Behind the Blog: Street Blogs from the Best in the Business – Part 2

The second of our five-part feature has us speaking with Yu-Ming Wu, co-founder of Freshness and founder of Sneaker News. Yu-Ming was one of the first to create a blog concentrating on streetwear and sneakers. Together with Dan Hwang, they were pioneers in the game, launching Freshness way back in 2003 when the street blogosphere was a barren and lonely place, a stark contrast to the hundreds of blogs we have today. Yu-Ming tells us how he got started, what his thoughts are on the abundance of blogs today, and more.

mashKULTURE.net: What inspired you to create a sneaker/streetwear blog?

Yu-Ming Wu: Freshness was started 6 years ago. We created it to cater to our own hunts for cool street culture things, but at the same time share it with the world. Sneaker News was started because I am personally very passionate about sneakers, and I wanted to have a 24-hour news source for sneakers – A CNN for sneakers.

mashKULTURE.net: What were the biggest difficulties you encountered starting out?

Yu-Ming Wu: The most difficult part on starting anything is getting the word out.

mashKULTURE.net: As your site has grown, how much has your daily routine changed?

Yu-Ming Wu: Freshness has two editor-in-chiefs (the two founders, Dan and myself), one full-time managing editor, six freelance writers, and one intern. Dan and I spend most of our time managing the team, and we have also each managed the redesign of the Freshness layout. Dan worked on the current one and I worked on the previous layout.

Sneaker News has one full-time editor-in-chief, one full-time editor, and five freelance writers. I manage the day to day content schedule. Running a blog requires a different work habit. I work in three shifts: an hour before I head into the office, then seven hours at the office, and another three hours before going to sleep.

mashKULTURE.net: How has content on your site(s) changed over the years? Why?

Yu-Ming Wu: Content hasn’t changed much over the years. We still cater to mostly teens and a number of adults. It is still sneakers, apparel, toys, and other cool objects.

mashKULTURE.net: Do you have any content quotas? Is there a required minimum you set out each day of how many posts to publish? If so, does that ever jeopardize quantity over quality?

Yu-Ming Wu: We do not have any content quotas. We take on each new day as it comes. We never jeopardize quantity over quality.

mashKULTURE.net: What’s the secret to your website’s success?

Yu-Ming Wu: We have a passion for what we write about.

mashKULTURE.net: How important is social media to your blog(s)?

Yu-Ming Wu: We have these tools in place, but do not rely on them to drive traffic.

mashKULTURE.net: What are your thoughts on the drastic rise in street culture blogs over the last few years? Do you see any parallels between the growth of streetwear brands and the rise of street culture blogs?

Yu-Ming Wu: Yes, I think the growth in streetwear/sneakers has drawn a lot of new people into the culture. Some will want to start a site on the subject, and we think that’s great. The one thing we hate are the sites that copy and paste word for word. But if a site has a voice of its own, it will stand out.

mashKULTURE.net: How do you think this large number of sites affects street culture itself?

Yu-Ming Wu: I don’t think they do. A site really needs a unique voice to stand out and drive the larger audience.

mashKULTURE.net: What is the biggest mistake these blogs are making if they are making any at all?

Yu-Ming Wu: The worst mistake is not to have that unique voice on the subject.

mashKULTURE.net: What advice might you give to them?

Yu-Ming Wu: Be passionate about the subject, and put as much energy as you can into your site. You won’t see results right away. It takes time to build an audience.

mashKULTURE.net: The current recession can be seen as part of a natural cycle, a form of cleansing as many new, less-creative brands go under, and the streetwear market contracts. Do you feel that the over saturated “street blogosphere” will follow the trend? Where do you see the future of these blogs heading?

Yu-Ming Wu: I’m not sure how this will affect the future of street blogs. I think some will go under due to the need of a paying job, while others will rise because they are ‘hungry’.

mashKULTURE.net: Where do you see the future of your own blog(s) heading? What short and long-term goals have you set?

Yu-Ming Wu: Freshness will continue to try and set ourselves apart from other sites and grow our business. Freshness also have a few new projects upcoming, one of them include Freshness Guide, a new shop guide only for cool shops around the world. Sneaker News also has a few projects in the works to set ourselves apart from other sneaker blogs.

mashKULTURE.net: Any closing thoughts?

Yu-Ming Wu: A big thank you to all our readers!

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