Interview with Jean-Baptiste Jung, founder of CatsWhoCode.com, CatsWhoBlog.com and WpRecipes.com blogs

I got to know about Jean-Baptiste Jung  through a blog post titled ‘10 Useful WordPress Hook Hacks ’ that he wrote on Smashing Magazine. Jean has successfully managed to run multiple blogs part-time, while keeping a full-time day job.

Connect with him on – http://twitter.com/catswhocode

Briefly introduce yourself, age and where are you based?
Hello there, my name is Jean-Baptiste Jung and I’m 27 years old. I was born in Paris, France and I now live in the Southern part of Belgium.

Tell us about your blog, what inspired it and how long have you been blogging?
I started blogging in 2006, on a blog which focused on the Python programming language. Then, I created lyxia.org, a blog in French that I sold last year. In 2008, I created CatsWhoCode.com  and WpRecipes.com  and finally some months ago I released my newest blog, CatsWhoBlog.com .

What inspired the domain name?
When I created CWC, I wanted it to be a blog about Web Development, so I searched for a great domain name. But good domain names are really hard to find. As I love cats really much, I thought that “Cats Who Code” sounds very cool, and picked-up the domain. It became my branding then.

Before blogging what were you doing?
I’m originally a web developer, so I was developing websites I’ve been on the internet since 1998.

Are you blogging full-time or part-time and how many hours per day do you spend on your blog?
Actually, I’m blogging part-time because I have a daily job, but I spend a lot of time on my blogs. Let’s say, at least 4 hours per day, seven days a week.

How is your blog monetized and how much do you make per month?
I use everything I can to make money online: BuySellAds.com, private advertising sales, Adsense, sponsored reviews, affiliate marketing, and also domaining.

What is your best revenue stream?
I’m pretty happy with BuySellAds.com which is a must have for all technology blogs! Affiliate marketing is a total bargain as well.

What is your content generation strategy and do you keep to it?
Finding “the” good idea is probably one of the hardest part of blogging. I use a Moleskine notebook where I write and develop ideas for future posts. Once done, I have another notebook for planning content writing. To manage multiple blogs you have to be very well organized!

Since blogging, what is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made and what did you learn from it?
The biggest mistake I’ve made was to accept reviewing shitty services or products for money. It did not add value to my blog at all.

What methods do you use to generate traffic for your blog?
First, good SEO on my blogs. Then, I use twitter a lot. As I have more than 3000 followers, it can generate lots of visits. On CatsWhoCode.com, I also use social bookmarking sites as such as delicious.com, dzone.com and more rarely digg.com.

Is your blog authored by yourself only or multiple bloggers and why?
Most of my blogs are authored by myself. CatsWhoCode had a lot of talented guest writers, but they’re all gone now.
Blogging alone is easier because you don’t have to deal with people personalities, but blogging teams are very exciting because it is always more funny to do things with friends and learn together. 

Given an opportunity to sell your blog now, what would you charge for it?
No way. I’ll not sell it.

What is your opinion on domain name and blog flipping, do you participate in that space?
Yes, I’m in. As I said, I’m pretty much interested in all ways to make money online Domaining is a very exciting and fun business, but it can become addictive and can make you lose money if you do the bad choices. 

Within the next 12 months, what are your goals for the blog?
Enhance them and make them more interesting, more popular…Just do my best.

What have been the highlight(s) in your blogging career?
I hope and believe that the best is yet to come

Tell us about your workstation, is it within your bedroom/dedicated home-office/office park?
My work station is my own office room at home. I have some computers, a desk, a sofa, lots of books, a bed for my cat an electric guitar and a bass.

What gadget or software makes your blogging a pleasure?
WordPress of course! It powers all my blogs and I even have a full blog dedicated to this wonderful piece of code! Otherwise, I have an iPod Touch so I can listen to music while working.

Blogging is a lonely profession, how do you keep yourself motivated?
I always enjoy being at home, so it never was a problem. And I’m the kind of a loner. I’ve got a wonderful wife and a very lovely cat, that’s already a lot of good company

Thanks for your interest in my blogs, Muzi! Wish you the best!

Jean