Being A Blogger

Happy New Year!! We are back at BaB. Today’s guest on Being A Blogger (BaB) is Anshul who has his comic blog at Brainstuck.com. His comic blog, brainstuck.com is updated regularly. Besides blogging and cartoons, Anshul is also interested in photography. In this interview, Anshul talks about his blogging experience, where he draws his ideas for cartoons and how he started brainstuck.com merchandise.

Hi Anshul, Welcome to Being A Blogger! Tell us about yourself and what this comic blog means to you? Why do you call it “Brainstuck”?

I would say, I am the most talkative amongst my friends and yet most calm otherwise. I like observing people for something funny that I can make cartoons on. Other than that, I am a graduate in commerce and have switched many kinds of jobs that I have forgotten now, what my core area is. So may be I will stick to the title of aspiring or amateur cartoonist.
Brainstuck.com is a comic blog that helps me channelize some extra energy in me. The blog is updated daily, so, it keeps my brain away from getting stuck. It’s called so, because it helps people break away from monotony and get something to smile at when their minds are stuck. Secondly, it was few of the only domain names available out of the other names I short listed.
How did you start blogging?

I actually never knew that I would end up blogging. I had a plan to make a website, where I could post the cartoons I draw. This was around 5-6 years before I started this blog. But sadly, there wasn’t any good platform like blogs at that time, or if there was, I wasn’t aware of it, plus I wasn’t that determined too. I went back to the idea this time, and there was no better way to publish content than blogging.

How has your blogging journey been for you?>

So far, So good
Where do you get ideas for your daily cartoons?

Ideas come from daily things happening around us. Be it from a movie, an advertisement, a conversation with friends and people etc. All, I have to do is twist it a bit and draw.

You do not usually add any different tags to your cartoons though they range from various topics such as business, work, blogging, human nature and so on. Does that not impact searchability of your cartoons by subject?

Categories remain almost the same across all cartoons, like, webcomic, cartoons, work, people and other 20-25 subjects. Tags explain the context of the cartoon, that are usually different in each cartoon and the text in the image is supported by ALT tags. So, people who are searching related content usually find my blog easily.

Exclusively for BaB readers, please give us a sample of your blogging cartoon?

I see you never change the theme of your blog? Don’t you think themes make a blog attractive?

The current theme is the only theme available on wordpress-hosted blogs, that doesn’t crop my cartoons. Therefore, I stick to this theme and I don’t have to make adjustments to the images every time I upload them. I am planning to move to self hosted blog soon. May be then I will have more control and much room to experiment.

Are you part of any blogging groups and communities?

No.

Were there any embarrassing or sad moments during your blogging journey?

Blogging has been good to me so far, the journey hasn’t been that long too.

How do you handle when you have comments that are rude and offensive?

All kinds of comments from readers of my blog are welcome. So far, no one has posted a rude or offensive comment. However, if there would be any in future, it would be posted without any moderation, unless it is carrying some obscene language that in my opinion could make other readers feel uncomfortable.

What do you do to keep up traffic of your blog?

I concentrate on generating good content and posting one cartoon a day. I occasionally digg/stumble or share some of my good cartoons on facebook etc. with my friends, so that they can spread it across, if they like it.

Most bloggers face writer’s block. What keeps you motivated to keep on blogging daily?

With new things and conversations happening around me, I usually find lot of stuff to draw about, most of which is forgotten instantly, the rest is cartooned. However, if I fear that I might face writer’s block soon, I call up my friends and make them drink, till they start doing funny things I can draw cartoons on……(Kidding). Readers motivate me to post regularly, I would be posting new content everyday even if there is one reader.

Ever thought of making blogging making money through your blog?

I have no plans now to make money through brainstuck.com.

There are no advertisements on your web site but there is a link to Brainstuck.com merchandise. Do you yourself design, manufacture and sell these?

Brainstuck.com merchandise is an online shop at CafePress. Where cafepress manages manufacturing, selling etc. while all I do is designing. And, I am not earning any money by it too. All the stuff listed there is at the base price i.e. at the cost cafepress offers me.

What gave you idea for Brainstuck.com merchandise? If money is not the motivation, then why this merchandise?/strong>

I was buying some stuff for me on cafepress.com, a US based e-shop , where one can design their own stuff like mugs, tees, caps etc. While checking it out, I found that I can make my own mini-shop too, Where more people can buy the stuff I design, So, I did it to launch my own brainstuck.com merchandise.Though I do not earn any money through it, but its a good way for anyone who wants to make money. I consider it as brand promotion, if people are buying it. May be, once the blog and the cartoons get more popular, I might as well plan to earn money through this idea by launching my own e-shop, but this is a long term view, it may or may not materialize. Occasionally, I buy my own schwags and pass it on to my friends.

Do you read other blogs that are not comic blogs? What interests you in those blogs?

I do read other blogs, but those are mainly news based blogs, concentrating on technology and all. I also follow many other blogs, but I don’t visit them regularly.For a blog to be interesting, it should update regularly.

What are the things that may cause you to delete a blog from your reader?

If I find some blog I am regularly visiting to check whether anything new is posted, I add them to my reader. I prefer to go to the blog itself to read rather then read it on my reader. Reader for me is just a way to check whether the blog has updated or not since I last checked. Very few blogs make it to my reader. So, I usually don’t delete a blog, unless it actually dead.

What are your top 5 blogging tools?

I don’t use any blogging tools. I have been using Flock web browser for sometime now, and I sometimes use its inbuilt blogging tools and editors.

Any blogging tips you have that you want to share with newbie bloggers?

Just enjoy blogging and blog what you enjoy, readers will themselves find you.

What are your 5 takeaways from your blogging experience?

1. One should enjoy blogging, only then he/she can continue it in long term.
2. Not everything is good. One post is great, some are good, some are not. So, to post more good content, one should post more content.
3. If you want readers to stick to your blog, you should update quite often. So that every time a regular reader visits the blog, he should get what he is looking for.
4. Participation by commenting and linking back etc is important. It’s the only way to credit the original poster or blogger. It also motivates them to produce more and better content.
5. One should concentrate on content, rather than on traffic. Good content gets you good traffic and actual readers.

Any favorite comic blogs? (You can not name yours)

Gapingvoid.com, Comics.com (for any random comic) & Toothpastefordinner.com, latter ones are not really blogs but I visit them often and they update regularly.

Also favorite non-comic blogs (if any)

Engadget, TechCrunch, Wristdreams, GunsLot, Gizmodo etc.

Thank you, Anshul, for this wonderful interview.

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