Blogging on the move is something that most of those who travel across the globe rave about, but that is often done using wireless internet connections from hotels and hotspots. Blogger Marcos Morales and his family though have an entirely different experience when it comes to blogging o the move. Designed by Waskman and Culdesac Studio for Vodafone to promote their wireless and fixed phone connections, this daft, sleek and minimalist modern home trots around on its wheels and inside its glass walls lies a cozy adobe with loads of finesse.

The home on wheels is designed not just to promote Vodafone, but it also propagates a new lifestyle which talks about getting the job done on the move. The interiors are well furnished with the ground level sporting the main living room, a kitchen station, dining space and other units. The upper floor opens into a low ceiling bedroom that maximizes in space and is as comforting as any you will ever see.

Made of white polyethylene panels and transparent polycarbonate, the mobile home runs on its four-wheel-drive vehicle and Morales for now is going all over Spain and making sure the world knows about his journey using his blog as the medium… Now that is truly progressive living!

Via: designboom / lacasamovil / waskman

If 2002 is what you witness as the beginning of blogging evolution then here is my guest Matthew Sheffield who was well-versed with blogs in 1999. When asked what invited his attention towards blogging, his ready response was: The informality, the lack of pretension, and the approachability of the medium are all things that appealed to me about blogging.

‘NewsBusters‘ can be seen as the brainchild of Matthew in alliance with Media Research Center focused upon critiquing the rest of the journalistic establishment. Read further to know more about this mainstream blogger, who has established an entity of a renowned ‘Media technology consultant’ for himself at blogosphere.

Matthew, introduce yourself to my readers and take us through your usual day at work.
I’m Matthew Sheffield and I am the creator of NewsBusters, which I run on behalf of the Media Research Center through my web consulting firm Dialog New Media. I came up with the idea of NewsBusters in 2005 after my work with RatherBiased.com which was dedicated to monitoring the reporting of Dan Rather of CBS. After Rather’s retirement, I figured it made sense to expand my efforts into critiquing the rest of the journalistic establishment so a partnership with the Media Research Center was only natural.

My typical day involves scouring the web for interesting stories, sorting through reader tips, and then blogging about stuff that interests me. I also file stuff away for a weekly column I just started writing for the Washington Times.

You are known to be the creator of the conservative form of blog sites. What led to the infusion of that spark within you and how would you define the term ‘liberal conservative?’
Before I got into blogging, I was working as a web designer and the online editor for my college paper. My brother Greg came up with the idea of doing a small web page about Dan Rather in 1999. With my background in web design, I wanted to make it a much bigger effort. As time went on after our 2000 launch, the RatherBiased.com site evolved into a blog almost instinctively for us. He’s since lost the political bug but I’m still bitten.

Liberal conservatism for me refers to a philosophy that realizes that there are some things that don’t need to change but that technology, exposure to differing cultural perspectives and experience are all things that we should partake eagerly of.

It also means being open to the idea that you don’t need to have a religious faith in order to be a good person or even to be a conservative. As someone who used to believe the opposite but now believes in no faith, I think that it’s important for people to realize that religion is a system of morality but that morality doesn’t come from religion necessarily.

You are known to be a politically minded and conservative person. Are these traits innate or developed during the course of time?
I don’t think politics is something one is born with. The average child thinks politics is boring and that is as it should be. Most of us tend to go along with the ideas that are presented to us whether by our parents, teachers, and friends. There is a lot to be gained from such encounters but in order to be fully actualized I think it requires one to examine all externally provided beliefs against those of others that may think differently.

When did you sense an inclination towards blogging? Are you satisfied with the functionality of the blogging eco-system or think there is a need for revamp?
I pretty much was blogging before there was a word for it. For me it came more naturally as an easy way to report news and express opinion on the web. The informality, the lack of pretension, and the approachability of the medium are all things that appealed to me about blogging.

I think the blog ecosystem tends to get too specialized. It’s important to engage the arguments of those with whom you disagree but on the other hand it requires more effort. I think there is room for more pan-ideological blogs which try to blend things together to foster conversation. Unfortunately that requires money and most liberal and conservative donors/groups are (probably rightfully) not interested in that so this is an area that I think that traditional MSM can fill.

How far NewsBusters is successful in offering immediate exposure of liberal media bias and neutralizing it?
Over the past three years since our launch, we’ve launched a number of stories into the national media conversation, everything from Hillary’s sniper fire, Chris Matthews’s leg thrills to just regular live TV snafus. We’ve had an impact but I will leave that to others to assess to what degree it is.

Point us to other active players in the industry practicing the similar web revolution?
A few other places I think are doing some innovative things are the Huffington Post, Pajamas Media, and Talking Points Memo.

Do you still realize the need of corrections in news media reporting? If yes, which are those?
Being accurate and fair in your reporting is the most important thing a journalist or blogger can do.

Blogs Or Media Sites. Which out of these two is more successful in maintaining the transparency and criticism expected out of media as an institution?
That depends on the site. Both bloggers and regular journalists have varying degrees of ethical standards. One thing where blogs do have somewhat of an edge is that other bloggers are less-inclined to believe you if you make assertions w/o providing evidence. Big media outlets do this on a routine basis.

The reach of your conservative media blog RatherBiased.com penetrated to an extent that it became the first Website that Google pulls up if you search for ‘Dan Rather.’ What all ingredients do you count for its unmatchable success?
It helped to have ‘Rather’ in the domain name but also that we produced a lot of content and marketed it effectively.
Tell us about your association with Dialog New Media. How does it functions and enables you support conservatives and libertarians?
Dialog New Media is a political marketing firm whose purpose is to help clients maximize the ‘bang for buck’ when it comes to messaging. We’ve found that in the Web 2.0 age, the internet is the most effective way of driving regular media because blogs are so important within newsrooms throughout the country. That’s not to say, however, that traditional media outreach and PR techniques don’t have their place. They most certainly do. The way marketing has been conducted has changed irrevocably. Luckily for us, a lot of our competitors haven’t figured that out yet.

What is your take on Traditional Journalism V/S Contemporary Journalism V/S Blogs Evolution?
I’m of the opinion that blogs are what you want them to be. If you want your blog to be a news reporting publication than you can easily do that. Unfortunately in the early days of blogging there was a widespread attitude among older media professionals that blogs were written by unemployed people lounging around in their pajamas.

That attitude exists today more than it should but by and large the ‘old media’ has learned the lesson. Every big media organization has many blogs as part of their web portfolio and most journalists consider blogs an essential part of their media diet. Lots of traditional media outlets have begun hiring bloggers in traditional positions. The New York Times hired a TV news blogger to cover the television business for it, ABC News hired former Salon.com blogger Jake Tapper as an on-air reporter, Time magazine hired a gossip blogger to be part of its Washington bureau and a number of papers such as the Hill, London’s Guardian, and my paper the Washington Times have hired bloggers as columnists.

The main conflict today in my view is that old media institutions haven’t become as transparent with their political viewpoints as they should be. While it is admirable to try to remove your personal perspectives from your coverage, a lot of times it’s just not possible. No one is that dispassionate and without a personal history. Bloggers admit that they’re human beings with perspective. Most journalists haven’t been willing to do so yet. They should.

Tell us about your ‘must-read’ or favorite blogs?
A few blogs I read regularly (besides ones I’m directly affiliated with): Ace of Spades, Patterico, FreeRepublic, Daily Kos, Matt Yglesias. There are lots of others I read on a slightly less regular basis.

Provide us with your five favorite posts you have written to date.
1. One of my favorite things to do is to get big media figures and turn the spotlight onto them. They specialize on doing it to others but oftentimes don’t like to be the subject of attention. I was able to do that with Chris Matthews a few years ago when I caught him being hypocritical on the Valerie Plame story by ignoring it after news broke that sort of shattered his grand conspiracy theory about the Bush Administration. The story got up on Drudge and that same day, Matthews broke his hypocrisy.

2. One of the more pervasive questions on the political right of late is how to modernize our public outreach mechanisms. I wrote on that last month that technology isn’t the savior that some people say but rather savvy, principled leaders at the top.

3. I’m also interested in giving wider currency to stories that got missed in the hustle-and-bustle of the news cycle. Here’s a post I wrote about how former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan changed his book from what he originally intended it to be, a defense of the president.

4. Another post illustrating the same spotlight-on-big-media approach I mentioned earlier involves an exchange I had with liberal PBS reporter Tavis Smiley who had made a series of offensive remarks about Republicans, never apologized, and then was amazed that many of them didn’t want to show up to a debate he hosted in 2007. I asked Smiley about the remarks since I knew no liberal journalist would do so.

5. This post chronicling how CNN science reporter fell asleep during a hearing about global warming presided over by Senator James Inhofe was a favorite of mine as well.

Your favorites:
1. City: Miami
2. Music: String quartets
3. Food: Too many to list
4. Book: War and Peace
5. Gadget: Smartphones
6. Color: Green
7. TV show: TBS’s ‘Burn Notice’

What are those principles that blogosphere needs to learn from mainstream media or vice versa?
Bloggers should do more original reporting and research. MSM need to be more forthright about their opinions and be more transparent about their sourcing.

How would you like to be known as?
1. Media Critic
2. Blogger
3. Entrepreneur
4. Liberal conservative
5. Writer
6. Media technology consultant

I prefer #6
Your post on Vanity fair’s Blog Map points to Vanityfair’s selection of blogs residing across four verticals viz. News, Opinion, Scurrilous and Earnest. If Matthew is asked to handpick one blog topping each vertical, which one would those be?

Within the political sphere, I would do it as follows:
News: Instapundit
Opinion: Matthew Yglesias
Scurrilous: Huffington Post
Earnest: Outside the Beltway

Where do you see the future of Blogosphere?
The future of blogs is synergy. There will continue to be personal blogs but more and more people will find out that banding together to produce content is a lot easier way to gain an audience. The MSM will continue to absorb, copy and read blogs. The number of ‘A-list’ blogs will decline as consolidation happens. If Obama wins, right-leaning blogs will become the most popular. If McCain wins, left-leaning ones will stay on top.

Quick bites:
1. Hours you invest digging net: somewhere between 4-8 hours daily

2. Biggest blogging mistake you did: Holding back from reporting on the Dan Rather CBS document story soon enough. We followed the story as it was breaking on FreeRepublic but did not want to report it until we had solid proof that CBS had been tricked. We would have retained our credibility had CBS not been tricked but we could have navigated the line a little better at first.

3. One hidden truth: People who specialize in original analysis and reporting are the people who do best in the blog world.

4. If asked to post only on one blog (neither NewsBusters nor MatthewSheffield), which one would that be? Probably Ace. He’s a friend of mine and a very sharp writer and political analyst.

5. Advice you would have given yourself five years ago? Think outside the box. There are so many opportunities out there for people who simply think of them.

6. Life without Internet: Very inconvenient!

7. Count of professions you have been into: 5

8. First post you have written: I wrote a very basic update to RatherBiased.com detailing how Dan Rather was once convinced that the George Bush 41 presidential campaign was behind the Gennifer Flowers accusation that Bill Clinton had an affair with her.

Whom would you recommend as my next EliteBloger and why?
I’d recommend talking to Josh Marshall of TPM. He has built an impressive web entity without the millions of Huffington.

Give us your views on EliteChoice.
It’s a cool site.’ Your interview series is quite divergent and wide-ranging.

Your turn! You can ask me one question. Where is my free coffee mug?
Well, you deserve more than a free coffee mug for fetching time and feeding my readers with such lovely responses. No I owe a treat to you.

We thank Matthew once again for accepting our invitation and penning down informative set of responses.

Today I take pride in having Susi Weaser, Editor, ShinyShiny with me on board and the credit goes to her kind interest in participating on my running EliteBlogger series. Thanks again Susi for making this possible. Globally renowned as freelance technology journalist, Susi at 25 knows her roots well and loves exploring various prospects. They say everyone has their own way to quantify fame online but question emerges what is Susi’s way? She carved her identity by talking about mobile phones, flat-screen computer monitors, and infrared mice and gradually evolved as a TV’s bubbly gadget queen.

This self-confessed geeky diva having expertise in her niche went a step further by doing one-minute video reviews appearing on YouTube running under Broadcast Yourself that turned into a job ad for her. Folks, this is the biggest sign of her growing visibility across online vertical. She is young, gorgeous, intelligent and smart enough to beat any tech guru. Before raising eyebrows against my aforesaid statement, I propose you to sit back and spend some time watching her video reviews falling amongst 942 reviews done so far by ShinyShiny team.

And if you happen to ask her about her Masterplan, the response would be loud, blunt and confident: “To be the Queen of London.” This makes me stay tightlipped and allow her to take it further:

Susi, introduce yourself to my readers and take us to your typical day at work?
I get in in the morning, and check the comments I won’t have spam comments on my blog! Then it’s off to major news sites, and a quick flick through the main feeds on Bloglines. Then, it’s down to work. I’m lucky that my writers are good at picking their own stories, so I’m happy to let them get on with it. Beside writing, I do video reviews, so I spend some time messing around with products, as well as filming.

Your mind seems to be revolving around finding a connection between women and technology. How far you are successful in your mission of identifying the whys’ involved in less number of women working in technology industry?
I’m not sure of the answer, to be honest. I suspect it might have something to do with women in technology not shouting loud enough about the different career options available – I wrote about it here. I quite often get emailed by females completing dissertations on the subject, and I’m always keen to contribute as I’d like to think that goes some way to convincing someone that there are some awesome jobs out there.

Share your experience of doing one-minute video reviews featured at Youtube. How did this idea clicked you and what all threads you have woven together to make it a big hit?
When I started at Shiny Media over two years ago, I did the video reviews by running round the the camera, switching it on, running to the sofa and reviewing the product and then running back and switching it off it really was a one-girl show. Now, we’re lucky enough to have a camera man who knows heaps about editing, and I no longer have to swear at my computer whilst trying to work out premiere elements. It’s something I enjoy doing, and I think it’s a really useful way of reviewing products if I’m buying something, I want to see more than just press photos. It’s also something we’re hoping to expand in the future, but that’s a secret for now.

How was your reaction when YouTube’s tagline “Broadcast yourself” turned out as a Job Ad for you?
I assume this is being selected by the BBC via YouTube to present a gadget spot? It was crazy! I think that’s when it brought it home how many people saw these things.

Introduce us to the broadcast projects you underwent lately and what next are you considering at this front?
In terms of broadcast ‘old media’ I do occasional spots on Sky News, and then random stuff. When there’s a ‘girls and technology’ story, I can usually be relied upon to pop up somewhere!

Was Susi ever interested in anchoring for a morning show or being featured as a technology presenter or it just came over?
It’s not something I ever thought of doing, and having done it, I don’t think it’s something I’d ever want to do full time. But it was a wonderful experience, and it taught me loads.

How did you manage to reach the entry window of renowned publication like The Guardian, The Daily Mail, Women and Home?
I’m lucky in that the company I work for is run by three journalists, who each have fantastic contacts. They helped me get out there, and you find the more work you do, the more your name is known.

Bloggers believe besides original content generation, networking comes as a part and parcel of a deal that cannot be ignored. What is ShinyShiny or Susi doing or has done at that front to invite more readers?

I’m a big fan of networking at press events. Something like CES is an unrivalled opportunity to connect with bloggers around the world, which is particularly important if you’re from the UK which is relative small fry in blogging terms. I think YouTube has helped me out there as well, as people tend to have a vague knowledge of Shiny Media as a result.

At personal front, how open are you for inking pricey deals for outlandish gears? We at EliteChoice complied a list of 80 World’s most expensive things. What is your take on this?
I love writing about the outlandishly expensive stuff, but sadly it’s not something stuff I’ll ever get my hands on!

What should be the ratio of style specks to tech features that manufacturers should consider while developing any gadget?
Absolutely equal. I think producing something that is stylish but doesn’t work, or something crammed with technology but unattractive is a complete cop out. There’s no reason to buy that stuff just look at the HTC Diamond. It’s beautiful, but crammed full of tech. HTC really have learnt their lesson.

Can my readers know: Which are those three gadgets (one fashionable) that a techie diva like you doesn’t skip to carry while stepping out?
I always have my earphones they’re custom moulded to my ears so are excellent at noise blocking. (and they’re made in black and gold rubber, so look pretty cool)
My iPod Touch. I’m obsessed with videoblogging, so love nothing more than settling down on the bus with Diggnation.
My Blackberry Pearl. I check it about once every five minutes!

One-Must-Answer-Question:
Whom would you recommend for being featured as my next EliteBlogger?

I’d recommend Gemma Cartwright, who’s the Fashion Director for Shiny Media. She started life as a bedroom blogger, got discovered, and is now in charge of one the biggest fashion blogs in the UK.

Give us your honest views on EliteChoice
It’s a great resource for things I know I can only dream about owning!

Your turn! Can ask me one question:
What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a gadget?
$387 on a 16gb Apple itouch is worth pointing.

We wish luck to Susi and her team for giving their best shot in whatever they pursue.

What would you expect from a blogger whose domain name was an accident that finally took bent in some impromptu direction? A Complete Failure Right? But it proved to have a different destiny for our dear elite blogger: Andrew Tingle. Yes, he had the fortune to experience this hard-earned success and takes pride in quitting his full-time job to nourish his two-blogs (TFTS and e-Potpourri), pro-active on board with one residing amongst the must-visit list of all technology bloggers and geeks. With one-hand dropped in technology-tub and other pointing fingers towards must-pick designer stuff, Tingle must be an inspiration for many, at least for me.

Here starts his narration of what led to his present success and that he unturned every stone that come his way within no time.

Introduce yourself to my readers and take us through your flow of day.
Hi, my name is Andrew Tingle and I own, and work as the sole contributor to, both TFTS and e-Potpourri, both of which I work on full time having long since given up my ‘day job’ though, prior to these sites, I also ran a very successful Flight Sim related site that featured exclusive interviews with the likes of the Red Arrows and 80’s electro-pop legend Gary Numan (which gave me somewhat of a grounding as far as developing and running sites is concerned).

My standard working day involves starting work at around 7am and working through to 5.30pm though I will work most evenings and, more often than not, into the small hours, if only to catch up on work behind the scenes and to try to make up for the fact that there is only one of me (I could actually do with cloning myself but have put off the idea as myself and I would probably not get on in the least).

I have a fierce work ethic perhaps too fierce as far as my wife is concerned but, in all honesty, I genuinely enjoy working on the sites and, whilst working at home does give me full control of my time, I very much try to maintain business hours at the absolute minimum and remain disciplined. After all, if I slack off there’s no-one to fill in, so to speak and, if the sites are to sustain the level of growth they are currently enjoying I need to keep focused. Moreover, the work it’s taken to get this far could all too easily be undone if I now decided to take it easy and I remain acutely aware of this.

That said, I am somewhat of a workaholic and I genuinely enjoy doing what I do, so I’m wouldn’t want it any other way.

Why have you christened Nexus404 as TFTS? What does it mean?
That’s a very good question and, in honesty, it all stems from the fact that, when naming the site, I really didn’t have my head screwed on quite as much as I should have. TFTS stands for Thoughts from the Sidelines which, let’s be honest here, is a truly terrible name for a gadgets and technology site. What was I thinking of? (As I recall, I may have had a beer or three at the time).

In truth, when I named the site I was never really expecting it to take off quite to the extent that it now has which probably explains why I merely now refer to the site as TFTS. The Nexus404 element was to be the main holding site for a series of satellite sites (seemed like a good idea at the time) but it never quite worked out that way what with TFTS growing in stature somewhat quicker than I had ever envisaged.

In fairness, I am prone to moments of insane stupidity, and the initial naming of the site was one of them. Still, I’m told by friends that these very moments of abject stupidity actually serve as one of my few redeeming features (so I take some solace in that).

At present your other blog E-Potpourri features around 315 technology-driven coolest products bathed in style, design & inspiration. What led you to the creative of such a lively platform? By the way, when was E-Potpourri established?
E-Potpourri was initially the test site for TFTS used specifically for testing PHP scripts and plug-in prior to running them live on TFTS but, in wanting to develop a site that comes from a very differing angle from that of TFTS (both in terms of layout EP sports image based navigation and subject matter, as well as perspective) I rapidly grew it into a separate site by developing a custom theme and what I believe to be a somewhat refreshing aesthetic appeal that, all said and done, I’m very proud of.

EP is very much still new in not even being a year old yet from the point where it had become a fully fledged site in its own right whereas TFTS is sitting on celebrating its second birthday in August.

TFTS’s tagline reads technology, gadgets and curiosities. What level of curiosity have you reached in term of acceptance of concept-gadgets turning functional?
Not sure if I understand the question but the ‘curiosities’ element in the tagline refers to entries that cover the more wacky side of gadgets and we’ve (I always refer to ‘I’ as ‘we’ in terms of the sites have no idea why) covered some truly bizarre items that are very much included for entertainment purposes only or, hopefully, to act to raise a smile somewhere.

We do also feature quite a few concepts as these serve to provide a tantalizing insight as to what the future may hold. That said, we do get the odd complaint from readers saying that they don’t believe concepts are of either any merit or should be covered by the site. With respect to those who have that opinion, I strongly disagree on the basis that everything around us was a concept at one stage or another. I think to dismiss concepts as ‘mere works of fiction’ shows scant regard for exactly how things come to actually be. Besides, the majority of concepts is extremely well researched and is far from merely ‘fanciful’.

Whenever we have been approached by a designer which does not happen as much as I would like we will try to go out of our way to feature their work if we believe it offers valuable insight into what the gadgets of the future may offer us and I firmly believe it is incumbent on us to continue to do so.

Introduce my readers to the growth journey for both of your blogs.
I would like both sites to be big, both in terms of the level of content on offer as well as their positioning. TFTS has the age advantage so is way out in front but I suspect that the only thing now really holding me back is that I am the sole contributor. I have actually been looking for some additional writers to assist with content provision on TFTS but, to date, the only interest I’ve had is from a chap in Nigeria who, apart from being genuinely affable, couldn’t write for toffee.

I need to secure a good team of writers now and ensure that I pay the rates required to entice them to work for me, and that’s something I’m working on, but I do not want merely to offer more content for the sake of ‘bulking up’ the site. If it takes ages to get writers that have spirit, style, can engage readers with well written, entertaining prose and who happen to have an especially keen eye, so be it I’ll just have to work my balls off in the meantime to compensate as best I can (though I suspect that even after I have writers, I’ll continue to work as hard as I do now it’s a pride thing).

Archives reveal first post got featured at TFTS on August 22, 2006. What do you count as your turning points in this journey of almost two-years?
A few things would count as turning points. Moving from a shared server to a dedicated server was one of them, as was having to move from that server only a few months after to the quad-core beast of a machine I rent now. Getting featured (with a link) in Belgium’s edition of Maxim Magazine was also up there as was the day that I realized that I was doing well enough to give up working for someone else.

It was also nice that, whilst we were in Australia looking around a few months back, I met people who knew the sites and (what’s more) like them.

In honesty, though, I watch the stats all the time and it always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to see how things are going I appreciate that this does not sound in the least bit ‘cool’, but it’s true and I think that running EP, which is very much smaller, helps me to keep things in stark perspective.

I am impressed by your coverage of technology in every sector viz. Green Technology, Social Tech, Portable Technology, Curious Technology and others. How do you do justice to such diverse offerings?

In order to respect you and those reading this I can only answer this question honestly by saying that, as I one man band, I can’t though it’s not for the want of trying. I do have to be extremely selective, therefore, with items I feature and there have been a few things that I should have featured but that were receiving such broad coverage by other sites in my niche I decided that, unless I could offer something different in terms of either perspective or from an informative standpoint, it was probably not worth featuring them.

Maintaining two blogs single handedly is an achievement in itself. What all do you count as your USPs that is keeping your blogs in perfect shape till date? How many posts you manage to play on daily basis.

I try to produced a full front page of new posts on TFTS per day but invariably fail on account of writing far longer posts than envisaged and then spending time producing the associated graphic work. I could write shorter posts, of course, but I genuinely enjoy writing and invariably get too immersed in things. At the end of the day, I must be happy with a post and cannot (and will not) succumb to merely producing content in a bid to bulk the site up and get more search terms out there.

Concerning EP, I merely post when I come across something I think fits the site and that the readers who ultimately have the vote as to how cool items actually are may like. EP’s posts are far shorter, in the main, than those on TFTS but the content is actually a great deal harder to come by.

Unique selling points? I would hope that presentation and the pride I take in my content count for something as well as the fact that I am not averse to ripping the hell out of a product that truly deserves it. Content is king in terms of producing posts that I’ve taken some time over rather than just measuring things in terms of sheer bulk.

Rather than merely offering specs, I also offer opinions in a great may cases that I hope will galvanize the reader and, perhaps, even serve as a basis for discussion.

At EliteChoice, we have captured a list of 80 world’s most expensive things including gadgets. What is your take on the production o such pricey gadgets and how open are you for inking such outlandish deals?

Each to their own simply put. I certainly have a fair few gadgets that are far from cheap but I also have some unusually cheap ones that are indispensable. For example, I’ve just purchased this small box that emits the sound of a mosquito when the lights are out but turns off when the lights are on. The wife spent over 30 minutes trying to work out what it was and where it was the other night it was really freaking her out. Money well spent in my book.

What other areas interest you?
Aviation and flight (the very idea of flight is a source of ceaseless wonderment). I especially like fast military jets and try to make Fairford Airshow each year just to give my eardrums a good workout and get some imagery (I love photography). The Raptor is appearing this year, hence the new camera with x20 optical zoom so I can capture her (though will also be investing in a tele-converter to boost optical magnification to x30).
It’s the sheer power of these things, shockingly impressive though it all probably stems from living on airbases throughout a great part of my youth.

What is your business model? From where do you tag monetary innings?

Whilst I realize that my earnings may be of interest to some I never discuss such matters with anyone but my family and closest friends. I’m earning more now than I was as a Systems Analyst, but I’ll go no further than that I’m afraid.

Pen down those three technology-driven products that you can’t afford to miss while stepping out.
My Cameras especially my Olympus SP-570UZ (a magnificent camera once you’ve got to grips with it, and I cannot recommend it enough).
Cell Phone (an old beat up N80, lol) May replace with a new 3G iPhone when released or a Soul, not sure.
In the market for a replacement for my laptop, HP’s Mini-Note being the front runner at the time of writing.

Your views on Traditional Journalism V/S Blogging.
The two have become virtually indistinguishable the way I see it. Professional journalists, I believe, are becoming more accepting of blogging as being a form of journalism that can, and often does, prove somewhat more accessible to an increasingly fickle audience. I love the fact that blogging has served to open up so many channels and that, as long as you have a PC and a net connection, you’re invited to partake. The average man/woman on the street now has a far greater voice and the mechanism to be heard that should be widely celebrated (and fiercely defended).

Pen down your daily online-reads or favorite sites.
It’s really hard to single out three as I there are a great many sites that I hold in high regard, but these three are certainly right up there as far as I am concerned.
Dark Roasted Blend: Not related to my particular niches but a truly phenomenal site and one I am in awe of. The work that goes into the posts shines through and the owner, Avi Abrams, is an absolute star (and a thoroughly nice chap).

The entireGizmodo network. Not only because they are right up there but because they are genuinely supportive of smaller sites. Their crediting policy is a breath of fresh air and, for that alone, I have a great deal of respect for them. Some sites get that big and forget what its like to be a smaller fish in the sea, Gizmodo have an extremely humanistic approach that’s rare for a network of its stature. I hold Gizmodo in the highest of esteem.

Yanko Design: The leader in its field by a considerable margin and a tour de force as far as featuring breathtaking design and concepts is concerned. Oozes professionalism and sheer class.

Provide us with two of your favorite posts from your blog.
Impossible, I’m afraid. I simply cannot single out posts as the equation is too dynamic and, more to the point, would be subjective to the point of lunacy and I’d change my mid the moment you posted this, lol.

How you would like to be known as and why?
a) Blogger
b) Technophile
c) Entrepreneur
I consider myself to be all three but, as uncool as it sounds, I’d rather just be known for being a nice chap who can almost hold his beer (on occasions).

What is the USP of TFTS? Amongst gamut of technology-related blogs, why should one digg in here?
I like to think it’s a pithy writing style and the tendency not to take ourselves too seriously whilst not pulling any punches when the need arises. Being true to ourselves and our readers. Having passion and pride in what we do (note that ‘I’ has become ‘we’ again Gees, starting to wonder if I have a personality problem lol).

One Hidden Truth
Everything is harder than it looks but, if you’re determined, more can be achieved than you quite possibly believe though once having achieved something, never to take it for granted. Things that have proved hard to gain invariably prove all too easy to loose.

What was that first geeky toy that you got when you were kid?
Big Trak (left 90, forward 10, right 90, fire phaser).

Where do you see your blog after five years from now?
Hopefully more writers and hopefully I’ll be living in Perth, Australia by then (our emigration papers are already lodged as we are very disillusioned with the UK and its politics that seem to show scant regard for the average Joe on the street just trying to make an honest living).

What piece of advice you would have given yourself five-years ago?
Start blogging (I had not started these sites at that juncture).

Share one of your unfulfilled desires with us related to gadget world.
I would love to be approached by a company to trial gadgetry from a user’s perspective at the development stage. A gadget crash test dummy, if you like (on the premise that I have the ‘dummy’ part sussed).

What’s next for Andrew?
Probably a beer, to be honest.

Give us your honest views on EliteChoice.
Love the idea of interviewing gadget site owners, a great way to get inbound links (lol) whilst giving people like us the opportunity to talk openly about out sites in a way we seldom can.

You can ask me one question.
Your series of interviews seems to be based on interviewing 80 bloggers, why 80? That seems like an especially high number. What made you decide on this particular number and how do you qualify exactly which bloggers to approach?
Well, to correct you the figure is 125 and not 80. True, it is actually a big number with an honest confession that reaching this number wasn’t purposeful. In fact the target was to feature 100-top most blogs but on my hunt I couldn’t do justice to other 25 that were shortlisted. And hence had to glue to this number. Apologies to the rest worthy and established lot, who would be considered surely on priority while featuring 2008-Round Up.

Why these 125? The EliteBlogger series aims at capturing these 125 plus other visible bloggers delivering some kind of USP. Right on my heels, the short listing was done considering their traffic figures, Alexa and Technorati ranking and not to forget the foremost factor of fulfilling the criterion to participate in EliteBlogger series i.e. Being Elite in some way…. it could be their niche, visibility or plugging-in of other features.

I take pride in declaring that my initiative is not only being welcomed but also appreciated across the blogosphere.

And today we have another familiar face mentioned in 2007 Round-Up of Elite Blogs with us. Al Carlton, the inventor of CoolestGadgets (CG) plus the caretaker of 25 other blogs to name some CoolestReviews, GameAddicts, CoolestToys, SelfMadeMinds, SayNoToCrack that would soon take a shape of a community under a brand called CoolestMedia has witnessed a geometrical rate of growth in his streamlined business of blogging. Having experienced the pleasure of being in an eight-hour job was fired from 2 jobs and confesses to have been fired from 3; Al holds a substantial stay of 14-years in the internet industry.

Kindly lend all your ears to Al, especially evolving bloggers if you wish to shake hands with success.

Introduce yourself to my readers and take us through your flow of day.
Hi, my name is Al Carlton and I’m the founder of Coolest Gadgets and CEO of Coolest Media. I’ve been using the Internet for 14 years and make my living from my portfolio of sites for the past year or so. My general day involves managing my sites and writers, researching new markets and making the odd blog post.

What led to the launch of CoolestGadgets?
I’ve always had an affinity for gadgets and when I was looking for a new niche to blog in it just seemed a natural choice.

What all factors you keep in mind while hunting for prospective news to be posted on CoolestGadgets?
My main criterion is it must be cool and not plastered all over the Internet already, other than that anything is fair game.

Are you handling it single-handedly or there is a team behind it?
CG started with just myself but we now have a team of very talented writers and an overall editor. I found in the first month that extra hands were needed as I also had a day job back then.

What should be the ratio of style specks to tech features that manufacturers should consider while developing any gadget?
I think that depends on the gadget and either end of the scale can work. For example the iPhone isn’t that technically advanced but the style makes up for it whilst the older Archos weren’t exactly stylish but made up for it in functionality. Both are highly successful products.

At EliteChoice, we have captured a list of 80 world’s most expensive things including gadgets. At personal front, how open are you for inking pricey deals for outlandish gears?
I’m a sucker for gadgets regardless of price. I’ve spent/wasted $200 on a WiFi Rabbit, $300 on a robotic dinosaur (which is now the family pet) and $500 on a universal remote for the living room. I do have the excuse that they are for review purposes on coolest reviews but the girl fiend is often far from impressed

What other areas interest you?
I enjoy travelling which works well with blogging as you can blog from anywhere; I’m a firm believer in entrepreneurism and enjoy creating new site, services and businesses.

Is CoolestGadgets your only medium to earn money or you have a running alternative?
No I run around 25 sites and am in the process of setting up a blog network (Coolest Media). CG is my most profitable site at this time.

What is the business model of CoolestGadgets? From where do you tag monetary innings?
The current business model of CG is advertising and affiliate sales; we do pretty well with Google Adsense and are exploring other options.

What is the concept behind your gadget forum?
It’s nearly 2 years old now so not exactly new, the main purpose is for our readers to discuss anything they want about gadgets and technology in general. It does need a push and refocus at the moment.

What are you doing at SEO front to invite more readers?
We do very well from the engines and don’t do anything special SEO wise anymore. We try to report on cool a new product which attracts links organically which results in better SEO.

Pen down those three gadgets that you can’t afford to miss while stepping out.
My phone, Inka Pen and Tom-tom if in the car I can get lost in car park), My phone also has a built in GPS which is very useful when navigating around London

Your views on Traditional Journalism V/S Blogging.
I find blogging is much more personal and spontaneous, there are many things bloggers do that journalists wouldn’t be able to get away with. I also think there are a fair few bloggers and spam blogs which give the rest of us a bad name.

What all turning points have you come across since the launch of CoolestGadgets? By the way, when was it launched?

We launched August 2005 and have grown steadily ever since, our first Digg front page (April 2006), which a great experience and when I first took on paid writers it made it much easier to update regularly. For me personally the biggest turning point was being able to quit my day job.

Pen down your daily online-reads.
When time allows I read a fair few gadget and tech blogs, I also enjoy reading marketing, self improvement and entrepreneurial blogs.

Provide my readers with two of your favorite posts from

a) CoolestGadgets
It would be our first Digg front page post about the cool GPS tracker
Also, Current crop of water slides are just cool.

b) Others
Do it F****** Now

What is the USP of CoolestGadgets? Amongst gamut of gadget related blogs, why should one digg in here?
We only report on cool gadgets, we are always looking for gadgets to report on that hasn’t been seen all over the web before and all of our writers have a passion for the latest tech

What tips would you like to give it to bloggers with running gadget blogs so that they can also make big.
Be persistent and unique; don’t write about the same as everybody else

One Hidden Truth
I’ve been fired from 2 jobs but really should of been fired from 3

What were your first geeky toys when you were kid?
Star Wars figures, wasn’t that every bodies?

Where do you see your blog after five years from now?
Bigger and better and just a small cog in a much bigger network.

What piece of advice you would have given yourself five-years ago?
Start now

Share one of your unfulfilled desires with us related to gadget world.
I want a tiny laptop with a usable keyboard and screen

What’s next for Coolest Gadgets?
We have a major addition planned and in progress for CG and more of the same really. Most of my time is now spent on marketing and expanding the network.
Small thing, I would like to share. The other day I went through his article about 2008 goals and action plans for CoolestMedia and thought to share it with you.

Give us your honest views on EliteChoice.
Cool site, your interviews are though which is cool for the reading but a tad time consuming when answering

You can ask me one question.

How do you plan to expand Elite Choice and what are your ambitions for it?
We are working on increasing our readership as I truly believe that the core thing that can help a blog grow is savvy readership. I wish to see EliteChoice a renowned member of blogging community, which is happening gradually.

Once again, a salute of respect to my commitment in bringing forth the most-wanted bloggers/faces captured at 125 Elite Blogs running this revolutionary channel of blogosphere. The engine running SlashGear is my celebrity guest today as it stands high amongst 2007 Elite Technology blogs along with PCMag, HipTechBlog and many others.

Having launched FedoraForum, one of the largest open source forum devoted to Fedora Linux, he is now the face behind Aradius Network together with partner Vincent Nguyen. Launched in 2005, the Aradius Media Network in its course of past three years have matured visible and today enjoys the readership of over 1.5 million unique visitors monthly. The network concentrates on numerous leading websites with topics ranging from phone technologies to the latest and greatest in digital lifestyle. Currently running a tech and gadget blog site SlashGear founded by him in Jan 2006, he is always seen revolving around many open source project viz. FoxServ, PostNuke, BlueLinux, and txtSQL. But who is HE?

Patience! Without mystifying it further I would now make you familiarize with the person behind all this. He is Ewdison Then, a young-man happily married to Satsuki and knows his roots well to take his business in right direction. Judie Lipsett blog GearDiary also fall amongst their affiliates and did I tell you the threesome (Ewdison, Vincent and Judie) alone can rock the party.

Besides standing on heels for open source projects and populating the blogs falling in Aradius network by playing 40 plus posts across all verticals, Ewdison is fond of food and cooking and takes pride in having bought up in Singapore where Food is everything. This born fighter loves taking challenges and devoted counted four hours to blogging and scheduling rest of the time for other activities. On a softer side, likewise any other blogger Ewdison wishes to spend more time with my family but cribs being workaholic. The first geeky toy where Ewdison finger rested upon was a Goldstar 8088 PC in 1985. He recalls saying: I remember the chassis gave me electric shocks every time I turn it on.

Here I give a green signal to Ewdison to talk to my readers’ at length.

Introduce yourself to my readers and pen down your flow of day at work.
I’m Ewdison Then, president of Aradius Media Network, a company that operates and owns several blogs such as SlashGear, PhoneMag, SlashPhone, iPhoneBuzz, Simply Craving, and etc. I see myself more of an entrepreneur rather than a blogger. My day-to-day task includes business relation/development, editorial calendar, technical backbone, and of course blogging.

Is Aradius Network owned by you? When was it established? How do you manage time to look after all the blogs? How many posts you manage to play on each blog?
Yes, I co-own Aradius Network with my partner Vincent Nguyen. It was established in 2005. The key of running multiple blogs is time management and of course having dedicated staffs help. I’m grateful to have Chris Davies as our managing editor as he’s one of our best blogger that we personally consider as a partner in crime. We write around 40-50 posts daily over the network, and if you see on our blogs, we posted a minimum of three paragraphs per entry rather than a quick snip. SlashGear being our flagship site usually have 18-25 new posts daily depending on news load.

Aradius network captures news from gadgets, technology, phone, food, travel, and lifestyle industry. Which one amongst these is your most popular blog? In near future can we see your network entering into other diverse sectors?
As I said above, SlashGear is our flagship site and our most popular site with over half million unique visitor monthly as of Jan 2008. We definitely look into expanding our network into diverse sector as we recently did by launching Simply Craving.

Is blogging the sole thing you are into? If not, which is that second thing that keeps you engrossed?
Not quite, while Aradius is my full time job, I also operate FedoraForum.org, the official Fedora Linux forum that I founded several years ago. My hobby such as Linux Kernel hacking also keeps me busy.

How did Slash Gear started?
I can barely remember the details, but we started SlashGear US in December 2005 with the ideology of bringing cutting-edge news about consumer electronics and technology – and we added SlashGear Japan to accommodate Japanese readers in August 2006.

What should be the ratio of style specks to tech features that manufacturers should consider while developing any gadget?
There are no fixed formulas, but I do prefer gadgets that have better usability over features and style.

What’s the coolest device you’ve ever reviewed (even if it isn’t cool anymore)?
There are so many of them, but recent one was MacBook Air it’s an art of engineering.

At EliteChoice, we have captured a list of 80 world’s most expensive things including gadgets. At personal front, how open are you for inking pricey deals for outlandish gears?
I’m quite okay with it, as long as it serves its purpose. I’m not much of an impulse buyer.

Can my readers know: Which are those three gadgets (one fashionable) that a technophile like you doesn’t skip to carry while stepping out?
I try not to carry too many gears when I’m out, but traveling wise, I would always have my BlackJack II or iPhone and my MacBook Pro.

What is the business model of Aradius Network? From where do you tag monetary innings?
Advertising and ecommerce.

What are your top tips for getting a blog ranking well in the search engines?
Many SEO experts would tell you this and that, but good content and targeted title will place you well in a way or another.

Your views on Traditional Journalism V/S Blogging.
I think traditional journalism will not disappear from the web – I see blogging as a complimentary platform for traditional journalism to allow author to speak their mind without being too formal.

How you would like to be known as and why?
a) Product reviewer
b) Blogger
c) Technophile
d) Entrepreneur
I would like to be known as an Entrepreneur I enjoyed blogging and reviewing new products, but I always have the thirst to learn more about the business side of the deal.

Pen down your daily online-reads.
SlashDot, Gizmodo, Forbes, GearDiary, Consumerist

What is the USP of the Slashgear? What can be pointed as one factor that attracts readers come to your blog besides gamut of technology driven blogs?
SlashGear delivers more than just fast pace tech and gadget news, but also engage in conversation with our readers and brings exclusive coverage of events and stories such as our MacWorld and Apple’s press event livecast.

Your tips to bloggers with running gadget and technology driven blogs so that they can also make big.
Be persistent and don’t lose your optimism when readership does not grow as fast as you would want it to be. Everything can be accomplished with hardwork.

One Hidden Truth
What’s hidden stays hidden I honestly have nothing in mind right now J

Some weird things about you pointed by people around you. It could be number of computers you own, gadgetry nature of toothbrush you use, amplifiers attched in your carry bag or ..
My computer desktop is always clean and empty (never saves anything to my desktop). I even hide the HDD icon on OSX desktop.

Where do you see your blog after five years from now?
Anything could happened between now and the next five years, but I can only see myself improving upon what our blogs have achieve.

What piece of advice you would have given yourself five-years ago?
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. It can be pretty interesting and failure makes you better; it’s a lesson that you can’t pay to learn.

What core tips you practice to strengthen your network against gamut of networks?
Competition is what makes us a better blogger, and with that in mind, we always have to step up beyond our A game.

Give us your honest views on EliteChoice
I like what EliteChoice has been doing, especially with the interviews; it gives many bloggers the chance to introduce themselves not only as bloggers but another netizen.

Your turn! Can ask me one question.
Would you come to SlashGear party in Dallas if we plan one?
It purely depends upon your scheduled date.

We wish luck to Ewdison Then, Vincent Nguyen and Satsuki for their future endeavors and thank Ewdison for entertaining my elite readers.

Ah, the very reflection of a beautiful dame walking seductively through the ramp, sprawling her red evening robe as she bestows concluding strokes to her look for the evening and thawing into the arms of her beau seems like an ideal situation for a quixotic evening. And blessed is that lot of fashion bloggers and journalist who capture the first hand experience.

If trends are any indication in fashion industry, Lesley Scott, Editor in Chief, Fashiontribes visible efforts and recognition seems to be justified. The credit for Lesley making up to Elite Blogger series goes to her dedication towards religiously populating her blog with worthy news pieces. Beginning this year, I did a round-up of 2007 Elite blogs and fortunately Fashiontribes falls amongst that lot as well.

I couldn’t stop myself asking Lesley giving an insight about ’she’ behind Lesley and the proactive blogger agreed to talk at length to my readers shedding off their ignorance levels about fashion industry.

Here I would like Lesley to take it further:
Introduce yourself to my readers and take us through your typical day at work.
I am a blogger running a fun fashion blog called Fashiontribes.com which I update every day with the latest fun fashion news, trends, runway, must-haves, shopping, and style advice & tips.

Let’s start with some background info about you. How did journalism come about and what made you mark out ‘Beauty, Style and Fashion’ as your main areas of writing?
I came to NYC to attend Parsons School of Design to study fashion design, and ended up paying the bills on photos shoots as a fashion stylist. I also freelanced as a Senior Editor for Coolhunt.net, an international style trendspotting firm, where I reported on the trends from New York and wrote monthly articles which appeared in a wide variety of international lifestyle publications, including Marie Claire Asia, GQ Taiwan, 25 Ans (Japan), and Elle Girl Korea. Along the way, I also worked with some smaller indie fashion magazines (now defunct, of course), but the experience of running the editorial side proved invaluable.

In addition to writing articles, I snapped street fashion photos each month, and quickly came to realize that the way stylish people were dressed spoke volumes about more than just their taste in clothes: it told you where they liked to hang out, how they liked to spend their time (and with whom) it spoke to their lifestyle. So each month before submitting my photos, I would put like with like, pattern began to emerge of five or six general groups, which because of the lifestyle angle, I dubbed the tribes.

And then, about four years ago, my mother passed away from Breast Cancer, which made me rethink my whole life, and six months later in her honor, I started Fashiontribes.com. Initially, it was comprised of six fashion e-zines, customized to the main six tribes I had identified. (However, the magazine for the avant garde nightclub-hopping crowd had to be dropped because anyone with in-depth knowledge was too busy living the life to edit a magazine about it.) The tribe concept seemed to resonate strongly with readers, but, like most small startup magazines, I promptly ran out of money. To keep publishing my content, I started the blog. At the time, blogging was still very much in its infancy, and barely anyone knew what the word meant. However, advertisers have since come to appreciate the large audiences that bloggers have, which enables many of the more popular bloggers to support themselves now doing it full time.

What according to you do words like ‘Beauty’ and ‘Fashion’ mean?
Truthfully, with enough money, you can wear head-to-toe designer and keep up an active routine of cosmetic procedures and look good. Yawn. What I enjoy about fashion is the creativity I love seeing the fashion shows and marveling at the fact that designers from around the globe, working on their collections in utmost secrecy, still create collections that are on trend. And I love seeing how creative fashionistas put together outfits in unexpected ways that mix high with low, designer with vintage, expensive with thrift store. If you can put together that kind of combination and have people not think you’re an insane bag lady, well that’s fashion. And that’s what I try and bring to my readers: I weed through all the runway photos and edit it down to just what the important and interesting trends, and then suggest real life ways to bring it into your wardrobe. As for beauty, it’s so interesting how something that at first looks odd to the eye later is considered the height of style; when the fashion trends change, the more cutting edge designers like Dries Van Noten, Martin Margiela, or Viktor and Rolf will propose changes in silhouette or proportion, and then lo and behold, a few seasons later, it’s selling out at places like H&M.

In my own case, when looking at new fashion collections, if something catches my eye in a less than positive way, it actually makes me pay more attention to see if it means that change is in the wind. Rather than just paying attention to what everyone has decided is beautiful, it’s far more interesting to try and find the beauty in something you initially thought ugly.

Are you contributing to any other channel as well? If yes, allow my readers get a nerve of your articles.
I currently write mostly for my own site. I recently was interviewed about eco-chic for RadioWithATwist.com on one of their nationally syndicated shows (on PLJ in NYC), and I have a few fashion & style pieces appearing in a new magazine launching in May called GothamDigest. I’ve also written for the main publication in The Hamptons, Dan’s Papers, and wrote regular columns on Fashion Designers for Suite101 . I’ve also recently re-launched the five Fashiontribes e-zines at TribalRunway, and when writers miss their deadlines, I fill in with articles there.

While I love-love-love fashion, let’s face it, it’s not brain surgery, so I always try to add a humorous twist. And I spend a good deal of time even with my blog posts trying to make sure they’re as well written as possible. Bloggers don’t have the best reputation for being high quality writers, so I do my best to make sure my own content doesn’t conform to that stereotype.

Provide me with two favorite posts of yours from FashionTribes
I recently did a really fun, in-depth post related to the Sex and the City movie. Carrie is in this fabulous floral dress with a short sleeve cotton floral coat, and while deconstructing the look for my readers, I was initially stumped by the coat. The fabulous movie costumer, Patricia Field, had selected a vintage coat which meant it was one of a kind and then it hit me: a summer-weight kimono! Not only are these affordable often under $100 they can easily be tailored, and they are available in a huge variety of beautiful florals to match whatever sundress you choose to go underneath.

The second post I quite like I did a while ago, when Olivier Theyskens first sent ruffled, floor-length skirt suits down the Rochas runway that looked straight out of the Gibson Girl era. I conjectured that the rise of the Victorian influence in fashion and lifestyle mirrored a similar class struggle taking place during the Victoria period: that we are similarly dealing with a class struggle based on the fact that many new millionaires and the new power classes include women and minorities rather than the traditional white male. So, while the post was admittedly a bit out there, it still turned out to be a fun way to show that fashion reflects the state of the world, and can be more than just frivolous (in fact, I like to think of it as a chic peek into the collective unconscious).

What inspires you?
I love My Fashion Life, Fashion Toast, Susie Bubble, and Coquette all interesting and done really well, with a distinct point of view.

At Elitechoice, I cover lifestyle related products designed for elite class. What is your take on existence of pricey accessories likewise world’s most expensive shampoo, handbag, bikini, lipstick and others at 80 World’s most expensive things. Does it mean that budgeted fashion products fail to define style.
I actually love the world’s most expensive anything it tells you a lot about what we value as a culture. It also provides people with room to dream and to covet, which is half the fun of fashion plotting to have something, saving for it, hunting it down, getting to the top of the waiting list, and then knowing that not everyone out there has it. Fashion, by its very nature, is about what’s limited and exclusive.

Products that sell at mass market prices can still be stylish; what makes them so is how the person buying it incorporates it into their life. For instance, French shoe god Pierre Hardy recently did a line of summer shoes for the Gap. Each pair sold for under $100, and I couldn’t believe I could finally have something designed by the man in my closet. His normal collection is far outside of my budget, but his touch was still obvious on the mass market version. What’s interesting is that no where on the Gap site did it mention they were by Pierre Hardy; you had to be abreast of the fashion news to know, so they still managed to inject in an element of exclusivity. Many fashionistas can’t afford the $2000 YSL Muse bag, so when something similar is available at less expensive prices, it enables them to enjoy the design, where they otherwise never would have. Here’s a fun post I did a while back about the trend in exclusivity:

You are known to be first to blog and podcast directly from the NYC Fashionweek runway shows. Tell us about your experience with NY Fashion Week as a fashion blogger. Against the past culture, how justifiable is it to say that fashion bloggers get their due respect during fashion weeks?
When I first started covering fashion week as Fashiontribes.com, most fashion PR firms were quite snobby about the Internet. However, from writing for all the various international publications, I had built up a rolodex of connections which I used to gently persuade them to let me give it a go. And as one of the first, I’ve always gone out of my way to behave as professionally as possible, so as not to poison the well. However, there have been a few badly behaved bloggers who have ignored the rules and etiquette, behaving obnoxiously during backstage interviews, or ambushing high ranking editors for guerilla-style interviews, which then makes it that much more difficult to gain access the following season. At this point though, I’ve been covering for Fashiontribes long enough that access isn’t a problem for me, but that’s not the same for newer bloggers, who still get their requests for both interviews and media credentials turned down.

I would say the respect issue is definitely changing, especially as the fashion business has realized just how many readers we have and that, yes, bloggers can behave professionally.

Is Fashion Week Still Relevant? Or it is been seen as a ritual?
Ah, interesting question. I’ve often wondered it myself. Since most of the free world only ever sees the clothes as photos online or in print editorials I don’t know that it’s completely necessary anymore to have to physically attend a fashion show. However, what is beneficial is connecting (and re-connecting) with people in person everyone is in town at the same time, so scheduling meetings, interviews, and face-to-face time couldn’t be easier. And as they say, much of success is dictated by who you know.

Which designer collection for Spring 2008 can be expected to dominate the minds of fashion fanatics?
Any fashion fanatic worth their salt tends to be devoted to Balenciaga, YSL, and Chanel, along with Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Viktor & Rolf, Dries Van Noten, Yohji Yamamoto, Missoni, Marni, Stella McCartney, Prada and Marc Jacobs.

Which designers are blessed enough to top your favorite list.
I love Viktor & Rolf, Yohji, Comme des Garcons, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier, Olivier Theyskens, Stefano Piloti, Nicholas Ghesquiere, Rick Owens, Martin Margiela, Giles, and London fashion badboy, Gareth Pugh his stuff may not be the most wearable, but it’s always interesting to look at and think about.

What are your favorite online reads or blogs besides fashiontribes?

StyleBubble
FashionToast
MyFashionLife
CoquetteBlogs

Suggest top 5 must-haves for Spring 2008?
1. Gladiator style sandal;
2. Full skirt or high-waisted trouser (or both!);
3. Something floral (shoe, dress, blouse);
4. Bright colors, tribal prints or something with a safari’ish look;
5. Giant accessories (doorknocker earrings; a huge chunky necklace; an endless stack of cuff bracelets; golf-ball sized cocktail rings)

Your views on Traditional Journalism V/S Blogging.
I think bloggers are probably less constrained in their opinions by advertising concerns. Many bloggers are not afraid to publish a bad review of a fashion show or a new lip gloss, while traditional magazines tend to stay away from that so as not to lose one of their main advertisers which no doubt makes readers wonder how much of what the editorial is actually just a product pitch rather than a genuine recommendation.

Where do you see fashiontribes after five years from now?
When lists are compiled of the Top 10 fashion blogs, Fashiontribes.com is usually included. Naturally, competitive fashionista that I am, I’d love to eventually be considered #1.

What is the revenue-generation model behind fashiontribes? It is obvious that fashiontribes is amongst the growing publisher list of glam media. How much is your monthly revenue generation particularly from your association with glam?
I am able to blog full time thanks to advertising revenue. I currently have an advertising exclusive with Glam, however, the ads that are served do not influence my editorial content in any way (unless it’s a product I think particularly cool). As long as the ads remain of fairly high quality and I’m not embarrassed to have them on my site, it’s all good .I love been able to blog full-time (The days when I paid the bills working as a fashion stylist, and after having worked a long, grueling day would finally sit down to file a story is something I don’t ever wish to repeat I enjoy writing when I’m clear-headed and not constantly exhausted.)

Funny thing that dominates your mind but not yet materialized
Actually trying to buy fewer shoes.

Your Biggest Achievement
Staying the course with Fashiontribes.com until it became successful

Your advise to bloggers covering fashion?
While it’s fun, it’s also work blogging day in and day out. Know that to build an audience, you have to update consistently, and instead of simply copying other blogs, do your own ongoing research to stay on top of what’s new and interesting that will give you a unique voice

What style interests you?
I was recently watching The Umbrellas of Cherbourg with Catherine Deneuve, and they matched the clothing and the wallpaper it was completely, completely fabulous, making me want to redecorate and match!

Who is your celebrity style mate?
If I could hijack the wardrobe of Corine Roitfeld (French Vogue EIC) I would do it in a heartbeat

What do you think about EliteChoice?
I love the fact you cover the best of everything how fabulous!!!

Your Turn! Feel-free to ask me one question.
What do you like best about what you do, and what makes it unique in your opinion?

Talking Particularly at professional front, I reckon it’s my originality and uniqueness of the news that makes me stand miles above from myriad of bloggers. EliteChoice is one of the best breed of the blogs (with sole creature) that values everything worth valuing. It accommodates every essential product, news, event and any other area that has a potential to rotate eyelids. No one in blogosphere has come up with such an elite face of the blog. Whilst other think delivering niche sectoral news is their core, I take pride in ruling the wider platform.

There is no question about the non familiarity of BornRich amongst geeks, designers and uber-rich class. Now its time to familiarize yourself with the face behind it: Nandini Maheshwari, editor, Bornrich and CCO (chief content officer), blogger cum co-founder, Instablogs. Fortunately, today I have a lot of meat for you as you have a threesome from an India-based network Instablogs launched in October 2005. Nandini Maheshwari, Ankit Maheshwari, CTO and CEO, Instablogs along with their eight-month young baby girl Aanya Maheshwari.

As you go with the flow of excerpts, you will realize that this eight-month young kid is doing her homework silently by kicking her parents tight (Nandini mentioned waking up at 6 in morning after Aanya’s alarm bell bangs), thereby managing to extract her share of attention from her entrepreneur parents. Good Aanya!

Anaya’s entry into Maheshwari’s family is being seen as a lucky mascot. And it was proved days back when TechCrunch Duncan Riley uncovered the financials and projections of Instablogs. Something that got launched as a blogging network is gradually turning into a mainstream media with a difference. All your hows’ and whys’ can be answered through the exhaustive responses from the Instablogs leads. Now I will stay tight lipped and you go ahead penning down any queries.

Introduce yourself to my readers.
Folks, this is Nandini from BornRich. I am also the co-founder of Instablogs Network, one of the fastest growing social news site.

Take us to your typical day at work?
My little daughter, Aanya has a fantastic biological clock. Her alarm goes off exactly at 6:00am. The best or worse part is at that time she is full of energy and wants to play. So I get my daily dose of exercise in running after her. But I also sneak out few minutes in between to check my emails and read few of the blog posts in my reader.

Then I start forming mental checklist and prepare a “To Do List” and decide what to do for the day (this keeps on changing throughout the morning). Reach office, chat with few guys, connect with few writers (online and offline) and answer my emails. Scan my reader again, pick out some cool stories. The day is followed with usual office stuff like meetings, presentations, etc.

Oh did I mention, I always take Aanya with me to the office. In between changing her nappies, I also manage to post few articles, and plan for bornrich articles with the team. Leave office by 8:00. Check stats, email and back-links again before saying goodnight which is around 12:30 am in the night.

Besides posting, what all activities do you participate in that adds to the success of Bornrich viz. digg, link exchange and others?

One advice I would like to give to the new bloggers is, invest in your readers. Always reply to their tips, emails, comments etc. Secondly, try to be friends with your fellow bloggers. Link a lot to their blogs and, always give credit to people.

Don`t try to manipulate social news sites like digg, reddit etc. Let you readers submit there. Instead, put your energy in finding interesting news.

Instablogs is a huge network, why you chose to write only on bornrich?
I have always been fascinated with luxury lifestyle and when I decided upon a luxury blog, it instantly hit me. So BornRich was born.

Favorite Posts from bornrich
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What are your top 5 online reads or blogs besides bornrich?
Gizmodo, Trendir, YankoDesign, Appliancist, Luxist Your views on Traditional Journalism V/S Blogging.
I think the line between traditional media and new media is diminishing everyday. You will see more bloggers in future breaking news, fast checking facts, employing proof readers and doing the news coverage as professionally you expect a traditional guy to do. We have already seen in many instances where bloggers have outshine traditional media by not hours but days like Burma conflict, Tibet protests and during Iraq war.

I am certain that in coming days we are going to see traditional media and new media working together shoulder to shoulder, Instablogs is a step in that direction, where traditional and new media don’t compete but complement each other.

Here is a small set of business-side responses from the duo running Instablogs so beautifully regarding northward moving curve of Instablogs Network.

How true is techcrunch report on Instablogs negotiating a $3 million funding. When will it be on papers tentatively? Is this your initiative or an invitation from funding source?
Yes, we have been talking to few investors lately. But the figure Techcrunch quoted is not correct, even the Presentation they got hold of is an old one. We have participated in few startups events and got a lot of positive feedback from there. Most of talks have originated out of these events.

How reliable is the projections traced by techcrunch for Instablogs especially generating a revenue of $850,000 per month?
As I told you, it was an old presentation. Won’t be able to disclose any figures at the moment!

Growth plans for Instablogs, what all features/ value additions can your savvy readers look forward to?
Instablogs with its history of innovation and its desire to remain ahead of competition continues working on more features and tools. When most of the social news sites and main stream media sites were doing the same stuff of comments, dead-ending articles or aggregating content from other sites; Instablogs was re-inventing the presentation of the news in a totally new fashion never seen before on any news sites, making it the only place where news-junkie got satiated.

With the understanding that news is no longer a singular article and which has metamorphosed to perspectives; we at Instablogs has developed next generation tools and widgets which help readers to think through the news with a better understanding and more command over it, which they have demanded since the advent of civilization.
Instablogs’ focus is to build a news-ecosystem which can turn a passive reader into an active participant making every article in Instablogs a live discussion.

When did you realize that Instablogs is going to get so huge?
We still have long way to go. We have just started with the new version.

Give us an insight about the deal with AP. Isn’t the full-text content source questionable under copyrights norms? What is that %age increase in your traffic figures and monetary figures after tying up with AP? Which agency next?

We are syndicating AP content and paying them monthly fees. We are also in talks with other news agencies for similar content licensing. Copyright of the content remain with the agencies. We have seen a healthy growth in our readership in all.

What helps you generate monthly revenue of 25k in absence of ads on the face of your site? What is the revenue-generation model behind Instablogs?
We run ads on all of our sites. The ads were taken off for a while during beta testing the site. But now since new version is up, ads will up very soon.

Any plans to develop a sales team who can get you sufficient ads?
Yes, we are in talks with few guys who will help us to sell unsold inventory. We are also in talks with few ad networks as well.

Where do you see Instablogs after five years from now?
The prime news destination on the web. A playground for news junkies and your daily morning read.

How do you find Elitechoice?
I love not just writing but reading about luxury lifestyle and EliteChoice is a fabulous online resource for luxury life living. Besides, I love where you have taken EliteChoice, single-handedly.

Lastly, you can ask me one-question now.
My question to you would be: What you had in mind when you started EliteChoice? Where do you see it going?
EliteChoice, as the name goes was started with a view point to cover every bit of information that can alarm elite class. Then be it products, news or expert’s reviews’. During my coverage, I could sense its bent towards more of products (of course luxurious) but managed to scale up to offering essential news about upcoming events. I completely agree with your emphasis on investing time in community and readers as this is what am exercising at Elitechoice. I am hopeful that it gets right kind of identification among the savvy bloggers and then it will reach itself where it should reach. The first one it has got by reaching to the platform of Zola Marquis: Cool geek of the week. Second onebringing worthy names onto my blog under Elite Blogger series.

Many thanks Nandini for feeding my readers with your direct responses and we wish luck to you and team for making their round!