Let me start off by saying that I hate
reading articles which claim to be interviews but are actually little
more than Puff Pieces.
So ... If you allow me to interview
you ... You should probably expect that a solid handful of my
questions will come at you from an odd direction. Because I think
that an interview should be about so much more than simply telling
the world your astrological sign and favorite color.
On the other hand ... I get really
pissed at Reporters and Bloggers who seem to think it is their
"Sacred Duty" to mug the other person with a bunch of
"Gotcha Questions". This type of behavior adds up to being
nothing more than a "Bully With A Poison Pen". I don't
like this type of journalism and I refuse to get anywhere near it.
So here are the small favors I'm going
to ask of the people I interview. And what I'm offering to provide
in return.
I: A Short Phone Call - - -
Occasionally
There are those times when I just can't
get any sort of handle on an individual from the info that's already
out there. And not knowing the basics about someone makes it very
difficult to write good questions. If this is the case, I may want
to chat on the phone with you for about 15 minutes or so. This can
be very important if we've never met face to face (or have met only
briefly).
II: An On Line Chat - - - About 2.0 to
2.5 hours
My part time job provides me with extra
spending money and allows me to be somewhat adaptable to the Time
Twisting" nature of your career. So a chat could generally be
at just about any time of the day. I've connected with some people
at 9:00 in the morning and others after 10:00 at night.
All I ask is that you make a chat date
and then do your best to keep it. While each of us has a somewhat
flexible schedule ... Neither of us can simply pull a 2.5 hour block
of free time out of thin air.
If I have to postpone our chat date ...
I will do so as soon as the need becomes obvious. Please do the
same favor for me.
Chat Dates can take place on ...
AOL Messenger (AIM)
Facebook
Google Messenger
Yahoo Messenger
III: This Needs To Be Spontaneous
There is about Zero Percent spontaneity
if I simply send someone a list of questions and then they look them
over and get back with me in 3 or 4 days. That is how so many of the
"Puff Pieces" get put together and shoved out into the
world.
I usually start off with a pre-composed
list of about 15 to 20 question. And then I think of (and add in)
additional questions as we go along. Those added questions can
really pump the article up a notch or two. But they usually won't
get asked if I simply mail someone a list and they mail me back their
answers.
IV: You Have The Right To Refuse To
Answer Questions On Touchy Subjects
Every individual has that sore spot or
two. And a subject that one individual considers totally fine will
be something that a different person will run from.
If a question causes you to cringe ...
Just tell me that you need to refuse to answer that one and I'll
politely move on.
V: You Deserve The Chance To Make
Small Corrections.
Like I previously said ... I refuse to
play gotcha.
I will take the contents of our on line
chat and I will condense it down to what I consider to be a solid
interview. Then you get the opportunity to spend a day or two
looking the thing over and advising me of spots where you feel that
you and I might have misunderstood each other.
Just keep in mind that I do mean "Small
Corrections".
There was a time in the past when one
individual tried to totally rewrite the thing. And I then had to
refuse to publish the article because it was no longer "Our
Interview". The "Rewrite" that this person had handed
back to me was nothing more than a Publicity Piece.
So this is how I do an interview. And
as you go through my Blog ... You will find several that have
received a large number of reads and a solid degree of praise.
Among these are ...
Author - Michael Z. Williamson
(Freehold Series)
Author - Raymond Benson (Six James Bond
Novels)
Featured Dancer - Phoenix Phires
Pole Dance Performer & Instructor -
Valerie Mae
And the list continues to grow.
Travis Clemmons
I think you have a very professional and approachable process.
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