19
When did you start your site?
When I was 16, in June 1997.
Occupation - What kind of work do you do?
I'm a student, and I work part-time.
Hobbies - What do you like to do, besides keep this site?
I like to go to the movies, watch tv, read.
Location - Where are you from? Where are you now?
Perth, Australia
Why did you start writing your Web site?
Why do you write a site about you?
Well, I'm not a particularly interesting person, but I thought people may like to read about me as I like to read about other people. I hope that people reading about me may find they have something in common, or know someone similar to me, and it may help them understand that person better.
Do you communicate with readers of your site?
I have a survey that many people fill out, so I can learn more about my visitors, and they also have access to a guestbook, feedback form and my e-mail address. Everyone who e-mails me or fills in the feedback form receives a reply. I hope to add a forum next year.
How much email feedback to you receive from your site? Is it mainly positive or negative?
Not that much; most people prefer to fill out the survey or sign the guestbook. Most feedback I receive is positive, which is great.
Have you met any new friends because of the site?
Yes, there are a few people that I talk to through e-mail that I would never have found (or they would never have found me) if I didn't have a site.
Has your motivation changed over time?
Do your friends and family know you keep this site/read it? If so have you had any really negative experiences as a result? If not why?
My family know about it, and my sister visits it. A couple of friends visit it, too. Because of this, I don't write really personal stuff, only semi-personal. I haven't had any negative experiences as a result though - I think they appreciate that they can read more about me and how I think and feel.
How has your Web site benefited you? Your friends? Or total strangers?
It's nice to know that there are other people out there like me. I think that's probably benefitted visitors as well, if they read about me and think "wow, I'm not alone".
If you had to do it over again from the beginning, what would you change?
Well, my first site was pretty ugly. I guess I would have spent more time learning about design and visiting other personal sites.
What are your favorite things on your site?
When looking at other people's Web sites what do you look for as a viewer?
In depth content about that person, how they feel, their opinions.
How do you tackle the mechanics of Web design and how do you deal with your frustrations when you can't do what you envision.
The mechanics is not one of my favourite parts of webdesign, but I do write all the code by hand. Cross-browser compatibility is a big issue, but since most of my visitors use Internet Explorer, I've finally stopped worrying so much about Netscape.
As long as people can view it, I'm not so much worried about the design in other browsers. If I can't do what I envision, I just think of someone else. I think the limitations are part of what makes designing for the web so interesting.
Why do you think people are interested in you and what you have to say?
What compels you to design beautiful pages and to write from the heart (beyond just the usual question of "why write a Web site")?
I love getting feedback, and I just like the satisfaction of knowing that I created something that can be viewed by people all over the world. I also like to express myself through it, and I just find it a very rewarding hobby.