He calls himself ridiculously disorganized and smilingly derived his blog”s name by getting influenced from sound and rhythm of the words. Lately, he quitted his fulltime job and is happy to reap the benefits via the surging popularity of his blog. Had he not being a blogger, you would have noticed me introducing you to an Elite Photographer. But who is this he?
Focused upon bringing forth the implausible paradigms of the world”s most mesmerizing architecture, green living, inspirational design, phenomenal natural oddities, Stands Deputy-Dog, an active blog maintained by a pro-active face: Shaun Usher! One thing that he wishes to see is the discovery of the flying car, a concept that has been in maturity in various degrees for ages.
As recommended by Avi from DarkRoastedBlend, the passing weekend I happen to ask Shaun for sparing time and his participation here and to my non-surprise his kind and timely response is the reason for his worthy presence here.
Roll over to have more interesting insights about Shaun and his Deputy-Dog!
Introduce yourself to my readers and take us through your usual flow of day at work.
Hi. My name”s Shaun and I run deputy-dog (and more recently wordepletion), a blog about stuff. An average day begins with a couple of hours reading the enormous list of bookmarked websites I”ve built up over the years – I”ve never been one for the whole feed-reading experience as I find it far more satisfying to visit the site itself. I then just get on with starting/finishing posts ready to publish. I have about 100 posts that need finishing all in various states of completion – as I”m ridiculously disorganized and have the attention span of a peanut. I seem to constantly begin new posts and then start another one after a couple of paragraphs. It”s frustrating.
To what extent blogs has become an integral important part of the way people now access information? When did you sense an inclination towards blogging?
I think generally that blogs get a bad rap and on the whole it”s hugely unjustified. I honestly think that a surprising percentage of the information consumed by the general public could be attributed to the efforts of bloggers over the past couple of years. I know of info from quite a few articles, researched by bloggers, which a few weeks later have made it to the mainstream press without so much of a nod to the blog, which brought it to their attention. This will change over time though as bloggers slowly build in strength and the big guns realize that a lot of bloggers are just as good, if not better, at ”journalism” than professional journalists themselves.
What made you restrict the canvas of your blog to architecture, green living, engineering, design and phenomenal natural oddities?
It wasn”t a plan really. When I first began the blog I wrote about anything and everything, badly. Then I slowly realized that I kept being drawn back to those particular areas and needed/wanted to spend more time reading up on them. I also think it”s good to have some kind of focus, no matter how narrow. I can”t imagine how disorganized I”d be if I gave myself the opportunity to write about absolutely anything.
Besides designing and architecture, what other areas interests you?
Most things. I read a lot about music, especially lately, and considered starting a music-related blog recently, in the same vein as deputydog. Then I remembered that I only have 2 hands and one brain and put the idea on the back-burner.
Avi of DarkRoastedBlend: Why the name Deputy Dog?
I like the sound and rhythm of the words. Unfortunately there”s no clever reason.
With the development of green houses, automobile and gadgets, do you think technology is really going green or it is a sheer PR exercise?
It”s for real and it”s sorely needed. It”ll be a slow process but the technology is there to make it possible on a wide scale and that can only be a good thing for everyone concerned. I think the majority of consumers will buy whatever”s put in front of them so it”s just a matter of getting these green technologies on the market en masse (and cheap enough) to the point where the public have no choice but to go green.
Pen down that virtual image of design in your mind that you would wish to see turning reality in near future.
The one thing I”m dying to see in everyday life is the flying car, a concept which has been in development in various degrees for decades. I hate to imagine the logistics of low-altitude traffic in a busy city but to walk out the front door and see a hovering vehicle skimming down the road would never cease to make me smile.
How would you define an ideal blog? Which one is your ideal blog at blogosphere?
For me, an ideal blog will consistently dig information up that interests me, to the point where I can”t wait to see the next post. I don”t care whether it”s once a day or once a month, it”s all about the quality. The first example that springs to mind is Dark Roasted Blend site that churns out phenomenal imagery at an incredible rate. You just know the next article will be awe-inspiring.
Tell us about your ”must-read” or favorite blogs?
There are so many, some of which I won”t even mention deliberately (I believe most bloggers have secret favourites that they selfishly hope will never be discovered by other bloggers. It”s sad but true).
My current must-reads are.
DRB
BldBlog
Pruned
Fogonazos
Web Urbanist
Strange Maps
PingMag
Neatorama
ThingsMagazine
Environmental Graffiti
Provide us with your three favorite posts you have written to date.
Top 10 Physically Modified People: Amazing reaction to this post and I ended up chatting with a couple of people on the list. Surreal.
Extreme Rich-Poor Divides: Everyone knows about poverty but to visually see the contrast is fascinating. Plus it took me ages to find these areas.
6 Incredible Star Forts : It”s incredible to think that I didn”t realize these places existed until I tripped over one of them (so to speak). I”ve never been more amazed by aerial photos.
What remains your criterion for selection of post to be played at your blog?
If it”s about a subject that”s already been plastered all over the internet, I won”t post about it.
Is deputydog existence enough to pay your bills or you are engaged in full-time job?
I quit my fulltime job a couple of months back. It took a while for me to get to the point where I could survive through blogging but it was worth the wait. To do it for a living is a dream come true.
Tell us some weird things about you that most of the people don”t know.
I can speak Welsh. That”s as weird as it gets.
What do you count as the success secrets of your blog?
I like to think I”ve kept the content as unique as possible. People won”t come back if they don”t think they”re going to read something they can”t find on a blog they”ve read since the beginning of time. And I like to think I write in plain English. Too many blogs fall down, not due to the subject matter, but because reading the supporting text is like trying to solve a riddle.
How would you like to be known as:
a) Design Analyst b)Blogger c) Writer d) Weird Hunter
Any of the above. As long as my stuff is read I”m happy.
Quick bites:
a) Hours you invest digging net: Some days 3, others anywhere up to 9
b) Biggest blogging mistake you did: Choosing the wrong server nearly crippled me. Linux is the way forward.
c) One hidden truth: That”d be telling.
d) If asked to post only on one blog (besides deputy-dog) which one would that be? Dark Roasted Blend
e) Advice you would have given yourself five years ago? Start blogging immediately.
f) If not a blogger then. A photographer
g) Life without Internet: Ridiculously frustrating.
h) Three words imprinted on your tombstone: Successful, handsome, happy
i) You take inspiration from? Anyone who”s good at what they do.
If asked to give three tips to a novice blogger, what would that be?
Don”t follow the herd. Don”t give up. Use Flickr to store your pictures.
Whom would you recommend as my next EliteBlogger and Why?
If for some reason you”ve not already got Miss Cellania (she”s like the backbone of blogs writes for everyone and doesn”t miss a thing) then it”d be the guys at Web Urbanist. They continuously write lists that are actually interesting and that”s not easy.
Give us your views on EliteChoice.
I”ll be honest I didn”t realize the site existed ”til last week but the interviews you”ve got on there are great. It”s very interesting to read about the people behind blogs I read most days. Well done!
Your turn! I am ready to answer a question for you.
Which internal organ is your favourite? Why?
My Esophagus as it keeps troubling me after intake of any vinegary dish, which I cannot stay away from. I can”t afford to hate it and hence have developed a soft corner for it.
I hereby thank Shaun for feeding my readers with interesting set of responses and wish him luck for taking Deputy-Dog to new levels of success. 
