Tim Ponders – Interview with Blogger and Podcaster Tim Arthur

43 Comments / Blogger Interviews, Blogging Tutorials / By /

Let me introduce you to Tim Arthur who blogs at Tim Ponders. Tim recently started a new blog and audio podcast called TechMonks Podcast, that focuses on the latest trends in news from the world of tech and I'm sure you'll find the show interesting an informative. I came to know Tim in the chat room of the popular Blog Talk Radio show Room 3026 Live hosted by Damond Nollan, Derek Brinson, and Michael Render.

Tim ArthurTim, please introduce yourself and share some background about your offline life.

I’d like to start by thanking you for the opportunity to be interviewed. I enjoy Basic Blog Tips, and have found many helpful and productive tips here!

  • Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, I have had a passion for technology since I received my first handheld electronic game as a youngster. My first computer was a Commodore 64. Once I had that computer, there was no looking back. I was hooked.
  • I’m a geek at heart that loves engaging with others in stimulating conversation about anything dealing with technology. Professionally, I’m the IT Director for a medical research facility located in the Research Triangle Park of North Carolina.
  • I’m also a huge film nut, and due to the fact that I was a mobile disc jockey for years, I enjoy listening to music of any kind. Film and audio editing as well as reading historical memoirs are also passions of mine.
  • My wife Kerri, two children (ages 9 and 3), and I live in the Raleigh area of North Carolina. We relocated to North Carolina in 2004 and absolutely love it here. We enjoy finding fun things to do together whenever possible.
  • In addition to my “day job” and online endeavors, I’m also a licensed professional pyrotechnician, and provide exciting professional fireworks displays at various locations across North Carolina.
  • In terms of my educational background, I have a BS in Secondary Education from the State University of New York.

Your blog is Tim Ponders how long have you been blogging and where did you first learn how to blog?
I’ve been blogging at my current main site Tim Ponders since October of 2010. I moved my blog from Google’s Blogger platform to WordPress in spring 2011. The move was prompted by my desire to move to a more robust and flexible platform. Prior to launching timponders.com, I had several blog sites in the past that I didn’t do much with.
I was inspired by my friend Damond Nollan to create my latest blog and share my passions with others. Damond has been very encouraging and I consider him to be my mentor in terms of blogging and reader engagement.

Tim Arthur and his friends start TechMonks

You recently started a new podcast called TechMonks podcast along with your co-hosts Aaron K. White and Damond Nollan. Talk about the goals for the show and the BlogTalkRadio format.
The goal of the TechMonks Podcast is to provide a fun dicussion of topical tech topics, sprinkled with a bit of what we are enjoying in the world of entertainment and media.
The BlogTalk radio format is our current live broadcasting platform. We like the ability to broadcast live and engage our listeners in the chat room. We’re exploring other platforms that may offer us higher quality live audio streams as well as the use of live video in the future.Tim Arthur

Let’s talk about social media and what you think about using sites like Klout and Empire Avenue.
I personally find Klout and Empire Avenue to be very useful in terms of gauging the reach of my social content. It’s always nice to see a measurement of how successful your content is engaging the community. The key to social media is community, and both services allow you to indicate who you view as authorities in various sectors of social media and various topics. I enjoy using both sites and wish I could devote more time to using Empire Avenue and learning how to use it to its full potential.

Where do you stand on the Facebook vs. Google+ controversy – do you have a preference and why?
I don’t really see a controversy. Both services want to be the source of where users go to share information. I can see how they try to one up each other with features and functionality. Some of the new Facebook changes, most notably the news ticker, seem to be similar in some ways to the way Google+ uses streams. I see the existence of both services beneficial, as the competition will force them both to continually innovate.

Turning our attention to the mobile markets – iPhone, Android and other smart phones. What do you think will be the next big thing in this area?
The rumor mill is currently abuzz on what Apple either will or will not be rolling out in terms of a new iPhone model. Android phones continue to sell incredibly well, and also enjoy huge dedicated user bases.
I’m not sure what the next big thing will be, in the mobile space, but I’m particularly eager to see how the new Android phones with NFC (Near Field Communication) technologies paired with the new Google Wallet services will change the way consumers pay for physical goods while visiting merchants.

What's next for Tim Arthur

Lastly Tim, what’s on the horizon for you and where do you see yourself in terms of podcasting or blogging in the next few years?

Since I still consider myself to be a relative newcomer to the blogosphere, I see myself continuing to strive for increased engagement to my users. I’d like to devote more time to blogging, improve my writing style, and continue to present information and topics that spark conversations that I enjoy engaging in. The ability to engage the community is key, and that is an area I am passionate about continuing to develop. In addition to Tim Ponders, I have a blog focusing on the fireworks industry and professional community that I am also currently developing that I will be able to share some information about soon.
Podcasting is a medium I have listened to for about 7 years now, and I have wanted to have a podcast of my own for some time now. I’m a huge fan of Leo Laporte on the Twit.tv Network and am inspired by what he has done with the podcast medium. I listen to a large number of podcasts on my daily commutes and find the format great for learning more about topics that I am interested in.
Thankfully, I have been blessed with two co-hosts and friends that share my love of technology, entertainment, and the podcast format. Working with Aaron K. White and Damond Nollan on the show is stimulating and fun. I look forward to seeing how as a team, we can evolve, improve, and further engage our audience, leveraging the best the platform has to offer. I’d like to see it gain a wider audience and potentially lead to in-person meetups and live shows to allow us to meet listeners that share our passion for the things we talk about on the show. To listen to the podcast, head on over to http://techmonkspodcast or subscribe on iTunes at: itms://itunes.apple.com/podcast/tech-monks-podcast/id464899179

Thanks again for the opportunity Ileane! I’m a huge fan of your blog and the community you have built there. You are providing a tremendously valuable resource to the blogging community.

Thanks Tim this interview was my pleasure many thanks to you for taking the time to respond. 
[box]Keep up with all the latest tech news by following Tim Arthur on Twitter and Facebook.[/box]

43 thoughts on “Tim Ponders – Interview with Blogger and Podcaster Tim Arthur”

  2. JR

    Great interview! I have to say that from what I’ve seen so far of Google + and it’s easy to use interface it can certainly give Facebook a run for its money, Facebook is a pain to use.

    1. Tim Arthur

      Thanks for reading JR! I agree that the Google+ interface is easy to use. The changes released in the last 24 hours only reinforce that. It just seems like the interface is much more intuitive. Google has always been about effective use of white space and simple ui. Facebook as a whole has gotten cluttered. I will say however, that the new Facebook Timeline is, in my opinion, cleaner and much more appealing than the current profile style.

  3. Richard

    Hi Tim,
    I’m also a big fan of Leo Laporte. I think it’s awesome that technology these days allows almost anyone with a video recorder and access to the internet to essentially create a podcasting/television network. I look forward to checking out your new techmonks podcast. Take care!

    1. Tim Arthur

      Richard-

      Thanks for checking out the interview and checking out the podcast. We certainly have a lot of work ahead of us in terms of working out technical issues. Focusing on our diction, dialog, and conversation will also improve the quality over time.

      It’s great that the internet and affordable technology has all but removed the barrier to entry for those wanting to create and share content. Great things to come!

  4. velli marwan

    Hi Tim,

    This is really a great interview. oh yeah .. I am interested in trying to listen to podcasts via itunes techmonks, I happened to itunes are active users.

    regards,
    Velli

    1. Ileane

      Hi Velli, thanks for your comment. iTunes is a great way to listen to podcasts but you can also listen to it on the TechMonks blog.

  5. donnie

    Really nice interview. Tim seems to be prepared for the uphill battle that is Podcasting. I’m checking him out to find out how a Commodore sees the world these days. 🙂

    2. Tim Arthur

      Thanks Donnie!

      It will take a ton of effort, and the long road will be filled with lots of tweaking and experimentation. Sounds like fun to me! 🙂

  6. Kristina L.

    Hi, Ileane,
    thanks for introducing Tim to us! I like the flow that the interview had as it revealed all the necessary details about his blog and his preferences. The TechMonks Podcast seems like something worth visiting, so instead of just guessing what is the blog and audio like, I am going right away to check it out and find out more!

  8. Andrew Walker

    Well.. Hi there. Thanks for sharing this interview with us. It’s very nicely done interview!

  9. Kate Brown Wilson

    I have to admit I have learned a lot regarding to the interview, it is very useful. I am sure I can adopt something for me to become a successful blogger.

      1. Kate Brown Wilson

        I will sure do Tim, right now I am creating my own blog site, I hope that you can visit soon. and I will ask you if there is a problem regarding to my blog site.

    1. Ileane

      Hi Ana, you’re a geeky girl like me so I know you’ll enjoy it. btw – these guys are kinda cute too so that will be an extra perk when they add video to the mix. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted.

  12. Ileane

    Once you start blogging that blog becomes like your baby and it’s a beautiful thing to watch it mature and grow. I can’t wait to see Tim’s fireworks blog – I bet it will be a blast! hehe 🙂

  13. Beverly

    It’s interesting that he lives right in the same area as me and I’ve never heard of him. Thanks Ileane for introducing us to Tim. Hopefully, we will meet in person sometime in the future. Maybe, I’ll even have him on my TV show.

    Hi Tim!

    1. Tim Arthur

      Beverly-

      The Raleigh area is a wonderful place to live for sure. I’ll be participating in some exciting things in the works in terms of the local tech and startup scenes, so stay tuned!

  14. Mitch Mitchell

    Oh my goodness. Tim’s from Syracuse, and I live here now (okay, I’m in Liverpool, but it’s a suburb of Syracuse); old home night! lol I love the answers, especially about their not really being a battle between G+ and FB, which if there were FB is still winning hands down. And you’re also branching out with your blogs; good deal, but wait until you get to having 5 like I do and then we’ll see how good you really are. 😉

    Actually, I’m heading over to your main blog now; thanks to Ileane for introducing you here, and I wish you nothing but great success.

    1. Tim Arthur

      Mitch-

      Thanks for reading! I return to Syracuse, and often Heid’s in Liverpool a couple of times a year. 🙂

      What blogs do you write? I’d love to check them out.

      1. Mitch Mitchell

        Well, you’ll see one blog from the CommentLuv link. I have 5 others, and I have the feeling that if you look at my blogroll you’ll guess one of them almost immediately. 😉

  16. reeha

    Great stunning interviews. looking for some more interviews like that because this gives me a lot of new things to adopt for a successful blogger. i am sure this will help other bloggers also .

  19. Noel Addison

    Great interview! It was nice to know more about Tim’s life and interests. The Techmonks podcast looks very interesting and fun.

  20. freelance writers

    I have discovered a lot of useful information form this interview. I like you thinks about Facebook and Google+…. Really they have sense! Only competition can birth innovation!!!!!

  21. Google SEO

    I’m also a big fan of Leo Laporte. I think it’s awesome that technology these days allows almost anyone with a video recorder and access to the internet to essentially create a podcasting/television network.

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