Engadget's Darren Murph Shares Memorable 500th Milestone

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To celebrate Verizon Wireless’ 500th 4G LTE market launch milestone, we’re talking to others who’ve achieved similarly impressive feats in their industries. Our first subject is Darren Murph, managing editor at Engadget. Reporting on technology and its implications, Darren holds the Guinness World Record for being the most prolific professional blogger with more than 20,000 posts to his name.  He surpassed 500 posts early in his career, and hasn’t looked back.

1. When you became a “blogger,” did you set out to write a record-setting number of blog posts or did it just happen?

I didn't! However, I knew right away that this career path was something special -- this industry is a small and highly unique one, and I felt really fortunate to get in on the ground floor. Because of that, I poured everything I had into doing it well. I recognized early on that writing for Engadget gave me the ability to both inform and entertain millions of people, and I've never taken that for granted. Part of my role was to be the fastest and the most accurate when it came to reporting on technology news, and as my speed increased, I had a thirst for writing even more. That cycle eventually led to the record.

2. How long did it take you to reach the record-breaking number?

It's hard to say when the record was actually set, but I spent four years writing before I applied for the Guinness World Record. My former colleague Chris Ziegler actually recommended that I apply for the record after I wrote 58 posts in a 24-hour span during the Consumer Electronics Show in 2008. He urged me once again at CES 2010, and shortly after I finally did it. The staff at Guinness World Records spent over three months trying to disprove my record, and when they couldn't, the award was bestowed. It breaks down to a post being written every two hours, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, for four full years. 

3. What would you say is the fastest you’ve ever written a post?

I've written a few in well under two minutes. They weren't essays, but in the moment, they got the point across and contributed to the real-time discussion of whatever news was breaking. 

4. Have you ever written full blog posts from your mobile devices? Do you do so regularly?

Absolutely! I've written a number of posts from iPhones and Android phones alike. In sum, I've probably written 10 or 15 complete posts on a smartphone, but I'll confess that I don't do it regularly. Generally speaking, our articles have to be written in a timely fashion, and it's simply faster to write on a laptop keyboard. 

5. How has 4G LTE enabled you to better serve your audiences?

The build-out of 4G LTE has absolutely transformed how Engadget is able to operate, and how I'm able to deliver content. We're able to add videos to posts that we would have never bothered with even three to four years ago, simply because we have the speed at our disposal. For me personally, I'm on the road for over half of the year. Being able to tap into 4G LTE enables me to stay on top of email, work on features while in hotels, etc., I can safely say that only two or three hotels in the world (that I've been to, at least) offer internet rates faster than 4G LTE. Most times, LTE is actually the network I prefer. I'm also astounded by how many rural areas are blanketed by LTE. I live nearly three hours from a major airport, and I'm still able to enjoy LTE.

Be sure to take a read of Darren’s recent posts on Engadget.

Disclaimer: These views are those of the individual and do not represent the views of Verizon Wireless.

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