I first got to know about Liane through reading an interview by Alex Fraiser on his blog www.asnio.com titled ‘Young Blogger Interviews #2: Liane from Better Blogging for Blogger s’. As a result of browsing through her blog, I was fascinated by her insight into the world of blogging at her tender age and that she offered a rare service (well thus far, it’s the only blog I know that offers Blog Critic Report to other bloggers). Because of this unique service, I ended up using her service to critic my travel blog Travelwires.com. She did the blog critic, which I titled ‘Blog Critic Report: Travelwires.com takes the bullets ’. I’ve since implemented some of the changes that she suggested.
It would be very encouraging to see most South African teenagers taking a leaf from Liane about blogging as a means to improve themselves, than to waste their energies on dangerous habits which leads to drug abuse, teenage pregnancies and AIDS.
Briefly introduce yourself, age and where are you based?
I’m Liane. Seventeen years… young and I’m based in the Philippines.
Tell us about your blog, what inspired it and how long have you been blogging?
My blog’s name is Better Blogging for Bloggers Dot Com . Knowing what it is about wouldn’t take a genius I believe. My inspiration? Well, it practically came from the happiness I got from blogging (it’s really fun for a young blogger like me). I used to blog on a different niche, but soon enough I realized blogging in itself is the niche I want to be in. I’ve been blogging for two years now, soon to be three.
What inspired the domain name?
It’s simple. My promise, my goal to myself and to others.
Before blogging what were you doing?
I was 15 years old before blogging, so I’d have to say, studying and being in school. Of course I’m still doing that up to now.
Are you blogging full-time or part-time and how many hours per day do you spend on your blog?
I greatly value my college education so it’s part time. I basically spend at least five hours per week. That’s the minimum.
How is your blog monetized and how much do you make per month?
I prefer to monetize on my own rather than on relying to advertising networks . My favorites are through giving blog critics, writing reviews and doing various projects.
What is your best revenue stream?
I’d have to say writing reviews and doing blog critics.
What is your content generation strategy and do you keep to it?
My content strategy has always been plain. I look out for things that are useful. That’s my golden rule in writing content. Sometimes I stick to my posting frequency, nowadays, I have a hard time keeping up with it. But if I have free time, sure I write. And I always write useful things so that it would be worthwhile to read.
Since blogging, what is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made and what did you learn from it?
Rushing has always been my greatest mistake. After almost two years, I figured out being slow and steady is still the best way to go. Plus it makes me think clearer. I always tell everyone to too before you leap, and I do it.
What methods do you use to generate traffic for your blog?
Every traffic method possible, aside from spamming of course. The thing about traffic is you have to constantly look out for sources and it’s a never ending process. It takes time to build, and steady building is always the key.
Is your blog authored by yourself only or multiple bloggers and why?
Just by myself. I have strict standards for my blog. I’m very much open to guest bloggers though they have quite a hefty standard for a post to pass into publishing. I want to maintain the quality and I figured out writing alone might be a safe way for now. I’m still open for the possibilities of a team blog.
Given an opportunity to sell your blog now, what would you charge for it?
Right at this moment, I’d never sell my blog.
What is your opinion on domain name and blog flipping, do you participate in that space?
I don’t. I think the low quality of the domain and site flipping greatly saturates the market with poor sites. Of course they are decent one too but they are few in number.
Within the next 12 months, what are your goals for the blog?
Even before I started, my promise to myself is to just keep blogging. 12 months or 5 years it maybe, I just want to keep blogging. That’s my eternal goal.
What have been the highlight(s) in your blogging career?
Writing at John Chow Dot Com sure was one of them. Every interview published too is a highlight of my blogging career. The best was probably a year ago when I realized that other bloggers are starting to trust my skills. It felt great.
Tell us about your workstation, is it within your bedroom/dedicated home-office/office park?
Anywhere as long as I have a laptop. And I’m always inspired to write on rainy days. There’s something about staying indoors with a cup of coffee and an article that makes my day.
What gadget or software makes your blogging a pleasure?
My laptop. I couldn’t ask for more.
Blogging is a lonely profession, how do you keep yourself motivated?
Knowing that even if blogging is lonely, a lot of bloggers share the same loneness too. haha. Motivation is.
