Words with a blogger Wednesday

It's Wednesday again and while everyone else will be talking about the election, I'm doing Words with a blogger Wednesday.

This week's blogger is Andrea Chamberlain from The Creative Junkie http://www.thecreativejunkie.com/

When did you start blogging and what made you decide to blog?
I started blogging in May 2008. At the time, I had a custom digital design business that was slowly but surely sucking my will to live. I was absolutely burnt out. I closed my digital business, breathed a huge sigh of relief, ate a cookie and started writing my blog.
What kind of blog do you have?
It's predominantly a humor blog, based on my own life and observations as a SAHM (stay-at-home mom)

Do you make money from your blog?
Hardly. I don't do AdSense. I do have blogher ads running, so I make a little bit, but I won't be buying a new car anytime soon. That's OK. I'm too vested in my Honda Accord. It took me years to get to that degree of a lived-in look. I can't imagine starting all over again.

What do you do to network/promote your blog to bring in readers?
I belong to a couple of different blog trains (posting your blog and commenting on the blog posted above yours) and comment groups (reciprocal commenting) and I'm active in several different social networking sites, BlogCatalog and Secret is in the Sauce, to name a few.

How do you balance blogging and family?
Not nearly as well as I should.
My girls are in school all day. You would think that this would mean I have all the time in the world to write my posts and network. And I would too, if my family didn't have to eat or wear clean clothes or live in something other than squalor. So, I actually don't have a ton of time during the day to write or network. And once the girls are home, my life is not my own as there are play dates, sports, homework, girl scouts, blah blah blah. I need a course in time management. Desperately. The way it stands now, I blog as much as I can during the day, and then very late at night.

How frequently do you post?
I typically post on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but lately I've been throwing a Saturday or Sunday into the mix as well. I'd love to post every day. I'm starting a petition to extend the day to 28 hours. Who's with me?

Do you own a business and blog about your business?
I could say something smart here, like I'm the CEO of the family I blog about, but it's too early in the morning to make that sound witty.

What do you recommend to blog about?
Well, this is only my opinion and there will be those who disagree, but I think that you should blog about what you know. A blog is only as good as its content and good content comes from knowledge. If you know cooking and want to advise those who don't know a spatula from a shovel, great! If you're a techie wizard and want to help those who barely know how to turn a computer on, awesome! If you raise alpacas and want to share your experience and sell a sweater or two, good for you!

But if you have no idea how to drive traffic to your blog, then you probably shouldn't have a blog about how to blog.

Have your readers influenced you in any way?
You bet. They have given my confidence that I actually can write something that people want to read and that is simply invaluable. Without feedback from my readers, I would have no idea if I'm on the right track or if I should just chuck it all and become a grave digger.Has blogging changed your life in any way?
One positive change: I've "met" so many people who otherwise I would never know and have established some great online friendships. Coming from someone who doesn't get a whole lot of adult contact on a daily basis, this is crucial to my mental stability.

One negative change: let's just say, blogging hasn't done my hips, butt, thighs and stomach any favors.

Who are your favorite bloggers?
I love The Pioneer Woman and Dooce and Laid Off Dad. I enjoy Barb Hogan's blog: http://www.barbhogan.typepad.com/ and octamom's blog as well: http://www.octamom.com/. To be honest, there are simply too many to list here.

What is your blogging style?
Very informal and laid back. I like to blog the way I speak because when people read my blog, I want them to "hear" my voice. I tend to have run-on sentences and incomplete sentences. I like to include conversations. I don't always use correct grammar or punctuation. I've been known to let an expletive or two fly, but nothing huge, nothing that will cause anyone to get their knickers into a knot. At least, I don't think so. I'd hate to think I'm responsible for anyone's knotted knickers. That has got to be uncomfortable.

What do you do when you get writer's block?
Cry and eat a Milky Way and complain to my husband. Then I walk away and try to forget about it and come back only when I won't be tempted to throw my computer out my window.

Do you have any advice for newbie bloggers?
Write good content. Be active in the blogging community. If you want comments on your blog, comment on other blogs. Be careful about who/what you write about … the Internet is vast but the world is sometimes very small. And finally, do not eat while you blog. Your hips will thank you later. Trust me on that one.

Thanks Andrea!

Would you like to be my next victim-er, I mean interview?
Comment on this post and I will stalk you and peek in your windows to watch your family eat dinner just like the Australian guy that follows that gecko character on Geico-Or, I'll just send you an email with a list of interview questions for you to answer.