Will the Real PittGirl
Please Stand Up?

By Jonathan Wander

So how does a reporter interview PittGirl, one of Pittsburgh's most popular bloggers, when she is adamant about maintaining her anonymity? Her rules: No phone. No face-to-face. Online only. Following are excerpts of my IM (instant message) interview with PittGirl of theburghblog.com:

Jonathan Wander: Hi, u there?
PittGirl: I am.
JW: Nice to meet you!
PG: You as well.
JW: For brevity, can we just refer to The Burgh Blog as TBB?
PG: Sure.
JW: Just to get this out of the way, I have no interest in finding out who you really are. It's too much fun this way, love the mystique. But let's deal with the elephant in the room. What's with the anonymity?
PG: I guess it is two fold. One, I have a job and that job puts me in contact with lots of people in the city. Including some of the people I write about. Secondly, I love being able to truly speak my mind and I couldn't do that if I put my name and face out there.
I didn't set out to be anonymous, but I sure am glad I did, now that the blog is popular.
JW: Are you someone who's well-known in the community, away from TBB?
PG: I am not well-known. I might be Ken Rice, apparently, though.
JW: Well, that brings up a question. Are you really female?
PG: I am.
JW: Are you a Pgh native? Where did you grow up?
PG: I am in fact a Pittsburgh native and I grew up in the suburbs of the city.
JW: Can u tell me where you went to school (high school or college or whatever)?
PG: I'd rather not. :) Look at me being all mysterious.
JW: I love it! If you were on 20/20 you'd be in silhouette with your voice altered. In what area do you live now? Can you say?
PG: The suburbs. I work downtown.
JW: Age range?
PG: I am very open about this and I probably shouldn't be. I am 34. And it really really sucks. Inside, I am 12.
JW: I understand. I'm 47. Inside I am 21, and always will be. I just wish I would get carded.
PG: I am ALWAYS convinced I am going to get carded. Rarely happens. When it does, I want to make out with the waiter.
JW: You signed your emails to me "Jane Pitt" when I expected a PittGirl signature. Is that significant or just a Jane Doe kind of thing?
PG: It is a Jane Doe kind of thing, but I guess it is also a red herring in case someone wants to try to find some significance in it.
JW: K. On to the blog. How long have you been doing TBB?
PG: It was three years in July.
JW: Did you have any blogs b4 that, or do you have any other blogs now?
PG: I did not and I do not. The Burgh Blog is my only public voice.
JW: Any idea how many readers you have?
PG: I recently had my 1.5 millionth trackable hit. One sec. Let me get a stat for you. Gosh. These numbers are higher than I thought they would be, so let's just say averaging 80k hits a month.
JW: Do you make any money from the blog?
PG: I do not.
JW: Could you?
PG: Probably. Perhaps if I took the time to organize it, sell ads, etc. But who's got time? Srsly.
JW: How often do you post? How much time do you devote to it?
PG: You know, because I am a regular writer who posts most every day, people assume it takes me a lot of time, when if I'm being honest, the average post probably takes me five minutes to write. I don't edit or rewrite other than to fix spelling. So if I write two or three posts a day, I might spend 15 minutes writing.
JW: What are some of the things your readers love best about you and TBB?
PG: I would have to guess it is the humor. There are lots of wonderful Pittsburgh blogs that cover more serious things, like politics, but my blog is a very lighthearted look at the city and what makes us who we are. You know ... Steely McBeam. He is, as I say, the giantest vacuum of suck ever. I can't believe his costumes haven't been "bonfired" yet. He makes babies cry.
JW: What do you get the most reader complaints about?
PG: I don't get much hate mail, but when I do it is usually because I'm not worshipping at the altar of Ben Roethlisberger. That man has got some loyal vicious minions.
JW: Do you ever hear from Pgh celebs (firsthand or secondhand) who read about themselves in TBB?
PG: I do. The newsies usually. I was also fortunate to meet my self-united husband David Conrad for lunch once and I will never stop talking about that as long as I live. And then when I die and if I come back, I'll come out of the womb all, "I had lunch with David Conrad once, you know?"
JW: Is there a post I can read about that?
PG: Yep. I'll email you the link. He is without a doubt the nicest person ever and a true ambassador for the city. He might love Pittsburgh as much as I do. Might.
JW: Why do you love Pgh? What do you love most? (Please don't say, "the people.")
PG: I love everything. Everything. I love that there are seasons. Pbtth. I was not going to say "the people". I love the way it looks at night. I love how real it is. How easy it is to learn your way around (I am not on crack.). I love most of all that it is a little big city, or a big little city. And I also love the people. Whoops. It is in my soul and I have no idea why, but the enormous amount of ex-Burghers that read the blog are a true testament to the hold Pittsburgh has on those that were fortunate to once live here.
JW: "Pbtth"?
PG: Pbbbbth. I am sticking my tongue out at you and going PBTHHH!
JW: Oh...you hipster kids! You say that being a Burgher "is a state of mind. It has nothing to do with real estate." Have you ever lived elsewhere, and if so, how did it compare to the Burgh?
PG: It is known that I went to college for four years in Texas. And Texas was fine. The people are nice. But it is not Pittsburgh. It's not home and I could never leave and call another city "home." Now, just in my regular travels throughout the country, heck yes, Burghers are much more awesome than other people. Like I said, more real.
JW: So you love it. But what bugs you about it? What would you change?
PG: I would, like any Burgher would say, change the huge gap in education and income between the races. I would like to see more immigrants in the city. I would like politics to not always be the same old same old. I would like winter to be 20 days shorter. I'm not asking for a lot here.
JW: Agreed. Pghers have a lot of pride in their city. Do they also have a sense of humor about it?
PG: I think so. Otherwise, no one would read my blog right? Because pretty much the only thing I won't make fun of are sick kids. And David Conrad.
JW: As far as Pgh celebs, who do you love (besides D.C.), who can't you stand (besides S. McB.)?
PG: I love Jim Lokay, Sonni Abatta, Wendy Bell, Troy Polamalu, Matt Lamanna, Doug Mientkiewicz, and Daniel Sepulveda. I can't stand, as you said, Steely McBeam, anyone I've ever dubbed an Annoying Burgher, that Pirate that hangs out at the Buccos games, anyone who has anything to do with the 16-year losing record of the Buccos of Suckitude, Jeff Reed, Santonio Holmes and I LOVE/HATE Ben Roethlisberger.
JW: Tell me about the demographics of your readers...women/men, age, etc. as far as you know.
PG: I have no clues as to who they are. Based on Facebook friends/fans I would say it seems split pretty evenly men/women, perhaps more women though. Age, gosh, it ranges from the high school kids to the retirees.
JW: What do you like most and like least about blogging?
PG: I like the outlet. It gives me a chance to keep my writing and my wit sharp. I like the blogging community here in Pittsburgh. I've never met any of the other bloggers obviously, but it is a great group of people to know "virtually." What I like least are those days that happen on rare occasion when I might feel like it is time to hang it up and move on. But the feeling eventually goes away and I enjoy it again.
JW: Any thoughts of PittGirl appearing in other media, such as magazines or a book?
PG: I've written for as long as I can remember. Wrote a book, a very crappy crappy book when I was a teenager. I have never been approached to write in any local publications, but I do write on my own. I hope someday to publish/sell something. What? I'm still working on that.
JW: What would you advise readers who would like to do their own blog?
PG: As for advice. I get lots of emails from readers asking for advice on how they can make their own blog more popular or simply on best practices for doing it. My advice is always the same. Write often and write well. The rest will take care of itself.
JW: Finally, what didn't I ask? What else would you like the Pgh Mag readers to know about you and TBB?
PG: That I am a genuinely normal person behind the site, one who loves the city, loves the people, and my blog is truly my ode to my hometown.
JW: Excellent. Your blog's a lot of fun and I greatly appreciate your time.
PG: My pleasure! Have a great day!