Description

Brandon Kiser is the founder and sole editor of TheRightSphere.com. The Right Sphere is a popular conservative oriented political blog.

Fireviews: How do you keep up with the constant stream of modern news and media so that The Right Sphere content is always current and fresh?

Brandon Kiser: You have to try really, really hard and it can often become overwhelming. I get most of my news and media from Twitter, typically when I'm at my desk and looking for something to write about. That utility has really opened up a plethora of new ways to access current events and developments but to an even greater degree the ability to interact with people of similar interests and more. Beyond that, rather than just being a "taker" in new media such as Twitter I use an RSS reader (Google Reader to be exact, through a browser extension called Feedly) to easily digest political, national, and world news and share it directly to Twitter and the like. What's more, this helps me find content for The Right Sphere that may not yet be covered anywhere else in the blogosphere. All this together helps keep TRS current and fresh and lets me more easily connect an interact with other bloggers, readers, and connections.

Are you seriously involved with politics outside of The Right Sphere?

Not really. I'd like to one day, but the opportunity hasn't quite presented itself yet. I guess you could say I'm struggling to find my own personal niche in politics by being either a commentator or an in-the-trenches kind of politico. Thankfully, I've got a bit more time to figure that out and TRS lets me tackle the "commentator" aspect fairly well.

Do you personally share the same conservative views as your articles?

One hundred percent. I try hard not to be disingenuous and present myself differently than as I really am, especially if it relates to my views on politics and the like. If I don't believe what I'm writing, I won't write it. There are others in the same field who are all about page views and willing to personally write anything if it will garner attention for them. I don't believe in that and try to stay away from it. But I'm conservative to the core, no doubt about it.

What caused you begin writing a political blog? Do you have any background in politics or blogging/journalism?

One summer during high school, I was bored. I had always loved news and politics (I mean really, what high school sophomore watches CNN almost all day everyday?) and had opinions on them that I felt like I could share. So I started a blog that I didn't quite put everything I had into. I did that a few more times until about a year ago when I had the idea for TRS (it has changed a lot since then) and really did give it my all. It's paid off and the site is still going strong. I really have no other background in blogging or journalism other than starting from scratch. Actually, I'll be taking my first journalism class this coming semester if that tells you anything!

Is it difficult to balance a successful blog with your school work?

Sometimes, yes. Schoolwork always comes first, though. So I make sure I have all my studying and homework finished or a plan outlined to finish it in time before I devote anything to TRS. During finals and midterms, though, my output usually collapses.

What has been the most popular article on The Right Sphere? The most controversial?

Interestingly, the most popular post ever was a post during the "Ground Zero Mosque" outrage with Haaretz reported that Muslim leaders had decided against building the mosque in that location. Park51 (the builders) denied it, and I updated the post a few times to reflect that. Here we are months later though, and still nothing has been built.

My most controversial post was one on Media Matters (the liberal media "watchdog" group) and their tax exempt status after they said they sought to bring down not just Fox News, but the Republican Party as well. That does not merit tax exempt status (not that it matters since they've got a certain George Soros in their back pocket) and if they continued that kind of talk and action they deserved to lose it. Interesting, MMFA ended up backing off on that (I really don't think I had anything to do with it) and I got an inbox full of hate mail from people who would take a bullet for the ultimately useless organization. The sheer amount of hate mail alone that I got puts it at the top of the "controversial posts" list.

Plus I got a mention in the Wall Street Journal and Washington Examiner about it, which was cool.

What is the most important aspect of controlling a political news outlet like TRS? The greatest responsibility?

You gotta keep people coming back and you must be a apart of the larger community. Link to other blogs, ask for links back, share things on Twitter, be nice to others and they'll be nice to you, etc. It's kind of like a bunch of kids playing on a playground - an organized disaster zone.

More Info

The Right Sphere is a conservative political blog. This interview with Brandon Kiser, founder and editor of TheRightSphere.com, was obtained exclusively by Fireviews.com