I received an interesting email the other morning requesting an interview with me regarding Blog-Op – “Fame and fortune at last!” I thought. Well, not quite but it was interesting and fun to do. The request came from BlogInterviewer.com and linked me through to an online form where I got to answer some questions about myself and my blog, and you can see the results in the Blog-Op review.
The questions weren’t too taxing, but they asked you to try to give more than one word answers, so it certainly helped me to think a little deeper about what I’ve done and achieved over the last 9 months.
The Blog Interviewer site is relatively new I’d guess from it’s lack of page rank (although it has been a while since the Google Fairy last visited) but they already have a wide range of blogs interviewed, including some good ones I’m already aware of like Technospot, Skelliewag and Daily Blog Tips, plus a lot I’ve not seen before, but look interesting – following this site will be a good way to find new blogs, as well as to find out more about the bloggers themselves.
Why they selected me to appear I really don’t know, but you don’t need to wait for an invite – If you’d like to be interviewed, then just pay them a visit, submit your answers, and your interview will almost certainly be published, giving you some good free publicity and links. Not only this, but all blogs interviewed are subject to be voted on, and if your blog attracts enough votes you will win a cash prize. If you’d like to vote for me, please do, but as there’s only 1 more day left in August, it’s doubtful I’ll win….
All in all, a fun, fast and free way to get more exposure for your blog, and to find out some more about other bloggers. What’s not to like?
11 users commented in " Blog Interviewer "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackGlad to hear that you enjoyed the experience. Thanks for the kind words.
Mike
Blog Interviewer
@Mike: It was really great but there is something which is certainly nt required right now and will irritate readers. Too many ads, I am not against monetizing but I am not sure its monetized the right way. Just a view though
Hey Mike, no problem, and thanks for the chance.
I’ve just re-visited your site and turned off ad-block based on Ashish’s comment and he’s absolutely right. Not only are they a bit on the intrusive side, I also count at least 6 Google ad blocks which I think is against their TOS and may lead to you getting banned.
I also notice that the template is a little broken in places (viewed in Firefox) and some of the rounded corners are missing – you’ve got a good thing going there I think, which is likely to prove popular, so a little bit of tweaking wouldn’t hurt.
You could do worse than check out the Prosense theme co-released by the DoshDosh blog, even if only as a short term measure – the adblocks are already blended into it, and I think it would suit your blog well. Good luck.
I was going to repeat what Ashish said. Too many ads!
I was over there yesterday and voted for your blog, Chris, after responding to an invitation for an interview. Now when I go back to the site it says:
You have been suspected of cheating the voting system. Please email
mike@XXXX.com to be allowed to vote again.
I tried to send him email, but Gmail wouldn’t deliver it.
…Automated interviewing?
No offense meant to anyone, but as a journalist first, blogger second that sounds…horrifying…
Thanks for the tips. I’ve taken down some of the ads. But the blog does need to have an income prizes are going to be given out.
RT Cunningham, no one is blocked anymore.
Chris,
We only have three adsense blocks per page, plus the text ads and google search. It’s all okay under google’s TOS…thanks for looking out for me, though.
Any ideas on monetizing it effectively?
Hey Mike, guess I must have mistaken some of the Google text ads, but there are a lot of them. Absolutely you’re entitled to an income, but the current layout does detract somewhat from the image of the blog.
Do check out that Prosense theme, even if you don’t use it, as it’s a good example of well-blended Google ads, and using a 3 column theme, with one column dedicated to affiliate and other advertising. It looks more together, and less sploggy. The main problem with your ads though is the lack of blending-I’m a long way from an expert on it, but when it’s done well it’s really effective. I can only suggest visiting some of the big blogs and seeing how they do it.
Cheers,
Chris.
So I changed the template around a bit to mimic some of the aspects of the Prosense themes.
What do you think?
Looks better Mike, loads way faster too. The top adsense block is a bit of a sore thumb, but I guess it performs best for you? It does jar a little, but if it’s working…..
Good luck with it.
Chris,
Definitely performing better. I appreciate your input…I was trying to get some ads in there before to pay for the contest, but it was just too much.
Kudos.
Mike
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