Published: October 11, 2007

With gossip blogs becoming increasingly popular, a Fordham student with the pseudonym “FUrez Hilton” has created a blog of the same name (www.furezhilton.blogspot.com), all about Fordham. The Rose Hill student, who wishes to remain anonymous, began writing the blog in January 2006, and has since gained popularity among students at both campuses, as well as readers outside of the Fordham community. The Observer got the chance to speak with the mystery blogger himself.

The Observer: Did you have a blog before FUrez Hilton?

FUrez Hilton: I’ve never written a blog before this, but I read them all the time.  My favorite is Dlisted.com, where I blatantly rip off most of my ideas for FUrez.

OBserver: How did you start advertising your blog?

Furez: I’ve never advertised it. It has been purely word of mouth; so much so that students at other schools who know none of the people at Fordham read it daily.

Observer: How did you get the idea for your blog? Obviously Perez [Hilton, the now famous celebrity gossip blogger] had something to do with it, but why write about Fordham?

Furez: Fordham is like high school. Everyone has something to say about everyone else. All I’m really doing is saying what everyone else is thinking.

Observer: Many people around campus know your true identity—do you ever worry that someone you blogged about will approach you while you’re out?

Furez: It’s not really something I fear, because I know that it comes with the territory.  Only one person has done it so far, and it was only because her boyfriend was there to ominously glare at me from across the room.  Most don’t [approach me] though, because they can’t hide behind the title of ‘anonymous’ while doing so, [as they can by commenting online.] Plus, my friends tell me all the time how generally intimidating I am in person, so I don’t expect too many strangers to start approaching me.

Observer: Are you aware of any faculty or administrators that read the blog?

Furez: I know a Fordham sports message board had my link posted last year, which led to a bunch of alumni becoming regular readers. I know several athletes who told me their coaches read the message  board and have seen the blog, so I have to assume the administration knows.  If they have the same sense of humor that I believe Jesus has, then they’re not taking it too seriously.

Observer: What is the worst feedback you’ve gotten so far?

Furez: I don’t get so much ‘bad’ feedback as I do unintelligent feedback, all through the comments that readers can post.  The most annoying is “If you hate this place so much, why don’t you just leave!?,” because I don’t hate this place at all.  I love it a lot, I just think a lot of the things that go on here are funny and enjoy commenting on them.

Observer: Has negative feedback made you tone down your writing at all?

Furez: Absolutely not, because all of the negative feedback is posted anonymously, most likely by the subject of the post.  If people take the time to angrily respond to what I’m writing, then they’re going to keep coming back every day to see if I write something new to piss them off.

Observer: Where do you get your information and gossip?

Furez: I get my information from all over the place.  People send me Facebook messages, emails, anonymous IM’s, come up to me at the bars, in the Caf, etc. One time I was in the bathroom at the library and the kid at the urinal next to me was awkwardly looking at me.  I thought it was a Senator Larry Craig moment, but he was really trying to get my attention to tell me something to put on the blog.

Observer: Do you blog about your friends mostly, or anyone on campus?

Furez: I blog about anything that catches my eye. If you want to go to Howl at the Moon and make a spectacle of yourself, the chances of someone telling me about it are pretty high. However, the chances of me already being friendly with that person are higher, because the size of Rose Hill is perfect for getting to know a lot of the people—if not by name, then by face or reputation.

Observer: Do you have any qualms about calling people out on the blog for personal things? What is your reasoning behind that?

Furez: I don’t have any qualms with that, because I never post about things people can’t help. I’ve never called someone overweight, nor have I accused someone of being gay, or using drugs. Ok, I did that last one once, but that was at his request.

Observer: Is ‘Overheard on the Ram Van’ [a regular post on the blog that documents snippets of student conversations] real?

Furez: 100 percent.  I know I’m funny, but I couldn’t even make half of that stuff up.

Observer: What is your favorite item?

Furez: I like ‘Overheard,’ but I love all of the characters I write about the most. Fordham has so many quirky personalities running around and they’re all so entertaining to watch.

Observer: Finally, what are your thoughts on Lincoln Center?

Furez: I lived at Lincoln Center two summers ago, and it was a blast. But I feel like the students at LC don’t attend the same Fordham that students at Rose Hill do. Our common perception at Rose Hill [of LC] is that it’s filled with actors, dancers, artists or girls who want to be Paris Hilton.  That’s kind of weird though, because RH is filled with guidos, kids from Buffalo and Scranton, and girls that want to be Paris Hilton.  Maybe we’re not so different after all.