Steve has been on our elite list long ago before Deborah from Life In A Fast Lane could remind us of our missing him. We had always admired his writings over Inventorspot with little knowledge that he has started contributing on other renowned blogs well i.e. Weburbanist. Wish Steve could spare sometime for elitechoice also and breed his creativity here.

Hailing from Toronto, Steve is our first elite guest who is consciously aware of Japan’s economy in and out. Here, we managed to get more insight of Japanese culture from him and also, his take on other areas.

Read further to know more about this self-employed blogger:

•    Steve, kindly introduce yourself to my readers and take us through your usual day at work.

Hi fellow Elite Choice readers! Let me first thank you for inviting me to be an Elite Blogger, it’s a great honor. As for my work day, I’m self employed so I get to set my own hours… which really isn’t as much fun as you might think. Being the boss AND the staff, I can’t goof off without the boss knowing what I’m up to. Seriously though, I don’t lock myself into a rigid 9 to 5 schedule but I do try to complete 3 major tasks every day. That way I feel I’ve accomplished something and I clear room for the next day’s projects.

•    To what extent have blogs become an integral important part of the way people now access information? When did you sense an inclination towards blogging? Are you satisfied with the functionality of the blogging ecosystem or think there is a need for revamp?

It’s very exciting to be a blogger in this day & age. Getting in on the ground floor just a few years ago and watching the medium grow in so many ways is like having the window open as history unfolds around you. I’m convinced that the trend away from traditional sources of news and entertainment and towards dedicated blogs will only continue – and that’s a good thing! People who know what they like can go online and get it at their convenience, and those who don’t have any particular interest can browse the web until they find something that DOES interest them. Blogging is democratic in nature, universal in appeal and available to anyone with an Internet connection. One would hope the rest of the world follows down the peaceful path the Blogosphere has blazed.

•    How different is Japan’s culture from countries that you have visited?

From my experience, Japan’s modern day culture is unique. Rising from the ashes of not just war, but nuclear war, Japan has risen to become the world’s second-largest economy while managing to keep much of its traditional culture and society intact. This is a cultural anchor that supports people and helps prevent them from getting swept away by rapid societal and technological change. Things are by no means perfect in Japan but in my opinion, the rest of the world can learn much from observing – even imitating – the Japanese model.

•    Steve, you have been writing a lot about Japan and also international technology. How would you relate technology with luxury products? Do they correlate with each other?

In many cases technology does correlate with luxury products since many people are willing to pay more for something more technologically advanced. On the other hand, today’s technology may be surpassed tomorrow, yet with traditional luxury items like jewelry, gold and fine art there is an intrinsic value that will always be appreciated no matter what.

•    While it is true that most luxury products are assumed elite, and most elite products as being luxurious, we think there is a difference. What do you think?

Well, it all depends on what market the product is intended for. Just like the old cliche goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.

•    Having seen Japanese culture up close, can you tell us why there are no evident signs of an economic recession that has clawed onto this country for more than a decade now?

The signs are there if you look in the right places. Unemployment and even homelessness are up but most tourists don’t visit Toyota City, where many auto workers have been laid off. Also, many full time jobs have been quietly replaced by part-time jobs – the trains may still be full but the commuters’ pay packets, not so much. There’s also been change in the retailing sector: “100 yen stores” (1 yen = roughly 1 dollar) and low-priced chains like Uniqlo have become more popular.

•    We also hear that the Japanese government is issuing a ‘help allowance’ to those living in Japan to help pull through the hard times. Frankly, we have never heard of anything like this before. What’s your opinion — is it just plain bizarre or do you understand the psyche behind this step?

I understand what the government is trying to do: put money in people’s pockets and hope they’ll spend it but it’s more likely people will just save the money. Japan has a very savings-oriented culture. The amount of money being given out is also very small, only us$120 or so. Here in Canada, our provincial government will be giving people up to $1,000 so that’s something I’m in favor of… and very much looking forward to!

•    Is it true to say that technology and gadgets are being produced at a rate that poses a tough time for the makers themselves considering the cruelty of terrorism age?

I wouldn’t say so; people have always looked to distractions from bad news and tough times. In the Great Depression, movies were a favored escape, at least for those who could afford to go. Today people distract themselves by playing video games, using their Wii, fiddling with some new cool gadget and so on – all these are more fun than reading the financial news.

•    Tell us about your ‘must-read’ or favorite blogs?
I’m lucky to write for blogs like InventorSpot, WebUrbanist, Burbia and The Thinking Blog that also feature some really great writers and I’d recommend them to anyone looking for great reading, interesting information and something a little out of the ordinary.

I also read blogs like Japundit and News On Japan that specialize in Japanese content – not only do they cater to my interests but they’re also a source of great topics for my own articles. Last but certainly not least, my son’s blog, Yersys Technology Blog . He’s just 14 and High School is his main focus but in less than a year he’s managed to create a popular blog that features computers and news from the tech world. I really hope your readers will check it out; new bloggers need support but notwithstanding that, he’s done a terrific job and I’m very proud of him!

•    Provide us with your five favorite posts you have written to date over at InventorSpot and WebUrbanist.

I’ll include Burbia and The Thinking Blog in the mix as I’m now a regular contributor there:

“The Top Ten Weird and Bizarre Japanese Soft Drinks”

“Future Past: 173 Radical Retrofuturistic Directions in Design & Technology”

“Pirates Amok – Yo Ho Ho And A Sultanate Of Rum”

“Japan Tobacco’s Delightfully Disturbing ‘Smoking Manners for Adults’ Ads, Part 1″ of an ongoing series

From The Thinking Blog: “Extinct Human Species Smarter Than Us?”

How would you like to be known:
•    Explorer:
•    Blogger:
•    Technophile:
•    Product Reviewer:
•    Entrepreneur:
•    Others:

Well, I’ve had a few different careers over the years but writing and blogging has been the most enjoyable. As far as being “known”, that’s one good thing about the Internet: it gives you a measure of immortality. If what I write is appreciated then it (and “me”) will keep floating around long after I’m gone.

Quick bites:
•    Hours you invest digging the Net: About 6 hours a day, more or less. Usually more.
•    Biggest blogging mistake you made: Not learning how to write for Adsense early enough.
•    One hidden truth: Be nice to people you write about – they just might write about you one day!
•    If asked to post only on one blog (not InventorSpot or WebUrbanist): Burbia , where I’m given the most freedom regarding topics and content.
•    Advice you would have given yourself five years ago?: All blogs (and all bloggers) get off to a slow start but patience – and regularly posting good content – will pay off in the long run.
•    If not a Blogger/Writer, then… That’s hard to say, because writer and blogging isn’t my first career, it’s only my most recent one. If I wasn’t blogging, I would probably be consulting people on how to be bloggers themselves.
•    Life without Internet: I grew up without the Internet but it’s still hard to imagine living without it today. No single technological advance has changed people’s lives as much. If the Internet crashed for some reason and could not be resurrected, I think that would make the current financial crisis look very trivial.

•    Which is your favorite social networking site? Digg, StumbleUpon, Twitter or… There are so many social networking sites out there and they all have their pros and cons but I especially like a site called Fark. Posters submit actual news stories with headlines crafted to be humorous. Another feature of Fark is the Comments section, which is a real comedic goldmine.

•    Whom would you recommend as my next EliteBlogger and why?

That’s a tough decision because there are so many great bloggers out there, but if I had to choose one I’d recommend Gerri Elder from Absolutely True. Gerri writes for and operates her own blog, is active and popular at sites like Digg and StumbleUpon, and she somehow manages to manage her family in real life. I think she sets a fine example for any new blogger who’s considering starting their own blog and/or getting into social media.

•    Give us your views on EliteChoice.

Elite Choice is a very appealing site for those who want to seek out the best life offers from the comfort of their cozy computer chairs. Not everyone has the time to physically shop for luxury goods – an endeavor that requires much window-shopping due to the high cost of such goods. Why not virtually browse for the best, using your computer’s browser? A clever concept, nicely executed!

•    You can ask me one question:

Thank you Zola. I see that Elite Choice is based in India and the language used is English. How would a non-Indian, English-speaking blogger such as myself gain wider access to the vast pool of young, educated, upwardly mobile Indian netizens? I think this is the one major problem bloggers face today – how to boost readership beyond their home countries. The Internet is International so let’s try and break down those walls!

I hear you Steve and understand your concern. With social media networking/ marketing evolving as a new culture, I believe all your worries would be dumped as it offers you not only international reach but widens your approach towards things. I am saying this out of my learning from my stay at networks like Stumbleupon, digg, twitter and others. Also, I believe that its word of mouth that can drive savvy readers to a blog. Hope that answers.

At last, I would like to thank you for your interesting shot of answers and Vlad and Saba also for equally remarkable questions. Steve, we wish to luck for your future endeavors.

R.J.J. Jongschaap, not a veteran blogger but an active contributor to the development of blogosphere is our elite guest today. You may have known him as a top stumbler and here I suggest you to bookmark his frequently updated blogs LinkNotes and ClipsToNote, as they are populated with quality sources posting the buzz across science, technology, design, environment and others.

Rob chooses not-to-be called as a writer or a retired associate professor but says: “I’m a collector, explorer and an envoy. I like to collect information, explore things and explain them to others. Earlier I did that in science; now in blogging and social networking.”

Go with the flow to know more about this would-be seasoned blogger.

•    Rob, Kindly introduce yourself to my readers and take us through your usual day at work.
I am one of the privileged who can spend most of the time doing things they like most. In my case that includes exploring the internet. Actually collecting online information has always been a part of my work and after my retirement I continued focusing on news and more general topics. Also, I have ventured into blogging and actively participate across social networks.

Being retired I could hardly speak now of a usual day at work, but let me outline what I’m doing in the context of blogging. Actually it is a never ending cycle of collecting, networking, writing and editing. I usually start my day by checking out messages, and scanning the feeds of many blogs and news sites.  When I find interesting stories I bookmark them, for use in future blog posts and if they are really remarkable I submit them to social networks, currently in particular StumbleUpon and Twitter. Later I select a few topics and start writing posts for my blogs. In the evening, my focus again shifts to networking.

•    To what extent blogs has become an integral important part of the way people now access information?

Long before I started blogging I used the internet, including weblogs, already as an important source of information. Obvious advantages of blogs are the timeliness, the wide diversity and huge amount of available content. A drawback of course is not everything is of the same quality and reliability, but the current excellent search and aggregation tools very well compensate for that.

•    Having spent good years in the Department of Applied Physics of the University of Twente in The Netherlands, what made you venture into blogging as after retirement you could have pursued similar interest.

My switch from science to blogging has been a gradual process. After my retirement I first continued some scientific work. The content of that work was completely different from that of my current blogging, but the process was more or less the same: collecting information, working on it, networking and publishing. Gradually I ceased with professional scientific studies, focused more and more on subjects of general interest and started publishing in the form of blogging.

•    What remains the criterion of posts over LinkNotes and ClipsToNote. How are these two different from each other?

The first one, my blog LinkNotes is the one I started with, the second one ClipsToNote, with mainly shorter posts, came later.  A common characteristic of both is a focus on items that are remarkable, surprising and sometimes even bizarre or funny. The subjects are often related to science and technology, but also on design, environment, and more. My writings here are always objective and doesn’t depict my personal view point on a subject. I like to select, collect and share information but not my opinion.

Both blogs have posts of a special format: a collection of clips of other sources. Initially, when I started  LinkNotes the clips were tiny and the post just annotated links. At that time the blog was essentially a collection of bookmarks. Later by increasing the size of the clips, the posts became a bit longer and also worth reading on their own. This, however, raised the dilemma of how to obtain more or less self contained posts without copying too much original content. The solution I found was: clipping from various sources. My posts are no longer based on a single link, but on various links about a particular item. The major values add I consider here is the concise introduction and overview.

Actually I also have a third blog, of the format I started LinkNotes: annotated links of interesting sites:  my pages on stumbleupon. Here my emphasis remains maintaining an interesting blog, thereby enjoying the added value of the networking features of that site. Using StumbleUpon is currently a substantial part of my online blogging and networking activity.

•    Is your blog making enough money or you are engaged in other work-related activities as well?

When I started blogging I thought that making money would be an easy side product of the activity. Soon however I learned that such is not the case. I have tried out a few things, but with no success, probably I am not doing it in right manner. You may see couple of ads running but the profit is marginal. Fortunately blogging is for me a hobby and not a source of income.

•    With the development of green houses, automobile and gadgets, do you think technology is really going green or it is a sheer PR exercise?

Both I think. Fortunately more and more people are aware of the need to take care of environment and our natural resources. The interest in developing green houses, automobile and gadgets is a logical consequence of that attitude. On the other hand, given that it is popular, also makes it a perfect marketing strategy: call your product Green and it will sell. It is clear that environmental concerns are often misused in this manner. This, however, is one of the few cases where misuse does not do much harm. Even if the involved products are not green at all, the marketing campaign can still be considered as a contribution to environmental awareness.

•    How would you define an ideal blog? Which one is your ideal blog at blogosphere?

Just like there is no such thing as ideal music or ideal art, I don’t think that there is something like an ideal blog. A blog can be realized in many different manners ranging from daily reports of someones hobby to periodical scientific essays. In all cases when this is done with dedication and care it is OK. Moreover there is a highly competitive market of blogs where what will survive and become popular finally is determined by the acceptance of the visitors.

•    Tell us about five of your daily-reads’ or favorites blogs?

Initially, I indeed had a few favorite blogs, which were my daily-reads, but also because they were Dutch, it would not be very useful to mention them now.  What I would like to emphasize, however, is that currently I have no favorite blogs at all. In my feed reader I am subscribed to more than 700 blogs and other media which I follow with no particular preference. Some sources that I use often (not all of them are blogs) are:

Mail Online Science & Tech

Science Daily Computers & Math

TFOT-The future of things

Science Daily

Trends Updates

•    Provide us with your five favorite posts you have written to date.

My blog Linknotes already contains more that 4000 posts and ClipsToNote about 1000. All of them are a kind of snapshots and I can hardly say which are my favorites. What is remarkable however that a few remains consistently popular. Strange enough for LinkNotes these are not the elaborate ones  but rather some simple small bookmark-like posts like

LinkNotes: Earth and Jupiter viewed from Mars

LinkNotes: Headache Illusion

LinkNotes: Project Free TV

Strange enough, some of the most popular posts in ClipsToNote are a bit longer, e.g.:

ClipsToNote: Alain Robert—French Skyscraper Climber

ClipsToNote: Sneakey Teleduplicationof keys from Photos

•    Name your favorite bloggers (if any) that have won your heart whilst your 3-years of stay at blogosphere. What makes them different from the myriad of bloggers?

Before I started blogging myself, I indeed had a few – most Dutch – bloggers whose blogs I read with great admiration almost every day. Currently, I have no blogs which I read daily and even no favorite bloggers. As I said, I follow a lot of blogs and other media in feeds and in social media without focusing upon any of them in particular.

In general I would say that what makes a blogger different from the myriad is the ability to express complex thoughts or opinions on a clear and concise manner. Online readers do not want to read long stories; they want to be informed quick and clearly. A blogger should attempt to meet that need as much as possible.

•    How would you like to be called as:
a) Blogger b) Retired associate professor  c) Writer d)Social media person

None of them I would say: I still see myself a starting blogger who still has a lot to learn. Being professionally no longer involved with scientific research, it would not be appropriate to call me a retired associate professor. My blogging style is clipping, rather than writing, so I would definitely not call myself a writer and despite I’m often using social media, I would not like to be seen as a social media person. Let’s say that I’m a collector, explorer and an envoy. I like to collect information, explore things and explain them to others. Earlier I did that in science; now in blogging and social networking.

•    Quick bites:

Biggest mistake you did:
Having starting blogging without any experience, I have made many mistakes. For example in social networking: initially I use to share all my exclusive and latest posts (hardly any other links) with Stumble upon friends, leading to suspension of my account there. Currently I’m doing the opposite: I use Stumble Upon as a social network, sharing many interesting links without any promotion at all.

One hidden truth:
Favorite items for me to blog about are gadgets and design. I must confess, however that I seldom buy gadgets and that in my home you will find almost no interesting design. In that sense I am – like in my former scientific work – a theorist.

If asked to post only on one blog (not yours) which one would that be?
That should be one with short posts and remarkable news on gadgets, design, science, technology etc. maybe the present Elite Choice.

Advice you would have given yourself five years ago?
When I would start blogging again I would – instead of  trial and error -  have  chosen for more systematic approach, with a well defined goals,  subjects and categories, a better webdesign etc.
If you wouldn’t have gone to school of Applied Physics, then

I would definitely have chosen something in science and technology. When I started my career there was hardly any school of learning offering computer and information science and technology. Maybe I would have chosen that if I got a chance.

How long could you survive without the internet:
One, maybe two days

One thing you hate about Social networks:

Hate is not the right word, but a quandary is that when you enjoy it and use it more intensively, it soon starts taking a lots of time.

Count of professions you have been into:
That’s not very exciting in my case. After finishing my studies I started my career in teaching and research on University and I stayed there for more than thirty years.

If asked for giving three tips to a greenhorn blogger, what would that be?
1.    As state above: take some time for a careful preparation: goals, subject(s), categories, layout, etc.
2.    Try to make your blog a bit unconventional (I did it by choosing the clips-format)
3.    Be consistent: a fixed post frequency, length of the posts, style of writing,

•    Your favorites:

City:
I am very happy with my own city: Enschede in The Netherlands, but of all cities I have seen in the world, in particular New York impressed me very much

Music:
No pop and other kinds of contemporary music, but old Jazz: Duke Ellington, Count Basie, … and Classical musid: Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, …

Book:
I read a lot, but almost all online. The last time I really read a book is many years ago. I also have no favorite.

Gadget:
My favorite gadget is my Nokia E71 smartphone.

Movie:
I like movies with much excitement and fun, the James Bond movies are among my favorites.

Color: Green

•    You are visible across all social media sites. Which one is your favorite and also name the one you dislike the most and why?

That I am visible on many social media sites does not mean that I am using them all. I tried out a lot but i am currently using just a few. Initially I used sites like Propeller, Mixx, Digg, Reddit etc. to promote my blogs, but I noted that doing this effectively takes a lot of time. Finally I stopped completely with that part of social networking.

What remains, is a very intensive use of StumbleUpon. As mentioned above, initially I used that for promotion too, but now I just enjoy daily the contacts with many friends. My effort to collect and maintain good content there has  given me there the status of Top Stumbler for a long time already.
•    Whom would you recommend for being featured as my next EliteBlogger and why?

I would like to recommend, one of my online friends, who often has been of great help to me with valuable advice about blogging:  Mihaela Lica, an excellent blogger, online public relations media consultant and founder of Pamil Visions.

•    Give us your views on EliteChoice.
The nice thing of EliteChoice for me is that is covers a lot of my fields of interest: trends, technology, design, and more, in a style that I like: short and clear articles. Moreover it is of interest to me as an example of a blog that performs excellent in certain aspects where for me improvement is needed: a professional approach, a nice layout and very well organized.

•    Your turn! You can ask me one question.
Let me first thank you for inviting me for this interview. At first I thought that what I could tell here would be of not much interest, but after going through it I am glad that you gave me a chance.   It was really nice to become aware in this manner of my motivations and goals in blogging.

What I would like to ask you is: having obtained so much insight about blogging and bloggers with these interviews, if and how you are going to share this insight with us.

Rob, I tend to learn from people achievements and failures, besides my own- And here having interviewed 30 plus famed bloggers, we implement that set of learning to our writings and the way we present them over our blog. Also, it has widened our approach towards discovering prospective feeds and generating visibility for co-bloggers and our savvy readers. Through this series, I have managed to reach all famed bloggers and take pride in having an affirmative response from all of them to participate in this series. What I really like is the transparency maintained by each of my elite blogger that ends up offering various solutions/options to our dilemmas.

I would like to thank Rob for sparing our time and penning down details to questions asked by our curious readers and colleagues. Rob, we wish you luck for your future endeavors in online and offline space.