Would Martin Be Prepared To Do A Q&A Session?

Answers:

What is your favourite board and why?

The one I go to most often is The This Site and Martin's Appearances Boards, primarily because that's where people contact me. My favourite, will if i'm honest is DFW - because i genuinely find it very moving. Though one should never have favourite children.

Would you run this site at a loss if you could afford it and to what cost would you?

For the first nine months I did - it had no revenue raising ability on it. Though once the costs got over £5,000 a year - I tried to look at ethical ways to do it. Now there are 11 staff and i like them and want to keep their jobs safe. Would I run it at a loss - I couldn't afford to - i don't come from a rich family so I've no back up. Yet hopefully I'm canny enough to keep it going and ethical and the cash flow coming in!

Did you set this site up primarily to make money while helping people or a bit of both? Or something different?

I set it up to help people and promote my broadcasting work (i was hoping it'd help people see what I do) and the money diet. I didnt plan to have any revenue raising features on it - so in that sense it wasn't to make me money - though obviously by having it, it would help my career so there's an indirect benefit.

What is your honest reaction when you read about the debts alot of people have on DFW and how they racked them up? (you have to answer this one)

I often feel sad. I'm lucky I've always been good with cash. Yet we're a nation educated into debt at university, but never educated about debt. It's a disgrace the only place you can go for official one on one non-profit help is when you're in debt crisis - its no surprise so many people are.

How many hours do you do when researching new things (rates, offers ect) each day?

I used to work a 90 hour week - week in week out. These days its about 60 or 70. My weeks are so variable there's no set rule. Also now I have a team, part of their main task is updating. So while I write the articles and think of the logic - they're job is to keep things up to date and often do the data collection. For example MSE Dan's main job is to keep the pure money articles up to date. When he spots something that he thinks should go in an article, he brings it to me and we discuss it.

Of course I still look and keep track myself, I would lose my expertise if i didn't - and couldn't do 'live phone-ins' which are the ultimate test. Yet having a team means I spend more time on thinking through the logic and less on gathering the info.

Are you tight with your money?

I don't think so. But I am a MoneySaver, I follow the rules and hate giving money away to companies unnecessarily. I'm lucky though I make a good living, so i can afford the things that I want and can give to charity (the sites charity fund) without harming my own existence.

Have you ever had a dream about the website? (or is that just me )

All the time! It never leaves me. I do dream about it - but worse I sometimes just can't sleep for thinking about it!

Martin

They never post as me as anything opinion based.

Occassionally they post the raw basics of the tip link as me - and then i come in and redo it later on. E.g. last week's Great Things to Buy In the US Hunt. MSE Andrea wrote a brief paragraph on it as me, so we had something to link to when preparing the tip - and then later on I came in and rewrote it in full detail.

So yes they do - but only really in those circumstances.

Anything where i give my view, or state an opinion or chat with posters is always always me.

Occassionally also when Im away people reply to my PMs - yet if that's the case its never signed as me - its signed as the person who sent it

martin

OK I like this idea - so I've made it official... and it will be linked to from my biog

Please can all further questions go here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=2699141#post2699141

SS can you repost your last questions there