Interview with a blogger - Peter Gold

Despite being one of the first people I asked to partake in this series of blogger interviews Peter has kept me hanging on - and has only recently managed to find a gap in his busy schedule.  The biog he sent me read "Peter Gold is controlled by Hire Strategies Limited, who help retailers implement real-time e-recruiting to attract and hire top talent at minimum cost. He has a wife and two young daughters who easily spend a lot more then he earns; his future remains bleak and he is destined to work for as long as they spend!  Working for retailers gives him some pleasure by taking back a little of what they indirectly take from him."  Not sure I can add much to that except to say that as well as running his own business he runs multi-day adventure races across deserts and jungles in an attempt to find a place to get away from the day-to-day grind we all call work!

How long have you been blogging?
Too long.

Why did you start?
I started blogging as my wife and kids don’t listen to me and as I work on my own I have no one to talk to;  so I started blogging.

What do you do, work related, when you aren't blogging?
Usual stuff really.  Marketing, website build, making tea, running to the post office (saves petrol), weapon design, nuclear research, WMD investigation, conspiracy theory compilations, expedition planning, gear buying (online of course), PC support, customer support, website support, media buying, media selling, media advising, media telesales avoidance techniques training.  Nothing much really.

Do you think blogging has helped your business?
It’s helped me fill my day, increased site traffic, brought in some large new clients and given me someone to talk to.  I’ve also had some nice new legal people to communicate with instead of those idiotic ticket clerks and wheel clamping thugs so that’s been quite nice. 

What do you feel is the biggest challenge about writing a blog?
Inspiration.

What's another blog that you read and why do you recommend it?
Guru as he doesn’t get much traffic other than my automated blog beater which makes him think he’s doing well.  And Dan McGuire as he’s my best mate (although he prefers Amsterdam Dave these days); if only he’d get some navigation on his blog!  As for Cheez, he inspired me but I reckon he’s losing the plot now.  And of course Alan Whitford; I find his daily updates very amusing.

What do you want your reader’s to know about you?
I’m very nice really, it’s just that silly people annoy me and so many of them seem work for job boards and KFC – before becoming traffic wardens of course and sticking those stupid bits of paper on my windscreen.  Otherwise, I’m really very nice to people don’t get in my way on the roads or in queues when shopping.

Also, I’m not crazy, deserts and jungles are for running through.  Who the hell wants to walk through them giving the beasties more time to get you; run and they can’t keep up.  Smarter than you thought huh!

If you knew someone was thinking about starting a recruitment related blog, what advice would you want to give them?
If you are going to blog make sure you are a good pub quiz person (I’m not) otherwise you won’t have enough to keep it up when the going gets tough.  Alternatively, get out more, drink more beer, eat more food and don’t bother blogging.  Stay hidden from Google as one day they will inherit the earth and they will have control over your PC – which in effect is your life.  Also, get some other idiot to write for you as well but make sure they like you otherwise your blog becomes your alter ego and it’s all downhill from there.

Is there a question you wished I asked you?
Why was the price of milk such an issue when really it is the price of petrol that matters.  Milk, you ever tried running a Porsche on milk; gets you nowhere fast and leaves cheese all over the frigging engine! 

Oh, and why has it taken you so long to interview me?  And don’t give your readers that baloney about how I didn’t get back to you...