Usually,
the New Yorker of the Month interview is conducted by Kennedy,
but this month we are turning the tables a bit so we can
let everyone get to know the guy who had the idea to make
this site. PS: Really, the reason Kennedy is New Yorker
of the month is that the digital camera broke, and this
was our last resort, until it is replaced by next month!
AskaNewYorker:
Tell us about yourself. Are you a “native” New
Yorker?
Kennedy:
I’m going to save the best for last. Some monumental changes
are happening in my life, but we’ll get to that later. No,
I’m not a native New Yorker. I grew up in New Jersey, graduated
from the University of Colorado in Boulder, then spent ten
years on another island.
AskaNewYorker:
Which island was that?
Kennedy:
Hawaii. Oahu.
AskaNewYorker:
Why did you move from there?
Kennedy:
I missed the seasons, amongst other things…culture and
action.
AskaNewYorker:
How did you come up with the idea for Ask a New Yorker?
Kennedy:
I was standing at Union Square’s farmers market, taking
it all in. You must know, this was at the height of the “dot.com” bubble, right before it burst. I was
thinking “what would be the greatest URL?”. I
came up with domain names such as walloflove.com, askamoviestar.com,
mentalstimulation.com, and a slew of others. But AskaNewYorker
blew all the others out of the water.
AskaNewYorker:
What did you have in mind when you started planning this
site, and where do you see it going in the future?
Kennedy:
Without sounding too immodest, New Yorkers are a pretty
savvy, diverse, amazing group of people. If you think about
it, there is no room for mediocrity because there is finite
space but infinite possibilities, and overwhelming competition.
With that said, they say Times Square is the crossroads
of the world. I’d love to see AskaNewYorker.com be the crossroads
of the internet. I’d like to see AskaNewYorker be a place
where all of these amazing people can come together and
share with each other. It’s all about the “New York
Vibe”. The site should be a unique information guide
powered by the people. It is a special vehicle for the people
outside the city to explore and learn first hand information
on a gamut of subjects. Barry Diller (media king) recently
suggested that localization is the key to success on the
internet. I hope he’s right.
AskaNewYorker:
How have you built the site? How much has it cost you?
Kennedy:
(laughs) We call it “sweat equity”. Literally,
we’ve had people move into our back room, from Brooklyn,
Germany, and Phoenix, to work on this site in exchange for
rent. Bartering is the best way of doing business! Also,
I have a fantastic business partner, known to some as Uncle
Tony. Several people have contributed so much, especially
the people who come to the site on a daily basis. You know
who you are! Thank you!
AskaNewYorker:
Do you have any New Year’s resolutions coming up?
Kennedy : The New Year’s resolutions should be done in the
spring time, if you ask me. When things are fresh and alive,
not dark and cold.
AskaNewYorker: What are these monumental changes in your
life you were mentioning earlier? Is it time to share those
yet?
Kennedy: In the first week of December, I’m getting married.
Some of you may know of her from the discussion boards of
this site….her name is Kelly. I wouldn’t have gotten this
far without her support. Once in awhile, a question gets
asked regarding marriage in New York. Kelly and I will be
able to better answer these questions in the near future!
I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.
