for implementation.

Turnip A couple of times you mentioned the “Entrecard API”  What are some possibilities a person could do with it, and what type of coding experience would be required to be able to access and accomplish those things?

phirate The “API” covers a number of areas actually, it’s not just a single thing.  For example, the shop has a “callback” method that could allow people to automatically sell digital goods using it, or say manage a subscription service like a mailing list.  We also have API calls available for people who might want to build, say, a firefox toolbar to help people maximise their Entrecard experience and we do cooperate with people who want to do innovative Entrecard related stuff, for example one user came to us with the idea for a scratchie type thing.  It hasn’t been finished yet, but we added the code necessary at our side to allow them to sell the scratchies in an useful way.  With regard to experience, it really depends on the problem, using the API is easy, but you do have to know how to do your bit of the job.

Turnip Could I have a toolbar that showed me the EC cost of a site, the number of times they dropped on me in the last 30 days, and their status as a powerdropper?

phirate Yes, such a thing would be possible, we don’t provide parts of that information via the API right now, but if someone showed that they were serious about putting a toolbar like that together, we would make it happen.

Turnip I may look into it, I think people would enjoy that info while dropping.

phirate Indeed. We also have reasonably advanced plans for a new widget which would include more information like that.   The hard bit is making sure the new widget doesn’t break anything.

Turnip about how far away are we from beta testing the exchange market?

phirate The exchange market hit a bit of a hiccup with our Paypal integration. I’m waiting to hear back from tech support about that so it’s a bit hard to predict, “days” is about the closest I can get.

Turnip It would seem difficult to get people to “test buy” credits at $10 per 1000 when the value of the credit has currently been driven below that.

phirate We have not worked out our final limits on the trade value, however our preliminary collection suggests that there are a reasonable number of people willing to trade at that level.  while you can buy EC for less, I believe at the volumes the ECX will eventually operate on, people will be able to force their sell price higher due to demand. The essence is that if you pay higher, you get your credits sooner. This in itself is valuable and will help the overall valuation.

Turnip Was the idea you mentioned in a previous chat session about limiting drops to 300 per IP likely to happen down the road, or simply an idea thrown out?

phirate it was implemented then and there, although the limit is 600 per ip.

Turnip Anything along those roads is a start, even to let the spammers know their time is coming soon.

phirate the reason for 600 is that we have husband+wife couples, each with their own blogs, doing their own dropping. We like to encourage that kind of social thing.

Turnip Other than the exchange, what’s the most exciting change on the horizon?

phirate Of the stuff we talk about, the demand-based pricing change coming up will be the biggest deal by far.  The possibilities are fascinating, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it changes the overall dynamic. While the focus will still be on dropping to get your rank up there and generally get your name out, the price itself will become much more relevant overall.  We agonized over the pricing system for months, it’s been a real relief for us all to have finally made a decision on where we want to go, especially one we think will be so effective.

Turnip Ok, thanks for the interview.  You survived the hour.  I may be back with more questions at 3pm for part 2  if nobody shows up.

phirate sure, should probably grab a few hours sleep before the 3am

Turnip Yeah, thanks again, enjoy your rest

phirate cya