Interview with a Cool Blogger

To be honest, I started blog commenting because I wanted to increase the visibility of our website. I thought I would just comment on a few dofollow blogs, get some link juice flowing and that’s that. I never thought I would get hooked. Now, not a day passes by that I don’t check my Google Reader account or my email to see what new topics my favourite bloggers have posted. I have also come to the point where I want to acknowledge the people who have helped me learn a lot since I started blogging and blog commenting. Hence, I intending of starting an interview series with the coolest bloggers I know.

First up is Ari Herzog, who is known by everyone in the blogging community as the guy who runs the ariherzog.com blog site. He is one of the first bloggers who welcomed me into the fold. In my interview with Ari, I asked him a series of questions on blogging to help reveal what lessons he can impart to us all. Read on and you will understand why I label him as one cool blogger.

As an experienced blogger, what advice can you give to a would-be blogger on what he/she should do before starting a blog?

Ask yourself why you want to create a blog. There are approximately 150 million blogs out there, so what's so special about yours? Also keep in mind that unless you're writing something for yourself (which is fine, such as to show writing styles to potential employers), you're going to have a hard time attracting traffic in the form of eyeball readers, comments, and social sharing - because there are so many blogs.

Kevin Costner once starred in the film, "Field of Dreams," which had a motto near the end that if you build something people will come. That's not true with blogs. If you build it, people won't come unless you tell them it exists.

If thinking of creating a blog, you might be better off to contribute guest articles to existing blogs or to join group blogs. Once you get fans, do it yourself.

What do you think are the best marketing tactics that a blogger can implement to promote a blog?

Kristi Hines just wrote an ebook about this subject. You can buy it for $37 through http://hzg.bz/kikolaniebook and I will add that I bought it and it's chock full of tips from using LinkedIn Answers to Skype to Twitter to promote that blog.

That said, there is no magic formula. It depends on the writer and target reader. A blog about gardening would have different promotional tactics than a blog about automobiles. If you insist on a formula, go where your prospective readers already hang out. There are social networks about everything. Find them and participate. Once you're accepted as genuine, promote yourself.

Should a blogger really be social? What does being social have to do with blogging?

Unless the blog is an online diary, you want other people to read it, comment on it, and share it, right? That's where sociability plays a part...

Do you think blog commenting is a way of being social or is it just a means to increase site visibility?

Asking your fans to add a comment invites them to be social with you.

What is more important in blogging for you, interaction or marketing?

I would rather someone reads my blog articles than interacts with me.  I am grateful for sharing a part of yourself through a comment but I don't demand it and I understand if you're shy or prefer to read. And, some prefer to share via retweet or a Facebook like than a comment and that's acceptable to me.??As far as marketing, if someone's retweeting something I write, that person is marketing me. I am grateful to people who take initiative and lead without being asked.

What is the role of social media in blogging?

Illogical question to me, Wes. I view a blog as a type of social medium, but I don't view social media as a type of blog.

What piece of advice can you give to your fellow bloggers when it comes to social media and blogging?

Be yourself.

Listen, listen, listen. Spend six months listening and writing zero content if you must. Once you understand what people say and how they say it, then you are ready to be yourself and join them.

To find out more about Ari, please visit his blog: ariherzog.com