John Chow on Blogging...

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, JOHN CHOW...

The name John Chow has become synonymous with making serious money blogging. His blog, John Chow dot Com, is one of the first stops for anyone wanting to learn how to make money with their own blogs today. As such, it is my pleasure to present the following interview, which I had the pleasure of conducting with Mr. Chow via email.

The Writing Geek: What is the biggest mistake most beginner bloggers make?

John Chow: Thinking they’re going to get rich by blogging. Very few blogs make good money but they get all the attention so many people think blogging and money come easy. It doesn’t.

TWG: Aside from making money, what satisfaction do you get from blogging?

JC: The community that blogs create. It’s great to get feedback and talk to readers and other bloggers. That is better than money really. You can build some really good friendships by blogging.

TWG: If you had the chance to go back in time a year, what would you do differently/the same?

JC: I would have spun John Chow dot Com off as a separate blog about making money so I could keep it as a personal blog with no ads.

TWG: What is the best piece of advice you can offer a blogger?

JC: Have fun and enjoy the experience. The money will come later.

TWG: Aside from John Chow dot Com, what are your top three favorite blogs?

JC: Autoblog.com, Problogger.net and TechCrunch.com.

TWG: You've been elected president of the blogosphere. What is your first move?

JC: Ban Google.

TWG: What is/are your predictions for blogging over the next ten years?

JC: I can’t see 10 years into the future. Your guess is as good as mine.

My sincerest thanks to John for allowing me the honor of his presence on my blog! This is the start of a new feature here on The Writing Geek, and I will have quite a few more blogger interviews over the coming weeks. Will yours be next? Drop me a line if you would like to be interviewed!

IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, MOM...

As a youngster, I can remember getting in trouble quite a bit. I'm not sure whether I had a knack for finding it, or it had a knack for finding me. All I know is that I found myself being lectured quite a bit. Inevitably, those lectures would always seem to end with my Mom asking, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Today, I'm all grown up (well, almost) and find myself deep in my career as a writer. I don't know that I would have ever gone down this path without Mom's dedication to that question. So, it is with a grateful smile that I dedicate today's post to you, Mom. Thanks for pointing me in the "write" direction.

Now, here is your challenge: Looking back on your own childhood, can you remember any influence your parents, grandparents or other role models may have had that caused you to become a writer? Take a moment to write about it, and post it on your blog if you have one. If you let me know about it, I will make a collection of links to other responses right here in a future post.

THE HELIUM.COM ARTICLES...

I was rather pleased to receive an email from Barbara W. at Helium yesterday, notifying me that my article on Company Blogs and their Value for Public Relations (currently rated #1 of 11 articles) was being featured on the Helium.com front page! I had hoped this would mean that the revenues generated by that article would jump somewhat, but alas, it has only served to generate a few extra pennies. On the other hand, I did get to see my byline displayed prominantly for the entire day, as many others would!

On the subject of Helium, my latest article, "8 Tips for Keeping Your Online Payments Safe" is now live, and ranked #4 of 6 articles. If past article performance is any indication, I expect this rating will improve fairly quickly. Of the 12 articles I have posted thus far, 7 are rated #1 of multiple articles. I take this to mean that either my articles are exceptionally good, or the ones they are going up against are exceptionally bad. I kind of doubt the latter, however, as I have watched my articles go up against some decent writing. There have been exceptions, but for the most part, Helium.com writers seem to take quite a bit of pride in their work.

My article postings this week have also had another effect. Last time I checked, they have once again landed me in the top three positions (currently 2nd place) in the writing contest this week, for the 'Computers & Technology' category. Here's to hoping I can make the #1 spot this week. Wish me luck!