BBC interview with Philipp Lenssen
On Monday I did an interview by E-mail with Philipp Lenssen. Who does not know: Philipp is the author of Blogoscoped.com, one of the largest Google blogs.
Philip lives in Stuttgart and is 31 years old.
In the interview he discusses why he writes in English what the success of his blog has identified whether FriendFeed Google buys and why he wants to work on Google with me his second book Google Apps Hacks.
Pascal: Google Apps hacks: While your first book turned only fun things you can do with Google, your second services is an explanation of Google. I think both Google newbies as well as the “Google experts” will find in the book. You have known written your book in Google Docs. Are there any problems? Did you miss a feature?
Philipp: Oh yes, it has a lot with Google Docs worked less, how I would have liked it. For example the layout has defended himself many a time, such as when you put a text by italics on not italic. I would have liked other times that I can copy text from the Clipboard into the document, without equal the old formatting of text with pure increase.
Another problem was that the visualization of the differences between two versions of a document was not always really intuitive. This sometimes resulted in extended search, finally Yes my editor and I have worked on the same document. It was of course important to figure out where the corrections made.
I must say that refers now to an outdated version of Google Docs – perhaps Google has already here and there improves, it does indeed some tool. And I must also say that work me with Google Docs like much, much better than with as MS Word. You need not so many functions to write, because a sleek interface is dear to me.
I had my first book in openoffice writer started… then there were problems with the layout export and I had to switch to Word. But then there were dozens problems over weeks or months, until it was also ready for layout. (The Layout task was fortunately accepted me for Google Apps hacks from O’Reilly – and because you not can layout much with Google Docs, the two products for the purposes are not necessarily comparable…)
Pascal: On some screenshots you can see when they are created. The time ranges from October 2007 to March 2008 (the book is published in late April): you have revised articles for updates of Google Docs or are made screenshots just shortly before printing?
Philipp: We have revised much during the writing phase. Where we but also not always immediately have updated everything when we noticed that Google has changed something rather we have recorded then the change us, then in rotation later before publication address again. This should help that we change all three times and never finished. There is the story of the House, which stands, under water and with water fills a bucket of homeowners in a panic after another and herausträgt… when the neighbor asks what’s going on, the man says: “my tap is turned up, so everything runs over here… but I come before louder heraustragen of the water not to turn off the tap!”
(It was quite funny by the way, as Google Docs still a major redesign was missed just before printing.) Well, better than if she would have done it then. (So we could customize in the short term everything…)
Pascal: Blogoscoped.com is currently ranked 92 at Technorati. (The GWB on place 4898;)). The 91 before you is still Google OS by Ionut in addition to the official Google blog no other blog reported exclusively through Google. What is the cause of the success of your blog from your point of view? (As of the data.) (July)
Philipp: Well, as far as I know there are still more popular only Google-blogs, for example the by Ionut Alexandru Chitu from Romania. But I am always glad when many people read and join – you for example! – and that is certainly the instrumental in good articles. A blog lives of the great tips of the reader or guest articles and comments in the Forum, Blogoscoped is no exception, it is really a joint project (Blogoscoped has also a co-editor, Tony Ruscoe). Also I am always when people plug information me that are perhaps not so well known and reported in larger blogs (like TechCrunch). Aim should always be to have as original content. Many guidance provided here under the BBC demwohl undisputed best German blog about Google.
Pascal: You are living in Stuttgart and are a German. However, you write completely in English. As 2003 gestartest got your blog, you have started to blog about Google doing this. At that time there were no German-speaking blog writing about Google, why in English?
Philipp: Then I have moved in the German and English Web. But as for Google, but more often in the English network. Then I read Google village and Google blog (both by the way, was blogs that today no longer really exists or wenigstes no longer in high update frequency – Google blog one of the most subscribed blogs at all but times and in Google sometimes # 1 “weblog for the keyword” itself). Maybe it therefore obvious was to write in English and also I am if so virtually the whole world can read.
I briefly also tried to translate some articles in English and to put on a second range of Google Blogoscoped. But this is hard because so time consuming. Sometimes I’ve published a German article on Blogoscoped… but since there are so mostly not German reader (at least compared to the total readership – there are already many Germans), something not just encounters much encouragement…
Pascal: In addition to Google, you report gel gent light on FriendFeed. FriendFeed was started by former Googlers – by Paul Buchheit – among others. Represents a Google takeover candidate you think the startup?
Philipp: Since Google YouTube had bought, I find it very difficult to make forecasts in the direction. Because YouTube has me very surprised – because Google buys a video portal, where they already have one, which was technically better (Google video just what is a video metasearch engine now rather, it’s but not always). One could say Google buys a not only more technologies for some time but from and also easy “market share”. And everything as a candidate for purchase is possible from the point of view what has many visitors.
FriendFeed is probably at the time still too small – and I’m sure Paul Buchheit & co have just too much fun, raise the thing – but in the future this could be also determines what Google (if it has a higher proportion of non-tech savvy users). What is certainly a
funny thing would be… There are developers who’ve canceled outside then pull up a new product, and then with lots of money back into the boat brought. Such things would be too harmful to morals within Google – “If you’re building the best Google product, announce first and’s take on elsewhere!” – but that has admitted Google in the YouTube acquisition not disturbed.
Pascal: You coach your blog and write your websites like you in the imprint “full-time”. What were you doing before? Would you like to work for Google?
Philipp: No, I want to work for Google, but independently without report… the good and the bad. Blogoscoped have I 2003 started in the Internet café, and it then way gone ahead. 2005 I canceled as a programmer in a Web Agency and since then my websites are my full time job. It makes me great fun raising new Web pages. The latest published project is bomomo.com (Editor’s Note: A beautiful toy;)), which has converted just to Flash my friend NikolaiKordulla (also from Stuttgart, Germany). My two currently other major projects are GamesfortheBrain.com (to the play) and CoverBrowser.com (view to the comic cover).
Pascal: The noted above all my colleagues Jens: already often he has read that Googlers messages exclusively have sent you before anyone else? Is it true? As often happens in the month?
Philipp: Google sends me like other press releases, since everyone can register to get at the Distributor, these messages at the same time public land on their website. And they sometimes answers my questions at press@google.com. I specify my sources in articles unless the person would like to remain anonymous, then I will say nothing. But more or less exclusive Vorabmitteilungen from the Google Press Office
which are then linked to a press blocking period, I try to avoid (and I’ve avoided my knowledge so far anyway) – because when it invokes only Google’s information, you can write hardly a neutral review. It is better if you test the Live service only when you thus lose perhaps a few hours in comparison with other blogs or traditional news sites.
But I look at time in a particular case such things me and would not rigorously exclude even accept a press blocking period. You have to be aware only of the potential problems…
Pascal: Thanks for the interview, Philipp!