We have already published five successful and inspirational interviews in the series of Journey of a Professional Blogger, interviews on EASKME.com.
- Jeffrey Romano from WPlighthouse.com
- Steve Counsell from SteveCounsell.com,
- Alex Young from Smallbiztrends.com
- Interview with Paul Manwaring
- Interview with Sef
Today we are going to publish interview with a Well known Social Media person and professional Blogger, Maxwell Ivey.
Interview with Maxwell Ivey from theblindblogger.net
Other people are reading : How to Promote Affiliate Products On Your BlogPlease share about yourself and your story to enter in blogging?
hello; my name is Maxwell Ivey and my friends call me max. I started out helping people sell surplus amusement equipment. i began the business after my father's death forced our small family carnival to go out of business. people told me that if i was going to have an online business i needed to have a blog. I started my first one on blogger about six years ago. later when I moved my website to wordpress I moved my blog too. I combined them into one site which i was told was best for search engine traffic.Then people heard about me being a totally blind blogger who runs his own website records youtube videos does Google hangouts and rocks social media i started a second blog where i share my more personal experiences of being a blind entrepreneur. People are loving those posts. I get good traffic comments and some shares.
I have two websites the midway marketplace www.midwaymarketplace.com and the blind blogger www.theblindblogger.net lots of work keeping both going. hoping soon to hire someone to help with some of the daly grind of keeping them going. but the blog that started out of necessity has come to be something that i enjoy doing. I shouldn't be surprised because I've always been a good writer. Great to use those skills they taught us in junior high and high school.
How the idea to make your own blog came in your mind? How you found the right people to develop it and what big obstacles you faced?
As for how to set up the blog i basically went with the default settings in blogger with my first bog. then when i moved to word press i did the same thing. its funny how many spammers will comment on how well my blog is set up and pretend to ask me for suggestions. :) to promote my blogs i started joining communities. as i shared my posts and asked questions people just naturally started offering to help. some of them like adrienne smith, robin hallett and farnoosh brock offered encouragement and made some minortweaks to my sites. others like ashley faulkes, lorraine reguly and kelly corbin have edited the site edited the post or helped with those.My biggest challenge as a blind person is knowing whether or not my site is visually appealing. while i can write a post that is technically acceptable the web is a visual place and you have to get their attention or at least keep from annoying visitors. i use a program called mars edit that makes it easy for me to write my posts embed images and add links. one example i remember is that until someone figured out that i needed to change my photos from left justified to centered they never looked right on my blog. but we fixed that. and i have a great community of people like harleena sing, angela mccall, sylvianne muccio and others who will let me know if something is off. i also am part of several blogging communities where i can ask for help too.
Can blogging really change someone`s life?
I don't know that it can change your life at least not by itself. I do believe that blogging can offer a valuable outlet for those suffering through emotional turmoil. it can be a helpful way of connecting with customers and building relationships that lead to sales of products or services. it can be a great way to hone your writing skills for your job or school work. I think its a great tool for those who want to change. and there are so many wonderful helpful supportive living bloggers out there that are willing to help you along if you just ask.I think its a key component or can be for change. and one of the things i encourage potential clients to think about is starting a blog or at least keeping a journal that they could later post from on a blog. i tell them writing about it is a great way to get clear on what they want to do with their lives or how they want to get to their ultimate goal once they have chosen one.
What are your favorite Internet marketing tools?
The best way to market yourself or your blog is blog commenting. by reading other people's blogs leaving comments and sharing their post you can get to know people and start to build a community that will support you when you do have things to market. i also believe strongly in email marketing. you should be always working to expand your email mailing list. this is something you own no matter what happens with your website blogs or social media accounts. and social media is good as long as you funnel everything back to your website or blogWhat is your daily schedule? and how do you maintain your tasks?
Well I have a lot going on. i have two website and two blogs. i am also a gastric surgery success having lost over 250 pounds from surgery better diet regular exercise etc. but i start by checking my email. i delete all the junk and then reply to anything that came in overnight. then i work social media write blog posts occasionally record a video. i read a lot of blogs. i also spend a lot of time thinking of ways to promote the website the blog or expand my social media network or email list. i need to work on making to do lists and coming up with a calendar. i have recently started getting bookings for radio shows and am having to keep a calendar just for those appointments. oh yes i also spend time recruiting future radio show and newspaper interviews or mentions. bottom line i know i need to be more organized. :)Blogging have different definition for different person. What is it for you?
For me its a way to share my experiences knowledge or experiences. its also a way to connect with other people who are also following their own passions and dreams. its how i promote the sale of amusement equipment for the midway marketplace or promote people to hire me as their coach or speaker for my other site the blind blogger. it`s also how i tell people about new things like my ebook or the book being available in print or my recording some songs to show i walk the talk and am not afraid to face new fears of my own.Which are your favorite blogs?
I have lots but here are a few www.adrienesmith.net, www.wordingwell.com, www.robinshallett.com, www.aha-now.com, www.madlemingz.com, www.magnet4blogggers.com, www.prolithicliving.com, kkherheadache.blogspot.com, lowvisionbureau.com, maribellsteel.com, afb.org, nfb.org. I may have a few of the url's wrong. i usually let my bookmarks take me to their sites.How much time do you spend on social media promotion and SEO of your blog?
I know I don't spend anywhere near enough time on SEO. being a blind computer user its just not always easy to do it. heck i hear the sighted have trouble with it too. as for social media most of those sites are not easy to use with a screen reader. so I do most all of my social media work through email notifications. if something requires me to go online to the actual site then i will. but i avoid it. this is actually an area where i think being blind is an asset. since it isn't fun using social media i don't spend a lot of time there wasted or otherwise. and just think of all the negative m meaningless posts i avoid reading because i am not constantly monitoring my twitter face book or g plus feeds. i do the same with youtube. you know how many fun distracting videos there are. well if you only go when someone you know posts a video you cut down how much time you are spending there.How much time do you spend for blogging daily?
I would have a hard time saying how much time i spend on just blogging. i mean are we talking about writing a post which includes coming up with an idea researching where required writing the post editing it and then pressing publish. then there is promoting it via social media emails replying to comments thanking people for sharing etc. but it would be interesting to keep a log and figure out how much time i spend on whatMessage for Readers.
I would have a hard time saying how much time i spend on just blogging. i mean are we talking about writing a post which includes coming up with an idea researching where required writing the post editing it and then pressing publish. then there is promoting it via social media emails replying to comments thanking people for sharing etc. but it would be interesting to keep a log and figure out how much time i spend on what.This was a great interview with Maxwell Ivey. I also wish him best of luck and bright future. His journey as a blogger is a an inspiration for everyone. So if you still waiting to start a blog, I must say you should start it right now.
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