Jim talks about his milblog Fewl.net.

Question: What are 3 things your readers probably do not know about you?

I was originally born a female, but the doctors told my parents th….just kidding! Three things: 1) That I joined the Navy with pink hair, multiple piercings, painted nails, and wearing striped socks. 2) I actually like being in the Navy. 3) I’m a grammar snob. I hate when people use double negatives. That doesn’t stop me from filling my blog full of typos and overusing commas though.

Question: How long have you been blogging and why did you get into blogging?

I’ve had a website since 2000 but didn’t start actively updating it, now called blogging, until I joined the Navy in 2001. I guess I just did it because it was my first time away form home and it let my friends and family keep tabs on me.

Question: What is your military experience?
I joined the Navy in 2001 as an Information Systems Technician (IT). My first command was NAVCOMTELSTA Puget Sound in Washington for nearly two years. Then I went to my first ship, USNS Arctic out of Earle New Jersey. A year later I went to the USS Cardinal in Bahrain but a few months later crew swapped to the USS Pelican in Ingleside, Texas. That was short lived as I broke my ankle and ended up working at the SCRMC. About a year later, I was given orders to my current ship out of Yokosuka, Japan. I’ve been in for 6 1/2 years and I’m probably a lifer.

Question: What are some of your other favorite MilBlogs?

I really like “Doc in the Box” (http://docinthebox.blogspot.com/) and “Gear Adrift” (http://www.gearadrift.com/). A lot of MilBlogs get heavy into politics which I’m iffy on, so I like to read aggregated feeds, like MilBlogging.com and The MudvilleGazette.

Question: What has been the biggest factor in helping you create and publish a successful blog?

They say a bitching Sailor is a happy Sailor. I’ve just replaced bitching with blogging. Being in the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) in unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. There are so many unique things and situations here, both good and bad, and I like to add my two cents to everything. I find I get a lot of local readers and many of them comment or send me e-mails. It’s the feedback that keeps me motivated.

Question: Do you have anything else you would like us to mention about you, your blog, or your readers?

I can’t really think of anything in particular. I’d love to hear from Sailors stationed in Japan to tell me what think about my site, or what I can do to make it better. I’m working on a new web project for Sailors stationed in Japan which may eventually apply to all military members, so stay tuned!

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