I have to admit, I’m really excited to share this blogger’s interview with you.  I have enjoyed reading this blog for quite a few months and I know you will love it as well.  I think I’ll let this blogger take it from here.

Hi I’m Fasab, the guy who’s mad as hell and not going to take it any more, not without a fight anyway!

One of the “Baby-boomer” generation, during my life so far I have had the privilege of seeing the very best of people, and unfortunately the very worst too. Sadly, the former is getting increasingly harder to come by and the latter more frequent. I am nostalgic for times past when life was a lot simpler, although I would still allow the invention of personal computers and the internet!

I am involved in business which has allowed me to travel quite a bit and as a consequence have waded through the dumbest of people and bureaucrats in many different countries. And believe me they are there in EVERY country. But on the positive side, it has  generated quite a bit of material for my blog.

Can you please tell the readers a little about your blog?

The name of my blog is FASAB which stands for the “Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”.

Like most things in my life, it didn’t start out that way. Originally I wanted to call it “The Peanut Chronicles”, that name prompted by an incident that happened on an airplane with a bag of peanuts (back in the days when people were smart enough not to eat stuff that would kill them!). But when I was setting up the blog that name was already gone, taken by a couple of proud parents for photos of their child. A nice idea for a blog too, but that poor kid is going to be “peanut” for the rest of his days. Sorry I didn’t get there first, kid!

So my blog became FASAB. The content that I had envisioned is more or less the same, though, a mixture of highlighting the stupid idiots and bureaucrats that try to make our lives more difficult and frustrating, along with the unusual, the interesting, occasionally the inspiring, and I hope most of the time, the humorous as well. I believe that there is a lighter, funny side to most situations, if we care to look hard enough.

As regards the theme style, the first thing I would say is that WordPress gives a lot of options which doesn’t make the choice easy. The one I ended up with is called “Greyzed” by The Forge Web Creations. It is rather disturbingly described as “dirty and grungy-looking” but it is also quite attractive, has the text, which is the important part of the blog, on a white background so it stands out well, and since I highlight grey areas in life it was also somehow appropriate.

What made you decide to begin a blog?

I’ve always liked to write, but I have spent most of my life writing things for business purposes or for other people. I have, for example, both drafted and read contracts that would put the most chronic insomniac to sleep. I can say the same for many meetings and conferences. Zzzzzzzz.

I decided that I’d like to try my hand at something a bit more personal, and lighter. My blog actually started off as a story I sent to some friends as an email. They seemed to like it. So I had the idea that I would maybe try it as a blog and if other people also enjoyed reading it, even better.

The only problem I have had, and it is probably fairly unique to my blog, is that because some of the stories I write are about people I know, I have found that I am very reluctant to tell my friends about the blog. Normally that’s one good way of quickly building up a bit of traffic, but I’m sure some of them would recognise themselves, and their inadequacies, so I’ve decided to plow ahead without them!

How long have you been blogging?  

I have been blogging for a very short time, only since February 24th this year in fact. So FASAB is my first blog. I have one or two ideas for others, but I fear there would not be the time to do them justice, so for now they’ll have to wait.

I did recently publish another one that I called “IWIST”, which stands for “I wish I’d Said That” which is a (growing) selection of my favourite sayings and quotations - I try to add a few every day. I don’t expect it to ever get a big audience, I like good quotes and sayings but not everybody does, so it’s mainly for my own amusement.

How often do you write a new post or add a new photograph to your blog?

So far on FASAB I have been posting every day since February 24th. The total will soon reach the 100 mark. (note: this interview was done over a month ago)  That was a target I had in my head before I started, but I thought it would take me a LOT longer to reach. Just shows how much I have taken to blogging!

So far all the stuff I have written and/or posted has come fairly easily to me. How long I can sustain the pace is anyone’s guess. Not that I think I’ll ever run out of things to say as I usually have an opinion (and not always a conventional one) on most things.

Thankfully there are a lot of dumb people out there doing dumb things, so I have plenty of ammunition available!

What has been your best experience since beginning your blog?

The best experience by far has been meeting and getting to know fellow bloggers, who have been very helpful and supportive. It’s a nice community to be part of. Admittedly my experience is very limited, but I would say that WordPress is by far the best blogging medium and it’s very easy to set up and use.

I have never been a diarist, my diary is just a glorified appointment book. So the next best thing I have discovered about blogging is that it has a way of letting you release some of the things you always wanted to say but never do by other means. For example, I never thought I’d be telling the public at large about my morning in bed with Derek, but I have.
:()

What has been most surprising to you about having a blog?

The most surprising thing about having a blog is - having a blog! I’d heard about them for years, but never did anything to find out more about blogging until very recently.

The next big surprise for me is how much I have enjoyed the whole blogging experience, including writing my own, other people reading and commenting on it, and reading and occasionally commenting on what others have written in their blogs. Sometimes people like and agree with what I say, other times they have their own thoughts and suggestions and vice versa, but it’s all done constructively and in good humor.

The other surprising thing was being nominated for the Versatile Blogger award, twice in fact, after such a short time blogging. My thanks to Alex Autin and Sunnythesurd for that. It’s always nice to be recognised especially by your peers, and it provides an opportunity to pass on the accolade to other deserving bloggers.

6.  What advice would you give someone who is thinking of starting their own blog?

I’ll give you three “don’ts” and a “do” in answer to this question.

Don’t prevaricate. If you want to try your hand at blogging then do it. But do it because you have something that ‘you’ want to say; and write about things that you know. There’s nothing that works better than a blog by someone who is genuine and writing from the heart. And don’t worry about how big your audience is, keep doing it because you are enjoying what you are writing.

Don’t try to be a copycat, just because someone else’s blog is very popular. There’s a saying that goes, “You were born an original, don’t die a copy”, and that applies to blogging as well as to life in general. So many people these days are rather pathetic “wannabees” and that never works.

And for goodness sake don’t start a blog thinking you’re going to make a ton of money out of it. Yes, that can happen, but it’s just like company start-ups, for every Google or Apple there are a million other companies that crash and burn and never earn a penny.

Finally, “do” do it because you want to and because you enjoy it, if you eventually make a bit of money out of it, or it leads on to something else that is rewarding, financially or otherwise, well and good, but that should be a bonus, not a goal.

 Are you intending on making your blog part of your career?

No, my blog is just someting personal, not part of a career in writing or part of a business venture.

But I’m always open to offers. If anyone likes the blog and my style of writing feel free to get in touch!

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts.  I hope everyone enjoyed getting to know “FASAB.”  He has a fabulous straight talking way about him and his stories don’t disappoint.  Please be sure to check out his blog by following the link below.

This is my blog, http://fasab.wordpress.com Come and visit any time, you’ll be very welcome.

If you like to read a good quote now and again then try http://iwist.wordpress.com

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Wendy McCance

Wendy McCance is a Michigan based freelance writer and social media consultant. Wendy has gained attention as the founder of the popular blog Searching for the Happiness which can be viewed in 6 local papers online, including the Oakland Press.The combination of writing skills and social media knowledge is what makes Wendy such a powerhouse to work with. Stay tuned for opportunities to advertise, guest post and as always, have your questions answered.

To contact Wendy McCance about a writing assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]

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