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An Interview with Aaron Stroud (onfinancialsuccess.com)

12-Dec-07

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?

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Filed in Consultant, Interviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments (3) »

An Interview with Ruhi (havetoremember.wordpress.com)

06-Dec-07

Today’s guest on BaB is Ruhi. Her blog Time and Again has more than 2 lakh hits. Ruhi, very graciously, shares her picture for the first time on Web. This girl also has one of the most updated sidebars in her blog. Here in the interview, she provides 5 sidebar ideas to BaB readers along with some other valuable blogging tips and tools. (she seems to be a tools freak.)

Hi Ruhi, Welcome to Being A Blogger!
Thank you Poonam! The pleasure’s mine. :)

Tell us about yourself. What made you choose this name, Time and Again for your blog?

I’m an MBA student set to graduate next week. But I’m not really sure whether I’m ready for the corporate life.

This blog is a medium to connect with people having similar choices. Also, I like reading about people’s view points on the current happenings of the world. I have made some very good friends through this blog.

I wanted to chronicle my thoughts so as to be able to come back to it later and reminisce it. That’s how this blog got its name “Time and Again”. Even the URL “havetoremember…” has to do with my initial motive. :)

How did you start blogging?

I started blogging sometime in July 2006 at Blogger. I didn’t like it much and then I shifted to Wordpress. I’m sure you’ve heard other bloggers telling you about how they saw other people blogging and decided to give it a try. So that is what happened with me too. J A couple of weeks down the line, I started blogging about general stuff and that is when people started visiting my blog. And that’s the way it’s been since almost a year…I just blog about whatever interests me. (More about this can be found in the Evolutionary Meme that I’d posted on my blog)

My blog is more of an outlet for me to write about stuff that occupy some part of my brain. But I do like the fact that I have some loyal readers who read every post of mine. :) There was a time when I used to care a lot about hits, but now all I care about is quality discussion.

How has your blogging journey been for you?

So far, so good. :) One of the best time was in July 2007 when JK Rowling’s last book was about to be released. I’m an ardent fan of hers and was writing a lot of posts on Harry Potter. I made a lot of friends during that time.

What are the things you commonly blog about?

I don’t really have a common subject for this blog. But I do blog a lot about the movies that I like and technology stuff. I also enjoy writing posts on current issues of the world.

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

Frankly speaking, getting hits has never really been a problem for me. Right from the start, I’ve had lots of blog traffic. J I had almost stopped blogging in the first half of 2007 because of my studies and work load. Still, like you can see, I am at 260,000 plus.

What gave you wonderful idea to put “One Crouton at a Time” in your blog sidebar? (That is quite innovative)

Well…this is a very recent addition to my sidebar. There are issues that I might feel very deeply about, yet don’t really have enough material to write a blog post on it. Such topics appear in the tab “One Crouton at a Time”. It hasn’t really attracted much attention even though it’s right at the top of my sidebar. :) So, thank you for noticing it.

Exclusively for BaB readers, provide 5 innovative sidebar ideas? :)

We can do a lot of things with the text and RSS widgets provided by Wordpress.

  1. Use the text widget to add pictures, links of articles or just about anything else that catches your attention.
  2. Use the RSS widget to display your comments on other people’s websites (I use a service called co.mments for that).
  3. You can also display your Google Reader shared Items.
  4. I like the service provided by Vodpod and use it to collect interesting videos from around the internet.
  5. Most importantly, include graphics of social causes that you support. :)

You are one of those bloggers who post what they read, what movies and videos they watch in the sidebar. Do you think it matters to your readers?

Many times, I don’t write a post and just update what I’ve been watching or what book I’ve been reading. Some of my readers probably come back to check that. It also helps people determine whether we have common interests. Plus, I really like watching good movies and am proud of my movie taste. So, I like to flaunt it. :)

How important do you think themes are for blog?

It is very important to have a theme that’s not too harsh on the eyes. I know for myself that I don’t read blogs if the themes make it difficult for me to read the posts. I take care to always use light themes because the writing is easier to read. I prefer themes that have lots of space for writing. :) The Journalist theme is my current favorite. I also like themes done by Chris Pearson.

5 things you do to make your blog look attractive?

This is a little restricted right now because I don’t have a CSS upgrade, else I would have done lots of things.

  1. Add lots of pictures. Everyone loves to look at pictures instead of lines and lines of boring writing.
  2. Keep the sidebar organized as much as I can.
  3. Adding a header image if the theme allows it is a wonderful idea. If the picture is yours, then that’s an added bonus.
  4. Use an external blogging tool like Windows Live Writer, or Scribe Fire to organize your writing.

I really can’t think of anything else.

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

Technically, I’m a part of two communities- Anti Socials and Thoughts and Opinions. But I don’t remember writing even a single post for either of them. I find it difficult to say no if someone asks me to join them. I got really busy during the first half of this year and this was the time I joined these blogs.

Blog communities help if your blog is not that popular. It helps the blogger get more traffic. But you need to have the time.

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

During my Harry Potter madness period, I had written several posts criticizing the 7th book because I was quite disappointed because of the leak. I’d expected much more out of the book. Some of my posts drove many people mad and they started leaving very rude comments. I had around 121,000 hits in just two weeks. I had to temporarily close the comments section of this post. Someone else who’s on my Blogroll also wrote a couple of posts and comments on his blog poking fun at me. So, that was not funny.

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

Till date, I have edited only one comment, that too very recently. I had to delete the last two statements because they were quite rude.

People are welcome to dismiss my opinion. :) There have been lots of instances, in fact. It depends who the person is. If I know him/her, then I really don’t mind. If it’s someone whom I don’t know, then I do sit up and take notice. Maybe be a little stricter. But I don’t believing in deleting comments just because I don’t agree with the person’s view point. If we have a public blog, then we should be ready to face some flack.

What do you do to keep up traffic of your blog? Do you want to shoulder any responsibility, using your high readability?

Like I said, I don’t really DO anything. Yes, it definitely helps when I post regularly. So, I try to update my blog several times a week, if not every day and I try to be myself. :)

I don’t want to shoulder the responsibility because I can not still handle it. I’m too possessive of this blog. But yes, I would love to have some guest posts done. :)

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

Oh yes. I’ve faced writer’s block many times. My motivation generally comes from issues that catch my attention. Nothing special :) Plus, I really don’t want to stop blogging. So, sometimes, I do surf around trying to find interesting.

You maintain four active blogs. Any time management tip you may want to share with our readers?

I maintain 4 active blogs- Time and Again, CFA blog, job blog and a personal blog. I try to restrict my blogging time, though it almost never works. ;) Time and Again is the only blog which requires a lot of time though. CFA blog is easy work because I just write about the syllabus that I’ve covered for the say.

Ever thought of making blogging making money through your blog?

No, not really. :) But if Wordpress were to allow us to post ads, then I might put a small strip. I don’t know. If I earn a very small amount, then I think it’s not worth it.

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

Oh yes. I read LOTS of blogs. Probably 40+ I like reading blogs that talk about movies, technology, current issues, finance…pretty much whatever I blog about. I don’t like reading personal blogs that discuss every day mundane tasks. Their business is not my business.

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

I seldom delete a blog from my reader…that’s because I don’t easily add a blog to my reader. :) I have deleted some blogs in the past when I felt that the blogger has stopped updating it. Also, I don’t like blogs that start talking about Bollywood all the time.

What are your top 5 blogging tools?

  1. Windows Live Writer
  2. Google Reader
  3. Social Bookmarking
  4. Wordpress Ninja Comment Add-on
  5. Wordpress!! Yay!

You can read more about these tools in my blog post.

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

It’s important to blog regularly and make your presence felt. Also, people will come to your blog only if you show to them that you care about their comments. SO, PLEASE REPLY to the comments on your blog. And if possible, spend some time commenting on other people’s blogs too. :) For example, I spend more than half my time commenting on other people’s blogs and responding to the comments on my blog.

Do not try too hard to please your readers. We need to be honest about our view points and blog about issues that really interest us. This helps in attracting people with similar interests. People who have a common theme for their blogs attract readers and so do people (like me) who don’t have a common theme for their blogs.

Sometimes, utilizing social bookmarking helps too.

What are your 5 take aways from your blogging experience?

  1. You definitely learn how to organize your thoughts and become a better writer
  2. It helps you form a circle of friends with common interests
  3. It’s fun!
  4. Makes you more aware of what others are thinking about
  5. Keeps you updated on the latest happenings across the globe

Any favorite blogs? (You can not name yours)

All the blogs listed on my Blogroll are my favorites.

Some of them in random order are- Babayaga, Ish, Prestidigitator, Baphomet, Nikhil, Your blog, Nita, Indisch, Patrick, Ashish, Swen, Ankur and Amit. Apart from them, there are some others that are in my Blog Surfer. I would like to mention them so that they know that I follow their blogs. :) BongoP’o’ndit, Amreekandesi, Amrita, Shefaly, Bharath, Neha, and Dakota. I haven’t been able to mention all the blogs because of time and space constraints.

Links elsewhere:

Studying for 642-523 as well as 642-812 is fairly simple. All one needs to do is go through the old preparation material for 70-270. That alone would be enough to attempt even 642-453. Pros who have done 1Y0-259 are well aware of this. In fact that is how they have 640-801 as well as 640-863 on their credit.

Filed in Interviews, Personal-Blogger | Tagged , , , , | Comments (47) »

An Interview with Ashish (geeekwrestler.com)

05-Dec-07

 

Today’s guest on BaB is Ashish. This 18-year old started his blog when he was 16! He is also the guy who created the first version of BaB logo (yes, it is evolving). Now, before you accuse us, BaB team, of committing child labour, let me assure you it was both voluntary and legal. :P

Hi Ashish, Welcome to Being A Blogger!

Thank you. Do I get my formal introduction as His Imperially Geeked Up Mightiness, the [future] Emperor of the World, the Geek Wrestler? No? Darn. Okay on with it. ;)

Tell us about yourself. What made you choose this name, Act of War: Warfare Redefined for your blog?

I am just your normal everyday guy – Introverted, running a business and loving food. lol. My blog is a means of connecting with people. Sort of like how people use Facebook, but with more zing. :P

The name Act of War: Warfare Re-defined was like a sort of “flash in the mind” thing. I am a history buff, the Age of Empires series of games just adding to that, so I always like to name my things in sort of old names. I had read about Sun Tzu’s book The Art of War and then suddenly this flashed into my mind as the subject matter was a call to war against adults who thought young people couldn’t do anything. Silly I know, but I love the name.

Right now it stands as a motto to my alter-ego writing on the blog – The Geek Wrestler who I created to do things that I used to but stopped and now don’t feel comfortable doing. Sort of like superman, only trying to conquer the world and be evil type of superman. Act of War is a base of operations.

How and when did you start blogging?

I started blogging back in 2005. I hear people saying they started blogs to let their voice out etc. For me it was different. I started a blog to earn some extra cash. Blogs were catching on and everyone was going on about how you could earn money, so I signed up on Blogger. After a religiously kept blog for about 6 months with no REAL comments coming in partly because the subject was Network Marketing. Then one day I was searching around for Lord of the Rings related posts, found Dabido’s blog and liked it. I thought I needed a sort of personal blog too so I jumped to wordpress.com and started Act of War: Warfare Re-defined.

How has your blogging journey been for you?

It has been one hell of a ride. I regard Act as my first blog despite blogging quite a while before that. I have learnt much. I’d say that my blog has made me a better person. It has been truly a memorable experience.

What was the turning point of your blog when you got traffic in your blog?

There have been three really. The first was a month after I started Act. The only regular reader was Dabido, who I mentioned earlier. Then I did the tag of the Five Questions Meme and people started coming to my blog. The days when 10 hits a day were a days of rejoicing. The next came in Oktober where my hits trebled then the usual. And now again this year it was Oktober with the same effect as last year. I guess it has something to do with my daily posting!

You have been a lot writing about how-to (technical stuff) and music. How do these posts work for you?

At first these were just filler when I had nothing to blog. Then slowly I started getting emails from people asking me to write more as it helped them [the how-tos]. Now its mostly because I think they might help people a bit. Looking at the sort of search engine queries that land people on the blog, I think I am doing that. :)

As for the music, I am a really new convert. I didn’t like any at first. I started listening last year, around the same time as I started the blog. At first it was to ask recommendations, now its filler or when I really want to tell people how much I adore a band(s).

You have a self-hosted blog, (for the benefit of newbie bloggers and non-techie people like me) how difficult is that?

I’d say a self-hosted blog gives you much room for customization. Most bloggers see Self-hosted blogs as a means to only change themes, trust me that gets boring after a while. I’d say self-hosted blogs add more to the ego of “I’m running my own website” more than anything else. But yeah, control is what is the biggest advantage. No need to tone down anything just so that somebody flags your blog as Mature! ;)

The disadvantage would be the regular updating. It isn’t fun. Plus nobody’s to watch your back. If something goes wrong, you have to solve it. You are responsible, always. As for the difficulty of it, there’s nothing really. As far as I know, human kind adapts quite well. :P

Have you ever guest-blogged? How did that work for you blog?

I have never allowed other people to “contribute” a post on my blog, nor have I contributed somewhere else. I regard my blog as something personal and am a bit of selfish to that. I had two team blogs, one with almost the same goal as It’s A Free World where I was founder, while the other was called Anti-Socials. Both were discontinued because of lack of time. I can only update one blog. lol

Do you think themes not important for a successful blog? Any favorite themes you have?

50-50. A good theme is err.. good. However I am pro-content. Content is king always. I think that for a successful blog, the blogger in question must have or develop that special something to hook the readers interest. A good theme contributes to that [especially clean navigation] but content is the main thing.

My favourite themes would be Regulus, PressRow, Sushi and my current one – Copyblogger. I’d recommend Chris Pearson’s themes – clean designs and great formatting.

There are hardly any images on your blog other than those taken from your camera or your own personal images. Was that a conscious decision?

Well that was a decision my ISP took, not me. lol. I am on dial-up and find it strenuous to upload images, especially larger ones. I am not an avid photographer [though I am interested in photography] and take photos rarely. So its easy to be motivated to upload them in say once a month?

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

I am not good at interacting with people. Even if I do signup, I forget to follow through. I have an attention span of 5 minutes, the thing should keep me interested or it goes. So sorry, can’t help you there. :)

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

The only time when I deleted a post. I wrote a Pro-DaVinci Code review of the book jokingly saying what not and forgot to put in the last line that said it was a “work”. My blog friend [and the only commentator then] Dabido read it and wrote me a long comment telling me his side of the view. I got scared and deleted it just so I wouldn’t lose the one friend I had made. lol. I take that as a reminder and don’t delete my posts or anything I say now.

What keeps you motivated to blog regularly? No writer’s block?

Personal ethic that a blog should be updated daily. Also I love comments, and if there are no new posts there will be no new comments. It’s not like I’ve been blogging everyday since day one. There was a stretch of months when I hated to blog. It felt like a chore and I really was not in the mood to blog. It’s just recently in September that I got back to regular blogging. I’d say that the refresher freshened me up a bit.

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

Well they do come when you’re least expecting them, often in pop-culture posts. I still laugh at the way I responded to that first guy, telling him I wouldn’t tolerate language etc. Now, I just destroy them, like the other day somebody said “Your taste in music is pathetic”, I just replied “I am happy that you have informed me it is way better than yours.” They never comment back anyway. I go an extra mile and email them if they provide one. You rub it in my face, I rub it back with extra chilli powder. :P

How do you manage time for blogging?

I don’t know actually. I am mostly always online. But I keep thinking of topics I might do and keep writing short starters. When I find time, the post just “blooms” from all the thinking I did for it.

Ever thought of earning money through your blog?

That was the reason I took up blogging!!! lol. In fact I did earn from my defunct blogger blog AFTER 6 months of closing it down. I was contemplating putting up advertising when I switched to self-hosting, but the long stay on Wordpress.com taught me the importance of an ad-less blog. I mean its my blog, I should pay for my hosting. And I hate adsense, people hate banners, so what ads could I put up?

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

Sure I do. The best way to connect is to go out. I have many interests, and like to be well informed in most things so even if you’re debating whether Aphrodite’s body was golden or showing off linux love, chances are I would comment. One thing that puts me off is people not replying to comments. That’s happens quite a while.

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

Um, changing my reader? lol. Not any really, because I rarely delete a blog from my reader or blogroll. That’s because I only add blogs that I would be keen on reading. Once you’re in, you don’t go out unless you piss me in some way!

What are your top 5 blogging tools?

1. Wordpress – THE BEST blogging platform to ever grace the internet.

2. ScribeFire – Because I’m lazy to go all the way to the Dashboard to post new entries.

3. Flock – I use the in-built RSS reader.

4. My Phone – For those electricity void or no PC access days.

5. My Brain?

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

Content is King, there’s no “and” to that. Hits should never be your target, it should be more “useful” comments. You have to really connect with your reader. Oh and despite everything heaped on you, just don’t forget that its your blog. Write what you want, even if it pisses people off. Seriously.

Ways to get hits? Add me to your blogroll! ROFL.

What are your 5 take aways from your blogging journey?

The better man resides inside you, you just need to coax him out.

Friends that stay with you no matter what.

Finding myself, even when you decide it, those hits get to you. Twice I’ve found my path back again after that phase of “Won’t blog as people won’t like it.”

Connecting with people from different parts of the world.

Finding Geek Wrestler rawks everyone’s socks? :P

Any favorite blogs? (You can not name yours)

Dabido’s blog, Dead End, Cat’s Blog, Dreaming the Dream, Visceral Observations, Man of Roma, Michael Sync’s Blog, Time and Again…. and in effect my whole blogroll. Can’t be partial can I? They’d be after my blood! lol.

Filed in Artist, Interviews, Meta-Blogger, Personal-Blogger | Tagged , , , , | Comments (17) »

An Interview with Amrit Vatsa (vatsap.com)

03-Dec-07

Amrit is a final year student at the IIT Madras. Besides designing logos & posters, making caricatures and tearing away cooing girls jumping on him, he finds time to spice up his blog with cartoons, strips, podcasts and training videos. He writes ‘phres blogshit’ for his readers at www.vatsap.com and also at the India Infrastructure Blog.

So, who is Amrit Vatsa?
Amrit Vatsa is a living being, a son, a brother, a friend, and a student. He is a rat in the race, and a brat on your face.

How and when did you get into blogging?
Aks. I blame my friend, Aks for getting me into blogging. He told me what blogging was all about. I liked the idea. It was in 2004. I started blogging and never stopped.

Your posts never seem to dry out. What keeps you motivated?

I love my readers, from the core of my heart. Love makes things happen. I write for my readers mostly. Otherwise I would have written very few posts. I believe someone out there is waiting for some more shit to happen at Vatsap. I cannot disappoint that someone. That motivates me. My readers motivate me.

Love Thy readers! So are visitors, comments, backlinks etc. important to you?
Extremely. I keep track of the unique visits daily.

How do you go about promoting your blog, building the ‘brand’?
Google Talk status message. Orkut sometimes helps. But a lot of readers also come through Google. Most importantly, since my site gets updated almost regularly, users who come, mostly stay. That helps.

And branding, I painted www.vatsap.com on a tee and wore it as much as I could. More so, it helps that vatsap is a word people use all the time. So the recall value is real high. I plan to launch a tee business soon. I guess I can sell designer t-shirts. They will help promote vatsap.com further. That is the current strategy

Cartoons, caricatures, podcasts and “How To” videos. What next?
This is a tough question, always on my mind. But I haven’t decided. It’s a free flow. New things always happen. I will continue the “How to” videos though, they bring visitors and also help people.

How did the blog affect your social life?
The blog helped my social life a lot. I know a lot of people through blogs. And, the next time we are close, we might end up meeting. I once blogged about an event called BRTFF (Bangalore roof top film fest), got in touch with them and finally when I turned up at the place, every one knew vatsap thanks to my blog. I made new friends. That was just one example.

Once, someone liked my site so much that we talked about it for 2 hours. He called me up from Pune. He thinks I can be a good designer. This is for a very big mobile communications company. I never knew your blog could get you a job. So a message to all those who are passionate towards something: Please blog about that, show your stuff and what you are capable of. You never know who finds you there and how your life can suddenly take an interesting turn

And the dates?
Oh. :) They could happen anytime. I did get dates because of my blog.

Do you read a lot of blogs? What keeps you wanting to come back to a blog?
Oh yes, I do. A lot of them. I use feeds in Google reader. I have about 70 feed subscriptions of individual bloggers. And it just keeps going up. I don’t always read full posts, but I always check them out to see if there’s something good.

How would you describe your blogging style?
Shitty. No wonder, I call it blogshit. Phres is just a value add.

Any parting “advice” to potential bloggers on going about building a readership?

Rule # 1: Please be regular. Otherwise it pisses everyone off.
Rule # 2: Don’t write 800 word posts till you are a booker prize winner.
Rule # 3: Comment and reply to comments.

Thank you, Vatsa, for the BlogShit.
Hmm. Well, if you like Vatsap, do let me know.

Filed in Cartoonist, Interviews, Personal-Blogger | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (9) »

An Interview with Melani (prettyinthecity.biz)

02-Dec-07

Today our guest on BaB is a pretty lady from Indonesia, who blogs a daily diary on her blog Pretty in the City.

Hi Melani, Welcome to Being A Blogger!

Tell us about yourself. What made you choose this name for your blog, Pretty in the city?

My name is Melani Sastrawidjaja. I am based in Jakarta City, Indonesia. I am happily married and live with my husband. I am a stay-at-home wife but I am preparing to open my own clothes shop right now. (She has already opened it now as per her blog post.)

I’ve been engaged with my blog for 9 months. This blog is my daily journal. When I read my blog archives, it reminds me how my life has gone, I realize that I have a lot of things to be grateful for.

Long time ago, I was addicted to watch Sex and the City series. I used to put Pretty in the City as my nickname on Internet. This name means 2 things to me: I only have pretty thoughts and I am a girl who pretty much likes everything. I don’t mind to try something new.

How and when did you start blogging?

On June 2006, I attended online course about Internet marketing. One of the modules was about blog tutorial. That was the first time I came to know what blog was. I later fell in love with personal blog. At that time, I still worked as a full time interior designer. So I postponed starting my own blog. Finally, when I had leisure time, I created my blog on February 2007.

How has your blogging journey been for you?

Incredible! At first, I created blog to be a witness of my daily life. But my blogging journey has become more precious than I expected before. I am now aware that all bloggers are the citizens of the world. Doesn’t matter where I live, I can make friends with people around the world.

More…

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An Interview with Vinaya (vinayahs.com)

30-Nov-07

Today’s guest on BaB is Vinaya. His blog has a unique name, Geo 12.97° N 77.56° E, a great objective and a dedicated readership. Some of them have stuck with him since he started his blog 3 years ago. Apart from his strong reader base from subscriptions, Vinaya says, his blog has 10,000+ page views a month.Hi Vinaya, Welcome to Being A Blogger!

Thanks Poonam. This is my very first web interview. :)

Tell us about yourself and what this blog means to you? You have a unique name for a blog. How did you arrive at that?

I am one of those typical born-and-brought-up in Bangalore types who still believe that it’s the closest thing to paradise. I used my first computer circa 1992, an event that can be compared with opening of the Pandora’s Box. I graduated from B.M.S College of Engineering, Bangalore with a degree in Computer Science, worked for more than four years, and then obtained an MBA from S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai. I now work as a Senior Business Consultant.

I’m usually identified with my blog Geo 12.97° N 77.56° E. It’s certainly a unique name and one that I stumbled upon quite by accident. Actually, the first name for my blog was “The World Wide Web Blog,” until someone commented that it sounded pretty lame. Since the original focus of my blog was Bangalore and since I happened to be looking up the geographical coordinates for Bangalore, I thought why not name my blog after that. I’ve stuck with this name since.

There are both Bangalore blog and Mumbai blog posts (related to reviews on places, products, restaurants in Bangalore and Mumbai) in your blog? Which of the cities you are based in?

I am a Bangalorean. But I shifted to Mumbai in order to pursue an MBA at S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research. You’ll therefore find content related to both these awesome cities. One of the themes for my blog has been the documenting of personal experiences, be it a new place I am traveling to, a restaurant I’ve just eaten at, or just a product or service I have used. Personal experiences tell a story and it is stories that keep a reader hooked. Just for the record, I am back in Bangalore now.

How and when did you start blogging?

In January, 2005. I’ve always been good at expressing myself through my writing. A blog seemed to be the perfect medium to let my thoughts out. Short compact posts on my experiences and thoughts. That’s how it all started.

How has your blogging journey been for you?

Terrific. My blog has been my USP, be it at the MBA admissions interview at S.P. Jain or while hunting for a job. My blog has always been my “sustainable competitive advantage!”

More…

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An Interview with Nita (nitawriter.wordpress.com)

28-Nov-07

Today’s guest on BaB is Nita. Her blog, A Wide Angle View of India is one of the most popular blogs. It covers every aspect of India and has very gigantic audience. A Wide Angle View of India scores for its serious readers, who passionately discuss the issues Nita talks about in her blog posts. This is a feat, because I know from my blogging experience that frivolous blog posts such as on Jhalak Dhikla Ja, movies do better than my most serious blog posts.

Welcome to Being A Blogger, Nita.

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

There is not much to know about :) I am an ordinary Indian woman who feels strongly about issues in our country and considers herself a writer. I am also a journalist and use the skills I learnt at work here on the blog.

This blog is a platform for me to express my feelings and thoughts. It is also important because now I am able to communicate with a far wider audience than I could when I was writing for newspapers and magazines. And I mean communicate. I may have reached out to a wider audience then but I could never communicate with them.

And very important – I want to make a difference in people’s lives and I feel that blogging helps me do that. I know it seems too huge an ambition, and perhaps naive, but quantity is not everything. Even if an article of mine helps one individual in a small way I feel happy. And blogging gives me the ability to find out…

How and when did you start blogging?

I started blogging a little more than a year ago. I started because I had heard a lot about blogging from a writers group that I was part of. To me blogging is writing and writing is my first love. People say I blog. I say I write. And I started writing as soon as I could form words.

How has your blogging journey been for you?

Well, initially blogging was all about getting familiar with posting, putting up photographs in the posts and making sure that my posts were looking right. I read a lot of ‘how to’ websites on blogging. I was not focused on traffic or comments at the time…I just wanted to get everything right…I was finding editing and formatting posts a tough task and my pictures weren’t looking right. I have never been very tech-savvy!

Now that I am more familiar with Wordpress, I am enjoying the writing thoroughly and it’s gratifying that I have a readership.

Your blog stats, it was way above 4 lakhs. How did you manage to garner so much traffic to your blog?

I certainly did not expect this much traffic when I started out and in fact I didn’t get much traffic in the first 6 months. In fact I don’t think it is a good idea to think of traffic or even comments when one starts a blog. It’s best to concentrate on writing good posts and reading up on how to improve your blog.

If I think about it I would say I got the traffic because I work hard at my posts. About the USP, I guess it’s my own personal style. I think I write with passion and am honest. But really it’s for others to say.

More…

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An Interview with Bellur Ramakrishna (bellurramki18.wordpress.com)

19-Nov-07

Neel and Nala

Today’s guest on Being A Blogger (BaB) is Bellur Ramakrishna, better known to his friends as Rk (read Restricted Knowledge) :) Rk is the creator of this blog cartoon and more. His blog Rambling with Bellur (RwB) that has several creative contributions from most eclectic guests has achieved 2 lakh hits beginning of this month!

Lets learn more about both RK and his blog RwB from him.

Hi Rk, tell us about yourself.

Hi, I am Bellur Ramakrishna, known in blog circles more as Bellur/ RK. Born and brought up in Bangalore. I completed my graduation (Bachelor of Arts) from St. Joseph’s college.

Before sticking to Graphic Designing for Roti-Curry :) , tried my hand at Marketing (Cassettes & CDs; Pneumatic products; Gas kit for Cars; Newspapers; Computers.) For some time, I was active as a Journalist, Cartoonist, Radio Jockey, TV Anchor and Copywriter.

Presently working as an Assistant Art Director in a design firm in Bangalore.

How and when did you start blogging?

One day in 2005, I found Sanjay’s blog (never realising it was a blog). The whole concept of blogging was new to me. Gradually I started visiting Shruthi’s blog.

I feel life as a reader, than as a blogger, was more relaxed. Writing new posts and deleting spam comments was what bloggers did. I only knew to comment and comment. Now as a blogger, readers ask me “Why have you not replied to my comment?” or “Why the blog is not updated?”

I commented quite regularly at both the above mentioned blogs (and in other blogs too). Most of my blog friends encouraged me to comment and some even felt I deserved my own blog. Although I hesitated starting one immediately, I finally had RwB on 31 May 2006. Since then, I have been regularly posting at RwB. When the blogs got blocked in mid July ‘06, I changed from Blogspot to WordPress.

How has your blogging journey been for you?

A pleasant one. Being fond of reading, I’ve read wonderful articles on many blogs with lovely insights and experiences. There are many talented bloggers who have beautiful thoughts and excellent narrative style. Hats off to all the ‘thinking’ and ‘creative’ bloggers.
Coming to RwB, it was something that I never imagined would happen. It came as a surprise (Thanks to a few blog friends). I think the best part of my blogging experience has been meeting fellow bloggers and readers in person who share wonderful thoughts and experiences from various fields. I feel but for blogging, we may have never known each other.

I am also thankful to my blog as it has given me a very good career break.

How did this career break happen through blog?

Six months into blogging, a blog friend, seeing the popularity and creativity I put into RwB, offered me the position of Assistant Art Director in his company. Both of us being foodies, met in a vintage Bangalore restaurant and discussed about the job and I was excited at the offer.

This November you had 2 lakh hits on RwB! How did you manage to garner so much traffic to your blog? What do you think is the USP of your blog?

I didn’t restrict RwB to any particular topic (because I enjoy reading about various subjects). I, and many contributors served a variety of blogposts. Maybe the readers liked it, and attracted them to RwB. To slightly modify Lord Krishna’s words: “Do your duty, i.e. posting blogs, and leave the matter of blog hits to me.” (actually this can be a blog cartoon!!) :)

Ah! Blog cartoons! :) I have loved your blog cartoons on your blog. I have myself posted some of your cartoons on Visceral Observations. Where do you get ideas for these blogging cartoons?

It was a pleasant surprise to see some blog cartoons in Visceral Observations. Glad you found them ‘postable’! Thank you.

As a kid, I was very fond of doodling. I took up cartooning when I was in school, and later in college. Even as a graphic designer, I made cartoons for some clients. Off late, I saw that there were plenty of blogs which had excellent write-ups. Just to regain touch, and also to give my readers something new, I hit upon this idea of Blog Cartoons sometime in August when I made a cartoon for ‘India at 60‘.

I made most of those cartoons based on historical, mythological and day-to-day situations. I depicted a few personal experiences too and felt nice to read those appreciative comments from my friendly readers.

You have blogged a sizable series of logo quizzes and rangoli patterns. These are unique features of your blog. How did you end up blogging about these?

Since I love Quizzes, I thought of creating a few exclusive ones for my blog. The Rangoli designs (I get enchanted seeing those intricate patterns) has been a bonus because I never planned the series. A dear friend of mine contributed the exclusive Rangolis.

Now that you mention contributors to your blog, how did this idea of guest blogging come into mind? How does that work for you?

Few months into blogging, RwB had a few regular readers. Some had blogs, and others were just content commenting (who had pretty good writing skills.) I wanted to encourage them and suggested they start blogs too. Some were hesitant. Then I told them they could post an article in RwB, that way they were not obligated to write posts regularly. A couple of them wrote a few posts, saw the response, and later got the confidence and ‘Josh’ to start on their own. Their blogs are doing really well. Some were satisfied seeing their contributions in RwB.

Slowly the contributions started coming in. One afternoon, got a mail from a Bangalore based author of 5 Cookery books specializing in Anglo-Indian Cuisine, Bridget White Kumar, to post some of her recipes in RwB.

A bank employee, PG Narayana, mailed some of his cartoons regularly. Another regular contributor was Srilakshmi Suresh (Web Designer) who made all those exclusive Rangolis for RwB. Latha Vidyaranya, a Special Educator and Counsellor, regularly wrote about Parenting and Psychology.

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

It was really sad when I got to know that a couple of blog friends had deleted their scholarly blogs.

Many have asked me why I had kept the comment moderation active. In the beginning, the blog received very less spam comments. Once the numbers increased, a few of them (after squeezing through) used to appear in the comments section. And when I used to take a break from blogging during weekends, these spams (which had unmentionable words) used to be seen by all my respected readers. When I saw them on a Monday morning, it was really embarrassing to know that the spams had spent the weekend at RwB.

They say with more power, comes bigger responsibility. Your blog now has power of high readership, did you now decide any aim in mind for your blog?

Some things work perfectly when you don’t plan too much. As I said earlier, RwB was a surprise element for me. And it has worked pretty fine till now. As of now, I am enjoying the break. I’ve not yet decided when or whether I should return to blogging. A lot of credit for RwB’s success should go to its readers.

I keep reminding myself that life will continue as before even if I stop blogging. There are countless blogs for me to explore and read. More than blogging, I love being a reader.

Most bloggers face writer’s block. What keeps you motivated to keep on blogging? Is that why you have planned a blog hiatus?

Writer’s block is a natural thing. Whenever I faced it, I changed into a designer and posted a design or a cartoon. Also there were many contributions to fall back on. That way RwB was active.

But the reason for taking a break now is not because of ‘writer’s block’. I’ve hardly written in the last one year, because there have been a lot of contributions.

I want to pursue my other hobbies like reading, walking, making scrapbooks and collages, singing and cartooning. I also want to try my hand at sculpting and pottery.

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

No abuses so far.

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

Whenever I found time, and if there was a topic in mind, I wrote or created something for the blog. As for time management, it is only a myth.

Ever thought of earning money through blogging?

Yes, but after thinking for a while, I was not comfortable about the idea and gave it up. One shouldn’t do everything only for money. Also, I feel creativity gets hindered when there is the ‘money-factor’.

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

Yes, a lot of them. Any topic ranging from Philosophy to Psychology; Cuisines to Computers; News to Nature; Parenting to Politics; Humour to Health; Music to Musings; (to name a few), interests me. I love any blog post which has a neat flow. And yes, the template also matters.

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

I had to delete a couple of them because, as I mentioned, a couple of bloggers deleted their blogs. Otherwise, I hardly delete anyone. Each one is a gem.

What are your top 5 blogging tools?

1. WordPress
2. WordPress
3. WordPress
4. WordPress
5. WordPress

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

Don’t get addicted to blogs. (Telling you out of experience)

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

i. Be yourself
ii. Keep things simple
iii. Love what you do
iv. Try out new things
v. Nothing is forever

Any favorite blogs? (You can not name yours)

All the blogs on my blogroll.

Thank you Rk, this was meant to be a small interview. But you had such a rich story of RwB, I had several follow-up questions. Thank you for your patience. It was most interesting to read your blog story. Wish you a lot of success in your life. :)

P.S: Here are more of RwB contributers whom Rk acknowledged in his interview, I listed them here to end the interview on a sweet note. :)

A few successful bloggers namely - David Mcmahon (Australian journalist and author of a bestselling novel), Melvin Durai (India-born, North America-based writer and humorist), Cuckoo (popular Indian blogger), Manjula Harpanahalli (Educational Counsellor), Anand N Balaji (Senior Manager), Sanjay Mysoremutt (Software Engineer), Vani Rao (Government Official), G Mohan (Financial Analyst) and a few blog friends – TS Srinivasamurthy (Government Official), BR Usha (HR Head), Praneshachar (Finance Manager), to name a few, were magnanimous in writing special articles on RwB’s humble request, thus adding immense value to the blog.

Links elsewhere:
With more wireless internet providers coming up everyday, there are more voip deals closing too. The very fast web development has resulted in innovations everywhere. Initially this was limited to just computers. Now we has the miracle of dsl. And thanks to services like cingular wireless, everyone can enjoy it too. Even regular hosting has become the best web hosting, with the aid of dsl.

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an Interview with Ishmeet (ishmeet.wordpress.com)

14-Nov-07

Today’s guest on Being A Blogger is Ishmeet, a 18-year-old lad who is in last year of school. His blog, Dead End, has had whopping 2 lakhs 20 thousand hits when last heard! And still counting more hits… :)

Hi Ish, Welcome to Being A Blogger! Let us begin with brief questions about Dead End.

How old is your blog and why did you start blogging in the first place? Did you have any aim in mind?

My blog is one and a half year old. No, I did not have any aim in mind. It was intended to be entirely personal.

How has the blogging journey been for you?

The blogging journey has been good, it has had its share of ups and downs but mostly it’s been a satisfying one.

More…

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An Interview with Ramkarthik (bloggingtune.com)

02-Nov-07

Next on in our blogger interviews is Ramkarthik, an 18 year old enthusiastic blogger and freelancer from India. He writes at Blogging Tune and Blogging Tips on ways to improve blogging skills and making money online.

Q. When did you decide to get into blogging and what keeps you motivated?
A. It is not too long since I started blogging. I have been blogging for round 6 months and 3 months with my new blog Blogging Tune. I started blogging when I finished my 12th. Before that I used to read many e-books related to blogging and internet marketing. During the six months of blogging, I have felt depressed sometimes. But all my hard work has started to pay now. I got a PR5 for my new blog. I started to take up freelance writing two weeks ago and got a freelance writing job in Blogging Tips very soon. Things like these keep me motivated.

Q. What is your aim.. what do you want to achieve by this hard work in blogging related research and blogging?
A. My aim is to become a Mechanical Engineer, a blogger and a freelance writer. Though it is not easy to achieve all these, I believe that with a little hard work, one can achieve anything in life. When I say blogger, I just don’t mean a simple blogger because I’m one already. I want to be one of the famous bloggers (I hope I can achieve my aim). Also I want to be a well-known freelance writer. When i achieve these, I can call myself a successful person :)

Q. How do u manage time for blogging along with your engineering curriculum?

A. It is not easy to blog when you have you are studying in a school or college. You really have to focus your mind to do both which I feel is a bit tough. But it can be done. I know many bloggers who are in school and yet successful in blogging. If you can set your mind to do both the things, it will be simple and you can become successful too.

Q. Can you mention some ways to manage time for blogging ?
A. Don’t waste time checking stats. They are not going to change over night (only rarely). Don’t sit idle and think of content ideas during those times. I have written a post on Blogging Tips about how to manage time as a part time blogger. Do check it out.

Q. Can you provide some tips for bloggers of your niche?

A. Yes of course and I have started my blog just for that reason. I can give a few tips which might be really useful because they have helped me a lot when I started.
*Normal Tips*
a. Don’t quit blogging very early for the sake of not getting any return
b. Blogging is not easy
c. You cannot earn a living online unless you are really good in
blogging and consistent(Please don’t think I’m pessimistic)
*Regarding Your Blog:*
a. Get a domain name. Go for .com.
b. Setup your blog in WordPress.
c. Have a unique theme.
*Regarding monetizing Methods:*
a. Don’t have too many ads.
b. Avoid using Pop-Ups.
c. Don’t do actions again the Google AdSense TOS.

Q. How frequently do you read other blogs? What kind of blogs make you go back and what kinds keep you away?

A. I’m a great reader. I believe that a great reader makes a great writer. So I have taken my first step to become a great writer. I read nearly 250 blogs per week. I read 10-15 blogs everyday + a few from StumbleUpon. I stumble a lot and read many articles. Few of the blogs that I stumble will make me come back again because of its compelling content. If you have some good content to offer, I will surely subscribe to your feed. The blogs that I don’t read are the ones with too many ads. I, sometimes don’t even go to the well known blogs because of the many ads they display on their page. I can bear normal ads. But I can’t withstand the Pop-Ups and most people can’t withstand it too. So if you want me to stay on your blog, please remove those pop-ups.

Q. How does being a blogger help you as a student?

A. Blogging has helped me a lot since I first started blogging. It is a nice part time job for a student like me. Earning a couple hundred dollars per month is not bad when you are spending very little time in front of computer. Blogging has also helped me develop my English language. Now I can write essays in English much better. Overall blogging is really a hobby which pays me. :)

Thanks for interviewing me and thanks for reading my answers to all the questions. I hope none of my comments were hurting. :) I wish everyone good luck.

Links elsewhere:
To have a web design solution, one does not need to have background education in website design. Basic know how about the web design would be more than enough. Same holds true for web hosting as well. One does not need to be an affiliate program specialist in order to figure out the workings of domain name registration. This is why people rely on godaddy.

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