True Confessions of 101 Bloggers and Podcasters

Ted Demopoulos is an IT consultant, blogger, speaker, and author. His newest book is What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting: Real-Life Advice from 101 People Who Successfully Leverage the Power of the Blogosphere. (The author of this blog was among the 101.) Ted recently sat for a Freaking Marketing interview.

You interviewed 101 bloggers. What surprised you?

There were many surprises. For example, how hard it is to herd 101 bloggers. Actually, not all 101 were bloggers, but the majority were. All 101 benefit from the blogosphere, but not all blog -- just like far more people benefit from books than write them. Also it was very surprising when I asked via my blog for volunteers to be in my book. EVERYONE who contacted me was very suitable -- no borderline cases. This isn't to say that everyone who wanted to be in the book qualified, or was even sane, but those who contacted me via my blog were.

What was the most outrageous rationale for blogging you came across?

Well, some of the interesting people who didn't make it into the book included a guy who said he ditched his expensive psychiatrist and instead now blogs for therapy, and a woman who ranted about radio signals from Mars, signal processing, Ethernet, and blogs. She blogs to communicate with aliens, and says it's going well although they don't leave comments that often.

Of the people in the book, there is a woman who blogs because she always wanted to write, but was afraid. She blogs under a pseudonym, hiding it even from her husband, and has built up confidence. She has several published articles and a book coming out in the spring. She's still "anonymous," although she claims I read her blog and will reveal her identity once the book is out. The Russian splogger and reindeer breeder I shared a bottle of vodka with last February in central Siberia was pretty interesting too.

Are bloggers a different breed, or are they just a microcosm of society?

Bloggers are a microcosm of society, but not just a random sampling. As early adopters of a very social medium, bloggers are special.

Who's the very best blogger on the planet right now -- and why?

Tough question as there really isn't one blogosphere, there are several. For example, bloggers in the political blogosphere essentially have zero contact with bloggers in the technical blogosphere.

But I'll vote for Seth Godin, a controversial choice as he doesn't allow comments, although he allows feedback via trackbacks and even answers all his email. Why Seth? Although not everyone is interested in his topic, marketing, everyone buys stuff and can relate to his messages. He's also a superb writer and very engaging.

You're a top blog consultant and author. So I've gotta ask: What sucks about the Freaking Marketing blog?

One obvious thing stands out -- some of your headlines suck! They're cute instead of being descriptive and keyword rich. For example, "Not-So-Beautiful Marketing Minds" should be something closer to "Creativity in Advertising Doesn't Matter?" -- your subhead.

Search engines pay a lot of attention to the titles, and probably aren't sending you people looking for content on "creativity" and "advertising." It's a great post and many people who could benefit from it are less likely to find it. Hard to believe I can offer you any advice on headlines!

Your blog is great -- I read it regularly. Your writing is engaging and interesting. If you linked to others' posts more often and commented on them, you'd probably get more traffic too.

What advice would you give someone thinking of starting a blog?

Spend some time reading blogs first. Do some planning -- have at least a rough purpose in mind, then just dive in.

We're both adoptive parents. Is adoption a beautiful thing or what?

Absolutely! There are so many children out there that need a home, and so many homes that need a child.

Comments

[ilaxi]

I feel, Blogging is not a cup of tea for any Tom, Dick & Harry. It demands serious Blogging for those who wish to mint money or promote own Company. Creating posts every day proves a tougher challenge, and the vast majority of blogs don't last for very long. I have a couple of blogs and no way, it is social interaction but love for writing. Words don't just roll out of the brain and into the ‘post comment' field of a blog. It is a research too and people want info.

Btw, great reading the interview and esp. your advice to spend time reading some blogs - We tend to miss what others are writing as we keep blogging our way. Thank You.

- ilaxi

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Very interesting interview. You've provided some nice insights into the book. I am definitely looking forward to reading it, if for nothing else than the Russian splogger.

[bob glaza]

Thank you, Robert and Ted. A great interview! The best advice ever is to get away from your own blog...the trouble for me is getting back to it :). There are so many places to get lost, so many people with whom to build relationships, and then there is the work that pays the bill. Blogging is a discipline and not an easy one to adopt! That doesn't mean we don't keep trying...and the podcast is rumbling around my brain now.
Thank you both -

[Ted Demopoulos, Blogging for Business]

Thanks everyone!
Ilaxi,

Yes, blogging is not for everyone, but it's a great tool for many.

Phil,

There are also some great insights from this guy named Phil Gerbyshak and Robert R as well :)

Bob,

I've got podcast on the brain too. I contribute to The Great Big Small Business Podcast and am thinking about taking up yet more time with another :)