Interview with:Lin Kautz [farkel4]
BLOGGING
 | What is your blog address? What subjects do you deal with? http://www.Duckandwheelwithstring.blogspot.com is the blog. I write about my thoughts, ponderings, and happenings in my life and beyond. It is a potpourri of nature, people, pets, and whatever else happens to be blowing by at the moment. You never know what you'll find here. |
| What was it that made you create your blog? On what date did you start it? Duck and Wheel with String was started back in April 2008. It began as a creative outlet and place to post my writings from a creative writing class that I was taking at the time. |
| What blogging system have you adopted and why? Blogger--it really is simple to learn and maintain. |
| How many visits a day do you get? What type of comments do you receive? I have a core group of visitors that average approximately 175 per day. Social sites have helped bring in the numbers, but my content has kept them as regular readers and friends. My comments from others are thoughtful, funny, and friendly. I respond to each and every comment and encourage an interaction amongst the group. It's sort of a family now. |
| How has 'having a blog' contributed to your life? I've met some incredible people both on the site and in person. I have never felt such encouragement and support for my writing as I have on the blog. It has taught me discipline in my creative life and has lead to a part-time career in writing. |
| Have you created relationships with other bloggers or readers of your blog? Definitely. I have even met up with a few bloggers along the way. I find the personal meetings very beneficial to the blog--we can brainstorm and talk "blog" when the rest of the world doesn't understand the concept! |
| How often do you post? Does regular posting of your blog require a lot of effort on your part? I post nearly everyday. I finally took one day a week off to be with my family as it was getting to be a chore. I find it important to keep a balance and not to spend too much time on it. It is not an effort to write each day, but the return visits and commenting (the social aspect of blogging) is very time consuming and takes tremendous effort. But you gain visitors by visiting other blogs. It's a give and take. |
| Does blogging bring in income for you? Can one make a living from posting? Mine is a creative avenue and I don't aim to make money from blogging. My sidebar is relatively empty--I want the content to stand out, not ads. |
| How do you promote your blog? I visit other blogs and comment--that seems to be the best way to increase your active readership. I do belong to a couple of social sites, but I find they really only bring "lurkers" or those who stop to record their visit (which is required by a certain social site). |
| How would you define your readers? Have you got a faithful audience? My readership is faithful, fun, and incredibly talented in many facets. My blog "pallies", as I call them, are typically also found on Etsy and other creative outlets. We have a friendship that is supportive and encouraging. The constantly amaze me on how kind they are. |
| Are there any blogs you follow daily or regularly? Yes, but I can't begin to list them here for fear of forgetting one. The list of blogs that I visit daily is almost 100. |
| Have you ever received gifts for blogging about your opinion of products or services? What do you think of bloggers who do that? I personally do not use my blog for making money or advertising. Mine is a creative blog only. I don't mind those that blog about products or services, but I really don't stop to read these. |
| How do you see your blog evolving in the future? I'm not sure. I really like where I'm at for right now. I have a dedicated readership that I can handle returning all of their comments. I'm torn between wanting the readership to grow and getting too big to make it less personal each day. |
| What advice would you give to someone who wishes to begin a blog? Prepare for a major lifestyle change! Blogging takes work and lots of it. You have to post regularly because you lose readers if you don't. Plus, you have to acknowledge your readership and work to visit and comment on others' blogs. TIME is a constant enemy in blogging. |
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586 visits Whohub
Lin Kautz
Chicago, USA
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