If you see any paparazzi lurking around the site, it’s because 8Asians creator and editor-in-chief Efren Ernie has been featured on AArisings’ A-Profiler, which is where all the Asian Americans that you should know about go to hang out, drink Cristal and look down at the rest of our lowly selves. It’s true. Ernie told me. He also told me to never look at him directly again and to get back to work.
Here’s a snippet of his interview with Cynthia, where he talked about the origins of this humble blog, which gives a sneak peek to behind the scenes of 8Asians:
Are there ever any conflicts among writers, since there’s such diversity in interests and opinions within the group?
Every so often, but not as often as you think. My MO is kind of “you do not like each other, but you have to respect each other.” There’s been one case where a blogger quit because of that, but what can you do? You move on. What management skills come into play since you’re the creator/manager? Editing. Web Development. Community management and content management. Conflict management, to a lesser degree. A good sense of humor helps.Where does the ad money go? Have you ever refused to let a group advertise because what they’re selling contradicts with the values of your site?
Ha, great question. When I first turned on Google Adsense, I got nothing but ads like “Looking for a wife in Thailand? Click here!” Which I guess makes sense if you’re on a search engine and typing in the phrase “asian american girls,” not so much for regular 8Asians readers. I have to remove those sites out by hand. There was also a period when we were served “Yes on Prop 8” banner ads, which has nothing to do with being Asian, but as a gay man – and as editor-in-chief – that’s totally not going to fly on my website.
For what it’s worth, Ernie is totally lying. I cannot even begin to describe the fist fights that happen on our internal mailing lists. Let’s just say that he completely debunks any myth about meek, Asian males. And that if we don’t post once a week, we’re not allowed to see our families.
Of course, this isn’t Ernie’s first time on AArisings. He was first profiled nine years ago for his award-winning blog, little.yellow.different. Not only is this an awesome blast from the past, but their interview included this special gem:
What songs would you most likely be caught singing alone to?
Bootylicious, by Destiny’s Child. Yeah, shut up.
We’re never going to shut up. Are you ready for this jelly? Congrats, Ernie!! Here’s to another A-Profile in 2019!
