Steph The Geek, Mike The Dork
Stephanie Pakrul, known for her Steph The Geek website, was kind enough to let me post this little interview with her.....
Can you tell me anything at all about yourself that nobody knows or
has learned about you through your website?
Ummm, let's see... I'm a geek. No, wait. I was a major jock when I was a kid.
Do people ever recognize you in person? Any good stories there?
Occasionally! I get more emails after the fact -- like "Hey, were you at the corner of...?" Not too many crazy stories, although I ran into one guy while I was smushed on a packed train after a miserable, long day, and I was just like "Oh god, not now..."
Does your "camgirl" status make you feel like a celebrity at all?
Not really. It's a nice balance. I get the occasional "omg you're StephTheGeek!" thing, but you've gotta remember that a very very small percentage of the population knows or cares who I am :)
Is there anything you've ever done on your webcam that you now
regret doing or just simply wish you hadn't have done?
I can honestly say no.
Is there anything at all that you haven't done on the webcam that
you would really like to do someday?
Give birth? :)
Do you ever find yourself feeling like you're on camera or being
watched even when you're not (i.e. grocery shopping, reading a book,
sitting in class, etc.)?
Do you think you'll ever be able to earn a living solely off of
your website?
It is my goal to earn a living doing the things that interest me, and my site is a big part of that. I can't imagine doing nothing but my site, but yes I do hope that it enables me to be even more independent and spend more time/resources on it.
Would you ever consider selling advertising space on your website? And if it's not too much information - just how much would somebody have to pay before you'd agree to do it (if you ever would...)?
I do revisit the idea every so often. I think for the effort it would take
and the small amount of return, it's just not worth it. I do throw out affiliate links every so often, but I try to keep it very unobtrusive. I don't think ads really fit with my philosophy for the site!
What is the one question that you've never been asked by anybody,
that has made you wonder why it's never been asked?
Sometimes people are strangely polite, especially people who have been around a while. It's like some kind of barrier gets crossed when they go from "cam watcher" to "friend", so then when I feel like doing a show, everyone's all quiet. Ok that's not really the question you asked, but it's one thing that makes me wonder :)
Is there any question at all about yourself that you would never
answer, or anything about yourself that you wouldn't reveal to anyone
(through your website, that is)?
Gosh, I really don't think so. One thing I don't answer without a lot of qualification (if I do) is how many paying members I have. People tend to just "do the math" on that and assume I'm raking in the cash with the site, but don't realize how much it costs or how much time I spend on it.
What area of your website gains the most attention (visits) and
which area gains the least?
The membership site, the cams, the photo galleries... they're pretty well trafficked, as are the blog and forums, although the forums are home to a smaller core group of people. The least? Hard to say. Probably something trivial like the about page :)
Ever get "hate mail" from jealous females or anything like that?
I don't think so, but I can't remember for sure. Maybe once or twice in all these years.
How often do you google your own name, just to see what's out
there about yourself? Anything interesting or unexpected ever come up
on any of these searches?
Very often :) But nah, it's usually pretty boring. I love googling "stephthegeek" and finding a mention of me on some random forum, then registering and posting to say hello.
13. Is there anything new and exciting coming up on your website in
the near future?
Oh god is there ever! There's a whole new site coming in a couple of weeks. I think it's unlike any personal/cam site anyone has ever seen. There's a huge focus on community participation, interaction, and integration.
Knowing as many people as you do, you have to hear plenty of jokes
- heard any good ones lately?
I'm comically bad at remembering jokes. You don't want me to attempt it :)
Ever been asked such mundane questions as these before?
Actually these were pretty interesting :) Thank you!!
Steph is a very interesting person and her website is definitely a nice reflection of herself. You can check out her music, photos, etc., before you decide to register yourself on her site.
Can you tell me anything at all about yourself that nobody knows or
has learned about you through your website?
Ummm, let's see... I'm a geek. No, wait. I was a major jock when I was a kid.
Do people ever recognize you in person? Any good stories there?
Occasionally! I get more emails after the fact -- like "Hey, were you at the corner of...?" Not too many crazy stories, although I ran into one guy while I was smushed on a packed train after a miserable, long day, and I was just like "Oh god, not now..."
Does your "camgirl" status make you feel like a celebrity at all?
Not really. It's a nice balance. I get the occasional "omg you're StephTheGeek!" thing, but you've gotta remember that a very very small percentage of the population knows or cares who I am :)
Is there anything you've ever done on your webcam that you now
regret doing or just simply wish you hadn't have done?
I can honestly say no.
Is there anything at all that you haven't done on the webcam that
you would really like to do someday?
Give birth? :)
Do you ever find yourself feeling like you're on camera or being
watched even when you're not (i.e. grocery shopping, reading a book,
sitting in class, etc.)?
Do you think you'll ever be able to earn a living solely off of
your website?
It is my goal to earn a living doing the things that interest me, and my site is a big part of that. I can't imagine doing nothing but my site, but yes I do hope that it enables me to be even more independent and spend more time/resources on it.
Would you ever consider selling advertising space on your website? And if it's not too much information - just how much would somebody have to pay before you'd agree to do it (if you ever would...)?
I do revisit the idea every so often. I think for the effort it would take
and the small amount of return, it's just not worth it. I do throw out affiliate links every so often, but I try to keep it very unobtrusive. I don't think ads really fit with my philosophy for the site!
What is the one question that you've never been asked by anybody,
that has made you wonder why it's never been asked?
Sometimes people are strangely polite, especially people who have been around a while. It's like some kind of barrier gets crossed when they go from "cam watcher" to "friend", so then when I feel like doing a show, everyone's all quiet. Ok that's not really the question you asked, but it's one thing that makes me wonder :)
Is there any question at all about yourself that you would never
answer, or anything about yourself that you wouldn't reveal to anyone
(through your website, that is)?
Gosh, I really don't think so. One thing I don't answer without a lot of qualification (if I do) is how many paying members I have. People tend to just "do the math" on that and assume I'm raking in the cash with the site, but don't realize how much it costs or how much time I spend on it.
What area of your website gains the most attention (visits) and
which area gains the least?
The membership site, the cams, the photo galleries... they're pretty well trafficked, as are the blog and forums, although the forums are home to a smaller core group of people. The least? Hard to say. Probably something trivial like the about page :)
Ever get "hate mail" from jealous females or anything like that?
I don't think so, but I can't remember for sure. Maybe once or twice in all these years.
How often do you google your own name, just to see what's out
there about yourself? Anything interesting or unexpected ever come up
on any of these searches?
Very often :) But nah, it's usually pretty boring. I love googling "stephthegeek" and finding a mention of me on some random forum, then registering and posting to say hello.
13. Is there anything new and exciting coming up on your website in
the near future?
Oh god is there ever! There's a whole new site coming in a couple of weeks. I think it's unlike any personal/cam site anyone has ever seen. There's a huge focus on community participation, interaction, and integration.
Knowing as many people as you do, you have to hear plenty of jokes
- heard any good ones lately?
I'm comically bad at remembering jokes. You don't want me to attempt it :)
Ever been asked such mundane questions as these before?
Actually these were pretty interesting :) Thank you!!
Steph is a very interesting person and her website is definitely a nice reflection of herself. You can check out her music, photos, etc., before you decide to register yourself on her site.
posted by Mike at 6:01 PM
4 comments
