(Ed.Note) Welcome to our journey into the world of recession blogs! The 405 Club wants to get personal via 10 questions with our favorite fellow bloggers who are documenting the recession and unemployment firsthand.

This week’s blogging brunch companion is Chuck from Survive Unemployment, a great site full of tools to well, yes, survive unemployment!.
—

Before we chat about the blog, what will you be having for brunch? 
*       

Oatmeal (cheap) and Cafe Bustelo (also cheap), maybe a banana if I still have one left by Sunday.




1. When were you laid off and what did you do? Or are you employed/self-employed? If so, what do you do now?
*       

I’m self-employed.  I do web development, multimedia projects, and Internet publishing





2. When and why did you start your site?
*           

I started SurviveUnemployment! in 2008 after being asked to resign from a job I hated.  The writing on the wall quickly became clear to me when I found it hard to find a new job.  I figured a lot of other people would be in the same boat so I started the site as a resource to help other people (and myself) to survive unemployment.





3. What is your motivation to continue blogging and/or running the site?
*           

First of all, I love writing and blogging and would do it no matter what.  Positive feedback from visitors makes my day regularly, and I'm starting to make a little money from the site as well.





4. Do you think blogging or running your site helps your personal professional brand?
*           

The site has certainly helped my business grow.  We have landed projects based on people finding the site and feeling sorry for me.  LOL!  I hope I never have another “job.”  Working for myself suits me fine.

I would recommend blogging to any unemployed person.  It’s therapeutic, and its a great way to get exposure.  Unemployed people are welcome to blog at SurviveUnemployment.com, by the way, and piggyback on the traffic I’ve worked so hard to build.





5. What do you want to do next professionally?
*           

I want to grow my little company into a powerhouse and show corporate America what’s what.  Business is run so stupidly these days.  That’s why the economy is in the mess it’s in.





6. How has your blog changed in the past year?
*           

I’ve been adding more inspirational posts to give hope to people who are in the tough spot I was in a year ago.  As long as I live and no matter what wonderful places life takes me, I will never forget what it’s like to be down, and I will always strive to help people who are down.





7. What’s new at your site and where does it go from here? *           



I’ve recently added a news feed and job board.  Nobody’s using the job board yet, but it’s all free so it will surely attract users at some point.   Why wouldn’t you post a job for free on a site frequented largely by unemployed professionals?  Why wouldn’t you apply for such jobs if you were an unemployed professional?

If I could find a couple of people to help me report the news, I think we could get the site listed in Google News which would bring enough traffic to monetize pretty well.  Those people who take the plunge and help the site get there will be rewarded handsomely.  I want to take as many people up with me as I can.

There’s also some totally cool location matching stuff built in that I am itching to use.  People will be able to easily find news, jobs, and other people in their local areas.  The goal has always been to make things happen in the real world, not just cyberspace.





Bonus Questions: Any final thoughts or words of wisdom for members of The 405 Club?
*           

When life beats you to a pulp, make YouAde… or something.  Seriously, if you just keep hustling and doing your thing, something will shake for you at some point.





Last but certainly not least, what is your favorite series/feature on The 405 Club?
*           

Sunday Blog Brunch, of course!

Thanks so much for joining us!

——

And for everyone else, be sure to check out Chuck below and also at Survive Unemployment!