Keris Stainton continues our Women who blog series with a Scottish Australian in Switzerland...
I discovered Ms Mac's wonderful personal blog via Blog Explosion, an utterly ridiculous blog exchange thing on which I used to waste many hours when I still had a proper job. Sharing my love of George Clooney and Gilmore Girls (but we disagree - violently - on The West Wing), Ms Mac is No. 1 on my list of bloggers I really must meet.
What was the first blog you ever read?
I really can't remember. I've been reading Bigmouth Strikes Again since just after I started blogging but there were a few others that I really enjoyed reading but are now defunct. I've been reading Struggling Author for a couple of years now. I've never read any of the bigger, more famous blogs. I have visited but none of them have managed to capture my attention for longer than the first couple of sentences. I'm sure for them, the feeling would be more than mutual.
How do you think your 'blogging persona' differs from the 'real you' (if at all?)
I think I am exactly the same person in both my blog and the real world. I've never felt the need to play anything about me up or down. Also, because starting the blog was primarily a way for me to keep in touch with my family overseas (Hi Mum & Dad in Oz, and Hi Bro!), I figured that they'd bust me if I started telling porkies about us. Also, my best mate would totally blow any of my lies out of the water in the comments box.
You write about your husband and children a lot. What do you they think about being blog-fodder (blodder?)?
The older boys are starting to tire of it a little but that just means that I can say, "If you don't clean your room/empty the dishwasher etc, I'll blog it!" My husband still delights in his starring role on the blog. Ewan asks me quite often with suspicion, "Is this going on the blog, Mum?"
Like Gabrielle Luthy, you're an expat (Scottish in Switzerland via Australia). Has blogging contributed to the experience?
Definitely. But, while some would categorise me as an Expat blogger. I think that being a foreigner in Switzerland (by the way, I'm not Expat, I'm an immigrant) is just one of the more interesting aspects of me and my family's life which is really what the blog is about. Blogging helped me through quite a dark time while we were settling in to life in Switzerland (not that you'd really be able to tell from what I wrote) and if I didn't have contact with the outside world through blogging, I would be in a very different state of mind now, I'm sure.
You get a lot of comments. What's been the best/worst/weirdest comment you've ever had?
Eurrgghh! This is a hard one. The ones that make me happiest are from friends and family, especially friends I haven't heard from in ages. I can't think of the worst comment, really. Most people who leave comments are very friendly and funny. Weirdest is never in the comments but comes in email, like the guy who would have liked to worship my feet, but he was very nice when I asked if I could blog about his email.
My favourite post of yours was when you ate the deodorant crumb. Is there anything you won't blog about?
There has been plenty I haven't blogged about. Plenty. Maybe I'll tell all in an anonymous blog somewhere one day.
What has been your best and worst blogging experience?
Best has definitely been making friends from all over the world which is a side effect from blogging that I never dreamed of. I've now got good friends in the USA, France, Germany and I still keep in touch with what's going on in Australia from Aussie blogs. And I just keeping coming across more and more brilliant people who either find my blog and let me know, or I stumble across their blog.
The worst was probably when another blogger misinterpreted something I wrote and had a proper go at me and I really took his words to heart. I was deeply saddened by the fact that someone who didn't really know me could possibly have such a low opinion of me. But, I suppose, it works both ways.
What's your blogging code of conduct (and do you think there should be an official code)?
Personally, I never leave anonymous comments and I never acknowledge anonymous comments (unless they're good ones of course- I mean I'm not a saint!) I try not to be inflammatory and leave argumentative comments when I read something I don't like but that's probably because I'm a coward. I've read the proposed official code of conduct for blogs and quite honestly, I think it and the whole idea of it is quite ridiculous.
Who are your blogging heroines?
Probably you, Keris, I've adored your blog which is always funny or endearing or informative or all three rolled into one for a while now. [*blush* - Keris] I've really enjoyed Struggling Author's rollercoaster ride to having her book published. Also, a good friend of mine, Heather wrote a brilliant blog, Don't Mention the Skiing about life in Switzerland which was voted Best of Swiss Blogs and I was dead proud of her. (Sadly Don't Mention the Skiing seems to be offline now.)
Keris co-edits Shiny Media’s fabulous women’s fiction blog, Trashionista and contributes to TV Scoop, The Bag Lady and Bridalwave. She's right about The West Wing.
