In case you missed the launch a couple weeks ago, we’ve started a new feature in Good Feed in which we talk to some of our favorite bloggers from around the Internet. Last time we brought you Slade Sohmer of Hypervocal; today we tracked down Ken Denmead, who edits GeekDad, Wired magazine’s ultra-awesome parenting blog.
If you haven’t been over to GeekDad, you should. Self-described as “a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture,” it’s a blog that makes you feel like you’ve simultaneously learned something useful and become a kid again.
With posts on anything from Legos to Tron to live guitar lessons to tech lessons like what a WWF file is—yeah, we don’t know either—reading GeekDad is like wandering around through a super-smart toy store.
But my favorite posts are always the ones that remind me that this is a group of geeky dads with a pretty substantial soft spot. (This may be because of the soft spot I have for my own geek dad.) Take, for instance, this story on a muppet marriage proposal. Or this one about a dad who’s haunted by his son’s question “Why do you work so much?”
Ken Denmead edits the blog alongside Matt Blum and Chris Anderson. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he’s written the New York Times bestseller Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects for Dads and Kids to Share. Oh, and somehow he manages to squeeze in time to be a civil engineer. We’re really glad he was willing to talk to us.
Why blog?
To connect with other genetic anomalies like myself, share the things I’m doing with my kids, and get ideas from others that I’d never think about.
How did you come up with the idea of GeekDad?
Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired magazine, started GeekDad as a place to share the projects he was doing with his kids. I came along a few months later when he put out a call to start building a community of writers. It was an excellent fit, and after a few months, Chris handed the reins over to me.
With so many voices in the blogosphere, what sets GeekDad apart?
The perspective of the geek, who in many ways has stayed in touch with his childlike side better than most others, now raising his own kids. Plus the inclusive community voice.
Is there a specific post you’re most proud of? Or one that best represents what GeekDad is all about?
I did a series a while back called “The Top 10 D&D Modules I Found in Storage This Weekend,” which was a nostalgic look back on a batch of old modules I used to play with my friends back in elementary school. It was very warmly received, and has been quoted all over Wikipedia.
What’s been the biggest challenge of running the blog?
Time! As the old adage suggest, I haven’t yet quit my day job, but as the blog grows, the time factor does as well. There’s so much I’d love to be doing, but so little time to do it.
Going forward, what goals do you have for GeekDad?
We recently launched GeekMom.com, literally the companion site for GeekDad, and we’re trying to build it up so we can connect with the whole geek family. I also have a second Geek Dad book coming out in May 2011.
What do you see in the future of blogging in general?
Whether or not “blogging” as named-thing continues to be popular, I think the idea of people being able to express themselves literally to the world will not go away. The internet has given voices to the voiceless, and let people who might not otherwise have known they weren’t alone connect with kindred spirits. The value of that hasn’t really been recognized yet, I think.
Honestly, how do you view our blog? What and whom do you feel we represent? (This is mostly for our own reference, of course.)
I love the idea, and I think the execution is working well. I fear that the level of sports-related coverage would deter many GeekDad readers from becoming regulars, though.