Diva
04-14-02, 08:11PM
<H3>Interviewing Morty!</H3>
I've been trying to think of some new things to do on my site. The other night I was talking with Morty and decided to do an impromptu interview. Why? Besides the fact that he's a good guy with a successful website... he was available. I enjoyed the interview so much that I decided to create a new section. I won't be interviewing Webmasters exclusively, nor will this be a weekly feature. But I learned a lot from my interview and I'd like to share it with you. Heeeeeeerrreeessss <a href="http://www.mortystwistedworld.com/" target="_blank">Morty</a>:
Diva: Hey!
Morty:?
Diva: Can I do a short interview?
Morty: sure.
Diva: Hey Morty, thanks for taking the time to talk. I know you're a busy guy
Morty: no problem
Diva: When did you start your first website?
Morty: October of 1998 I believe. That's what I remember starting with what's known as Morty's Twisted World.
Diva: What made you decide to become a Webmaster?
Morty: Started off just making 2 pages, an intro, and another page with just a big picture of a cartoon guy, representing me, mooning you. I called it Virtual Moon. And from there I pieced one crappy page after another together and ended up redoing the site over and over. Just realized how much fun I was having and kept doing it more and more.
Diva:Did you have any idea that it would become so popular?
Morty: Hell no. I didn't think I would get more than a few hundred people a month. Never realized my site would be a daily ritual for so many visitors.
Diva: Haha. How does your wife and family feel about their life laid out on the web?
Morty: Wife doesn't have any problems with it. Her entire side of the family doesn't seem to have any problems with it. But my side of the family doesn't share the same type of humor that I do. So I try to keep their pictures out of my site. Only mix in people that seem to be cool with it.
Diva: you've got some great family characters, that's for sure! Have you been recognized while out in public?
Morty: I can't say for sure. But I have had a few people look at me occasionally like they recognized me. And a few people mumbling back and forth to their friends when they see me get out of my car or drive by with my car since I have the site's URL on the back bumper and my license plates say MORTYS
Diva: I remember when you put that sticker on your new car. About how many people come through the site on average?
Morty: A day? Last I checked it was about 12,000 people a day. But I haven't checked lately. Traffic doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I build my site for me and my enjoyment.
Diva: I think that's why it's so successful. I know when I read your daily update, I feel like I'm talking to an old friend. Listening to what happened during the day. What is the best thing that Morty's Twisted World had made possible?
Morty: For me personally? Well, I've made a few good friends on the net that the site was what lead me to meet them. More than anything, its been great for me as a stress relief point. When I do my rambles or play around with my site, the stress from work and trying to pay the bills just go away. I get so focused on the site that I forget about everything else in my life for that time being. And the residual stress-free sensation stays with me for the rest of that day and onto the next day sometimes.
Diva: What is the worst?
Morty: Um......that's a little tougher. Not too many bad things involved with the site anymore. I guess about 6 months ago my hosting costs before my huge remodel of the site. But over all the repetitive downside to the site would have to be people asking to swap links when I think there site is terrible or just boring and as far from being original as possible. So many damn websites look identical to so many others. Very few original sites left on the net. And they just don't seem to catch the hint that I don't want to link to them.
Diva: You made some big changes to your site. What brought that on?
Morty: Well, there were two main reasons. Cost of maintaining a site with that kind of bandwidth, and the other being that so many sites had become duplicates of my site. There are so many humor sites on the net with archives of images and videos, I just didn't want to be like all the rest. I try and maintain some originality to my site. Get more enjoyment out of it that way.
Diva: Changing a site so drastically is a big risk. Were you worried about losing your readers?
Morty: Yes and no. I didn't want to loose such a huge chunk of visitors like I was sure I would, but at the same time, I knew I had enough visitors that liked my style and the original parts of my site that they would stick by me and trust me on the new direction I took my site. I might have less visitors, but they are of a higher quality and they are more involved with my site now. Rather have a handful of loyal visitors than thousands of visitors that never communicate with me.
Diva: Are you happy with the direction that it is going?
Morty: Yes I am. I am using more and more of my own creations or pieces that I have personalized to give it that MTW feeling. Like my latest games section for instance. Typical games, but they totally feel like they were made just for my site when I am done editing them. And also I am starting to get into Flash a lot more. Not too mention the Submit a Question form that my visitors are really becoming involved with. Nice to have my visitors feel like they are part of the site. Not just a bunch of schmucks peeking through a store front window at all the cool toys inside.
Diva: Hahahahaha! You've got a way with words, Mort. Are their any surprises coming up that you can give a hint at?
Morty: Nothing that is completely new. Just got another MortyDance coming soon along with making another sad attempt with Flash and doing a little animated version of me as a rabbit doing the Bunny Foo-Foo hoping through the forest. Going to do the entire animation to the entire song I think. At least that's the plan at the moment. I'm sure it will be just as retarded as my cheeseburger flash. But hopefully with a little more skill mixed in.
Diva: Yes! You put put the Hamster Dance to shame! As a friend and fan, I'd like to say how happy I am that you are back in business and the site looks better than before. Now get your ass in gear and put out that update!
Morty: That's what weekends are for. haha And thanks.
Well??? Is he a fucking pro or what? Thanks, Morty. All in all, I think the interview went pretty well. I was professional and pleasant and not once did I ask him about his <a href="http://www.nochicktrix.com/fun/webmstr/nudelogo.gif" width="120" height="142" target="_blank">nude</a> picture [can you say pasty!] or body shots at the <a href="http://www.nochicktrix.com/fun/webmstr/chatroom.gif" width="160" height="120" target="_blank">chat</a> sessions he has.
I've been trying to think of some new things to do on my site. The other night I was talking with Morty and decided to do an impromptu interview. Why? Besides the fact that he's a good guy with a successful website... he was available. I enjoyed the interview so much that I decided to create a new section. I won't be interviewing Webmasters exclusively, nor will this be a weekly feature. But I learned a lot from my interview and I'd like to share it with you. Heeeeeeerrreeessss <a href="http://www.mortystwistedworld.com/" target="_blank">Morty</a>:
Diva: Hey!
Morty:?
Diva: Can I do a short interview?
Morty: sure.
Diva: Hey Morty, thanks for taking the time to talk. I know you're a busy guy
Morty: no problem
Diva: When did you start your first website?
Morty: October of 1998 I believe. That's what I remember starting with what's known as Morty's Twisted World.
Diva: What made you decide to become a Webmaster?
Morty: Started off just making 2 pages, an intro, and another page with just a big picture of a cartoon guy, representing me, mooning you. I called it Virtual Moon. And from there I pieced one crappy page after another together and ended up redoing the site over and over. Just realized how much fun I was having and kept doing it more and more.
Diva:Did you have any idea that it would become so popular?
Morty: Hell no. I didn't think I would get more than a few hundred people a month. Never realized my site would be a daily ritual for so many visitors.
Diva: Haha. How does your wife and family feel about their life laid out on the web?
Morty: Wife doesn't have any problems with it. Her entire side of the family doesn't seem to have any problems with it. But my side of the family doesn't share the same type of humor that I do. So I try to keep their pictures out of my site. Only mix in people that seem to be cool with it.
Diva: you've got some great family characters, that's for sure! Have you been recognized while out in public?
Morty: I can't say for sure. But I have had a few people look at me occasionally like they recognized me. And a few people mumbling back and forth to their friends when they see me get out of my car or drive by with my car since I have the site's URL on the back bumper and my license plates say MORTYS
Diva: I remember when you put that sticker on your new car. About how many people come through the site on average?
Morty: A day? Last I checked it was about 12,000 people a day. But I haven't checked lately. Traffic doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I build my site for me and my enjoyment.
Diva: I think that's why it's so successful. I know when I read your daily update, I feel like I'm talking to an old friend. Listening to what happened during the day. What is the best thing that Morty's Twisted World had made possible?
Morty: For me personally? Well, I've made a few good friends on the net that the site was what lead me to meet them. More than anything, its been great for me as a stress relief point. When I do my rambles or play around with my site, the stress from work and trying to pay the bills just go away. I get so focused on the site that I forget about everything else in my life for that time being. And the residual stress-free sensation stays with me for the rest of that day and onto the next day sometimes.
Diva: What is the worst?
Morty: Um......that's a little tougher. Not too many bad things involved with the site anymore. I guess about 6 months ago my hosting costs before my huge remodel of the site. But over all the repetitive downside to the site would have to be people asking to swap links when I think there site is terrible or just boring and as far from being original as possible. So many damn websites look identical to so many others. Very few original sites left on the net. And they just don't seem to catch the hint that I don't want to link to them.
Diva: You made some big changes to your site. What brought that on?
Morty: Well, there were two main reasons. Cost of maintaining a site with that kind of bandwidth, and the other being that so many sites had become duplicates of my site. There are so many humor sites on the net with archives of images and videos, I just didn't want to be like all the rest. I try and maintain some originality to my site. Get more enjoyment out of it that way.
Diva: Changing a site so drastically is a big risk. Were you worried about losing your readers?
Morty: Yes and no. I didn't want to loose such a huge chunk of visitors like I was sure I would, but at the same time, I knew I had enough visitors that liked my style and the original parts of my site that they would stick by me and trust me on the new direction I took my site. I might have less visitors, but they are of a higher quality and they are more involved with my site now. Rather have a handful of loyal visitors than thousands of visitors that never communicate with me.
Diva: Are you happy with the direction that it is going?
Morty: Yes I am. I am using more and more of my own creations or pieces that I have personalized to give it that MTW feeling. Like my latest games section for instance. Typical games, but they totally feel like they were made just for my site when I am done editing them. And also I am starting to get into Flash a lot more. Not too mention the Submit a Question form that my visitors are really becoming involved with. Nice to have my visitors feel like they are part of the site. Not just a bunch of schmucks peeking through a store front window at all the cool toys inside.
Diva: Hahahahaha! You've got a way with words, Mort. Are their any surprises coming up that you can give a hint at?
Morty: Nothing that is completely new. Just got another MortyDance coming soon along with making another sad attempt with Flash and doing a little animated version of me as a rabbit doing the Bunny Foo-Foo hoping through the forest. Going to do the entire animation to the entire song I think. At least that's the plan at the moment. I'm sure it will be just as retarded as my cheeseburger flash. But hopefully with a little more skill mixed in.
Diva: Yes! You put put the Hamster Dance to shame! As a friend and fan, I'd like to say how happy I am that you are back in business and the site looks better than before. Now get your ass in gear and put out that update!
Morty: That's what weekends are for. haha And thanks.
Well??? Is he a fucking pro or what? Thanks, Morty. All in all, I think the interview went pretty well. I was professional and pleasant and not once did I ask him about his <a href="http://www.nochicktrix.com/fun/webmstr/nudelogo.gif" width="120" height="142" target="_blank">nude</a> picture [can you say pasty!] or body shots at the <a href="http://www.nochicktrix.com/fun/webmstr/chatroom.gif" width="160" height="120" target="_blank">chat</a> sessions he has.