The Blogger Interviews: Ann Fenech
Last year I started a series of interviews with some of the more regular visitors to the London Bloggers Meetup. I’m picking this up again now so we can all learn from each others experiences. I’m going to kick this off by posting up an interview with Ann Fenech, someone who’s been coming along to LBMs for I would guess a little over a year and a half. Ann, feel free to correct me..?!
I first recall meeting Ann when she won a competition at a meetup in Feb’09 which was sponsored by Bacardi Breezer. Ann won one of the competition prizes that month and you can see her entry here. She stands out as I called out her name wrong and she abruptly corrected me. It felt like I was having my wrist slapped. Sorry Ann.
Anyway, since then I’ve got to know Ann a little better and you can normally guarantee she’ll be at an LBM somewhere with a smile on her face, invariably winning a competition prize – did you ever take up Muzu’s offer of two free tickets to a gig of your choosing?
Anyway, enough of the rambling introduction, I’ll hand this post over to Ann so you can learn from her blogging expertise…
1. What’s your blog called and what’s the URL?
Blog Name: Rantings from Afar and the URL is http://annuca.wordpress.com/
(also write about research-related aspects on my other blog: www.researchpath.wordpress.com)
2. What’s your blog all about ( in 20 words or less)?
My blog is about my life: My experiences, travels and observations.
3. When and why did you start blogging?
I had been quite sceptical about blogging as I thought it was quite intrusive. However, when I was moving away from Malta to the UK to study I realised that it is a good way of documenting my time (I was always horribly bad at keeping a personal diary) while keeping in touch with friends and family back home. I haven’t looked back – and cannot see why I thought it was intrusive! After all you only blog about what you wnat.
4. Which blog platform do you use?
WordPress.com: It’s easy to use for a not particularly technically minded person!
5. Can you give an example of how blogging has enriched your life?
Besides allowing me to have a concrete record of my time, I think the most enriching is the people I have met through my blog and theirs, some of which I have gone on to meet.
It has also helped me improve my writing by making it a frequent activity and by putting my audience at the forefront of my thoughts when doing so.
6. Are there any blogs you recommend reading and why?
Ianvisits: Great place to learn about quirky things to do in London, and the calendar of events is definitely helpful!
Cary Cooper: Learn all you need about stress!
La Delirante: It is nice to see the other side of the coin – an expat in my home country! It is useful to see your culture from the eyes of someone sitting outside it! (Ooops Ann, this is a private invite only blog)
7. What three tips would you give to someone just starting out in blogging?
- Decide on a purpose for your blog: is it just for your friends, for commercial purpose, will you use it to write about your interests? Having a clear cut purpose means that people know what they will get when they read it.
- Write regularly, but not forcibly. Better to skip writing a post than to write one as you feel you have to.
- Add pictures or other materials. I only learned this with time, but it does help make your blog more interesting and lively.
8. If you could change one thing about your blog what would it be?
If I could I would have made sure that I had a clear-cut purpose for my blog from the start, rather than having one blog trying to do everything.
9. What is the key to getting readers to your blog?
I try to include relevant tags to each blog post, but otherwise I Wish I knew – this is still a mystery to me! My readers decrease drastically every few months, and then start picking up again, before falling drastically again in a continuous cycle. I have also made the
Alltop expats list and have no idea how, so must be doing something right!
10. And finally, why do you come to the London Bloggers Meetups?
London Bloggers Meetup was one of the most welcoming groups I found when I moved to London. This is why I keep going back! Besides the great people there, the sponsors and prizes are not too shabby either ;)
