A big thanks for dear Bex for accepting my interview request (& replyin in such a short time ! Thanks for bearing with me!).

IckleBug is another well known favourite website with a lot of websurfers out there & frankly – the header alone is AMAZING!!

Interview:

1. Name / Alias: Bex

2. Website Name: Icklebug.net

3. How did you come up with the name? My Husband calls me Beckybug, so I just replaced my name with ‘ickle‘ which made me laugh, so I kept it.

4. How long have you had a website? It’s about 7yrs now. I can’t believe how long it’s been!

5. What was the original theme of the site? Has it deviated? I didn’t really have a theme for my site. I just loved making pixel stuff and put up what I made, then I started to blog more. I think I’ve moved away from pixelly stuff to waffling blog entries

6. Where do you get inspiration for layouts from? Lots of link clicking! I picked ideas that I liked from the mish-mash of sites that I browse. My current layout is made by Leanne from ewebscapes because I couldn’t figure out a way to use my Flash bunnies in a layout without it just being plopped on the top of the page.

7. What kind of programs & tools do you use to make your layouts? I use Dreamweaver for the coding because I love the way that you can quickly check how your page looks without having to upload it a million times. I use Paint Shop Pro for my graphics because it’s so simple to use.

8. Has your website / layout making technique changed from the beginning till now? I’m more inclined to want to throw my laptop out of the window when I mess around with layout ideas. There’s so much more you can do with websites now, but it’s so easy to get stuck in your old ways that it’s sometimes difficult to make everything work together.

9. Do you have a screenshot of how your website used to look at the beginning? I used to, but I can’t seem to find it. It actually wasn’t too bad for a first attempt, but it was i-frame hell!

10. Have you ever done something that goes against the netiquette? The problem with the internet is that it’s very hard to make sarcastic comments or jokes without littering the place with smilies to make sure that people /know/ you’re joking. I’ve censored myself a lot in the past because I felt that no one really got my sense of humour. People took me too seriously and it drove me insane!

11. Are there any webmasters whom you consider as your role model? Vixx is one of my favourites. She could write about washing the dishes and I would find it interesting. I also greatly admire Jem and Bubs.

12. Did you ever think that your site will be this popular? I’m constantly surprised by the amount of hits that my site gets, and also a little ashamed that I haven’t really provided anything new for my faithful visitors in so long.

13. What is your trick to make a website popular? I think people can tell when you are doing something that you consider fun rather than trying to please the widest audience possible. Enjoy what you do and you’ll be surprised how many people like the same thing and how quickly they find you.

14. How much time do you dedicate on working on your site? I used to spend hours creating pixel graphics and trying out new designs, but my productivity has definitely dwindled.

15. Do you consider yourself as a mini celebrity? Not in the slightest. I’ve been on a couple of forums where people have recognised my name, which is weird but fun. That’s about it though.

16. Do you like being considered that way? It would be flattering but I don’t think that I would be able to stand the attention for too long!

17. Do you monetize your website? If so – approximately – How much money do you make each month? I use TextLinkAds to display links on my site. Nothing intrusive. I currently have 2 companies advertising on my site, which pays me a total of $25 per month

18. What programs do you use to make money? I don’t use anything other than TextLinkAds

19. Do you have big plans for your website for the future? My biggest plan is to get back into updating regularly! For the longest time I’ve started to write a blog post then think to myself that no-one is interested in reading that waffle

20. Do you have any tips for us? Don’t be afraid of looking at people’s source code. Mess about with it and see how it works. Obviously copying and pasting code is stealing, but you can learn so much just by testing code out and using that knowledge to make something completely your own.

I would love it if anyone of you guys can leave me suggestions about the next interview! Any particular questions would you like me to ask in the future interviews? Who would you like me to interview next? (Hey, you can even nominate yourself!)