Interviewing Alex + Janith: Our answers to the list of 50 questions to ask yourself as a blogger

Just over a week ago, Alex published a post with a series of questions entitled “50 Self-Reflecting Questions To Ask Yourself As A Blogger“. They were unbelievably thought out questions and really makes you think about your status and habits as a blogger.

Anyone who can answer all 50 questions, honestly, can definitely bring out some things they may not have known about themselves as a blogger. It’s a great way to really self reflect on your blogging habits – both the good and the bad.

Want to answer them yourself?

At the end of this post, I have included all the supplies you need on your blog to answer these. A download of the questions in HTML format, and a cool little image you can include in your post. Try to link back to this post if you choose to answer them on your blog!

Jump down to the downloads.

What a couple great people said

In the comments section of the post, we’ve had multiple people share their answers to the questions, and we really learned some cool things about our great community.

Some answers taken directly from the comments here at Blogussion. See more in the comments section.

Honestly:
13. NO | 14. YES | 43. NO

I would like to see more and more people, especially the young ones, on web, realizing the true way, the life is to be lived.

Aravind Jose T.

#3: If I measured success of my blog by money then I’d have to say it is a grand and glorious failure. So it’s good that I don’t! A bit more income would always be nice though!

#10: Well I always reply to comments. I don’t think I’m very unusual in that I always check back when I’ve commented to see the author’s reply and I read the comments and replies of others (well, not very single one, but a lot). I guess if I do these things then some other people do too. And I like the way the comments add to the post, and my thinking develops along with it.

#31: Oh yes!

#34: A lot of me goes into my blog. I keep some things back, but what I write about is very much from the heart.

#43: Not at all. I wish everyone who puts their time, energy and soul into their blogs great success. For example, I’m definitely old enough to be your father but that has no bearing at all on how I see your blog and your work. Maturity is not really about age!

Ian Peatey

We answered these questions for 3 reasons:

1. It’s a great way for Alex and I to get a little more personal with our readers.
2. We got inspired by Stuart Conover, who answered the questions on his blog.
3. It will hopefully inspire you to answer these questions yourself on your blog and share your blogging habits with your readers. It’s not as hard as it looks to answer in writing, really!

Don’t worry if you missed the question post itself because below we have included the questions followed by our answers unedited.

100 Answers to 50 Questions

1. Is it okay to be hypocritical in your articles?

Alex: If it’s for the best, then yes. I occasionally give out advice that I don’t follow on my own blogs, however I keep a fine line between dishing out information I don’t follow and information I don’t agree with.

Janith: To a certain extent; Yes. I’m a strong believer of “practice what you preach” but sometimes that’s not the case. On several occasions, I’ve shared my opinion on things that I haven’t implemented myself, but I was sure of it’s results and benefits.

2. Do you think you owe someone for commenting on your blog?

Alex: While I think all comments deserve a reply, I don’t think I owe anything to my commentators except to publish another article the next day for them to come back to and comment. They comment on their own free will, and besides – they get a backlink to their site anyways since we’re a dofollow blog!

Janith: Not necessarily, owe something but I am dearly thankful. I appreciate them dropping by and leaving a comment. That’s not to say commentators go unrewarded; we have the Top Commentators and CommentLuv enabled for a reason

3. Do you define your blog as a success if you make a lot of money from it and get a lot of comments per post?

Alex: My definition of a successful blog is having a blog that you are happy with. For example, I find Blogussion successful because I am happy with its progress. There are plenty of discussions in the comments that get the community going, there is decent traffic coming our way, and I am running a blog with someone who I think is cool and trust. I could go on and on, but as long as you are happy with your blog, then I’d say it’s a success.

Janith: To-date; I’ve never blogged for money. Most of my previous sites were launched with monetization a distant dream… but maintenance costs soon caught up with them. Making money off your blog is a welcomed benefit by any blogger, but I wouldn’t classify its successes on it. If your happy with how your blog’s progressing, and it’s evolving as a community; then it’s successful – on any scale.

4. Are you a conformist, or an independent?

Alex: I’m not going to lie, I got a lot of ideas for this blog from other blogs! I try to stay as unique as I can, but there have been some things I have done that were not solely my ideas.

Janith: Definitely Independent. I respect other people’s opinions and whatever makes sense, will inevitably influence my train of thought as well but that’s not to say that my 2cents on a subject is my opinion.

5. Is anything you write truly a great piece of writing without some lies or a little over exaggeration?

Alex: Definitely not. With exaggerations come opinions. A completely factual blog post is kind of lame and boring, and you have to add your opinions to make it a good post anyways. Now, remember the keyword in that question: “little”. I try not to go too far when I exaggerate!

Janith: No way, and they are far from a “truly great piece”. I set myself standards and expectations on a per article basis and also on a wider writing scale. They help me produce “worthy” content to our beloved readers here at Blogussion, but just like Alex said above ~ opinions are usually accompanied with exaggeration. In relatively small doses, it can really help bring out the true writer in you!

6. Is it better to get facts from someone else, or conduct your own experiments for results?

Alex: It’s better to conduct your experiments, but I often find myself without the time to actually do my own little experiments. Sometimes I will go on Twitter and ask a question and get a few responses. That’s about it though, I usually get my facts from other sites.

Janith: If you have the time, effort and equipment; then conducting your own experiments is the best way to go. This way you have a primary source of information, and don’t need to be dependent on somewhat biased “facts”. However, at times – we just won’t have the resources to perform those experiments. Then I talk to other people and take in account their experimental results.

7. Is everything a “guru” says always the right solution for you?

Alex: Never. You can take their advice, but remember one thing: Whatever they tell you worked for them. It won’t necessarily work for you too. That’s why I think you should take their advice to a certain degree and build off of it for your own solution.

Janith: No-one’s perfect, no matter how experienced, educated and talented you are. Their advice can be very good and heavy-on-purpose, but I’ve realized what a guru says is just another opinion. Inevitably, they carry a bit more weight than perhaps compared to a random.

8. Do you truly think PageRank is worthless?

Alex: Nope. I love having PR on my blog. I just see PR as a little virtual trophy that’s telling me I’m doing a good job getting backlinks. It’s just a sense of accomplishment too. I have never had anything higher than a PR3 site, so I don’t see PR as worthless – but as a motivation to do better than PR3.

Janith: No way, it’s one of the most satisfying things to work on as a webmaster. This just goes to show how dominant Google is, that their simple visual rep can mean so much, to so many. Seeing that green-bar go up a notch; can make my day! It’s more of a self-accomplishment feeling than anything else, knowing you are been rightfully rewarded for your hard work.

9. How would you honestly feel with a PR0 blog?

Alex: Well, if I went from having some PR to no PR, I wouldn’t feel good. But if I just started out on the domain, obviously I would have a PR0 blog and would be fine with it. Like I said above, it’s just a competition with myself when I think about PageRank.

Janith: Being an optimistic, at least have to say it’s better than PR n/a and that Google has at least noticed you. Not the best feeling in the world being assigned an null value, but at least your going in the right direction.

10. Is it worth replying to comments on your blog knowing that most of your replies will never be responded to or even read again?

Alex: Absolutely. It’s all about the community. You have to take the chance anyways, because by replying to them they could actually come back and see it and want to comment again.

Janith: Personally anyone who replies “YES” to this question, shouldn’t be a blogger. There’s a difference in not replying to comments as a whole and not replying to comments because “you think, they aren’t going to reply.” That’s one of the stupidest assumptions an individual can make; in my opinion.

11. Do you think your blog will still exist next month? 2 months? 3?

Alex: Oh, absolutely.

Janith: You can replace the word “months” with “decades” and I would still say; YES!

12. Have you discovered that writing your post first will help you write a better post title?

Alex: Yes, but sometimes I have the idea for the title in my head before I write the post. Usually I will modify the title a little bit as I go through the post though, because I may have written a keyword somewhere in my article I want to include in my title.

Janith: Never tried it, but doesn’t seem too organized. I like to have a plan and a rough draft, even before I start writing a purposeful article. So, with that in mind – this method wouldn’t really work out for me.

13. Are the links you include in your blog posts really meant to help other people, or are you just trying to sell an affiliate product or drive traffic to another website?

Alex: I’m not much of an affiliate marketer, but if the link I am including in my post has value, I will look for an affiliate link and put it in my post. Doesn’t hurt to try and make money while offering advice.

Janith: I wouldn’t link to something, I wouldn’t want to read as a reader (whether or not I wrote it). If the website/web-page is really useful, then I wouldn’t be double-minded about linking to it.

14. Are you really blogging to help others, or just to make profit?

Alex: I have never made any real money from blogging, but I do keep the goal in mind “to create an awesome blog” by keeping another thought in mind “deliver content that will help my readers”.

Janith: You tell me. Alex and I have worked day in and day out on this blog, trying to share our advice, opinion and experience with our readers. We haven’t even made a cumaltive triple figure income yet. Despite that, we can honestly say that we are extremely happy with how our blog is growing

15. Have you ever thought of not approving a comment because it is negative knowing nobody will find out?

Alex: On an old blog way back in 2007, I did that when I got a negative comment. I started blogging in 2007, honestly had no clue what I was doing and took offense to it. I don’t do that anymore though.

Janith: Never have I done this, in fact most of my previous blogs had non-moderated comments – so, you could say anything and it would be automatically visible to the public-eye. However, these days SPAM is just a pain in the @$$!

16. Is it wrong to comment on your blog under a different name?

Alex: No, absolutely not. It can spark discussion. Not just between yourself, but with other people. It’s like what people do on forums: register another account and post on it then reply to it as an admin or another fake member. Makes you look busy, and busy can be more appealing to some people.

Janith: I don’t really see the point of that, but if circumstances raises you to do that; I don’t see what’s wrong with it either. I mean if really talking to yourself is required from you; as the webmaster – go for it! It’s “Do or Die” in the blogoshpere, so whatever it takes (within reasonable boundaries)!

17. Do you plan for the future, or for the present in regards to your blog design?

Alex: I was a bit inexperienced when I first made the design for Blogussion, and didn’t exactly plan ahead. However, I am working to modify it so it will work for easier customization in the future. Definitely learned my lesson though: code for the future!

Janith: I never plan for the designs! Simply because I’m not a design person. Usually, I would just slap an appropriate theme onto my blogs, but ever since I started working with Alex – he’s been our design-dude! I’m more than happy to let him handle all that, because he’s doing an awesome job!

18. Is it worth emailing larger bloggers knowing they probably won’t get back to you or even read your message because it doesn’t “meet their standards of being replied to”?

Alex: Yes, because I think if I make my email interesting and valuable enough then I believe they will get back to me. While the standards for what is “interesting” are different between the both of us, I just have to hope that I get something back.

Janith: Absolutely. You will never know if they will reply or not. Quite suprisingly, I was in doubt the first I emailed a popular blogger (Darren Rowse from ProBlogger) but to my surprise, he got back to me with quite an extensively detailed reply!

19. Are you ever willing to edit an image you use in your blog post to make it look more appealing and eye catching?

Alex: I try to edit every single image I use. Whether it be adding text, or a border around the image, I will always edit it. It’s the little details that matter, right?

Janith: I always try to edit my images. I definately am not the most gifted photo-editor in the world, but I try to produce something decent whenever I can.

20. Are the images you use in your blog posts have a literal or metaphorical meaning that relates to your article?

Alex: I try to do both, I often find myself using images that are more straightforward then they are metaphorical. The one thing I try to stay away from are those cliche stock photos from sites like iStockPhoto. I can’t stand them! I’d rather sit for 30 minutes making my own image than sitting there for 5 minutes getting crap for images.

Janith: I’m more of a literal guy, so whatever images you see me use; probably has something directly related to the post’s content.

21. Do you think people who comment on your blog with keywords in their name are worth being replied to, or even acknowledged in your blog?

Alex: Like I said, every comment is worth being replied to. I can totally relate to people wanting to get their sites name out in the open. I’m a small blogger myself, I get it. As long as your comment has value, I’m alright with your username.

Janith: I don’t really like when visitors leave a comment using keywords, never did. It makes me feel that the whole purpose of their comment was to attain the free do-follow link. Then again, just like Alex said; if your comment has value – I’d be more than happy to award you that link and as well as respect your opinion.

22. Are you a “thinker” and “planner” instead of a “doer”?

Alex: I have been meaning to redesign the sidebar for ages, but I have been putting it off for reasons I don’t even know. I try to equal the balance of thinking and doing though (with the exception of the sidebar, haha).

Janith: Look before you leap, right? I like to plan before I set myself to do something. Makes it a lot easier, and I won’t forget something half way through the process.

23. Have you realized from experience, or by seeing that list posts are not as hard to make as they seem to be?

Alex: They’re not hard to do at all, just time consuming in some cases. But they are soooooo worth it. The most popular and successful posts on Blogussion are list posts. We found that lists with at least 40+ items in it do best.

Janith: I thought it was easy, till I saw Alex’s 100 lists! I doubt I could’ve made that if I had a 100 years to spare on my hands :O

24. Do you think it is beneficial to make a change to your blog that your readers will like, but you may not be fond of?

Alex: This is a tricky one, but I’d have to say it is. I’m a freak with my designs, and I have to approve of everything. It will bother me a bit to see something I don’t like – but if it’s for the best of my blog I will find a way to accept it and like it.

Janith: No, I disagree with this point. As we all know, it’s impossible to please everyone. So, a change in your blog will satisfy a few people or perhaps the majority, but why should the minority be neglected? Since, we can’t please everyone; I’ve learned to make changes as you want it and consider your readers’ input.

25. Is there something you have been wanting to change/add/remove from your blog, but haven’t gotten around to it?

Alex: Yes, I have been wanting to redesign the sidebar for a long time. Haven’t done it, but it is all planned into a major update we are going to have here at Blogussion soon.

Janith: Complete our Blogging Guide. I’m waiting till the school holidays (In 3 weeks) to completely revamp it. However, that’s after Alex and I perform a major update to Blogussion.com that’s just around the corner

26. Do you value every comment you get on your blog the same, regardless of the content of the comment?

Alex: Yes. I love when people take the time to comment. Even if it’s just a simple “Thank you, nice post”. That’s showing appreciation and a compliment in just 4 words. Definitely have to appreciate that!

Janith: x2 on Alex’s comment

27. Do you ever leave out information in your posts and try to let your readers fill it in in the comments section?

Alex: On occasion. Might want to do it here, but I don’t think we get enough commentators to really make additions to our posts like that. Once we get a larger reader base, I will surely do it more every once in a while.

Janith: I’ve tried this once.. didn’t work out too well – never done it ever since.

28. How many times do you think about your blog when you’re away from the computer?

Alex: I do think about it, always thinking how I can improve it. I try to keep it as far as possible from my mind in school, but hey, it pops into my mind every once in a while.

Janith: I’m always thinking about it. I think i’m developing a blogging-complusive-disorder as well

29. Do you avoid posting controversy on your blog because you have none to post, or you’re afraid someone might disagree with you?

Alex: I don’t care if someone disagrees with me because, well, it’s my blog! I don’t post controversy because I have none to really post. But Janith definitely did have some controversy.

Janith: I love raises controvosial topics! It really involves the readers, and quite frankly I haven’t been doing enough with Blogussion. I might just go back to my older posting habits of such in the forseeable future…

30. Are you easily discouraged?

Alex: I often will – especially on Twitter. I tweet about blog posts, and don’t get retweeted. But others do, and I don’t like to see that. However, I just have to look on the bright side always. Just as I mentioned in the article linked to the question!

Janith: Not really, but every now and then I can’t but help feel discouraged. Whenever I do ~ I just review our blog’s statistics (somedays this can just make the whole problem worse), re-read some of the posts and many appraisals we have received – then I’m straight back on the ball!

31. Do you think that hard work now will pay off later, even after months of hard work and no results?

Alex: That’s what blogging is about: Hard work paying off WAY later. If you don’t realize that, you are in for a big surprise in blogging.

Janith: What you put in is relative to what you get out. So, that being my main focus on everything I do; it really helps me put in that extra effort without too much slugish thinking. I constantly set small “mini-goals” and acheiving them on nearly a weekly basis, helps keep the motivation going!

32. Do you avoid trying to create relationships with other bloggers because they have a larger blog, or are more well known than you are?

Alex: I used to feel a little intimidated, but now I just see them as a person instead of a better off blogger than I am.

Janith: Nope, I talk to almost every blogger I come across and form direct relationships. Some work out better than others but that has nothing to do with blog-popularity and the intimidation that comes packed with it.

33. Are you making the best of your social network/media profiles?

Alex: Absolutely 100% not. I always tell myself I will work on my Digg profile, but I never do. However, I am still considering if Digg is actually worth the trouble.

Janith: No way. I feel like I’m barely using it at all. Especially Twitter and social bookmarking sites; I’m just out of it recently.

34. Do you ever add personality into your posts (ex: smiley faces, jokes, etc.)?

Alex: Yes, I show my personality in just about every post here. Makes things a little interesting, and I believe in this quote highly:

As long as it’s fun, no one will notice the content it lacks.

…or some variation of that.

Janith: I doubt I’ve ever posted an article without some sort of personality to it. Whether it be a simple smiley face or a humble “Thank You” – it has always been apart of my writing style

35. Do you add “friends” on social network/media sites because you want them to read you blog, or because you actually want to become friends with them?

Alex: I try to add people I at least know or have heard of. I will usually do the whole “you add me I add you back” thing though.

Janith: I try to add them to form relationships and build networks, but it can be quite overwhelming to have to talk to every single person you network with. Especially on program such as Digg – instead we follow a simple and “unspoken bond” of “you do this for me, I’ll do this for you.” However, programs such as Twitter are more socially-orientated and I can connect to each person individually.

36. Would you feel more accomplished if you got 20 comments from “regular” bloggers, or just 1 comment from a highly respected “famous” blogger?

Alex: Definitely would want 20 comments. Having a celebrity blogger come to your site is fantastic, but you have to remember that they will most likely not come back as often as those 20 other people would. It’s kind of like that question you get asked all the time in high school “Would you rather have 1 really close friend, or 20 acquaintances?”. It goes something like that, but it has the same value nonetheless.

Janith: x2 on the 20 comments for pretty much exactly the same reason as Alex. Couldn’t have explained it better myself!

37. Are you being as personal as you can with your readers (picture of yourself, small bio, etc.)?

Alex: Yeah, check out About page at Blogussion. It’s got my ugly mug up there.

Janith: Have you not see our beautiful faces on our About page? You haven’t?! We are so close to getting featured on Perez Hilton’s blog – check it out here.

38. Do you believe comments on your blog with more writing should be valued and rewarded higher than comments with less writing?

Alex: I think all comments are equal (except spam, I hope spammers die). I don’t exactly believe in rewarding my commentators except with a new article posted the next day and a reply to their comment however.

Janith: Nope, all comments should be treated equally. A 10 word comment could be more purposeful than a whole page of gibberish. So, quantity of the comment isn’t reflective upon its quality.

39. Are you more embarrassed when someone points out a spelling/grammar mistake, corrects wrong information, or when someone strikes down your article?

Alex: Seriously, I’d love for someone to do all 3 of those things in one comment. It hasn’t really happened to me ever, and I know just one comment saying that I did a poor quality job will get me into gear.

Janith: Absolutely not, it shows that they are actually paying attention to what I write.

40. Do you think your posts should be concise, or filled with extra information?

Alex: Stay as concise as possible, but not so much that you don’t get your point across the way you wanted to.

Janith: Consistency all the way! Another example of “Quality over Quantity”.

41. Do you make the title of my posts clear so the reader understands what the article is about before jumping to the content?

Alex: At times, yes, I do. However, I have been known to raise a few eyebrows with some of the post titles I come up with!

Janith: I wouldn’t have it any other way… I don’t see how you can have it any other way either? Sure you can change the words around a little bit, but end of the day your not going to write a title about Pet Cats when your content is on Internet Marketing.

42. What do you think when a post you put less effort into gets a bigger response than a post you put more effort into?

Alex: More power to me! if I can get rewarded for doing less work, then I am succeeding in my goal for adult hood: Doing little, getting rewarded highly.

Janith: If I could have it my way; I would appreciate the response be higher for the post with the more work in. Sort of “reward the hard-work” type of solution, but then again – rewarded for doing less work? Doesn’t sound the worst thing in the world

43. Does it bother you to see someone younger than you have a more successful blog?

Alex: I’m 15, and if I see someone younger than me doing better off than me, then I will just be happy as hell for them. I’m doing pretty good by my standards as it is, so seeing a 13 year old having more success is really inspirational to me.

Janith: Alex and I both are pretty young in the blogosphere, with myself being 16. I would actually encourage young bloggers and try to help them any way I can. Since, I was in their shoes not so long ago (and still am) I know how daunting it can be in the online world. To see someone younger than me, being more successful than me (on any scale) would be nothing short of pure-inspiration.

44. Are you afraid to make an investment in something that could help your blog substantially because you’re afraid it won’t work?

Alex: When my money is tight, I will be hesitant. But, when I get more money and can spend some without feeling too worries then I will absolutely make the investment.

Janith: There’s a difference between throwing money away and taking calculated risks. If I think I can make an accurate judgment and I have the resources to spend without too much of a worry; I’d sure go for it.

45. Do you add a fresh perspective to a subject, or just regurgitate it?

Alex: Not to appear as egotistical here, but I honestly think that when I put my mind to it, I can pump out some really great stuff. Take a look at my author page and see if you agree with me.

Janith: I don’t know, but I’m not very fond of throwing up. If, after wring an article, it is even remotely similar to a previous post – I would most likely scratch it. However, I do like writing up posts that reminds users of useful articles and such.

46. Do you tend to cut out some information that could be useful to some people because you don’t want your post to be “too long“?

Alex: My posts are usually 800+ words, so absolutely not. Although I should aim to keep some of them shorter, I have to say everything on my mind or I will not be happy with my post.

Janith: Never, I rather cut it up into two articles that just exclude information.

47. Look at your blog articles. What is the ratio of pillar articles to regular articles?

Alex: Out of the 33 posts I have here at Blogussion, I’d say that I put the most effort into about 13 of them (those being my pillar articles). Not too bad, 13 pillar articles and 20 regular. But I definitely need to (and have a few planned) make more pillar articles!

Janith: Clearly not enough. Out of the 49 articles I’ve written here, I double my pillars are in excess of double digits! I need to start writing some pillars ~ in fact I’m writing up two posts on how to make it big on; StumbleUpon and Digg. I think they will be epic pillars and you should look forward to

48. Have you kept up with posting consistently over the last month? If not, why?

Alex: At Blogussion, Janith and I take rotations. We always keep up with the rotation, and we always can cover for one another. The only days we don’t post are when we make really huge posts (like list posts) because we want them to sit on the top of the blog for a while. But rest assured, we write posts for later when those posts stay at the top of the blog.

Janith: Statistically speaking; we are actually above a 1post/day ratio. We’ve nearly hit the 90 articles mark with less than 3 months since launch (Feburary was not even a full month even). So, we are doing pretty well – but we couldn’t have done it without our much appraised guest posters either!

49. Are your blog posts full of information that will remain relevant over a long period or time, or for a shorter period of time?

Alex: I try to write content that won’t lose its value, but it’s not always easy (especially when you have a post with a lot of links in it).

Janith: Depends on the topic. Some content/tips/tricks won’t last that long and should be taken advantage of immediately. Then again some posts would be valid in 10 years time; unless we see drastic changes across the board of that topic.

50. Are you afraid to ask questions to your readers that you don’t know the answer to?

Alex: Nope. Whenever I write about SEO, I make sure to include I am not an expert, and if anything I say is wrong to please correct me. It’s a blog where we learn together. Yes, the blogger can learn something from the reader, it’s not just a one way kind of thing!

Janith: Absolutely not. Yet again; no-one’s perfect and in a community of inquiry (such as Blogussion) we all learn from one another. There has been several occasions that I’ve learned something from a guests’ comment and I’ve openly show my appreciation for their advice.

Answer the questions on your blog!

Want to answer these questions on your blog and really open up a little to your readers? You might need these two things:

1. The Questions!

Grab a copy of the 50 questions in HTML format. All you have to do is copy and paste them into your HTML Editor, and add your answers below!

2. A Nice Image!

Let your readers know where the idea came from so they can answer them too! Use this neat little post image Alex created and add it somewhere to your blog.

Download Questions in HTML Format & Post Image

If download doesn’t work, or you’d rather not download it – you can copy + paste the questions here, and just right click on the image above and click “Save As”.