Being A Blogger

An Interview with Meetu (withoutgivingthemovieaway.com)

Poonam Sharma — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:16:20 +0000

Hi Meetu, Welcome to Being A Blogger! Tell our readers about yourself.

I am a part-time movie reviewer, part-time blogger, part-time writer, part-time mother-of-two and a part-time housewife. I enjoy each of these roles, just that there are times when I enjoy one more than the other!

I love reading your movie reviews at your blog Without Giving the Movie Away (WOGMA). How did you start blogging about movie reviews at WOGMA?

Wogma, which started in September 2006, is a one stop shop for reviews of Hindi movies. The idea is that once a person reaches here and likes the content, they know where to come for reviews of any new Hindi release.

Actually, the USP drove the creation of the site. As in, the idea to write reviews came first and then came the idea to set-up a blog to show what I’ve written.

How has your blogging journey been for you?

I’m extremely glad I decided on blogging as a medium for the reviews. It gives me the freedom. Freedom to write as many words as I like, freedom to write in whatever format I feel like writing in and of course freedom to have and express my opinion without any restrictions (versus other print media). So, yeah all-in-all a great fun ride. I’ve loved the times when people disagreed with me, because it led to such wonderful discussions.

Last I was on your blog, I saw about 500-600 readers reading at a time. How did you manage to garner so much traffic to your blog?

Well, right now about 60% of my traffic comes from my husband’s song lyrics site http://smriti.com Other than that my readers come from Google searches.

After each review, I post a synopsis review and a link to the review to the usual suspects - social bookmarking sites (stumbleupon, Indianpad etc) and blog directories (desipundit, blogbharti, etc).

Every review of your movie is accompanied with other sources of reviews of the same movie. What is your intention behind it?

Again, to be a one-stop shop for Hindi movie reviews. I am not sure how having a collection of reviews can bring me hits, I mean, if it does great! But the aim is for readers to know that this is the place for this person’s Hindi movie reviews and then she has these links to other reviews too. So, in case readers don’t agree with me, they are one-click away from other reviews.

Your blog is very frequently updated with the release of a new movie. What keeps you motivated to keep on blogging?

I think the combination of a fundamental craze for movies and having a forum to talk about it. Increase in readership itself is motivation enough.

Your blog is self-hosted. How difficult is it managing both admin and the content?

Well, a lot of the technical admin stuff is handled by my husband, though I try to do as much as I can. Yeah, the admin stuff is boring and time-consuming, but what needs to be done, needs to be done.

How do you manage time for blogging? Any time management tip you may want to share with our readers?

For wogma, it’s really easy. It’s dictated by the releases on Friday. If there are two, I watch the other one on Monday. I write the reviews immediately after watching the movie, on almost all occasions. Writing reviews, has this unique aspect of not having to think about a topic to write on, the film industry-wallahs are taking care of it.

Does being part of any blogging community help you?

I’ve recently begun attending blogcamps and blog meets. They are a fun way to meet people who you have one common thing with! We all love tapping our fingers to death on our computer. Any information on blogging and page ranks and revenue generation is easily available on the internet, but meeting people is what I enjoy the most from being a part of a blogging community.

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

Yes, one highly embarrassing moment was when my review for “Aap Ka Suroor” published with the highest rating, where as it was supposed to go with the lowest one. We had changed the system to enter the ranking in the backend database, and I didn’t remember that the system had changed! “Highly embarrassing” is an understatement.

In the same review, I was absent minded enough to imply that Kishore Kumar was the voice behind “dard-e-dil”, the song from Karz, instead of Mohd. Rafi. Got a lot of backlash and of course apologized for the blunders.

This was as sad as embarrassing!

Have you ever faced abusive/disagreebale comments in your blog? How do you handle them?

Oh, loads! Any comment that is just plain abusive without any relevance to the post at hand is promptly deleted. An abusive comment that has relevance is edited for the profanity.

The one policy I stick to is not responding to personal attacks. All of them are published without any editing but are not given the pleasure of any response.

But, I love the comments that discuss the post. I do reply to those and love the back and forth!

I have noticed advertisements on your blog. Is blogging also a monetizing activity?

It is writing first, then blogging. And if money comes through it, I won’t complain. I have tried to optimize advertisements, but the only thing that has worked for me so far is google adsense.

I noticed that at the end of each review, you ask for voluntary donations from your readers. You must earn something from the advertisements on your blog, why do you think need for donation arise?

I’m hoping to be a full-time blogger. I’ve recently started my personal blog at http://smritiweb.com/meetu. Now, if one has to survive, one has to earn money. I’ve read that many blogs have donations as one of their main sources of income, so wanted to give it a shot. Just fyi, it isn’t working!

Do you read other blogs? What interests you in other blogs?

Yes! I am subscribed to over 200 blogs. I like to read people’s opinion on things - from politics to films to philosophy to just random off-beat thought of the day. A good writing style interests me the most.

What are your top 5 blogging tools?

I’ve created a database in which I add my reviews. I then use a homegrown program which creates a post and publishes it using wordpress API.

I use feedburner for RSS feeds and e-mail subscriptions.

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

Write about specific issues.
Write something in a way that if you were to read it at another blog, you would want to visit again.
It’s nice to be able to write whatever you feel like, but as a reader, its nice to sense that the writer has put some thought into his/her writing.
Don’t copy, guys! It’s a real mean thing to do. I am sure you have enough originality in you.
Be patient.

It is said that blogging is a learning experience. What are your 5 take aways from your blogging journey?

I get to watch all movies! The good ones I don’t mind watching any way. And I thoroughly enjoy ripping apart the ones I don’t like. Couldn’t have a better win-win situation!
I’ve started taking writing seriously after becoming a blogger.
Regular posting helps in building traffic. But no point posting just for the sake of posting.
Blogging has certainly made me more tech-savvy!
And of course, I’ve met some wonderful people.

Any favorite blogs? (You can not name yours)

The Holy Donkey

The Idea-smithy

Of Things (That Better Be Left) Unsaid

Passion for Cinema (PFC)

To Each Its Own

Navin Kabra’s blog

An Interview with Sidin (www.whatay.com)

myndfcukd — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:25:27 +0000

Sidin Sunny Vadukut, now in his after-youth, is a humor blogger and freelance writer from India. He attended couple of India’s finest technology and business colleges before deciding to write full-time. Often touted as India’s first famous blogger, he credits his blog for his success as a freelancer. He blogs at Domain Maximus, which for the statistically oriented, has over 700K visitors and 1250 subscribers. After stalking him for a while, I caught up with him on a Sunday morning, unclean and unshaven, more candid than humorous.

Who is Sidin Vadukut?

I am an engineer-MBA, who did the entire usual good boy education and career things before veering off track in January 2006

How did it all begin? How did the blog happen?

I wrote my first piece of any significance when I was about 7 years old, a piece for the school mag. I kept writing a little now and then, mostly school mag material. I started doing more humour, essay and satire material at engineering college.

When I graduated, I continued to write a weekly email newsletter to many friends - Movie reviews, jokes, observations about life and such like. Many people read the newsletter, around 40 or so at its peak. In October 2002, I discovered Blogger by Pyra Labs and figured it was a more efficient way to communicate to people without stuffing their Inboxes, and voila!

One day you decided to write full-time. Did the success of your blog have a bearing on the decision?

Absolutely. The blog’s success and the experience of writing regularly for the notice boards at IIM Ahmedabad helped. The feedback and appreciation I got from people really convinced me that I could do this full time. That appreciation gave me the self-belief to take the leap. End of 2005 I figured that if I needed to give this a shot I had to do it when I could afford to take the risk. So that even if I screwed up I could always go back and get a regular MBA job again. When the equation made sense, I jumped.

How easy was the decision, considering that people from your college seem to be making an insane amount of money?

It gets tougher as they continue to make more!

However, no, I am thrilled now. I write a fair amount - several newspapers and a portal. The blog is doing better than ever before. I am doing better as a writer, creatively and professionally. So, absolutely thrilled and of course paying the bills and all.

Good to know that writing pays bills. Two years since you took the plunge - What do you think of it in hindsight? How has the journey been?

I set myself a set of goals when I started out and a timeline to achieve them. I wanted to have my first book out by now. Otherwise it’s all been ahead of schedule.

When are the book(s) coming?

Books! One will come early next year - the one with collected essays and blog posts. Do not want to speculate on the next ones yet.

Tell us about Hafta, Jam and your other projects

JAM is ongoing. An alumnus of IIMA and a very good friend owns it. I deputy edit the magazine and do a LOT of work for the online properties.

Hafta is pretty much on hiatus. I do not think the model works unless I can find much more time for myself. The non-compensated writer model is tough to pull off without a core team with lots of time and energy.

Is it true that at REC Trichy, you used to take novels to exam centers?

Ok that is a popular rumor online. I never read a novel during an exam. I did take a few with me into the hall so I could immediately pack up and go to the airport or something after that. But, yes I did most of my novel reading during exam times. I would go buy a bunch the week before exams. Helped me concentrate when I studied I think.

Favorite authors?

Dave Barry, Bill Bryson, Martin Cruz Smith and Umberto Eco

Do you read a lot of blogs? What keeps you wanting to come back to a blog?

I read a fair number, but very irregularly. A combination of style and content. Latter more than the former.

If you had to choose five favorite bloggers, who would they be?

Joel Achenbach, Scott Adams, Krish Ashok, Indiequill and Prem Panicker

How would you describe your blogging style? What do you think sets your blog apart from other blogs?

For a time I did not know because, there are funnier blogs and more regularly written blogs and so on. Now I think it is the humor, first person narrative and general honestly of my style of writing. A lot of people tend to identify with what I write

Do you earn from the blog?

Directly I make enough money off ads to pay for my domain and hosting comfortably. But I don’t really work on the Adsense part as much as some people do. But indirectly it has got me almost all of my writing work.

How do you go about promoting your blog/writing, building the ‘brand’?

The first thing I did was moving to my own domain and giving it a unique look and feel. I make sure the domain goes out in all communication: bylines, email signatures and so on. I try to communicate with the readers a fair bit, who pass out the domain themselves and I make it really easy to stay in touch: feeds, emailers and so on. No overt marketing, so to speak.

Is it true that a successful writer/blogger has an awful lot of time on their hands?

Alternatively, as in my case, very very little sleep!

All you want to say to bloggers looking to go freelance

Develop a unique combination of content and style. Polish it well. There are enough ‘good’ writers out there clamoring for space. Have a unique proposition. Your blog helps you do all that. And then, attack!

Final question, WordPress or blogger?

WordPress all the way. Don’t know how I managed without it.

An Interview with Alan Johnson (theratingblog.com)

Nishu — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:10:10 +0000

About a month back I mailed some questions to Alan Johnson from The Rating Blog. The reply was prompt but we were not able to publish the interview because gawky schedules made follow up posts nearly impossible. I suppose with this post we are going to put BaB again in full throttle mode. Hope you will enjoy this interview.

Q. Alan, please tell us our readers about yourself as a person and blogger. and as a blogger.. And we are actually interested in knowing about you (reference to your about page)

First of all, I’d say that raising two wonderful children and having a wife I would do anything for, is definitely my most important accomplishment. I am a person who, throughout his existence, has worked hard for everything. I never wanted to win the lottery, I never wanted to win money I knew I didn’t deserve. Mand my better half always felt the same way. With this attitude, I have managed to secure the lifestyle my family deserves and, if I were to start over, I wouldn’t even think about changing it.

Q. When did you get into blogging? and when did u get into making money through blogging Can you provide links to your projects so that we can trace evolution on Alan as a entrepreneur, investor, blogger, writer, webmaster.

I earned a living by running a brick & mortar business and I will still be doing it until my children are ready to take over. I always believed in being my own boss and it has been quite a long time since I had a regular job. I have had a lot to learn from my experience and my attitude towards being an online entrepreneur has reflected that right from day one.

As far as online activities are concerned, I have developed my share of websites and have sold all of them prior to launching TheRatingBlog.com, so that I can give it 110% in order to maximize results with what represents a solid business model with huge potential.
Q. How does it feel when you make your first income from your online efforts online?

It always feels great when you start out and receiving receive my first online paycheck. I felt just as good as seeing my brick&mortar business become profitable.

Q. At what point, you realized that you know enough and now you are ready to share your knowledge and experience with on blogosphere?

Basically, I knew that my experience as an offline entrepreneur as well as my online experience as an online one was worth sharing and, as such, blogging was a natural next step.

Q. What was your aim with “the rating blog”? The name surely doesn’t sound like just any another money making guru’s blog.

TheRatingBlog.com also represents a reaction to all of the self-proclaimed gurus out there. I always hate seeing all sorts of clowns putting together a website and promising instant riches to anyone who buys their overpriced and over-hyped product. I and have decided to do something about it.

In most cases, they seriously over-charge for an ebook which that only contains a few pages of useless information. As such, I have written “The Online Business Handbook“, a 200-page moneymaking guide which puts any guru-style product to shame. and I am offering it at a price they can’t beat: $0

The same way, I strongly believe in providing value on a regular basis through my articles and podcasts. And in helping I like to help my readers understand that looking for shortcuts is not the way to go and that working hard is simply a must if you are serious about long-term success.

Q. It is seen that you comment very aggressively on many blogs. What motivates you for regular socialization?

A word of advice: “When doing something, do it in style and stand out.”
I could have limited myself to simply commenting here and there, but going by unnoticed is not an option. As such, I have maximized results with blog commenting by being the ‘top commentator’ on over 40 blogs.

I was an active member of each and every blog? community. and I have always done my best in order to help others. Results? Traffic, brand awareness and, of course, the fact that I made more than a few good contacts.

As such, I was then able to move on to phase two, guest blogging and you’ve guessed it: By being a guest blogger on over 10 great resources, I am, as always, doing it in a way which makes me stand out.

Q. You recently had a break through in your feed subscriber. How do you feel about it?

Seeing the results of your hard work is indeed great, but letting yourself become blinded by success is not an option, always giving it 110% is the way to go.

I’ve managed to gain over 1k RSS subscribers in as little as 4 weeks. That is definitely impressive, but, on the other hand, let’s just say that this is only the beginning.

Q. Alan, Tell tell us how you got your first feed subscriber.

I got my first feed subscribers as a result of hitting the Digg frontpagefront-page on the very day of the launch. Oand, of course, that which made it clear that TheRatingBlog.com has huge potential.

Q. Do you think if other bloggers will follow you step by step, they can achieve the same goal? If yes then how many feed do u expectsubscribers to read :O..

As long as you are able to provide value and as long as you have the determination do keep giving it 110%, no matter how out of reach your goals may seem, then you are indeed on the right track. In the end, it’s all up to you: it won’t be easy but it definitely isn’t impossible.

Q. Tell us about the blogs you read.. and tell us? do you have some favorite readers of the rating blog.

If you, as a blogger, manage to convince me that going through what your resource has to offer in terms of information is time well spent on my part, then I will definitely consider following your blog on a regular basis. As always, it all boils down to providing value.

Q. Any shout outs or guru mantras for other bloggers?

I’d like to end this interview with a few words of advice:

Never make the mistake of believing all sorts of self-proclaimed gurus who would like to trick you into thinking that making money online is a piece of cake. You can be certain that each and every one of them has a hidden agenda. and, As such, you can either understand that, whenever something seems too good to be true, it most likely is or you can find out the hard way.

Every day, entrepreneurs who think that they have found the easy path to success try their luck, and then you can rest assured that their results will not exactly be worth bragging about.

Always be willing to work hard, never give up. And, as I previously stated:

“When doing something, do it in style and stand out.”

An Interview with Shyam (skvnet.blogspot.com)

Poonam Sharma — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:08:44 +0000

Hi Shyam, Welcome to Being A Blogger!

Tell us about yourself and what your blog aims to do?

I currently work as a software engineer in a reputed firm. And I blog when I am back at home, as a hobby and to refresh myself. My blog aims to share thoughts, tips and news with my readers.

What made you choose this name, Online Inspirations? The name is so similar to Digital Inspirations.

I had chosen the name long before I came to know about Digital Inspiration. Digital Inspiration is great blog in the blogosphere and Online Inspirations is a small infant.

How did you start blogging?

Online Inspirations started as a blog for sharing tech news and tech tips, around one year back.

How has your blogging journey been for you?

So far, so good.

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

I feel sad when I can not keep regular posts, and when traffic nose plunges.

What was the turning point in you blog when it started getting hits?

The turning point was the day I found the best adsense layout for my blog. Regular posting and networking with fellow bloggers are my mantras to get traffic.

You write about tech news, softwares. Does that thought ever deter you that someone (there are so many people writing about it) may have already posted about it?

I wish to project which is useful to readers, other than blabbering same old saga.

Exclusively for BaB readers, provide 5 innovative tech post ideas?

1. Be regular in blogging.

2. Be the early bird.

3. Be creative in your posts.

4. Add a pinch of humour in your posts.

5. Don’t beat around the bush.

5 tips on how you make social bookmarking work for you?

1. Publish useful information as early as possible.

2. Learn what netizens are interested in through social bookmarking sites.

3. Network with fellow bloggers on social bookmarking sites.

4. Provide links to your blogs at social bookmarking sites.

5. Participate in discussions there.

Are you part of any blogging groups and communities? How do blog communities help?

Yes, communities can help a lot is sharing their views about your blog. They also help you learn new ideas and tips for blogging.

How do you handle when you have comments that completely dismiss your opinion and oppose your writing?

Such comments will help me improve, if I was wrong.

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

Be passionate about blogging, adopt it as your hobby. Also keep some posts for publishing in your difficult times.

Do you make money out of blogging? If yes, how?

Adsense

Do you read other blogs? What interests you in other blogs?

Yes, it can help you learn new things. Their views about different topics, style of presenting things, their layouts.

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

If the blog is not getting updated regularly and if posts are deviating from my topics of interest

What are your top 5 blogging tools?

Firefox, Windows Live Writer, GIMP, EverNote, Google docs

What are your 5 take aways from your blogging experience? (blogging tips you have that you want to share with newbie bloggers)

1. Publish regularly.

2. Be authentic in topics.

3. Help your fellow bloggers. Give respect and take respect.

4. Follow google-friendly methods for generating traffics

5. Be patient and never give up blogging.

Any favorite blogs? (You can not name yours)

Delve into the mind of a budding blogger

Google official blog

Digital Inspiration

Problogger

An Interview with BS Angel (hawtymcbloggy.com)

Nishu — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:45:46 +0000

Well, I am little excited posting this interview. I got replies to my follow up questions at 5 am in the morning today and I spent another 1 hour editing this interview and adding images. I guess the reason for enthusiasm this early in the morning is that it is b s angel’s interview. More so, as this is the first interview of a blogger at BaB who writes in same genre as me, that is, gaming. Here goes the interview with bs angel who blogs at Hawty McBloggy Invites You to Play and Halo 3 screenshots

Hey bs angel, would you like to introduce yourself to readers of BaB?
Hey! My blog and I happily reside in the (video) gaming world so I am known by my gamertag, bs angel. The “bs” doesn’t stand for what you think it does, but the irony of the pairing makes me laugh.

I have no idea what bs stands for. Can you please let us know? And whats your real name?
That is a tightly guarded secret, primarily because it is the most boring story ever. If I share, your readers just may fall asleep. In fact, I am yawning just thinking about it. It’s much more fun to guess anyways!

As far as real names go, I don’t share my personal information, not even something as harmless as a first name. My belief is that the internet is not the safest place to be. Thus, I closely hold back all my personal details. You will find a very distinct lack of personal information on my site, and that is just the way I like it. You just can’t be too safe these days unfortunately.

How did you get into blogging and gaming ?
I have been gaming since I was a wee little one. They were a staple in my childhood as my dad was a gaming and tech junkie (he is in his fifties and still games!). I grew up loving the Atari and helping him run a BBS out of our house. We always had the latest and greatest gadgets, and now that I am an adult it hasn’t changed one bit.

My blog covers anything and everything gaming related that strikes my fancy. Gaming is by far my most favorite hobby so there is never a shortage of things to write about. My articles tend to be extremely geeky, sarcastic, unique, and just fun. There are a plethora of video game news sites out there so when I decided to start my blog, I knew I had to make it original. I stay away from the “newsy” posts and instead focus on the more off the beaten path subjects. It’s a great little niche and I enjoy it more than I can tell you.

What games your dad used to play?
My dad simply loved whatever the most recent Atari title was. We played and loved all of those classic retro games. He never had a passion for RPGs (role playing games) thankfully so neither do I. That genre tends to be highly addictive so I avoid it like the plague!

What are your goals for your blog? What benefits do you see in sharing your experience at gaming (other than fun)?
The only goals I have ever had for my blog are to grow a little bit each day and enjoy the interactions with my readers. Getting to know people that stop by my blog has been the best thing about blogging thus far. The interactions that a blog allows is just amazing.

Your blog is quite popular amongst wordpress.com blogs? Do you keep track of your visitors? What are your basic sources of visitors and contacts in blogosphere?

I don’t keep track of my visitors too closely. It’s entirely too easy to get wrapped up in stats (especially as a gamer!) and lose sight of what is important. The only program I use is the basic stat offerings that WordPress gives you. So I can tell you how many people stop by each day, but beyond that I really have no idea.

My readers come from prominent video game sites that carry my stories (halo.bungie.org, Kotaku, and technabob)are my favorite sites to front-paged on) and then my readers that stop by on a daily basis whether it be by a bookmark, rss feed, or just wandering back. I am very much looking forward to my 1,000,000th visitor whenever that happens to roll around!

So you never use any social bookmarking or social media site (Digg, Stumbleupon) to draw readers to your blog? I guess people will love to stumble articles you write.
I do enjoy browsing Digg on rare occasions. I even had an account there for a short time period but ended up deleting it. The main issue I have with social sites such as Digg is the people that are active on them. The comments and interactions tend to be highly negative and inflammatory and as an adult, I have very little patience for the ignorance that is often displayed. So I will visit sometimes because I find the news worthy but I don’t participate. I don’t stumble either but I do enjoy seeing that other people do on my blog stats! I have found Digg visitors rush over in a two to three day period while StumbleUpon visitors are much more evenly spread out over a lengthy period of time.

You are a female gamer.. you must be getting many flaming comments from gamers who belong to not so fair sex?

I get my fair share of hate mail based on my gender alone. It seems to come in waves. Sometimes I get several a day, other times I don’t get any for a month. I try to not let it bother me too much, but gender discrimination is a nasty thing to be confronted with on a regular basis, especially in this day and age. If people simply don’t like my articles and criticize something related to that (whether it be my writing style, opinion on a specific subject, etc), that is one thing. But when I am insulted in a vulgar and offensive way because of my sex, that repulses me. I have learned to simply delete the horrible emails and not give them the time of day. Because ya know what? They aren’t worth it.

How is your real life like? Most of the people think of life of a gamer as “person who has no life”

My real life is quite busy! I am a married mother of three boys, so as you can imagine, there are always half a million things going on. Raising my children is the most important thing to me. I am fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with them and have that as my priority. The downtime of when they are in school or when they are asleep is the time that I blog and game. I am active in their schooling between serving on their PTG board and volunteering in their classrooms. And yes, we game together! I believe video games can have a positive impact on a child’s life as long as it is monitored closely and good decisions are made. It’s really no different than any other form of media. Moderation and supervision are key.

Do you read other blogs? What is the niche of those blogs? What attracts you most in a blog?
I read way more blogs than I can count! 99% of the blogs I frequent are video game or tech focused. The main thing that will keep me coming back to news blogs is humor. I love being entertained while I am catching up on the latest news. Another thing that will keep me coming back to personal blogs is interaction. Respond to my comments every once in a while! I don’t like talking to myself. If I leave a handful of comments that don’t get answered, I don’t go back.

Do you make use of some blogging tools?

Probably not nearly as much as I should. I poke my head into Technorati every once in a blue moon to check up on who is linking to me. I use Feedburner to offer my readers email subscriptions (yes, people still use that!) and that’s about it.

Any shoutouts or something you would like to share some success secrets with other bloggers?

I think there are a few main secrets to successful blogging.

First, posting on a regular schedule is paramount. Your readers need to know when they can expect a new post. Whether it be once a day or once a week, people appreciate knowing when they can enjoy your newest article. I post twice a day to offer a variety of content so hopefully there is something there on a daily basis that appeals to everybody. Find the schedule that works for you and stick with it.

Second, offer something original. The land of blogs is a vast and mighty place. You have to stand out to get attention and give your readers something they can’t get anywhere else.

The last piece of advice I have is the most important. Be passionate about what you blog about. If you care about your subject deeply, you are already knowledgeable enough to have some credibility and that passion that you have will come through in each and every word that you write. That draws people in and keeps them coming back. Plus, you will enjoy every second of it.

An Interview with Cory Huff (agoodhusband.blogspot.com)

Nishu — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 07:49:42 +0000

As V-day is approaching so we decided to interview Cory Huff from A Good Husband. He also blogs at The Abundant Artist . In this brief interview Cory talks about his blogs and the goals associated with them.

Hey Cory, would you like to introduce yourself to readers of BaB?

A. I am a 27 year old actor, director, and internet marketer. I live in Portland, Oregon in the USA. I hold a degree in acting but I do a lot of different things to make ends meet. I’m married (five years) to a wonderful woman I’ve known since junior high.

What do you blog about and how you did you get into blogging ?
I run two blogs. The Abundant Artist is about artist housing, creativity, and arts marketing. The blog started out as a journal of my journeys through the theater world. It talks about the more important issues surrounding the lifestyles that artists choose for themselves so that they can be engaged in their art.

My other blog, A Good Husband, is an advice blog for husbands. I started it because I noticed that there is a definite anti-man internet bias when it comes to looking for advice online. There are a lot of men giving advice on how to be good fathers, or at least sharing their experiences, but none just talking about how to be a good man and husband.

What are your goals for your blogs?
My goals for blogging include building a community of people around myself that I can plug into and talk to. To build a group that can and will help social and individual change come about in both artistic spheres and in the homes of individual families. Of course, I also plan on getting myself to the point where I can make a living for myself without any outside jobs. I really love writing because I can do it anywhere in the world (as I love traveling too).

What are your basic sources for visitors and contacts in blogosphere?

My biggest source of visitors on both blogs is Google. I get a pretty limited amount of traffic to The Abundant Artist, but those who do stop by are looking for specific information. Funnily enough, on A Good Husband most of my traffic comes from women looking for ways to help their husbands with Xbox Addictions. I wrote a blog about it a while ago and I still get a lot of traffic from it.

Even though Google gives me the majority of my traffic, the best contacts have come from me reaching out to other bloggers and online communities. I’ve had some great conversations with people, even some heated debates, but always informative.

Which blogs do you like the most and why ?
As a beginning blogger, I love ProBlogger (for obvious reasons). I am wild about Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Workweek blog and I also like Dad Balance over at E-moms at Home. I like 4HWW because I find his advice insanely useful and practical for organizing my life. and I like Derek’s Dad Balance blog because he’s mentioned me a couple of times and who doesn’t love Link Love! He’s also a great writer and has a very grounded perspective.

What are the blogging tools that you use?

I use Google Analytics and MyBlogLog. I use Blogger as my platform. I know a lot of the professional bloggers out there don’t like it. But it’s free and I’ve never had a problem customizing it the way that I need it to be done. There are lots of online tutorials and hacks that people have done.

Any shoutouts or something you would like to share some success secrets with other bloggers?

I already gave a shoutout to Dad Balance. Other than that I would have to give a shoutout to JohnAugust.com. He’s a well known screenwriter who has some great insights about the Writers Guild Strike in Hollywood.

I don’t know that I’ve been all that successful as a blogger, but I do know this: blogging is a time consuming. Make sure you love it, because if you don’t, you’re wasting your time. It’s too hard to get noticed if you don’t love it.

An Interview with Anshul (brainstuck.wordpress.com)

Poonam Sharma — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:46:23 +0000

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.

Links elsewhere:

In career training, what matters for an IT professional is the fact that he keeps up with the latest certifications, whether it is mcse or ccnp. In itil certification, this is taught early, that attempting other courses like network+ or even cisco certification, will eventually contribute to one’ experience and qualification. This is why one should not hesitate from any ccna test ever.

An Interview with Abhinav Sood (inspiritblog.com)

Nishu — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:17:28 +0000

We had no interviews on BaB for some time recently as authors were busy with their professional life and bloggers to whom questions were sent were busy with Christmas and New Year Celebrations.. There were few posts now and then about performance of the blog and asking feedback of the readers about various things. But none of them was able to get out of abyss called “Saved Draft”.

Today I present interview of a very resourceful blogger, Abhinav Sood, whom I met on Authority Blogger Forum

Q. Hey Abhinav, Would you like to acquaint yourself to readers of BaB?

A. Sure, socializing is a great idea. Well, I am a student in my first semester of bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering. Apart from blogging, I like to hang-out with my friends like anyone at my age (I am 18, finally!) does. I hate exams like anything. Not because I don’t like to study or anything… But because they don’t let me blog regularly! And thus, affect the visitors and subscribers to my blog, something that I don’t appreciate.

Q. I sort of Love exams..Could you explain a bit about your blogs and how you got into blogging?

A. I have wanted to try out every new concept that I have ever come across. This, combined with my love for computers and internet since very early age, got me into blogging about 4 years back. I started with a personal blog on “Blogger/Blogspot.” Since then I have wrote many blogs on various topics like art, photography, games, etc. but finally settled at web, computers, technology and internet with my blog techXtreme. This is the one that interested me the most out of all and the one where I found it pleasant to write. I have recently moved to a wordpress blog, Inspirit Blog, where I intend to blog-effectively. Now that I am more deeply engaged with Inspirit Blog but I don’t want to delete techXtreme as the rest, because it is very close to me.

Q. What are your goals for your blog & what benefits do you see in blogging?

A. The biggest benefit that I have seen in blogging is the social culture it is spreading. It is good to know some really intelligent, resourceful and talented people around the globe. I have found more good friends to talk to, online, than I have at college. You learn and gain from the bloggers around you, you are helped when caught in bottle-necks and you come across some great ideas and concepts when interacting in the blogosphere.

I blog for passion, monetary gains have just been a side-effect. And I don’t really want to avoid this when the side-effect is so healthy

As far as the goals for my blogs are concerned, I must tell you that I have virtually moved completely from techXtreme. And I want to concentrate on Inspirit Blog fully. I aim to build an active community of readers at Inspirit Blog, this year rather than just getting more number of visitors who won’t stay for long.

Q. You mainly write about blogging SEO and design in one blog and tech in another… How come two different niches?

A. With Inspirit Blog, I wanted to move out of a binding niche- computers and technology, as with techXtreme and explore the available wider scope. I wanted to be able to express myself more freely and write comfortably about anything I ever feel like. For kick starting Inspirit Blog, I found offering targeted content as the best option for building up readers and developing a network. And hence, the SEO and design tips. I will explore new horizons with time.

Q. What are your basic sources of visitors and contacts in blogosphere?

A. The friends at BlogCatalog, MyBlogLog and DIGG are great assets in bringing me traffic. Besides that I I use various other social networking social services like StumbleUpon, Technorati, twitter, pownce, etc. to attract visitors. Leo of Feedest and Richard of Untwisted Vortex, are good friends and provide great help and support for any kind of problem I face.

Q. Which blogs do you like the most and why?

A. Blogging is not about just writing. It’s about reading as well. That’s where you get inspiration from. That’s where you get an experience of the trends being followed, and get to sharpen your writing skills. There are numerous great resources on diverse topics. For anything from nothing to everything. I regularly read Maki’s and Mert’s blog for great tips on improving blogging skills, RT’s blog for improving my writing skills. He writes everything in the most effective and innovative way, David Airey’s blog for my dose of GFX and design. There are hundreds other nice blogs that I read and like but it’d be hard to list all of them here.

Q Any shout-outs or something you would like to share some success secrets with other bloggers?

A. Work for your work, and let your work, work for you.

Good Luck Abhinav for your exams and blogs. Thanks for wonderful tips

Links elsewhere:

Thanks to high speed internet dsl, anyone can now easily make use of novel features like ip phones. This has also efficiently changed the situation of web hosting. Now with all web hosting services, one can take liberty, using any kind of website design, and can be done with domain name registration as well. This has effectively contributed to internet marketing too.

An Interview with Aaron Stroud (onfinancialsuccess.com)

Poonam Sharma — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:11:23 +0000

Today’s guest on BaB is Aaron Stroud. Aaron has recently launched his own personal Web site and blog, On Financial Success. In this interview, Aaron very graciously talks about his new blogging experience and take-aways. He also offers some great tools for Mac users. If you have any specific queries, feel free to write to him. As per him, he loves to write posts tailored to specific questions.

Hi Aaron, Welcome to Being A Blogger!

Tell us about yourself and what this blog means to you?

I was just an average guy until one day I fell in love. I was faced with marriage, fatherhood to a half grown son, responsibility for two college tuitions, a new private school tuition, and the rest of the regular day to day living expenses. I had to get responsible fast, so I started seriously studying personal finance and investing. A few books later and I was hooked.

You can read more about my background here.

I started On Financial Success as a place to write about the right path to financial success because there is a lot of misinformation out there.

Also, many people find financial information boring and confusing, so I also strive to make my posts interesting.

How and when did you start blogging?

I started following financial blogs over four years ago, but my life was too busy to dive into blogging. Although On Financial Success was only launched last month (Nov 2007), I’ve been planning the site, articles, and some long term projects for a couple of years.

How has your blogging journey been for you?

The ride is just starting, but it’s been both fun and a learning experience. When I first launched, I requested feedback from bloggers at the Authority Blogger forum.

Much to my dismay, I discovered my design had some serious layout and accessibility issues. Now that I’ve fixed those design issues, I’m focusing on writing and growing my readership.

How did the idea to blog about finance hit you?

All my life, I’ve bounced from interest to interest.

Generally, I’ll study a new skill or subject intensely for a couple of years. But, eventually my interest wanes and I start looking for another “intellectual fix.”

Blogging about money is different from my previous interests. There are so many ways to look at personal finance, investing, and economic issues. Obviously, there’s the mathematical component, but there are also psychological, moral, and practical issues involved.

The financial subjects that you address in your blog address are localized or they can be useful to anyone globally, irrespective of their location and economy.

Naturally, many of my articles are written for Americans. Governments put a lot of restrictions on how people use their money, so I write about situations I’m familiar with. I’d also like to expand into different venues (magazines, books, etc) where I almost certainly will be writing for my fellow citizens, so I need the practice.

But I also strive to write articles that will be useful to readers around the globe. My first post explaining What is Financial Success was my first attempt at this. As I look beyond my country’s borders, I see a world that is experiencing an explosion of prosperity. Many nations are transitioning from agricultural economies to industrial economies to information based economies! All within a few short generations. This is truly amazing, but also comes with new challenges.

The western world has demonstrated that it is all too easy to pursue instant gratification, inflicting financial harm on oneself. I’d like to be there to help people everywhere avoid and recover from these types of challenges.

You have a self-hosted web site, how difficult is that?

The decision of where to blog (self-hosted web site vs blogger, etc) hinges on the blogger’s goals. If you just want to have a place to casually share your thoughts, blogger or wordpress.com is a fine choice.

However, if you have long term goals to develop your blog into a business or would like that to be a possibility at some point, having your own domain is the best way to go. If you start with a free blogging account but eventually switch to a self-hosted blog, your search engine rankings will be hurt and you’ll probably lose some of your readers.

As far as complexity goes, setting up your own domain can be complicated, but several web hosts offer 1-click installations of popular blogging software like WordPress. So going with your own domain isn’t too hard.

Every image that is uploaded on your blog is credited. Was that a conscious decision? How does that work for you?

I decided to use pictures after reading Skellie’s guide to finding and using incredible Flickr images. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of photographs, but it really helps to draw readers in. In the end, the blog design and post format is for the readers, not my personal preferences.

As far as photo credits go, I think crediting artists, writers, researchers, investors, etc is essential. Both from a moral standpoint, but also for practical reasons. When people’s contributions are not recognized, we lose an important incentive to produce. How many people would blog if they were not allowed to claim ownership over their posts?

You have a tumblelog link on your blog? How do sharing links with your readers help?

Links are what distinguishes the internet from simply being a large library. The ability to instantly discover new ideas is a powerful experience. So I wanted to have the opportunity to share interesting articles and resources with my readers. However, I would overwhelm most of my readers if I pointed them towards every article or site I found interesting.

I decided a tumblelog would be an excellent compromise. I can create as many or as few links as I like without crowding out my articles. Readers can even subscribe to the tumblelog if they’d like.

Are you part of any blogging groups and communities? How do blog communities help?

I frequent the Authority Blogger forum where I’ve made several friends, received a lot of encouragement, and gotten great feedback on my design. Participating in blogging communities also helps your blogs visibility. Honest, generous contributions can result in a lot of readers, if you can find a forum that matches your topic closely.

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

Not yet, but I once accidently sent a private reply to the entire computer science mailing list my first week at university. It was particularly embarrassing because I knew better. I was just frazzled because the power supply in my brand-new computer had exploded the day before.

What keeps you motivated to keep on blogging?
Three things:

1.My wife is my biggest inspiration. She truly believes I can accomplish anything I set myself too which helps me overcome my fears.

2. My huge backlog of ideas. I have literally hundreds of article ideas and points I’d like to make organized on my hard drive.

3. The fact that I don’t have a choice—that is, if I want to succeed, I have no choice but to keep writing. (I always keep a few finished articles on-hand just encase life happens.)

Have you ever faced abusive comments in your blog? How do you handle them?

Not yet. I suppose they are inevitable though.

How do you manage time for blogging? (Any time management tips)

At the moment, I’m a stay at home father. I’ve discovered that it is almost impossible to write during the day, while my wife is out. There are a few rare moments when inspiration alights on my shoulder and my daughter is napping. But usually, the best I can hope for is to outline ideas and jot notes throughout the day.

The evenings are when I take my piles of hand written notes and store them in my electronic writing folder. Once the kids are in bed, I am free to develop my ideas into finished articles.

Ever thought of making money through blogging?

That’s the long term plan. One day, I hope to be able to support my family by blogging, but also writing for more traditional formats. I find decisions involving money fascinating and would like to help others learn to make better financial decisions.

Do you read other blogs? What interests you in other blogs?

I follow a hundred or so blogs, but I only consider a few must read blogs. I follow a lot of finance related blogs for fun, but also to keep in touch with what is working. I’m continually studying what types of posts, examples, and writing styles appeal to readers.

I follow several blogs about blogging for the same reason.

But I also get local news from blogs and I follow several blogs run by economics professors. Blogs allow readers to be their own gatekeepers. I think this is why I enjoy blogs so much; I get to pick my sources for information.

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

I only delete blogs when I stop reading them. Too many off topic posts might cause me to move on, but I also delete blogs when they fail to distinguish themselves.

For example, I could easily get everything I need from Problogger, so a ‘blog about blogging’ or about ‘blogging for money’ really needs to offer something different and special to get me to subscribe.

Skelliewag, Blogging Bits, and DoshDosh are some good examples. Skellie has superbly written articles that always seem to complete ideas bouncing around in my head. Mohsin’s Blogging Bits has turned me on to some useful tools and his articles on blogging often prompts me to do things I should have done long ago. And DoshDosh has in-depth articles that contrast with Problogger’s generally shorter posts.

What are your top 5 blogging tools?

OmniFocus is simply the most flexible, powerful, and attractive Getting Things Done organizer. OmniFocus is only for the mac, but the true power comes from following David Allen’s GTD system.
Newsfire is another mac-only program, but it’s interface is almost beautiful enough to cause someone to switch OSes. Newsfire helps me rapidly scan hundreds of posts everyday.
Markdown is method for slightly marking up plain text which is then
automatically converted into html. I prefer to compose in Markdown because I
can focus on the actual words and structure, without being distracted by a web
interface or word processor like MS Word.
My office is one of my favorite resources. The office is attached to my bedroom, so it’s a great retreat when my wife is with the kids. Half of the room is covered with shelves, resulting in plenty of extra space. I’ve found I’m most creative when my notes, books, and office junk is organized, but not tightly packed.
Firefox has so many useful plug-ins for web design and interacting with the social media sites out there.

What are your 5 take aways from your blogging journey?

Start now. Just like with investing, a head start brings you closer to success.
Comment. One of the strengths of blogs is their interactive nature. Commenting is something you can do today, even if you don’t have a blog up yet.
Write often and to completion by following a realistic writing schedule.
Link out. Find a way to work links into your site and your articles. Links beget more links.
Join communities. I have received a lot of encouragement and assistance from the Authority Blogger forum. It’s nice to have a place to go to ask for help, and sometimes you even find a few new readers in the process.

Any favorite blogs? (You can not name yours)

Sure, but I have already listed few favorites, so I’ll just mention one more of my favorites.

Success from the Nest is Tony Clark’s personal blog where he shares productivity and quality of life tips for people working out of their homes. The site hasn’t been updated in a few weeks, but that is because Tony is busy with his new learning venture Teaching Sells.

What are you future plans for your blog?
More articles. Longer features. A response to every comment and email. I am also open to suggestions from readers. I would love to write posts tailored to specific questions.