We are Fuelmyblog - Robert Walker Online. The latest in the series of interviews highlighting Fuelmyblog bloggers and their blogs

This post is part of a series of interviews highlighting Fuelmyblog bloggers and their blogs, a great way to find out who are the bloggers part of the Fuelmyblog community. If you would like to feature in this series add your name in the comment box or email sylvie(at)fuelmyblog.com

• What’s your name?

Robert Walker

• What’s the name of your blog?

Robert Walker Online

• What’s the URL of your blog?

http://robertwalkeronline.com

• How old is your blog?

I published my first post on 5/28/08, so, it’s pretty young. But, it has an old soul.

• If you’re willing to share, how many visitors per day do you have to your blog?

I don’t really know, to be honest, but I’d bet I’m not breaking any records. I suppose considering how new my blog is, that’s to be expected. In fact, given the material I post, I see my readership being more, shall we say, selective than general. Which is perfectly fine with me. I’d rather have a quality readership than a massive one. Not that I would complain if I got a massive one, though!

• How much time do you spend blogging every week?

I’d say, a few hours, maybe.

• Is it the creative process or the editing process which take you longest when writing a post?

Well, since the majority of what I’m currently posting comes from material I wrote a while ago, for me, the editing process is the creative process! Which can actually be quite time consuming! A lot of the material was originally pretty lengthy, so I often have to edit it down, kind of like reducing a sauce down to its essence. Some I end up separating into different blog posts. I’m looking for that “sweet spot” when it comes to post length. Right now, I try not to post anything longer than, say, 750 words.

• What inspired you to first start writing a blog?

I originally started my blog/website after completing a fantasy novel which I hoped to get published. Having been a professional musician for most of my life, and having dealt with the music industry (ugh), it was not a process I was looking forward to! In fact, I was really hoping to pull a J.D. Salinger—you know, write my book, put it out there, and go about my life in relative obscurity. But, then I learned that these days, publishers expect you, the author, to do most (if not all) of the promotion for your book yourself. And part of that is a website/blog. So, I started one. Initially, I wrote about the book industry, commenting on trends, this and that. But, I soon tired of that rat race (just as I had with the music industry), and eventually shifted into posting excerpts from my extensive body of personal notes instead. I wanted to do something more “real.” They’re “philosophical in nature,” I would say, but they’re not stodgy. Nor are they “new age” treacle. Hence the motto of my site: “Strive for truth. Hold the cheese.”

• What do you do to get inspired to write?

Nothing. I write when it feels right.

• How do you market your blog?

I’m not big on self-promotion, to be honest. I’ve never been interested in trying to “sell” myself, or trying to convince people that my work is good. I’d prefer to let the work speak for itself. But, the problem is that you have to make at least some effort towards letting people know it’s there in the first place! Personally, I don’t see the point in writing a blog that no one reads. So, I’ll do an interview like this one (Thanks for having me, by the way!), I’ve got a guest post coming up on another blog which has a lot more traffic than mine, I list my blog on sites like FuelMyBlog, BlogCatalog, Alltop, etc., and I will leave a comment on other people’s blogs here and there, but only if I really feel it.

• What are the blogging tools you cannot do without?

My blog is hosted on Wordpress.com, so, I’d have to say: Wordpress.com. And my computer does come in handy.

• Is there anything that you simply refuse to blog about?

My personal life, and the personal lives of the people in my life. I’m not much for this exhibitionist type of thing you see out there with so many people’s personal blogs. I think it might be a generational thing. What’s with these kids today, with their rock and roll, their ipods, and their dashboard confessional blogs?

• If you went for a job interview and were told that you’d have to close your blog in order to get the job, how would you react/feel about it?

I don’t like being told what to do, so I guess I’d say, “Take me as I am, or not at all.”

• Do you talk about your blog with your relatives and friends or do you avoid mentioning it?

I don’t avoid mentioning it, but I also don’t make a big deal out of it.

• What is the biggest mistake you made when starting your blog?

I can’t really think of any, to be honest. From the beginning, I made sure to be mindful of what I put out there, since, in many ways, once it’s out there, it’s hard to get it back.

• Any tips for aspiring bloggers?

I would say that the most important thing, no matter what kind of blog you have, is to find your own voice. There are so many blogs out there that it can be hard to stand out from the pack. A lot of people try to do that via gimmicks, but I think the answer is actually quite simple: be yourself. Of course, then you have to ask yourself if you really have anything worthwhile to say. To be honest, I find most blogs to be pretty boring and derivative. But, if you do have something to say, something unique to offer, then I think it’s definitely worthwhile to focus on finding your own voice. Work on being true to yourself, and the rest will fall into place.

• Who are the bloggers that you look up to the most?

Look up to? No one, really. But, I do appreciate the guy who does “What Would Tyler Durden Do?” I think he’s possibly the funniest “blogger” out there. (Be warned, though, his site is not for the easily offended.)

• Do you still see yourself blogging in 5 years time?

I don’t look that far into the future. The best laid plans, and all that. But, I would like to get a lot of the material from my notes out there, and this is a great way to do it. I love being able to offer this work for free. My hope is that it might inspire people to be themselves, which, as we all know, is a lot easier said than done. And that can only lead to better blog posts for everyone.

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