At the start of the year, my friend and blogger Arvind Devalia approached me and asked if I’d like Leo Babauta to speak at the London Bloggers Meetup. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t know who Leo was at first – not having read his Zen Habits blog, or many blogs about health, minimal living, motivation and inspiration. Arvind was very excited and when one or two others started getting excited too, it was high time I checked him out.
I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was Leo writing one of the top 25 blogs in the world, but he was writing content that genuinely offered something of value. The more I spoke to people about Leo, the more I got an excited reaction about the prospect of him speaking. Ultimately Arvind put me in touch with Leo and the rest is history.
For someone who has achieved so much, Leo is a remarkably humble person. When he arrived at our event, he quietly made an entrance and immediately started talking with our community. Many were genuinely huge fans of Leo and his writing, but this didn’t seem to phase Leo or steal away his calm. Aside from his talk, Leo spent the entire evening talking to our bloggers – no commercial pitch, but a genuine interest in simply meeting people. I have to say, it was an absolute pleasure hosting Leo.
I took the opportunity of asking Leo to participate in one of our short blogger interviews which you can read below. – along with a short video clip from the night here. I strongly advise you check out Leo’s blog and perhaps his book The Power of Less (which I have subsequently devoured and loved). Well, enough introduction, over to you Leo and thanks for taking part.
1. What’s your blog called and what’s the URL?
Leo: I write Zen Habits (http://zenhabits.net).
2. What’s your blog all about (in 20 words or less)?
Leo: Simplifying your life.
3. When and why did you start blogging?
Leo: I started in January 2007 to chronicle some of the changes I’d been making, to share some of the lessons I’d been learning with others, and to connect with (and learn from) others doing similar things.
4. Which blog platform do you use?
Leo: I started on Blogger.com but quickly moved to WordPress. It’s what I’d recommend to any blogger.
5. Can you give an example of how blogging has enriched your life?
Leo: Oh, in so many ways. It’s connected me with some amazing people from all over the world, and I’ve learned a lot from them and made some good friends. It’s helped me to reflect more deeply on my life, so that I could share with others. It’s given me a job doing what I love — for the first time in my life. And I’ve had readers tell me that I’ve changed their lives in numerous ways … which is the most gratifying thing in the world.
6. Are there any blogs you recommend reading and why?
Leo: I love so many that it would be hard to know where to start. Other than the big names (Dooce, Daring Fireball, Seth Godin, etc.), I’d say read Tweetage Wasteland, Derek Sivers, Idlewords.com, Marco.org, Rowdy Kittens, among many others.
7. What three tips would you give to someone just starting out in blogging?
Leo: 1. Do something remarkable and share how you did it;
2. Focus on writing great posts before all else;
3. Enjoy the connections you make with your readers rather than worrying about numbers.
8. If you could change one thing about your blog what would it be?
Leo: I’m very content with my blog. I’m really racking my brain here and I can’t think of a thing, which is interesting to me.
9. What is the key to getting readers to your blog?
Leo: Creating amazing content on a regular basis. That’s the only reason readers come to your blog — to learn, to be inspired, to be entertained, to be moved. Do that for them regularly, and they’ll not only subscribe, but share your work with others.
10. And finally, what motivates you to keep on blogging?
Leo: It’s those emails I mentioned from people who say I’ve changed their lives. It’s really moving to hear that, and when I write a post these days, I think of people who I might help, and it makes me feel good to know I might make even a small difference to someone.
Welcome to another fun packed week folks. As usual I’m going to kick-off with an interview with one of our community members, this time with the ever so friendly and kind Mr Arvind Devalia. However keep your eyes peeled for notice of our next Meetup and a special event discount just for LBM’ers both coming here soon too.
Now on with the interview. I first met Arvind towards the end of last year when he approached me to ask if he could introduce a charity project he was working on to our community. As you may know, I’m always happy for charities to come along to our events, particularly those that are doing something interesting.
Arvind struck me as someone very genuine, who was gliding through life surfing on a wave of talent and goodwill, and nothing has changed my opinion on that. You can usually find Arvind at the London Bloggers Meetup talking, listening and offering ideas to other bloggers. I must admit to having not read Arvind’s blog quite as often as I’d like, something I’m going to try to rectify (or I might just sign up to his newsletter).
Well anyway, enough introduction, over to you Arvind to tell us all about yourself and how we can all be better bloggers (and people)…
1. What’s your blog called and what’s the URL?
My blog is called “Make It Happen – for a better you and a better world” and the url is http://www.ArvindDevalia.com/blog
You can see a screen grab here:
2. What’s your blog all about ( in 20 words or less)?
Simple and practical strategies to help you become a better person and make the world a better place at the same time.
3. When and why did you start blogging?
I started dabbling with a blog in 2007 but really only started blogging seriously in September 2009. Since then, my subscriber numbers have gone up six-fold.
4. Which blog platform do you use?
WordPress – and that’s the only solution I recommend to my blog consultancy clients (I run a service whereby we consult with clients about their social media needs and then also create their blogs).
5. Can you give an example of how blogging has enriched your life?
Where do I start? Firstly I have met some incredible bloggers, both online and also in person at LBM meetings.
And I have learnt so much simply by reading and commenting on the many brilliant blogs out there.
Blogging has also given my life a new meaning and direction in that it allows me to articulate my life purpose and bring it to fruition.
6. Are there any blogs you recommend reading and why?
There are many outstanding blogs that I read daily but the top one for me is Zen Habits by Leo Babauta. This blog is all about simple living and productivity – and was nominated by Time magazine in July as the number one blog for 2010.
I also read The Daily Brainstorm which was launched only recently and brings together in one place some top bloggers from around the world. I have been honoured as a contributing editor – and I expect this blog to really grow in the coming months. It could become The Huffington Post for daily inspiration!
7. What three tips would you give to someone just starting out in blogging?
My three main tips for a new blogger are this:-
- Focus on writing great content first. Only then look at other aspects of blogging. Looking back I spent far too long trying to get my design perfect and fine tuning my blog offering. Identify your niche and just start writing quality stuff, even if your chosen area seems too broad. Over time, your niche will become more defined and will naturally evolve. The key is to write quality articles on a consistent basis – and then to keep the momentum going
- The look and design are important. So as soon as you can, get a decent design done – it doesn’t have to be world class from day one. The design can then evolve as you develop as a blogger and as your following grows. I would also highly recommend that new bloggers start with WordPress from day one, ideally with their own relevant domain name and their own hosting space. This will give you complete freedom to create your own design and incorporate the many WordPress plugins available.
- Connect with other bloggers offline and online. This will help you learn from them and show you what’s working and what’s not working. Blogging can get lonely so having this virtual support community will help you maintain momentum. Also your new friendships could evolve into joint venture opportunities. And you will also create openings for guest posts, which are a great way of building a following quickly.
8. If you could change one thing about your blog what would it be?
I would change the design. The current design is now 8 months old and though it looks great, I intend to revamp it soon. I would welcome all suggestions from other bloggers for making it better!
9. What is the key to getting readers to your blog?
Always put your reader’s interests first. Before you post any article, ask if the article fulfils your target market’s needs. It’s about them and nothing else. If you focus on your stuff and start self-promoting, readers will see through this and soon unsubscribe. Provide great content, build a great relationship with them and then look to monetise in the long term.
One strategy for getting new readers to your blog is to write guest posts for other key blogs in your niche. Offer your best articles to other bloggers in return for a back-link and exposure to their readers. Writing many guest posts on a consistent basis will create your profile out there and bring you many new readers in the long term.
10. And finally, why do you come to the London Bloggers Meetups?
I came across LBM last October, soon after I began taking my blog seriously – and I was struck by the energy and enthusiasm of the other bloggers attending. I have made many new friends and also learnt a lot from the excellent speakers every month.
In summary, I now come to LBM to meet new and old friends and learn about new facets of blogging in a social, relaxed setting.
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