Alice (onlyanne.com)

These interviews started with the intention of getting to know my online friends better, and exposing a side of them that might not necessarily be apparent online. Each interviewee was asked ten questions, five of which were generic, and five of which directly applied to the specific individual. If you are interested in being interviewed, please leave a comment on this post.

Interview with Alice of onlyanne.com:

• Do your friends and family know you have a blog? If so, do they read it?
  Only my best friend, and I highly doubt she does.
• When did you first start becoming involved in the “internet world”?
  When I was about 15, almost 16. It was at the time I was on study leave for my GCSE’s, I had all this free time at home on my own and discovered the internet to cure my boredom. I went on the net occasionally before that, for an hour on a Saturday to play Neopets but it was never an addiction then.
• What are your favorite places to visit online?
  It’s funny, that changes all the time. VegOpt is a must, as is Twitter. Other places I visit I enjoy but I can’t pick out a favourite.
• Do you ever feel like it’s hard to maintain a balance between online and offline life?
  At the moment, not really. If I’m online too much it is usually because I have nothing to do offline.
• Does your online personality differ from your offline personality? Do you find yourself acting differently in situations online than you would offline?
  No, at least not intentionally. I try and be the same person where ever I am whomever I’m with. I don’t want to change who I am to fit in somewhere. I do however think I react differently to online situations, I’m more careful about what I say. I word what I want to say carefully so it can’t be taken the wrong way; so not to upset anyone. Offline I’m far more likely just to blurt out the first thing that comes into my head.
• Over the years, the content of your blog has shifted from daily accounts to more introspective topics. Was this shift intentional, or have you found it easier to blog about your contemplations instead of daily routines?
  Mostly intentional, but I think as I have gone through University and grown intellectually It’s been a natural course. Especially when I talk about books, I just loved doing that in University it was inevitable I would end up doing it on my blog. I have come to find that blogging about my personal life is just so boring and you can actually say a lot in a blog without mentioning a lot about life. I think I would much rather talk about a news article or my opinion on something than what I’d been up to in the last 24 hours. I want to engage readers not bore them.
• You have owned many domains in the time that I’ve known you (almost three years!) What is your most favorite out of all the ones you’ve owned?
  I don’t think I have a favourite one. I tend to get bored of them easily and many that spoke to me once don’t any more. Even Mortify.nu which I think was my best domain doesn’t really entice me any longer. Hell, I’m even getting somewhat tired of bleakfall (although I wont be changing it any time soon). I think as my tastes change so do my likes and dislikes of domain names.
• Shoes! How did your love or shoes begin? How many pairs do you own (approximately)? Which pair is your favorite?
  My love of shoes began when I started working at a shoe concession in a department store when I was 17. I got 40% discount and good pay then so I spent. I don’t actually have that many pairs, I have a habit of changing my tastes so as I get bored of a pair I pass them on to someone else who will enjoy them. I’d say at the moment I have about 30 pairs, maybe more maybe less. I have three favourites for three different reasons/uses. My favourite heals are my 3inch silver ones because they look awesome, and make my legs look fabulous. Comfy shoes wise, for the colder weather I love my Keds <3 best plimsolls ever! And for the summer I adore my Birkenstocks, most comfortable sandal-esque shoes ever. They look a bit funny but I pull them off.
• You are a child of the 80′s, and you love that decade. What is it about the 80′s that you love?
  There is so much I love about the 80′s, I must admit I do find some of it dire, but I could go on for so long about how the era makes me feel. I adore how the new romantics fought back at Thatchers depression with their outlandish fashion and make-up. I love the films, my beautiful Laundrette, The Crying Game. The films didn’t need to have millions of dollars spent on them to make an impact or to express their point, it was about making the most of what you could and focusing more on the content rather than aesthetics. I can’t say all TV was better in the 80′s but I love some of the children’s TV programmes still, and soaps like Eastenders have never been better. English soaps as opposed to America are far more, for lack of a better word, depressing. Soaps, for the most part, attempt to be more realistic focusing on working class areas. Eastenders was so gritty when it began in the 80′s, and reflected many of the issues within British society such as AIDS, drug abuse and racism. Soaps weren’t as sensationalised as they are today. I don’t think you can’t beat a good bit of gritty realism, not to mention there were only two adverts on in-between programmes. Finally though we reach my love of 80′s fashion and music! Music and fashion are so intertwined, I don’t love all 80′s clothes (hello too much spandex) but I do adore the experimentation of fabrics, colours and styles. I can’t say exactly why I love 80′s music, I suspect it is somewhat to do with the slightly melancholic nature combined with a fantastic sound, but it really does speak to me. Well, not all of it, aspects of it. The 80′s can appear so boring and dull but really they were just as exciting as the counter culture of the 60′s or the post counter-culture depression of the 70′s. I think at some point in a persons life they are going to affiliate themselves with a feeling from a particular era and that era will speak to them, whether that be for 5 seconds or the rest of their lives. The 80′s speak to me, and will I always feel this way? Who knows, but I’m enjoying it while I can.
• You are one of the admins at VegOpt. What has your experience there as an admin taught you?
  “I got the power!” Haha sorry, got to love a bit of Snap! I think my experience as an admin has probably taught me more than I realise. I would love to be able to say something really profound here, but I can’t think of anything.

Tags: interviews