BenSpark

Today I am joined by Nichelle and she’s got some really interesting things to tell us in this interview. Nichelle, why don’t we start with you telling the readers about yourself?

Nichelle

I am Nichelle Strzepek and if you read over that and thought it was a word scramble, I wouldn’t be surprised. Nichelle is like Michelle with an N. Don’t hurt yourself trying to figure out the second part.

I live in Houston, TX but grew up in the agricultural center of Pennsylvania. I became a dance student, a dance teacher, a dance artist, a stay/work at home mom, and then a dance writer, in pretty much that order. Some people experience career transition but I seem to just cut new facets into the same diamond. When I’m not contemplating dance, I love reading fiction, watching movies, and enjoying my family. I’m also a computer and technology enthusiast insofar as I like to learn and tinker. Blogging appeals to two somewhat contradictory sides of my personality. I’m a bit introverted yet I get really excited about connecting with people from different parts of the world, especially to share a common interest.

BenSpark

I like how you describe your appeal to blogging. I’m sort of like that as well. I’m not a very extroverted person but love meeting new and exciting people. Could you please tell us about your blogs?

Nichelle

Dance Advantage (danceadvantage.net) is my primary blog. I’ve been writing, and writing, and writing for over two years about dance education and training. I never run out of things to talk about, in fact sometimes it feels like there is too much to cover. I provide dance students with physical and mental tips to improve their dancing which I consider supplementary to their training. I prepare parents for their role as advocates and sponsors for their child’s dance education. I support and inspire teachers in their work with tools, tips, resources, and discussion. You almost can’t talk about any one of these roles without addressing another so I just embrace the juggling act of connecting and communicating with a diverse audience. I really don’t think there’s anything else quite like it within the online dance community and I’m proud that I had at least the vision to jump in, even if I wasn’t sure where the current would take me.

Dance Advantage is not my first blog. I started a blog back in 2003 to keep in touch with family and friends. It was rarely updated until I became pregnant with my son in late 2006 and I still maintain that one, though I’ve moved it from blogspot to wordpress.com. I also maintain a blog at http://nichelledances.wordpress.com that is essentially my online portfolio and includes my reviews and coverage of Houston’s dance scene.

BenSpark

Sounds like some really great information. But why did you start blogging?

Nichelle

Dance Advantage was conceived a few years before it was born as a blog. As my personal use of the Internet grew, I was searching for ideas and tools for teaching dance and found it mostly in forums, however the quality of responses there can be inconsistent. I also thought it would be cool to be able to send my students to a reliable source of information but was coming up empty-handed. At one point I started a free bravehost site, and began putting some articles and images up. The name Dance Advantage started there but, I was teaching too much to really devote any time to it. Blogging was still very new when I made that first attempt.

A few years later, after my son was born, I glimpsed how blogging had moved beyond journaling and how I might utilize the platform to finally create the resource for dance teachers and students I had imagined. I was taking an extended sabbatical/maternity leave from any kind of teaching and used the time to just start writing one post at a time.

BenSpark

So it looks like timing, knowledge seeking and passion worked together to make Dance Advantage happen. Do you monetize your blog? What are some companies that you work with?

Nichelle

Making money was never the motivation for creating Dance Advantage. I think I just had the naive thought that I could put up a few ads and it would pay for itself. It was long before I realized that continually putting out content for which people want to come back takes quite a bit of effort, time, and I think some unique skills. As the blog gained momentum, I realized that what I’ve built and the standard of quality I strive for isn’t sustainable without monetizing and that I would not be able to give readers the kind of value I’d like without taking it to another level.

I have a lot of respect for those willing to read and so I’m not willing to throw something up on the blog I can’t stand behind. It has been a real learning process and a step outside my comfort zone to look at what I’m doing as an entrepreneurial venture but I’ve had some wonderful support. My first step into monetizing was a natural one because I met Suzanne Blake Gerety on Twitter shortly after her launch of DanceStudioOwner.com. It’s easy to partner and recommend what she offers at the membership site because I’m totally a fan. I look for that kind of relationship in all of my affiliations and partnerships.

BenSpark

Suzanne is awesome. I love working with her. I work on her husband Ed’s blog at Ed Gerety Blog.com. I’ve learned so much from them as they from me. It is great to work with great people. Okay, back to the questions. What is a Blogging Tip that you would share with the world?

Nichelle

People want to know how to do things. Give readers something they can use, apply, or act upon in every post. It’s something I strive to do. It is beneficial to have opinions and a unique perspective but the problems you choose to solve and how you choose to solve them expresses these and fills a need in the reader as well.

BenSpark

Great advice, I think that is why blogs like copyblogger and problogger do so well. What do you wish you knew when you started blogging?

Nichelle

One of the most difficult things about starting without much of a plan (as I did) is I almost never feel caught up, especially while chasing after a toddler. If I had it to do over, I would have written ahead of myself more in the beginning when the activity on the blog was slower (not to mention my little one less mobile). As traffic and attention began to snowball and in those times when real life got hectic, it became more difficult to keep up without a vault of already produced content from which to draw.

BenSpark

I was just reading a blog post over on Chris Brogan’s blog titled With a Little Planning. It is a practice I should get into as well but since my posts are daily, based on the things of the day it is hard to do unless my prognostication skills get much better. What is the first thing you do when you fire up your browser?

Nichelle

E-mail. I get through as much of it as I can while my son is eating breakfast and I’m downing the coffee.

BenSpark

E-mail is my first priority too, I go through all of it till I have an empty inbox, save the stuff I need to complete. Everything is answered and I use the send and archive function. I need to write a blog post about that. What is your best blog post ever?

Nichelle

Dance Advantage has over 300 posts and sort of specializes in creating “evergreen” content so I’m finding it difficult to choose. It is not the most viewed or most talked about article but Helping Dancers Deal With Disappointment exemplifies my goal for blog content. It offers practical guidance to parents of dancers while also saying a lot, I think, about my values in both dance education and parenting.

BenSpark

I just went and read that post and that was some powerful stuff. I have a daughter who is two and a half now but soon we’ll be getting to those places where she is joining teams and playing sports or dancing and I’ll have to go back and read that when the time comes. Changing gears let me ask a strange question. What are some odd keywords people use to find your blog?

Nichelle

Overall, I’m pleased that people are finding the blog with pretty relevant searches. A few curious ones I noticed recently are ‘carrier indance’ which I think was supposed to be career in dance, and ‘how to find space inside the body.’ If that is not meant in a figurative sense, I have to wonder what exactly the searcher would like to put in the space he (or she) finds.

BenSpark

Time for the lighting round. Ipod or other music player?

Nichelle

iPod or iPhone on the go and at home we use AppleTV.

BenSpark

Ah someone who is using Apple TV. I was thinking about getting one especially as we are big fans of the iPod, iPad and many podcasts. So speaking of Apple TV what is you Favorite Movie? TV Show? Book?

Nichelle

There is a gaping hole in my TV watching since LOST ended. I like The Office, 30 Rock, and Glee. I don’t watch much TV anymore but when I do, it’s likely you’ll find me watching Yo Gabba Gabba or Ni-Hao Kai-lan with my preschooler. It is my dirty little secret that I am actually not an avid watcher of dance contest shows.

BenSpark

Well, you won’d get any admonishment from me for not watching reality shows. Do you play Facebook games?

Nichelle

No. I can think of better ways to waste my time.

BenSpark

Do you have some Favorite Blogs?

Nichelle

I like and read regularly a lot of great dance blogs which are mentioned on my site if anyone reading is interested in dance. I’ve been reading Deb Vogel’s Body Series blog (http://blog.thebodyseries.com) the longest. Essentially an advice column on health and injury for dancers, her newsletter was a beacon back when I was doing all that searching for quality dance information online. She transformed a lot of that newsletter into a blog which I continue to read and apply to teaching. It is really a techie blog… but for dancers.

In my blogging toolkit, I like Problogger (problogger.com), Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/), and Copyblogger (copyblogger.com).

BenSpark

Do you have any Favorite Podcasts?.

Nichelle

I have yet to get into podcasting. I don’t know that I will, honestly, because I learn better visually and kinesthetically. I have trouble digesting auditory input that isn’t musical. Maybe if someone sung their podcasts?

BenSpark

A singing podcast, that might be interesting. If I find one I’ll let you know. Speaking of getting in touch with you, how does someone connect with you online?

Nichelle

Twitter is a great way to connect: twitter.com/danceadvantage or visit DA on Facebook: www.facebook.com/danceadvantage

BenSpark

Nichelle, thank you very much for taking a break from dancing and dance blogging to speak with me on this interview. I appreciate it very much and love your style of blogging.

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Interview with Nichelle from Dance Advantage

BenSpark

Today I’m interviewing my friend Kevin Metzger. Kevin and I recorded his first ever podast, and then we did it again, LOL. Kevin is a pretty amazing guy but I’ll let him tell you more about himself.

Kevin

I was tempted to take my about me page from my blog and put it here but I think I’ll try to be a bit more glib. First off I’m a father and family man. I’m proud of that and I feel very successful in life because of that. I work full time for a small company that does B2C delivery of packages under five pounds in under five days as a Business Systems Architect. I’m 35, I’m working on a book about dad’s by conducting the largest private survey of dads ever undertaken {I’m not 100% positive about that but I’m pretty sure}. I’m a blogger. I’m a podcaster, and new to the list, I’m going to be a speaker soon, which I guess means I’m also becoming a voice in the Daddy blogging community. I’m also one of the founding board member of a non-profit called Let’s Cure CP. This is an organization that was founded to fund research into cures for Cerebral Palsy. I also run, not well, not fast but I do run and I will be competing in the Thanks Giving Day 1/2 Marathon here in Atlanta.

BenSpark

You sound really busy and also very driven. So I wonder what you blog about. Could you tell us about your blogs?

Kevin

I have two main blogs that are currently active. The first blog is MySpellingSucks.cokm and TheDADvocateProject.com.

I started MySpellingSucks a little over a year ago to learn more about social media and blogging in general. I had done some blogging in the past but it wasn’t consistent. So I needed to pick a topic I felt I could write on regularly and since my spelling sucks I didn’t want to have to worry about editing because I also have ADD oh and my spelling sucks because I have dyslexia. Hmmm I know I love my kids and I’ve had a special challenge because my oldest daughter has Cerebral Palsy. Thus MySpellingSucks.com An unedited discussion of my ADD and Dyslexia and my Daughters CP.

I was blogging for under a month when I wrote the Article Seven Years. The article was submitted to my local community magazine and I was selected as the East Cobber Father of the year in 2009. That was really cool but it made me want to find all the other dad’s out there who were no different than me and were also Father of the year. The thought took a little while to formulate but the name DADvocate hit me on the way home from a trip to the Home Depot. The idea for The DADvocate Project was born. I would use the project to learn more about dads and highlight all the great dads out there. I didn’t realize it at the time but there is a significant lack of positive portrayal of dads in the media and I hope to help change that with this project. If you’re a dad and you want to get involved you can help by completing the survey.

BenSpark

I think you covered it a bit in the previous answer but why did you start blogging?

Kevin

Because I work on the edge of business and technology I wanted to understand the social media trend better. The blog was initially an outlet to do that. I have learned so much in the last year, it’s absolutely amazing. I also see how this work is lending to new opportunities both on my blogs and in work.

BenSpark

We didn’t talk to much about advertising but you did drop an inside joke about an affiliate link so I figure you do some monetization, so what is your stance on Disclosure?

Kevin

I assume you mean if an advertiser or business provides you a product and you review it. I’m the type of guy who believes it’s best to say what your doing and why your doing it. I hate all the folks out there that try and sell the snake oil about get rich quick and I see non disclosure as something akin to those folks. As a consumer I feel less manipulated if I know the guy got the product for free and is telling me what he thinks. I do assume two things though 1) I don’t think most people will give false reviews of a product especially if it stinks. I assume they would decline to do the review. 2) I know it’s possible that a person who received a product for free would value that product differently than someone who pays for it but that doesn’t discount his opinion.

BenSpark

Those are both some very good points. I’m a guy who gets free products to review and I make sure to say that I got the item for free. Disclosure is so key. With your great points above I bet you have some good tips for bloggers. Could you share a Blogging Tip with the world?

Kevin

hmmm… that’s tough as I don’t consider myself an expert but I do recommend Thesis and I’m seriously considering Scribe even though I know I don’t need it for my site I want to understand and learn SEO better.

BenSpark

I use Thesis on some blogs, like this one and I like it. I’m not sure that I’d use Scribe, I have so many posts that if I ran it on all them I’d crash the Internet. Lol. What do you wish you knew when you started blogging?

Kevin

Just How deep the Rabbit Hole Goes.

BenSpark

Since you monetize your blogs what are you favorite advertisers? Who would you want to work with?

Kevin

I’ve got some affiliate links on both blogs. The MySpellingSucks links poorly match my audience and probably need to be pulled down all together. The DADvocate just started with Affiliates and it’s received some free products. I’m very excited about that, I think I would really like to get Graco as a brand advertiser. Just Last week I interviewed a parent on the DADvocate Podcasts and he mentioned how he loves their products because they saved his child’s life. I currently advertise for three products on the site My Wired Style which helps parents understand their and there children’s personalities, Saddleback Leather, they make the best leather cases available today, and Melissa and Doug because they make so many of my kids toy’s.

BenSpark

What is the Ultimate Goal for a blogger, in your opinion?

Kevin

Oh I think every blogger probably has their own goals but I’m certain that no one blogs who believes they have noting to say or contribute. After all blogging is changing the world by adding to the social conversation.

BenSpark

What is the first thing you do when you fire up your browser?

Kevin

This should inspire me to update my start tabs but since I’m answering these questions at 1:30 AM I’m not going down that side task. My personal computer start up tabs go to iGoogle, email, facebook, and each of my blogs and all there admin pages. I also immediately log into Hootsuite to check for any current messages. I wish they would make an application that allowed you to open to different set’s of home pages but I guess I could really use Google bookmarks for that hmmm…

BenSpark

Wow, you open up way more tabs than I do and I thought I opened many. You’re already blogging but if you could spend one year blogging about a particular thing what would it be and why? How would you keep it fresh?

Kevin

Honestly I have a few topics if I was doing something on top of what I was already doing.

1) Cooking – This one is easy to keep fresh new recipes, new cooking styles – I’d theme it learning to cook healthy but delicious.

2) Landscape – I have a beautiful wooded property with a nice back yard. I unfortunately don’t know jack or have the money to keep this lot up the way it needs to be kept up to be beautiful. I would love to learn how to make the lot perfect. I have the vision I just need the education, money and sponsorship. I think it would be a blast to blog about this and do interviews with the folks at Home depot. I figure there are projects inside the house that could probably get done too with this type of blog just to mix it up a bit.

3) Saltwater fish tank – Love them and there is just so much that can go into an aquarium blog. Do it daily for 1 year and you would end up with a beautiful tank or maybe 3.

4) I will learn to blow glass before I kick the bucket. I can’t tell you why, because I don’t know but this is on my bucket list as something I’ve always wanted to do. I think blown glass artwork is beautiful and i want to create it.

BenSpark

Those are some spectacular ideas. In the time that you have been blogging you must have some great posts what is your best blog post ever?

Kevin

I have to say Seven. It’s gotten the most hits and really kicked off a number of opportunities for me.

BenSpark

Time for the Speed Round: Pirates or Ninjas?

Kevin

I would always have said ninjas in the past but I’m feeling Pirates. Yeah I defenitily feeling the Pirates. My look at forty looks good.

BenSpark

Favorite Movie? TV Show? Book?

Kevin

Matrix, It was Lost and now that Lost if over I refuse to get into another TV show. I An Not Weird My daughter wrote it.

BenSpark

Do you play Facebook games?

Kevin

No. I got into mafia for about 4 days.

BenSpark

Favorite Blogs?

Kevin

This list is long and distinguished like my blog:)
Dadblogs:
http://www.dadrevolution.com
http://www.dadomatic.com
http://www.dadcentric.com
http://www.dad-blogs.com
http://www.clarkkentslunchbox.com
http://www.sahdinlansing.com
http://www.evolutionofdad.com
http://www.dadlabs.com
http://www.whyisdaddycrying.com
http://www.daddarocks.com
http://www.mochadad.com
http://www.techydad.com
http://www.dadofdivas.com
http://www.sahdpdx.com
http://www.benspark.com
http://www.lukeIamyourfather.com
http://www.cutemonster.com
Honestly the list probably goes on and on. I’m sure I missed some but this list is a good start. I encourage everyone to get out and find more.

Social Media blogs
http://www.sethgodin.com
http://www.chrisbrogan.com
http://www.copyblogger.com

BenSpark

Favorite Podcasts?

Kevin

I’m not necessarily a huge podcast listener because I can’t think and listen at the same time so I only get to listen to a few. I do try to listen to GeekDads and CastOfDads but beyond that I only listen the DADvocate podcasts.

BenSpark

How does someone connect with you online?

Kevin

Contact forms on The DADvocate Project.
Twitter @metzgerbusiness or @TheDADvocate
Facebook Facebook.com/metzgerbusiness

I can also be found on Linked in, YouTube and Vimeo but if you want to connect try one of the other more direct methods first.

BenSpark

Kevin, thanks so much for talking with me. I really like the Dadvocate Project and also wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed the book that your daughter wrote. I’ve got to read that on video soon. You know how behind I am, sorry man. Thanks again.

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Interview with Kevin from The Dadvocate Project

BenSpark

Today I talk with fellow Geek, Harsh. Harsh please tell the readers about yourself.

Harsh

Hi, my name is Harsh Athalye. I am a techno-blogger who owns a humble piece of blogosphere called Let’s Geek where I ramble about computers, internet and geeky stuff like that. From the childhood, I had interest in writing, but my father wanted me to follow traditional routes like engineering, banking, healthcare etc. I obeyed my father, but the writing spark was always there and with the time, it became stronger. Blogging gives me creative break from mundane routine life and slowly I am getting addicted to it.

BenSpark

So it sounds to me that blogging is perfect for you because you can have that creative outlet of writing that you desire. Tell us about your blogs

Harsh

I first heard about blogging in 2006 when researching online for my software project, but it took me 3 years to learn about blogs and try my hands at it, mostly due to my procrastination. I launched my technology blog – Let’s Geek – at just the turn of 2009. I write about web, social media, blogging, tools, technical reviews and tutorials. I like to learn and share that to my fellow readers through my blog. Before launching this blog, I had created two more personal blogs but never found energy to write much there. Hence, I decided to give my full concentration to a single blog – Let’s Geek.

BenSpark

I can understand the need to focus on one blog after starting a bunch of them, believe me. Why did you start blogging?

Harsh

One thought behind creating blog was to own a space on the web and spread the knowledge. I see a lot of people struggling out there with computers, mainly because they don’t know to make use of technology in a smart way. I wanted to share my passion about technology with others and also to keep myself up-to-date with current trends in technology. It’s a two-way process – to teach and to learn. Secondly, I wanted to move towards financial freedom and blogging is the medium which can set you free, if done properly.

BenSpark

You would like to move towards financial freedom so, do you monetize your blog?

Harsh

Not right now, although recently I received an advertising proposal. My focus is content at the moment and getting more readers. Maybe sometime down the line, I will think about monetization.

BenSpark

Getting some proposals for advertising is great, means that someone is taking notice of your blog. What is a Blogging Tip that you would share with the world?

Harsh

Don’t procrastinate. If you love to share, you love to write, do it now. Don’t think that no subject is left to blog about. Blog about what you love to do. There is just so much to write. I think anybody can blog if they remember one thing, there are at least thousands of people who don’t know what you know. So just pass on your knowledge to them.

BenSpark

Pass your knowledge on to people, a great philosophy to have and a good thing to know. What do you wish you knew when you started blogging?

Harsh

None. I believe in learning from mistakes, sometimes from others’ and sometimes from our own.

BenSpark

What is the Ultimate Goal for a blogger, in your opinion?

Harsh

A blogger’s ultimate goal should always be to touch the lives of people, in a positive way. If tomorrow someone comes to me and says that my blog in some way helped them, that’s the ultimate satisfaction my blog can give me.

BenSpark

That is awesome. You are really about helping and being positive, I love it. There are so many tools at our disposal as bloggers to help accomplish those goals which one plugin would you suggest all bloggers have?

Harsh

As for wordpress plugin, I would choose Akismet, the best spam fighter ever. But since I am a firefox fan, I would also recommend firefox plugin – Firebug – it is simply the best and helped me a lot to tweak design of my blog.

BenSpark

Good options. What is the first thing you do when you fire up your Firefox browser?

Harsh

Check for new blog comments. I am almost addicted to that.

BenSpark

Comments are my favorite part of my blog because I love to interact with people. I like to share with them my best posts especially if I know that they are reading. What is your best blog post ever?

Harsh

That will be my first guest post where I wrote about What a blogger can learn from IPL (Indian Premiere League) tournament.

BenSpark

What are some odd keywords people use to find your blog?

Harsh

Quite a number of them. I received hits for keywords like – gmail@bored.com, google buzz dumb, dialog expressing congratulations, orkut wine scraps and so on.

BenSpark

Those are interesting ones. Orkut Wine Scraps? Strange. Outside of blogging what are your other interests?

Harsh

I enjoy playing table tennis, carrom or computer games when free. Apart from that, I love travelling and taking snaps. Most of the time I take reasonable good photo where people can identify human being from monkey Also, I love to sing and good enough not to scare people away!

BenSpark

Being able to differentiate between people and monkeys, yeah that is a good thing to be able to do. What is amazing about you?

Harsh

I like to connect with people. Human being is such a great piece of God’s creation, that I can’t help but love them. There’s so much I learned from amazing people out there.

BenSpark

Speed round now. Ipod or other music player?

Harsh

Ipod, always!

BenSpark

Pirates or Ninjas?

Harsh

Yo ho Yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.

BenSpark

Favorite Movie? TV Show? Book?

Harsh

I enjoy romantic comedy movies and my favorite is “As good as it gets”. I don’t watch TV much, but yes I enjoy reading books and my current favorite is I deserted Rommel.

BenSpark

What is the most motivational advice you can give other bloggers?

Harsh

Don’t lose focus and keep your fears at bay. Every successful blogger today was at some time just like you and me, waiting for readers and comments. Don’t give up, world is watching you!

BenSpark

Favorite Blogs?

Harsh

http://wwww.problogger.net
http://www.bloggingtips.com
http://www.freebloghelp.com
http://www.skelliewag.org/

BenSpark

Favorite Podcasts?

Harsh

Not much of a podcast person. None so far.

BenSpark

How does someone connect with you online?

Harsh

The fastest means of contacting me is by shooting a mail at – admin (at) letsgeek (dot) net. Also, I can be reached on my facebook account (http://www.facebook.com/lets.geek) or through twitter (http://twitter.com/letsgeek10)

BenSpark

Harsh, it was really great to interview you, you’re an interesting guy and I wish you much luck.

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My Interview with Harsh from Let’s Geek

BenSpark

Today I get to talk with Mike of Mike’s Brew Review. No here’s a blog after my own heart. Mike why don’t you tell us about yourself.

Mike

My name is Mike Biewer and I live in the amazing city of Fargo, ND! We get a lot of really cold winters with lots of snow, which turns into flood waters the very next year! It’s pretty awesome. I’m married and have 2 cats. No kids. We have decided to try and span the globe before having children. We recently came back from a great trip in Japan.

I graduated the Art Institute with a degree in Media Arts and Animation and work as a graphic designer, motion graphics artist and video editor by day. However, my true passion lies in the world of beer! I’m an avid homebrewer and a beer blogger in my spare time. I also enjoy a good round of frisbee golf, Playstation 3, dice, a barbeque, hanging out on the lake, a good movie, book etc. I could go on and on.

BenSpark

Your day job sounds like my dream job and your passion is something I also really enjoy. It makes sense however that your blog is about your passion, please tell us more about the blog.

Mike

Mike’s Brew Review is a unique blog about the art of homebrewing and craft beer. The major goal of my site is to create more homebrewers by showing beer enthusiasts how easy, rewarding and fun it can be to homebrew.

There are really two unique things about Mike’s Brew Review. The first is that I am in talks with breweries around the country about doing something I’ve dubbed a “Brewers Highlight.” There are so many stories about all the different breweries out there that people just don’t hear. Through interviews with brewmasters and marketing people I get a slice of that story. I then pass this along to my readers followed up with a whole line up of that breweries beers. It’s great education for the beer nerd in all of us and great exposure for craft breweries and their brands. The first series should be releasing early next month and I’m kicking it off with a bang, one of the originals, Redhook Ale Brewery.

The other thing unique about Mike’s Brew Review is the homebrewing information. Sure its information that you can find out there by diggin though countless forum sites or heavily technical or wordy sites, but I take a different spin. Using my magazine design background and graphic design skills I try my best to create clear, easy to understand instructions about various topics within the homebrew world. I compile all the information into one easy and clear spot for people to read. I think it helps my generation and upcoming homebrewing generations to have more than just words and formulas. Plus you don’t get any “I heard someone did this” info, which drives me nuts! If you haven’t done it or seen it done, don’t open your mouth. Pictures, graphics and video.

BenSpark

I just went and started with a homebrew kit from Coopers that I got through MakeBeer.net. I enjoyed how the beer turned out but I must appear like a wicked neophyte to you. I think you touched on this a little above but why did you start blogging?

Mike

My blog is not very old. I launched in January of 2010. The main reason I started my blog was for myself. A journal if you would, of everything I learn and do in beer and brewing. You see, I brewed my first batch of beer last year and ever since I’ve been hooked on the idea of having my own brew pub. Everyone has the same idea, but I see no reason why someone can’t have a restaurant that brews their own beer and it be profitable. I don’t want to distribute across the nation or anything, just a little piece of the world to call my own.

So, I started studying. Drinking, brewing, reading, interviewing and talking with other bloggers. I stumbled into this huge community of awesome people and now the blog has become a bit more of my life than I originally anticipated as I learned it could be a viable business to support the establishing of my brew pub someday.

BenSpark

That sounds like an excellent plan, your beer brewing blog being used to fund your dream of running a brew pub. That is excellent. So you must monetize your blog some, do you? What are some companies that you work with?

Mike

LOL. Very, very, very little. I’m working on some different avenues to create different streams of revenue, but right now it is all affiliate marketing. I try to keep the ads relevant to the content or to the group of people that are reading my stuff. Believe it or not there are tons of homebrew supply stores out there and none of them do affiliate marketing. So guess who is getting a phone call from yours truly?

BenSpark

What is your stance on Disclosure?

Mike

I’m not 100% sure what you are asking here, but I’ll give it a whirl. My stance would be, I am who I am. I see what I see. I say what I say and I write what I write. If you don’t agree with it, fine, if you do agree with it, great, but the main reason my blog was started was so if I ever came back to it 100 years from now I could remember what I was thinking when I wrote it. So if I interview a friend that is the head of a multimillion dollar company, I’ll let you know because I’d rather you know than accuse me of hiding.

BenSpark

What is a Blogging Tip that you would share with the world?

Mike

You can’t make everyone happy so stop trying. Shake it and you’ll be successful.

BenSpark

Shake it and you’ll be successful? What is an interesting quote. What do you wish you knew when you started blogging?

Mike

That I wouldn’t have been naive and thought that blogging would be easy.

BenSpark

Since you do monetize your blog a bit can you tell me your favorite advertisers? Who would you want to work with?

Mike

All I have are affiliates, I don’t really go after advertisers. I don’t want to be hounding them for money or trying to fill their spots if they drop out. This could change. I would really like to work with some of the big name homebrew internet supply stores who don’t seem to be doing a whole lot on the internet.

BenSpark

What is the Ultimate Goal for a blogger, in your opinion?

Mike

Live a free life. The Ultimate Goal for me is to make a modest living, but be able to take a Friday off whenever I want to or work Saturday so I can take Monday off. Or if I have kids, leave early to get to their soccer game. All this without having to ask a boss. Its all about professional freedom.

BenSpark

Amen to that. I work a 9-5 and am int he middle of trying to transfer from one group to another because of my boss. I’d love to junk it all and work for myself however I earn the primary junk of our income and supply the health insurance so no leaving for me at the moment. Sorry, off on a tangent, back on task. Which one plugin would you suggest all bloggers to have?

Mike

All In One SEO – Great plugin!

BenSpark

That is a great plug in as long as you are not using Thesis. IF you use thesis you don’t need All-In-One SEO. What is the first thing you do when you fire up your browser?

Mike

Check my email, Twitter and Facebook. All the avenues in which people can contact me.

BenSpark

If you could spend one year blogging about a particular thing what would it be and why? How would you keep it fresh?

Mike

Aside from what I already blog about? If not, beer and homebrewing. If so, video games! I have lots of opinions! Who else is excited for the next 365 days of gaming?

BenSpark

The only game I am excited about is the Transformers War for Cybertron and it comes out today. I’d write about video games if I had started back when I was a Nintendo nerd from back in ’84. Another tangent. What is your best blog post ever?

Mike

According to my stats, a brew review I did for New Belgium Brewery’s Ranger IPA. Which do I think is the best? I really enjoyed my “How to Clean Bottles For Your Homebrew” article. It is similar information that is already out there, but it is designed in such a way that it has become a bit of an authority and has gotten great reviews from the community.

BenSpark

Authority articles like that are key. Great job on that article. How do people find that one and what are some odd keywords people use to find your blog?

Mike

“Will hops grow in Minnesota”

BenSpark

Outside of blogging what are your other interests?

Mike

Hmm…that’s a tough one. Drinking beer and homebrewing? Along with those, I like a lot of stuff. Some mentioned before so I won’t bore you with those details any more.

BenSpark

What is amazing about you?

Mike

Unlike a lot of people out there, I believe I’ve finally found what it is I like to do most. I found my passion, and its in beer and homebrewing. How profound…

BenSpark

Ipod or other music player?

Mike

Ipod touch for sure!

BenSpark

Pirates or Ninjas?

Mike

Nice! Ninjas!

BenSpark

Favorite Movie? TV Show? Book?

Mike

Still love The Matrix. Band of Brothers. Star Wars, The New Jedi Order series.

BenSpark

Do you play Facebook games?

Mike

Nope, I play Playstation and computer games. Facebook games are just a HUGE waste of time. Other games a little less a waste of time, they have a point.

BenSpark

What is the most motivational advice you can give other bloggers?

Mike

I tell myself every day that I can’t quit my day job that if I just keep going, have a good brand and have a passion. I can’t fail.

BenSpark

Favorite Blogs?

Mike

Robb Sutton Robb Sutton Ramped Up Pro Blogging

Lost In The Beer Aisle Lost In The Beer Aisle

Hopfentreader Hopfentreader

Billybrew Billy Brew

The Brew Dudes The Brew Dudes

BenSpark

Favorite Podcasts?

Mike

Brew Strong Brew Strong

BenSpark

How does someone connect with you online?

Mike

Twitter : http://twitter.com/mikebiewer
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=283917460350
email : mike @ mikesbrewreview . com

BenSpark

Mike, thank you very much for agreeing to be interviewed. I know I had a great time and I love your blog. I think that if you continue to work on it you will achieve your dream of running that brew pub. We need more of those hand crafted gems all around. Good luck to you.

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Interview with Mike of Mike’s Brew Review

BenSpark

Today’s interview is with Scott from Paved Paradise. He told me that he doesn’t mind answering any questions so I’m looking forward to getting into this with him. So Scott please tell the readers about yourself.

Scott

I’m a 20-year Navy man originally from Mississippi and now I work at the National Security Agency. I’m divorced, have two kids and a cute lil wiener dog named Sloppy Joe. I live downtown in Baltimore, and I love that I can walk everywhere I need to go, even to baseball games!

BenSpark

I loved visiting Baltimore, Inner Harbor is fantastic. I got to see a Red Sox game in Camden Yards, it is one of my favorite stadiums ever. You must have a ton of stories after being in the Navy and then with the National Security agency, but can you talk about them? So I wonder what you blog about. Could you tell us about your blogs?

Scott

I do a little of everything in my blogs. While a lot of writers tend to stick with one thing, I go with a lot of different things, ranging from silly pictures that caught my eye to social commentary. In my “Paved Paradise” blog, I focus on social issues and cutting through the media propaganda and political rhetoric. In my reading.writing.revolution blog, I do a little of the same, but I also just talk about things that are important to me or that I like. In my Tumblr blog, it’s mostly just silly pictures and things that I think people will enjoy seeing or reading. So, it ranges from silly to serious.

I also started a blog to document the progress of my novels, a blog that is hosting a serialized, collaborative novel called “Dorothey: Locked & Loaded“, and another about a project I’m going to put together this year called “Baltimore: Locked & Loved“. So, there’s a lot going on.

BenSpark

You certainly have a ton of blogs, keeping up with all of them must be a labor of love. Why did you start blogging?

Scott

I started blogging as a way of dealing with my divorce and the loss of my kids (they moved away). It was a terribly emotionally trying time, and I had to deal with it somehow, get everything out somehow. I wrote about how I felt, then added some poetry, too. Then I moved into short stories, often to illustrate my anger and sadness — lots of blood and murder in the stories then. And then I moved into social commentary — my perspective on life had changed, and I underwent this transformation, if you will, from a suburban husband kind of oblivious to what’s happening in this country to this urban semi-activist. And thus, I started writing about that.

BenSpark

Seeing that you’ve grown through your blogs it seems that it has helped you deal with the situation. You really put your heart out there and are very real. Speaking of being real what is your stance on Disclosure?

Scott

Not sure what you are going for here, but if you mean being real and being yourself online, in your blogs, etc. — that is, letting it all hang out. I do. I see no reason to pretend to be someone else or to hide things. I am who I am, and after all is said and done, I’m pretty happy with me.

BenSpark

Sorry Scott that was a leftover question from my interviews pertaining to making money online and working with SocialSpark. Let’s switch gears for a moment, could you share a Blogging Tip with the world?

Scott

When people talk about novels, they say “write what you know”. I would say the same about blogs, too. I would add “write what you love”, too. But maybe most importantly, stretch yourself and write things you don’t think you can handle. That is, do the work. People get too comfy, and they don’t grow that way. Write a review of a book you loved. Write flash fiction — always hard. Write a short story on three random items/subjects. Stretch.

BenSpark

That is some great advice. I love the challenge aspect to it. What do you wish you knew when you started blogging?

Scott

I’d like to say “what the hell I was doing”, but that wasn’t and kinda still isn’t the point. I wrote like I write now, for the same reason — because it’s what I do. This is me now. I am a teacher during the day, and at night I’m a writer.

BenSpark

Here is another left over question for blogs focused on making money. Here goes: If you monetize what are you favorite advertisers? Who would you want to work with?

Scott

I’m not really interested in monetizing, but if I did “work with” someone, it would be with a charity. In fact, on the “Paved Paradise” blog, I activated this social charity widget to the American Cancer Society. I’m not sure how it works yet, but I still have to get people to the blog first.

BenSpark

May be this would be a more apt question: What is the Ultimate Goal for a blogger, in your opinion?

Scott

The ultimate goal? Well, there are probably several at the top of anyone’s list, but I think the ultimate goal, whether or not one knows it, is to communicate with an audience, whether it be an audience of 11 or of 456. I had over 400 readers when I was blogging on Myspace way back when, and I just loved the interaction. It drove me to create and draw people in so there could be more interaction and sharing of ideas. I think that’s essentially what every blogger wants.

BenSpark

I agree, communication with an audience is key. Let’s talk a little about your process. What is the first thing you do when you fire up your browser?

Scott

Check Facebook. I use it so extensively and have my novel fan page there, my philanthropy group page there, and a page for Congressional term limits, etc. It’s the first place I check in, then I check my Gmail.

BenSpark

If you could spend one year blogging about a particular thing what would it be and why? How would you keep it fresh?

Scott

I would focus on all the bullshit (if I may) going on in this country. It would never get old. I think I am the voice of common sense, the one who sees through all the bullshit and doesn’t get swayed by the media or politicians. We have so much going on here, and I think most of America has lost its way and doesn’t know, to use a title from a Richard Pryor film, “Which Way is Up?’. I want to do that with “Paved Paradise” (WordPress blog), but it’s so hard right now with all I have going on personally. I wouldn’t have to worry about keeping it fresh though — BP, politics, Arizona’s law, the economy, two wars, etc. — easy!!!

BenSpark

It sounds like you’d have no shortage of topics. Out of all those topics and all your blogs what is your best blog post ever?

Scott

Favorite? I’d have to say the “I am the Messiah” one, in which I play Jesus and rewrite the 10 Commandments. I didn’t go all hog wild with it, but I did have fun and cut the commandments down to seven, I think. It was a totally spontaneous Sunday morning thing to write, and I think it’s funny.

BenSpark

Pirates or Ninjas?

Scott

Yes!

BenSpark

Favorite Movie? TV Show? Book?

Scott

Fight Club/don’t really watch TV/Count of Monte Cristo

BenSpark

Do you play Facebook games?

Scott

No, unless you call goofing off and commenting and posting tons of stuff “games”.

BenSpark

Favorite Blogs?

Scott

http://dorothylockedandloaded.blogspot.com/
http://www.theipu.com/
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/
http://improveverywhere.com/

BenSpark

Favorite Podcasts?

Scott

Gotta admit, I just don’t have time to do the podcast thing. I just read like crazy.

BenSpark

How does someone connect with you online?

Scott

dsmeek36 on Twitter
scottmeek on Facebook

BenSpark

Scott, thank you very much for the insightful interview. I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me and wish you success in your fictional writing and blogging.

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Interview with Scott from Paved Paradise