Welcome Larry to Blog Interrogation. Time to go Hmmm and tell us about your blog and your approach to blogging.



The name of my weblog is Larry Hnetka Goes HMmmm.I checked my archives and in one of my first posts back in June 2004, I said I couldn't come up with a clever blog title. That statement still holds water today, don't you think?

Headlines were never my forte so I took the egotistical route and used my full name in the blog title (hence, the Larry Hnetka portion). The "HMmmm" was supposed to be the clever part. I had Googled the phrase things that make you go hmmmm and was shocked to find over 1,500,000 hits for the term. The one that stuck out the most was HMMmm: the Newsletter of High Mountain Mensa.I figured if those brainiacs could HMmmm so could I. Scan through the entries in my Journal category. You'll get more flavour about me than you'll ever need or want to know.


As I'm not a perfectionist, just anal-retentive with a dash of anxiety disorder on the side, the one thing I might change about my site is to add a second sidebar. I've deleted many sidebar buttons and widgets over the last while trying to leave important links or information. Right now, my solitary sidebar is too long and disorganized. I'm surprised I can find anything there, let alone someone who lands on my weblog without any warning.

Short answer: nyet to changing my blog name.

Long answer: I used to beg my parents to change our surname to Smith or Jones, anything but Hnetka. My mother's response was always, "you could have been one of the Karpuke's or Mazapuke's or (gasp) Yaddamaminski's -- be proud of your name."

Although I have an uncommon surname, bloggers have confused me with some "Harry Hnetka" fellow, much to my disbelief, My surname is of Ukrainian origin and so if you're a Hnetka, you're one of the family. I've had one or two relatives ticked off at me for using the surname because I Google ahead of them. I've even had an inquiry from one of my uncle's old girlfriends who hadn't had made contact with him for 40 years. She wondered what ever happened to him. My response was short. He had married twice, had several children but unfortunately dear Uncle X passed away accidentally some 25 years ago. He died in his car in his garage with the car engine running and the garage door nailed shut from the inside. She never replied back. Those moments make me tingle with the sheer HMmmmness within them.


I am the one and only great HMmmmer penning all the yadda yadda blah blah yadda on my blog. I have not earned one Canadian penny from my blog. Besides I couldn't afford what it would cost to hire myself to write all this stuff anyway.

Haven't really thought about asking another website to consider publishing an article from me. That concept is more typical of the old submission-for-publication to hardcopy magazines and the like.

Having said that, I have found some weblogs who've stolen my content verbatim without any reference that the content came from me. Unfortunately, it's never the big guns who take your copy. It's usually the new bloggers who copy and post without linking. I look forward to the day when some high traffic poobahs come and ask me if I will consider posting their content on my site. That's when I will throw back my head and laugh ha ha while collecting the cash from them and HMmmming all the way to the bank.

Ed extracts the bones from the blog interrogation

Thanks, Larry, for going into such depth about your blog.

I am amazed that anyone would copy another writer''s work verbatim, and expect to get away with it , especially if they are trying to promote their blog. Der. And why anyone would copy your work, that really dumbfounds me!

Joking aside, I am forever grateful for your expansive responses, this has come right when my own pen has dried up temporarily. As for your suicidal uncle story, sorry, but that made me laugh out loud. May he rest in peace and I hope they didn't damage the garage door too much trying to pry it open to get to him.

And don't worry about not earning from your blog yet. It all comes to he who waits. Cheers.

So, who is next up? Denise will get the stage to herself tomorrow.

Please don't think your blog is too serious or too trivial to provide the answers to these questions. Everyone has a story to tell and the interrogation is a good measure of your understanding of your blog. You get backlinks for good measure too.

PermaLink to MyBlogLog Sunday week 12
Baxter Tocher reveals the correctness of buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo and to continue the b's theme, he blogs about blogs that blinded him with their brilliance.

This week, the Snowman Pooper is on a new creative roll in a new role as podcaster supreme. Plenty of free shit to win too in contests.


Linda continues to plough a happy-go-lucky furrow on her blog. She has also blown the lid on airline ticket coupons, so check out a real gem for tight wad flyers.

Polli continues to set her online pond on fire with more Saturday Stuff. She also laments a Wordpress upgrade, where her sidebar died, so pay heed and back up back up back up!



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Blog Interrogation (or 5 questions in 5 minutes for the faint of heart) is your opportunity to respond to 5 quick-fire questions from Ed. (This is not a meme, more a YouYou.)

Shoot your answers straight from the hip, perhaps with a bit of humor, and hopefully everyone, including you, will gain an insight into your site. Send Ed your unsolicited responses, and we'll take it from there. And remember, there is no excuse for not having enough time to fit this into your schedule. Everyone has 5 minutes to shout about themselves!

The questions

The hardest question first. What is the name of your website, and can you pick one feature or story to illustrate the flavor of the site to newcomers?

Would you ever consider changing the name of your site to reflect the passing of time? For instance, after reading The Onion, I compared the first posts with the latest, & the name Has Bean sprang to mind. What do you think in your case?

Finally, if you could get an article published on any website on earth, other than your own, which would it be, and why?


Contributions so far...

Sarge of Quit Your Day Job
Linda of Are We There Yet?
Phishie of It's Phishie!
Lord Likely of Lord likely
Peter of Necessary Skills
Polli of Polliwog's pond
IESP of I Eat Snowman Poop
Danger Girl of Dayngrous Discourse
Dana of Principled Discovery
Matt of eJabs...for knowledge
Chris of Chris Chen dot see eh!
Mike of Generator Land

Today is the dozenth MyBlogLog Sunday - part 12 at the Pisstakers.

It seems that for every cup of coffee consumed, you need 8 cups of water to clear the effects out your system. Time to get a potty.

Hey ho to the 10 lucky faces of MyBlogLog Sunday. Let's see what's new and happening on different domains around the internet.

After 120 mini reviews, Mission control has asked me to give a thumbs up to the good folks who give this plug a mention on their site on a regular basis - that's just what was envisioned at launch time.

An apology to the people caught up in this without realising what is going on.

And a gentle reminder that if you sought a mini review here and got one, or if you go to Technorati and see that The Pisstakers is one of your backlinks, why not be a bud and tell someone other than the people living in your house that you were on MBL Sunday or referenced in an article! Remember, we are nothing to do with urine!

Thanks for taking part today, and to those of you who don't know what on earth is going on here, the MBL Sunday rules are explained here. (As a hint, be a MyBlogLog member who visits here just before I start blogging on Sundays!)

Permalink is permanent
All mini reviews from today are instantly added to the archives, so you can get a permanent back link to your mini review today.

MyBlogLog Sunday prize winner

MyBlogLog Sunday info links

Other contests this week

Steve is giving away loads of money for the better reviews of his MIS Specification, a tagging system for the multimedia files quickly filling the world's hard drives.

I Eat Snowman Poop needs a gay jingle. If you need a $25 certificate, join the contest and make each other happy. It can't be worse than the Blogger jingle. Jeez, they need a makeover.

Polliwog had a Saturday Stuff contest last week to win a book, and it looks like Goldy won it.

Bloglyne has a contest related to the March of Dimes on June 7th. I think how it works is that 3 selected contributors of cash will get a link back as a bonus. The Pisstakers can't win a link because we aren't viewable by all folks everywhere, but no reason why we can't tell you so you can benefit!

Ades has regular info on competitions and giveaways He is one of the better bloggers btw, read and inwardly digest if you are a How To Make Money Online blogger.

Blog About Your Blog has 160 RSS readers now. And their RSS feed mini fridge winner is to be announced via video, no less. .

Link Rambler is going to blow the lid on linkbait opportunities soon. Meanwhile, he mentions others' contests too.

Kumiko has a contest, and I am going to win 150 tickets with the following statement! Kumiko has a new domain and she's giving me a chance to make money online too with her new Cash Quest Competition!! She may want to read this article I did about Google Bombs, in case some of it applies to her keyword tactic.

Google goodies were on offer from Me and My Drum! The contest ended, can't see a winner, but go and read the blog, it is pretty interesting.

Blog Interrogation
5 11 bloggers have so far set the record straight during an intense 5 question and answer Blog Interrogation. Next week I have another 4 lined up. Want to join the fest? Via 5 questions, you will find it unavoidable to tell us what you blog about, and share any regrets and insights of use to us bloggers out there. And as this is The Pisstakers, you can let your hair down and have some fun.

Send your answers in to Ed, unsolicited, and remember, this is not a meme or false link love exercise. All interrogations stay on my review blog which is PR4 and promoted..

We've linked to several web search engines offering random payments & prizes! Click the icon & search our keyphrase web satire. It is a win-win, perhaps!

Be back later.