So here’s the deal with this site, man.
1 | Who are you and what are you doing here?
11 Points is a collection of exhaustively-researched, meticulously-written, theoretically-humorous 11-item lists, covering topics ranging from TV and movies to the Internet and video games to food and dating to politics and race relations. It’s all written by one guy.
2 | Really? Everything is written by one guy?
Yes. I’m that guy. My name is Sam Greenspan. I’m a Midwest-born, classically-trained journalist, now living and working in Los Angeles as a writer (and now, officially, an author as well). I also designed the site and built the blogging platform. I need to learn to ask for help.
3 | Where in the Midwest?
I grew up on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio. I went to the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
4 | They gave YOU a book?
They did. In June 2011, my first book, the 11 Points Guide To Hooking Up, was released by Skyhorse Publishing. You can buy it in bookstores or online and in e-book formats.
5 | Why create a website entirely made up of lists?
When I was sitting down to get started, I thought about what links I was most likely to click. The answer was lists. So I made this site as a not-so-secret marketable package for my writing. But then lists became ubiquitous, so I started writing other types of posts too.
6 | How is this site different than the other millions of list sites?
Besides the fact that I update less frequently? I try to do something different with every list I write. I’ve found that a lot of topics just get quickly recycled around and I never do that with mine. I psychotically over-research and I work tirelessly to bring something unique to a cluttered space.
7 | But why 11?
I really wish I remember. I came up with the idea back in 2007 and I was doing a lot of drinking back then. I do know that 11 has always been one of my lucky numbers. I also clearly remember checking to see if 8points.com was available. It was not. Had I gone with that domain, I estimate it would’ve saved me approximately 15 hours a week in extra research time.
8 | What’s this YouTube show?
In early 2012 I launched a web series based off this site. It’s called the 11 Points Countdown. The format is slightly different than the site. A co-host and I count down and comment on the results of reader polls. It’s all part of these tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny baby steps I’m making toward a media empire. Rosebud.
9 | Do you want to swap links?
Maybe. I handle link sharing different than most sites, in that I’m less concerned with your PageRank and more concerned with what kind of content you’re producing. But, in general, I’m reluctant to post links to sites that have been around for less than six months because so many fold up shop so quickly.
10 | If I email you, will you read it?
Read it, almost definitely. Respond? Maybe. Not because I don’t care, I’m just a horrible emailer. The best way to get in touch with me is via Twitter — I respond to pretty much every @ message.
11 | Can I start reading the actual site now?
Yes, please do.