Apr 24

We are Fuelmyblog: Work Life Fusion

By sylvied Fuelmyblog News 1 Comment »

Fuelmyblog is talking to Paul the author behind Work/life fusion – Paul joined Fuel in December 08 under the user name of didsbury, his blog has just reached a year and is going strong, add him as a friend and check out his blog!

What’s your name?

Paul

What’s the name of your blog?

work/life fusion

What’s the URL of your blog?

http://worklifefusion.blogspot.com

How old is your blog?

1 year old on 22 April 2009

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

Iʼm not so hot on stats any more but I reckon the average is about 30 people a day

How much time do you spend blogging every week?

Around 10 hours a week on average

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

It depends. Sometimes the posts write themselves and other times the writing takes longer. That said, Iʼm spending more time on editing now than at any time before.

What inspired you to first start writing a blog?

A good friend of mine is a web & communica-tions genius. He went on at me for ages about starting a blog. I finally gave in and have never looked back. You have reminded me to thank him again for his efforts!

What do you do to get inspired to write?

I think about people and their relationship with work and it never fails to inspire me. There is so much potential for our work to make us happy and fulfilled and so many ways that work/life success can be improved.

How do you market your blog?

Iʼm a bit of a novice when it comes to marketing. I think I would still be talking mainly to myself if it werenʼt for great websites like FMB! (creep)

What are the blogging tools you cannot do without?

FeedBurner is probably the one thing I would miss the most.

Is there anything that you simply refuse to blog about?

I try not to get into politics because itʼs a ready made argument

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 would want to ask them why they thought my blog would detract from my per-formance as an employee. It would also make me worry about the size of their egos ;)

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

With the exception of my heroic wife, I never mentioned it to any-one at the start because I was sure it would fail and that people would laugh. It comes up in conversations every now and then but I now have one or two supporters amongst family and friends who genuinely share my interest :)

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

My biggest mistake was get-ting hung up on reader numbers. The longer you look at them, the slower the counter goes up. People only started coming to my blog when I forgot about the stats and let the content do the talking.

Any tips for aspiring bloggers?

If you believe in it and you genuinely write for other people, they will come!

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

Wow, there are so many. For no-nonsense business I like Marshall Goldsmith. For fun I love the failBlog. Jason Alba at jib-berJobber is a legend who has helped so many people. Eilleen on Consumption Rebellionalways makes me think. The list goes on

Do you still see yourself blogging in 5 years time?

I really hope I am because I have learned so much from the experience!

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Feb 09

We Are Fuelmyblog: Note to Self

By sylvied Interviews 3 Comments »

This feature is our chance to find out a bit more about the bloggers behind the scenes. Thank you MJ for sharing with us all your take on blogging. If you would like to feature on “We are Fuelmyblog” simply email sylvie(at)fuelmyblog.com

What’s your name?

MJ

What’s the name of your blog?

Note to Self

What’s the URL of your blog?

http://margeauxj.blogspot.com/

How old is your blog?

I’ve been blogging for about a year and a half now, but only about a year of that was shared with the public.

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

It depends. Some days, I only have about 10 visitors. Other days, I get lucky and I can get up to 75 visitors. Mostly, I have about 10 readers who are devoted to coming, reading, and commenting almost every day. That might not seem like much to most bloggers, but I love it. I like recognizing a blogger’s handle and being able to keep up with my commenters as much as they keep up with me.

How much time do you spend blogging every week?

I used to spend at least four or five hours blogging a week, but with all the different things that have come up in my life recently, I haven’t had as much time. Now I try to spend at least an hour a week blogging.

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

Probably the editing. As soon as I have an idea, it will only take me about ten minutes max for me to blog it. But then I sit on it… and think about it… and rewrite it… and edit… and then it finally gets posted for your enjoyment.

What inspired you to first start writing a blog?

I was having a hard time in my life, and I really needed an outlet for my thoughts. My blog started as a private blog, but when I had some friends comment that my writing could be enjoyed by others, I gave in and went public. When people actually showed interest in my writing, I fell in love with making people laugh.

What do you do to get inspired to write?

I usually don’t have to try to be inspired. Like other bloggers, I’m sure, I will simply be living my life and something will slap me in the face and I think, I should blog about that. I love writing about my crazy family, my puppy, my cop fiancé, and my insane friends. I wouldn’t have any material without them.

How do you market your blog?

I don’t really market it much. I enjoy letting other bloggers who like my writing spread the word about me. I have done some shameless plugging before, and I’ve also done a blogathon for charity.

What are the blogging tools you cannot do without? Some would disagree, but I love the way blogger is setup. I think it’s so easy to use, and if there is a plug-in you want that isn’t built in, you can simply edit the CSS code. Google Analytics, FuelMyBlog, and Blogger’s new follow tool help me keep up with how many people stick around to read and enjoy what I post.

Is there anything that you simply refuse to blog about?

Not really. I’m not a gratuitous blogger, and I try to keep my material PG-13, but there’s not a whole lot off limits for me and my writing.

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 actually had to deal with this recently in my current occupation. There were some posts complaining about some aspects of my job (as I’m sure a lot of people do), and someone in my office found my blog and complained (apparently). The big wigs didn’t like the idea of me having it for the public to see, but I explained it was a personal blog, and that it never named a coworker or even alluded to where I work – it was meant for entertainment value only. They didn’t ask me to take it down, but I have been more guarded about writing about my job. I would never take it down for anyone, but I would be willing to tailor my writing some.

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

I talk about it all the time! They probably get sick of me talking about “my blog friends” and such, but some of my faraway friends and family love being able to keep up with me this way and have a laugh with me. I’ve been begging my fiancé to become a co-blogger, but I can’t quite get him motivated.

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

I didn’t look at other blogs first. I started with absolutely no direction, no substance, and no friends to connect to. I think I learned quickly that I would need pals in the blog world to help keep me motivated and help me with material.

Any tips for aspiring bloggers?

WRITE. A LOT. And write for yourself. If you can make yourself laugh, chances are that you’ll make other people laugh too. Get connected with bloggers by reading their blogs religiously. Comment, comment, comment! Don’t just put people on your blogroll just because – make sure they are blogs you will want to read all the time, and then read them – all the time!

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

I am a big fan of Colby over at colbymarshall.blogspot.com. Her blog was one of the ones that really inspired me to go public, and she has always encouraged my writing.

Do you still see yourself blogging in 5 years time?

Sure! Why not? By then, maybe I will have something more interesting to write about!

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Jan 05

We are Fuelmyblog: SewArtsy

By sylvied Interviews 6 Comments »

We are Fuelmyblog is a series of interviews dedicated to our bloggers on Fuel. We are glad to discover a little bit more about the person behind the blog and to see how you feel about blogging. Starting this 2009 series meet Amy and her blog SewArtsy. If you would like to take part too do email sylvie(at)fuelmyblog.com

Continue reading »

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Jul 22

We are Fuelmyblog: John Cribbs

By admin Interviews 13 Comments »

This post is part of a series of interviews highlighting Fuelmyblog bloggers and their blogs. If you would like to be interviewed as part of this series simply add your name to the comments on this blog post or drop an email to paul (at) fuelmyblog.com.

· What’s your name?

John Cribbs

· What’s the name of your blog?

Life Onwards

· What’s the URL of your blog?

http://www.lifeonwards.com

· How old is your blog?

The URL’s less than a year, but it was carried over from Blogger.com and started four years ago there.

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

You’ll laugh at this, but less than 20. Honestly. My blogger account however gets an average of 100. Honestly it’s nice to have a number like that. My bounce rate is real low, which means the people reading it are reading it for a reason.

· How much time do you spend blogging every week?

Recently much less than I’d like. Four hours weekly average.

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

Editing. I’m not a ‘theme’ blogger or ‘life coach’ type. Sometimes I write for me, for someone I know who I know will read the entry, sometimes pulling something out of old notes on my PDA that would be more suitable on a Saturday Night Live skit.

· What inspired you to first start writing a blog?

My family became homeless, and I wanted both an online log I could use later for resources and recommend to others. It sometimes crossed over into becoming an outlet and diary, given the circumstances.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I also started advocating for other parents and became a peer that they’d come to when having problems with ‘the system’ regularly. That provided me more reason to blog, to relate the common problems many parents face…medical, financial, housing, emotional, psycological…life for a family in general…but not just ours…so many that have, are, and will experience homelessness.

· What do you do to get inspired to write?

Nothing. I sit and blog. While I do sometimes accept paid posting and links, the majority is whatever is on my mind at the time. Sometimes I’ll go through photos I’ve taken with my PDA, sometimes attachments from agencies I receive. I just go with the flow and let it happen. Sometimes I hit a dry spell, sometimes I get a piece of meat I can sink my teeth in and lose myself.

My two older blogs are honestly paid posted entries at this time, which serves a two point purpose:

i. To generate capital for equipment like a camcorder for future projects with the homeless and putting them in a picture less seen by agencies and the media.

ii. I really enjoy creative writing. Taking a few words and having to run with it, just as much as what an artist does with improv on stage.

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

If I told you, then wouldn’t that be blogging about it?

· 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’d seek opportunity elsewhere. Last January I actually made the choice myself to hold off Blogging, but it was one on my own initiative. Anyone else telling me to do so would be an ultimatum and sign of control, a time to walk.

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

The blog is what it is. They’re welcome to view it, but it’s not coffee talk other than acknowledging it’s there.

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

None that I can think of. If there were any, I’d chalk them up to the learning curve. The way so many people blog, there shouldn’t be any ‘right’ way to do it.

· Any tips for aspiring bloggers?

Read, comment, find a good bunch of people with like interests, and check in at least weekly. If you fall off your habit, chalk it up to time away and don’t think twice about your absence. Don’t cry about having a life, it gives you something to blog about later.

· What 3 bloggers do you look up to the most?

That’s a tough one. Honestly Paul, I can’t say. Every one of the bloggers…I look up to…in one way or another. Technical information, relating to personal experiences and connecting spiritually, or finding something humorous and laughing at my monitor as others may be doing so at the same moment. It’s too big of a number to be three.

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

In some form or fashion, definitely yes! I was a blogger when there weren’t any blog communities. We just had our own web pages and updated them statically.

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