Archive for the 'Blogger Profiles' Category

A Monday thank-you to our bloggers

Published by Dock on February 8, 2008 in Blogger Profiles and General. 0 Comments

Let’s kick off the week with some praise.

“I joined BlogBurst about a year back. I had a personal email exchange with one of their founders who invited me to add my blogs on their network. Now this isn’t one of those online syndication services but instead a service that attempts to bridge the gap between mainstream media and the blogosphere. Both these mediums have often been labeled as being in direct conflict with each other although it never was true. I have always believed that the mainstream media and the blogosphere work symbiotically often filling the information gaps that each medium individually can never close.” - Patrix

All very good points from iPatrix, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly - and yes, our company is still small enough (and close-knit enough) that our founder and executives are deeply involved in the company, both internally and externally. Yep, you can talk to the top dog here, no problem.

Also a shout-out to Chuck Butcher III for his positive experience getting a leg up onto Reuters with his article. How cool is that? It’s very cool, and very do-able. If you’re politically active (as Chuck certainly is) Blogburst can provide a valuable leg-up to generate wider exposure, and that’s the name of the game.

We are of course grateful for the positive mentions, and also glad that we can provide a noteworthy service that people find useful and helpful. It’s all about bringing your blogs up front!

Blogger Profile: Matt Loede of “NFL Gridiron Gab”

Published by Tina on October 25, 2007 in Blogger Profiles. 0 Comments

Recently, our BlogBurst editors interviewed BlogBurst member, Matt Loede.

You can find his blog here: http://www.nflgridirongab.com/

Q: We’re halfway through the NFL season, any advice for Fantasy Football fans?

Right now I’d have to stick with the big guys - Tom Brady & Randy Moss, Ladainian Tomlinson, Peyton Manning and Joseph Addai. Look out for Adrian Peterson of the Vikings. He’s a special talent that will be a keeper for years to come!

Q- You joined BlogBurst in November and have since added two additional blogs Slam Dunk Central (an NBA blog) and The Game of Baseball (MLB) along with a handful of team specific NFL blogs, What percentage of your week is spent reading, watching or blogging about sports?

A: Wow, well, I start with about 30-60 minutes a day with reading newspaper columns, news and articles from all around the country. It really gives a great feel of what is going on in the sports. Of course stations like ESPN, NFL Network, NBA TV and games in general take up a lot of the TV time here at the house. With sports being a 24/7 business, the getting up to date really never ends.

Q-Are there specific challenges associated with blogging sports?

A: Being credible and not getting lost in the shuffle is very important to us. We have tried to create many relationships with people in the know and in the media and want to make sure to not just fling mud where it does not need to be flung. Of course we can share our opinions, but attacking players or teams is something we try and avoid.

Q- One of your posts,” Michael Vick Sued for $63 Billion and Accused of Allegiance to Al Qaeda,” produced record traffic. More than 10,000 post views. You’ve covered the Vick story extensively, why do you think this post drew such attention?

A: I think simply the outlandish nature of the headline drew such attention to it, plus the subject material as a whole was just so outrageous. Many people felt we simply made up the story, but that was not the case. We tussled with even posting it, but felt in the end people that were so entangled with the Vick case would enjoy reading it.

Q: What’s your preferred blogging platform and what are the likes/dislikes associated with it?

We prefer our own domain, and we use Wordpress, which we have liked with their updates and being able to do things like Podcasts, pictures and it is an easy system to use overall.

Q- The best blogs all shares these characteristics:

A: Entertaining, A good look to them, timely info, not too over the top

Q-Look into your crystal ball and tell me who’s in this year’s Super bowl?

A: gotta love what is going on in New England and Dallas right now…these two teams early on look like freight trains next to the other 30 teams in the league.

Blogger Profile: Matthew Paulson of “Finance is Personal”

Published by Tina on September 18, 2007 in Blogger Profiles. 0 Comments

Recently, our BlogBurst editors interviewed BlogBurst member, Matthew Paulson. You can find his blog here.

 

Q- What motivated you to start your blog?

 

I’ve always enjoyed writing and really just wanted a new outlet for my writing. I previously wrote for my college’s newspaper, but it didn’t give me an opportunity to share what I was passionate about. I’ve always been a strong proponent of being intentional and deliberate about managing one’s finances by using smart money management skills and finding new ways to save money. I thought that creating a blog would be a great way to encourage others to do the same.

 

Q- You’ve just recently joined BlogBurst (August) but you had been blogging since December. Why did you decide to join BlogBurst?

 

My goal is to help people become better consumers, and if more people are reaching my content from whatever source, more people are being helped. Joining Blogburst was a great way to get my consumer tips out to the masses and provided valuable exposure for my blog.

 

Q- In one month, you’ve been picked-up by USA Today, Reuters, Internet Broadcast Systems and Cox-owned newspapers. How has that affected your blog and blogging?

 

I’ve definitely seen an increase in traffic on my website since joining Blogburst and that’s always a good thing. Knowing that some major publications consider my writing to be valuable to others is encouraging and gives me added motivation to keep writing.

 

Q-What other blogs do you read?

 

I read a number of financial/consumer related blogs including The Simple Dollar, Consumerism Commentary, and Free Money Finance. I also enjoy reading the internet’s premier technology blog, Engadget.

 

Q-In your opinion, what makes a good blog?

 

The only thing that makes a blog great is content. The best software and design in the world don’t mean a thing if you don’t have quality and original writing. The best bloggers have regularly updated and unique coverage on topics that other bloggers in the field don’t. Every financial author has written about why getting a Roth IRA is a good idea, but how many have discussed ways to save money on the golf course or traveling overseas to get inexpensive health care?

Q-What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?

 

The biggest challenge as a blogger is coming up with new ideas for articles. Once I get a decent idea, I have no problem writing them, but coming up with new and unique ideas for articles on a daily basis is a bit of challenge. In order to generate new ideas, I’ve started reading a number of financial publications including Smart Money, Money Magazine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and the Wall Street Journal. I also read a number of other financial blogs and keep a notepad with me to write down ideas for articles when they pop into my head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Props to our Top Bloggers

Published by Beth on August 17, 2007 in Blogger Profiles. 0 Comments

It’s halfway through the quarter here at BlogBurst with fall approaching fast, and we thought we’d step back for a moment and give props to our top bloggers of the summer.

These are the blogs in the BlogBurst network that performed the best based on a combination of headline views and click-throughs to full posts, and they appeared on such sites as USA Today, Reuters and FOXNews.com.

If you’re in our network, you can see the full list on the leaderboard. (If you’re not in our network, you can sign up here.)

Top 10 BlogBurst bloggers since July 1:

  1. BrainBasedBusiness
  2. Back in Skinny Jeans
  3. 20 Second Timeout
  4. The Cooking News
  5. The Driving Woman
  6. Dear Author.Com
  7. Think Progress
  8. Public Eye
  9. Pink Rock Candy
  10. In The Bleachers College Football Blog

We’ll also mention #11, /Film - Blogging the Reel World, which has gotten good play on USA Today.

Congrats, top bloggers!

Blogger Profile: Tom Royce of “The Real Estate Bloggers”

Published by Beth on August 6, 2007 in Blogger Profiles. 4 Comments

Recently, our BlogBurst editors interviewed BlogBurst member, Tom Royce. You can find his blog at http://www.therealestatebloggers.com.

What motivated you to start your blog?

I had always had an interest in real estate and wanted to explore it a bit online. The Real Estate Bloggers gave me the opportunity to write about the industry trends and personalities. One of the cool things about real estate is that everyone uses it, either through buying or renting, so whenever something happens in the industry it affects us all.

You joined BlogBurst in January but you had been blogging for more than a year previously. Why did you decide to join BlogBurst?

I decided to join BlogBurst because of the exposure that it could offer The Real Estate Bloggers. Growing readership for a weblog is an important part and BlogBurst gets our stories out to a much broader audience.

Your recent post, “Top Ten Worst Hit Zip Codes by Foreclosure,” produced record traffic - more than 11,000 post views. What do you attribute that spike to?

Real estate is a very important part of the typical American’s life. Having the post appear on USA Today when the hot topic is foreclosures did not hurt. Also, the post’s title draws people in. You read it and wonder if your community is on the list, or even better, if the town you sold your house in last year is on it.

Writing an effective title is a very important part of getting click throughs to your story.

How has the current housing market affected your blog?

Traffic has increased; there is no doubt about it. However, people are always interested in real estate and what can affect their number one asset, or expense if they are renters. We are nearing our 2nd anniversary and in my experience that is when a blog really starts to take off.

What other blogs do you read?

I read a great deal of real estate blogs. My favorite real estate blog is a group blog called The Bloodhound Blog. Come on over to The Real Estate Bloggers and go through my blogroll for the rest. It is a great group of writers covering all aspects of the real estate blogging spectrum.

In your opinion, what makes a good blog?

A good blog talks in a human voice to the concerns of the day. For many writers, they have been trained to write in corporate speak or press release jargon. This will kill you if you are blogging, as people will interpret your work as pitches. Instead, a good to great blogger needs to write in a conversational tone and interject their personality into their posts.

The other part of blogging is to find stories that you are interested in and that your readers will find entertaining or enlightening. Too often, bloggers will either write for only their readers (who can tell the blogger does not care for the subject) or themselves (whose readers may not have any interest in whatsoever). I typically scan over 200 stories a day trying to find the 3 to 5 that I am interested in and my readers will enjoy also.

What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?

Finding interesting things to write about. The Real Estate Bloggers has been going for almost 2 years now and over 1,500 posts. Trying to find a new twist or angle on the stories of the day is always work. Otherwise, blogging is always fun and a great way to meet interesting people.

How did you find me? An interview with myself.

Published by Beth on September 14, 2006 in Blogger Profiles. 5 Comments

Greetings Blogburstiverse! My name is Eric Roach and I am an editor here at Pluck, and it is my distinct pleasure to be in charge of Blogger recruitment. One of the most common questions that I get asked is,”how did you find my blog?” and so I thought I would tackle the subject as a post on this here BurstBlog.

What is Blogger Recruitment?

Basically I read the Internet every day looking for blogs that fill specific and general needs within our catalog, as well as fitting the specific requests of our publishing partners, and then invite bloggers to join based on how well they fit any of these criteria.

Read The Internet? That sounds daunting…

It certainly seems that way sometimes. I haven’t quite figured out how to print out the Internet just yet (ah – to attack the internet with a hi-liter and some post it notes), but I have discovered a variety of tools and searches that help me focus my search. Continue reading ‘How did you find me? An interview with myself.’

Blogger Profile: Darren Cronian of Travel Rants

Published by Beth on September 13, 2006 in Blogger Profiles. 0 Comments

We invite you to check out our interview with the very talented and informative travel blogger Darren Cronian, whose blog Travel Rants has been syndicated on Telus, MySanAntonio.com and Austin American-Statesman.

Q: What motivated you to start your blog?

A: Well, I started Travel Rants after a visit to a travel agent - I was frustrated and annoyed about the whole experience, and I needed to let off some steam. I couldn’t find any blogs to do that, so I created the Travel Rants blog. I am very passionate about travelling, and love writing about travel, so it seemed right to write about my travel experiences and plans.

Continue reading ‘Blogger Profile: Darren Cronian of Travel Rants’

Latina bloggers

Published by Beth on August 3, 2006 in Blogger Profiles. 0 Comments

Marisa Trevino is the author of the blog Latina Lista, which covers issues, services and products that impact Latinos across the U.S. Her blog is currently syndicated on the Houston Chronicle’s web site. We saw Marisa out at the BlogHer conference, where she spoke on a panel entitled “Identity…and Obligations.” The discussion focused on people who blog about race, sex and culture.

We wanted to follow up with Marisa on the BurstBlog to get her insight on culturally motivated blogs such as hers. Latina Lista, in her words, is “always presented with definite opinion that strives to point out the good, the bad, the nonsensical or the benefits of a particular issue ‚ and always with the goal of Giving Voice and Being Heard to the Latina perspective.”

Q: How long have you had the blog?

I’ve had Latina Lista for almost two years now. I named it this because 1) I’m Latina and 2) “lista” has multiple meanings in Spanish: ready, smart/intelligent, and a list. I wanted a name that I felt reflected today’s Latinas while addressing the fact that blogs are of a larger community.

Continue reading ‘Latina bloggers’

BlogBurst travel blogger Rolf Potts of Vagablogging.net

Published by Beth on July 11, 2006 in Blogger Profiles. 0 Comments

With the success of your book Vagabonding and its companion site Vagablogging.net why did you create the blog site Vagablogging.net?

Vagablogging was originally set up as an online journal for my Vagabonding book-release tour in 2003. When the book tour was over, I continued to post travel quotes and advice. Eventually, Vagabonding readers rallied around the blog as a place to ponder and discuss independent travel issues, as well as travel literature.

The distinction of Vagablogging is that is has stayed true to the idea that travel is not a mere consumer experience, but an active part of one’s life, something that enables one to explore meaningful ideas as well as territory.

What is your philosophy regarding travel to ensure that the traveler gets the most out of his/her experience?

At the heart of my philosophy is the idea that time — not money or “things” — is the truest form of wealth in this life. Thus, I encourage people to make time for travel, to go slow, and to be open to all possibilities on the road.

What is your favorite place on earth?

I get this question a lot, but I can never answer it. I’m still discovering wonderful places. I can be equally happy in Chilean Patagonia, the Laotian highlands, a souk in Cairo, the 5th arrondissement of Paris, or on my farm in Kansas. It’s all a matter of the attitude that you take into a place.

Continue reading ‘BlogBurst travel blogger Rolf Potts of Vagablogging.net’

Blogger Interview: Peter Bean of Burnt Orange Nation

Published by Beth on May 5, 2006 in Blogger Profiles. 3 Comments

We spoke to blogger and BlogBurst network member Peter Bean about his blog Burnt Orange Nation, his love of the University of Texas Longhorns and his thoughts on BlogBurst. We hold a virtual index finger, pinky and thumb in the air (Longhorn symbol) to Peter and his blog. Here’s what he has to say:

Q: What urged you to start Burnt Orange Nation, the sports blog on the University of Texas Longhorns football team?

A: Andrew Wiggins and I have long loved two things more than anything else - sports and writing. We were both born and raised in Austin, so we grew up huge Longhorn fans. As happens in life, we eventually wound up in different cities, and missed our long sessions talking about the University of Texas athletics. The solution was obvious: start a blog. That was almost two years ago; we haven’t looked back since.

Continue reading ‘Blogger Interview: Peter Bean of Burnt Orange Nation’