21/08/2003 Interview with Sammual James McLoughlin - owner of PALMADDICT.
Tell us a bit about yourself- where you live, what you do etc.
Well for a start, I am Irish, 27 years of age. I share my time between Manchester and New York and I also own a PR agency.
When did you set up PALMADDICT, why and has it been as successful as you would have liked?
I set up what was called the 'Palm User Group' in 1999. I had heard of a new trend called 'blogging' and I wanted to try it out. I wanted to be able to express my opinion on how I used my Palm. There were and still are some excellent sites that cover Palm news but not enough websites to covered user opinions. I set the site up on the 27th December 1999 to try and start a balance. The site was very basic (what's changed ;-) ), with only one or two updates a week in the beginning but it was refreshing because it covered how I used my Palm. I was excited about the whole venture because we started to receive hits especially as we were mentioned on several newsgroups and posted on news forums about the new site. The fact that we were called a 'user group' and an online one at that, started to bring in visitor numbers. I was then posting once a day and needed to bring in the help of fellow Palm user, Andrew Wolstenholme who has been with us since February 2000. Andrew was to be in charge of news. I think it was the Winter of 2000 when we decided to introduce the 'Addict' franchise to the Palm site as were receiving more visitors and decided to rename the site 'Palmaddict'. My site was and still is a pastime, in other words, it is a site where I can express my feelings about all things Palm and within my own time. However now I have been joined by a number of fellow writers. This combination allows the site to be updated several times a day. In regards to success I never imagined the site would ever take off like it did. I was lucky in a way because I run the busiest website for Window CE HPC users named Handheld Addict which I established in the Summer of 1999, and I realized that a lot of my readers owned more than one PDA. I know I carried many of these users over with me from the Handheld Addict to the Palmaddict. I still run Handheld Addict and we receive around 6,700 visitors per day.
How much time per day do you spend on running the site and do you ever feel like not doing it?
Goodness me, well it depends, during the week I have access to a computer or my Tungsten T2 continuously. I probably spend at least five or six hours on the site minimum. When I awake in the morning I will post an update. Normally I will have posts from the other writers and contributors in my inbox waiting to be posted. I also spend a lot of late night, early mornings on the site and as I am one of those people that can be working late and only need minimum sleep then I can be working until 2am or 3am. Often I work on the site late at night and then, next thing you know, dawn appears. The early hours of the night (within the UK time zone) are a good time to speak to our American visitors and I actually carry out a lot of online chats through MSN Messenger and by email. I also like to chat to my fellow writers so we can put a little forward planning into the following days line up. I arrange online chats with three of my daily writers and correspond by email to my other writers who contribute on a voluntary basis which is very much appreciated.
How many PDAs have you owned and if you have to pick a favourite what one would it be?
Again a difficult question, I have lost count but I started my collection of PDA's in 1996 with a Psion Series 3 original, and then a Psion Series 5mx, then almost Palm model since 1996. Today I own a Tungsten T2, a HP IPAQ 2215, Jornada 720, Psion Series 5mx, Tungsten T, Palm M505, a Handspring Treo, and several others locked in a drawer ;-)
What's the best book you have ever read?
'The West Wing' script book. I am an avid fanatic
Do you have any special plans for PALMADDICT over the next few months?
We shall continue to do what we have been doing for the last four years, reporting on the various attitudes of Palm users and covering topics that of beneficial use. We shall report on Palm website developments across the net and continue our series of contests. Why mend something that is not broken. The principle of the site seems to work and so have no plans to change it. I do have a new writer starting with us in September when he returns home to America after traveling so there will be additional content and also a good friend of mine who was recently covered from a Pocket PC will also be writing for us, so I presume more content to come.
If you had to choose which platform would come out on top eventually, would it be Palm, Pocket PC or the SmartPhone?
Palm will continue to evolve. With OS6 round the corner it is a very exciting time. More especially with new Palm models set to be introduced this autumn. Palm still needs to move forward. We need multitasking. Palm handhelds need to be able to grasp the digital media better. We should be able to listen to our favorite net radio stations through live streaming, which is what I am waiting for. Palm also needs to listen to what its customers want, an example would be introducing Bluetooth drivers for Tungsten C users. If Palm can continue to build on the success of its previous handhelds and produce innovative quality handhelds that are practical then it will continue to lead. However Pocket PC especially the IPAQ certainly is a threat. Palm needs to continue to innovate and evolve.
Your dream PDA feature would be...?
Talk and type technology, I am sure it will not be long until I can talk into my Palm and it automatically types what I say then I can replace my 'personal assistant' ;-)
Do you know how many people visit your site and which part of the world the majority are from?
Over 70% are from the US. We on average receive between 6,400 visitors on a quiet day, this tends to be a Saturday whilst Mondays are the busiest day with up to 11,200. On contest days if they run into a Monday we have been known to record 12,000 visitors. Sundays are very unpredictable; they can be either quiet or extremely busy. However I must point out that are visitor numbers (normally) increase weekly.
Anything to add?
Yes, PDANews24 is simply a great website and certainly a favourite of mine. Want anymore publicity Shaun ;-) Shaun: Of course I do- you could have written that in capitals:)
What a great guy- it's unusual for someone to spend so much time answering interview questions but I guess that's typical of Sammy. Quality output all the time, especially over at PALMADDICT.