Aside from the bundles of work that I am doing at my agency, I have also been helping my friends become bloggers. Non-Industry friends come to me all the time and ask about blogging. Usually through some sort of barter system and in this case “chocolate chip pancakes”. It gets to a point where these bloggers are the only people producing interesting blog content on the internet today. Look at how big networks like Blogher have become!
Obviously there could be a lot of black hat type stuff going on if you employ all of your friends to blog about client related topics. I am sure it’s done quite often. But I work with my friends on Mommy Blogs, Music Blogs, and others for pure amusement (and pancakes). It teaches me about how non industry bloggers are really using the internet and social platforms. This helps me to understand the space around me with much more efficiency which to me is worth it all.
I decided to share this information by asking my best new trainee how she feels about the blogosphere.
Dana Malave is a newbie Mommy Blogger @ Zen 4 Kids and a Motivation Blogger @ My Life In Abundance. She has only been blogging for about a month but is quickly picking up why using Social Networks, tags, proper anchor text, commenting, and engaging is so very important.
Here are some questions I asked her:
- What is your blogging inspiration? My blogging inspiration is knowing that I can speak my mind freely, touching upon any subject I want. My family gets to see a side of me that they never knew by reading my blog everyday.
- How do you find your constant flow of content? For my mommy blog, being a mother of two children, I spend a lot of time in the playground. I look around and see things that are happening that bother me and it inspires me to write. For my Motivation Blog, I use my life experiences in hopes that sharing my story will inspire people to be more motivated in their own lives.
- What are your blogging goals? My blogging goals are to reach as many people possible in all age groups and all ethnicities and make them feel like they are not alone. I’d like for my blog to generate money and good reputation.
- Where do you see your blog in the next 3 years? I see my blog opening the window for me to have motivational conferences worldwide.
- How much do you care about Ads and Networks? Joining networks helps me to promote my blogs and generate some revenue at the same time, which is great.
- Do you actively use Social Networks like Facebook and Twitter to promote your blog? Do you find value in them for social reasons as well? Yes, I use Facebook, Twitter, Ning and Myspace to promote my blog and reconnect with old friends. And I constantly look for product support from Business twitter accounts like @wholefoods while food shopping.
- What blogs do you read? I read a lot of blogs on Blogher, that covers a lot of the female focused blogosphere. I also read many blogs on Cafe Mom.
In the world of Social Media, it is becoming more and more important to ask questions and learn about non industry bloggers and Twitterers. These are the evangelists of our clients brands and they are voices to be reckoned with. They are more accessible than publishers and can easily build fantastic relationships with you. So next time you come across a blog that interests you or the likes of your clients, talk to them!
Tags: bloggers, interview, mommy blogs, non industry, outreach
