Monday morning brings another blogger interview and this week we’ve been talking to one of London’s most prolific bloggers, Matt Brown of Londonist. Matt is someone I’ve known for a couple of years now and have worked with on some clients projects too. He’s a genuinely nice guy and can often be found supping a glass of red wine at the London Bloggers Meetups. I would hazard a guess that he and the Londonist crowd are more often than not the last to leave at the end of an evening too.
If you haven’t read Londonist before, shame on you. It’s one of the best multi-author blogs on London and in fact, one of the best multi-author blogs full stop in my humble opinion. If you want to get the best out of London then check out what they’re up to. The fact that Matt has been working on Londonist for over five years tells you he knows a bit about both blogging and London. Who better then to try and glean a few blogging tips and tricks from.
So over to you Matt, tell us more about the world of Matt Brown, Londonist and how to be a better blogger…
1. What’s your blog called and what’s the URL?
Londonist and the URL is http://londonist.com
2. What’s your blog all about ( in 20 words or less)?
London, and everything that happens in it.
3. When and why did you start blogging?
I personally started blogging in June 2005, although Londonist itself dates back to October 2004. I joined the team of bloggers on Londonist as I wanted somewhere to share my love of London. I’m not sure I’d even heard of blogs back then – I just discovered this fantastic site where people like me were writing daily about London life and wanted to be part of that.
4. Which blog platform do you use?
Movable Type 4.
5. Can you give an example of how blogging has enriched your life?
Over the years, writing or Londonist has given me an excuse to visit all kinds of weird and wonderful London locations. I’ve spent the night in a haunted plague pit beneath London Bridge. I’ve waded through the sewers near the Olympic park. I’ve strolled along the Tube Lines at Leicester Square at 2 in the morning and had tea with the Lord Mayor. And I caught a lung disease after clambering to the top of a disused church steeple. If that’s not life-enriching, I don’t know what is.
6. Are there any blogs you recommend reading and why?
Diamond Geezer is among the best chroniclers of the city in any media, and his amusing rants about PR companies are also a blogging treasure.
Ian Visits is another essential read for anyone interested in London’s history and heritage. I feel a little guilty only nominating these two, as there are so many other superb bloggers out there, especially those covering very local issues.
7. What three tips would you give to someone just starting out in blogging?
- Be on Twitter/Facebook too – these are invaluable tools for helping to grow your blog.
- If you’re going to be edgy, be aware that you’re just as prone to the libel laws as any journalist (what people say in the comments section is also your legal responsibility)
- Don’t think too hard about it…just get going and prepare to experiment with styles and stories as you go along. Five years on, I still learn new things about blogging every day.
8. If you could change one thing about your blog what would it be?
Well, we can change more or less anything we want now that we’re no longer so tied to our ‘parent blog’ Gothamist, and we’re in the process of making some exciting changes right now. Beyond that, I don’t want to say more right now.
9. What is the key to getting readers to your blog?
I’m really proud of the way we involve our readers in creating the content. For example, we have a Flickr pool where readers can leave photos of the city (almost 100,000 now), which we then use (with full credit and link-back) in the stories. The photographer gets a wider exposure and our blog looks that bit more beautiful – everyone’s a winner.
We also ask for reader suggestions (via Twitter and Facebook) when compiling posts about what to do at the weekend, what to do cheaply in London, etc. We’ve also used crowdsourcing to compile interesting maps of London (for example, we attracted a large audience of elderly readers – not our usual demographic – when we plotted a map of World War II rocket attacks, mostly based on reader information).
These and countless other examples are at the heart of our relationship with our readers, and I think this is why our audience has grown so much in recent years.
10. And finally, why do you come to the London Bloggers Meetups?
I like the mix of people. At any given meetup you’ll meet a mixture of social media professionals, marketing and PR types and people who blog for the sheer fun of it, with no commercial angle whatsoever. Everyone has something valuable to contribute and I’ve learnt a lot from some of the people there.
It’s Monday morning and that can only mean one thing – I need a strong cup of tea to kick start the week. Ok Ok, apart from that, it also means it’s time to post up an interview with another fantastic member of the London Bloggers Meetup community. This time I’ve picked someone who, as far as I can remember, has been coming to the London Bloggers Meetups pretty much since day one and that’s Chris Osburn (correct me if I’m wrong there Chris).
So why should I interview Tikichris then?
The answer actually comes in lots of parts. I’ll start with the fact that he is a Contributing Editor Food and Drink for Londonist which is probably one of the best multi-author blogs about London. Not only that, but Chris takes a mean photograph of London every single day and posts it up on his blog. He’s been doing this every day for a couple of years I believe, no mean feat. He has also featured in the lastminute.com top 50 blogs about good stuff chart (ok, I should point out, I have been involved in compiling this chart in the past, but there is absolutely no bias here).
I have also had the pleasure of working with Chris on various writing assignments and can genuinely say it’s been a pleasure. Anyway, enough of the usual rambling intro, it’s time to hand the post over to the interview. So Mr Tiki Chris, over to you…
1. What’s your blog called and what’s the URL?
My blog is Tikichris and the URL is http://tikichris.com
2. What’s your blog all about ( in 20 words or less)?
Basically, tikichris is about my (mis)adventures in London and beyond. Lots of art, food and drink, photography and travel.
3. When and why did you start blogging?
Summer of 2006. I thought it would be a fun way to share my writing and photography with the world. That has proven to be the case time and time again.
4. Which blog platform do you use?
tikichris.com is a WordPress blog. I also have a “tikichris to go” mobile blog via Tumblr. I dabble with Blogger for some projects and use Moveable Type as a contributing editor for Londonist.
5. Can you give an example of how blogging has enriched your life?
Blogging has helped me make friends and get work. It has allowed me access to lots of things that I otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to experience.
Recently, I was invited to the Bushmills Inn and Distillery in Ireland. I wasn’t representing any big name print publications or glossy mags – just my blog and some other websites I write for. I had a blast and was very well looked after. On a number of occasions, I’ve found myself interviewing celebrities, dining in some of London’s best restaurants and staying in hotel rooms that I’d personally never be able to afford. Sometimes I even get paid to have this kind of fun!
6. Are there any blogs you recommend reading and why?
Photoshop Disasters, LAZERTITS and Murder Burger are always good for a chuckle. My friend (and contributing editor at Londonist) Hazel Tsoi-Wiles recently turned my attentions to Hungover Owls. Hilarious.
Check the links in my blog’s sidebar for a lengthy list of blogs that I regularly read.
7. What three tips would you give to someone just starting out in blogging?
- Don’t do it as an end in itself but as a means to an end.
- Meet other bloggers (LBM is an ideal way to network).
- Make sure you have a singular voice and that you’re not just doing the same old thing.
8. If you could change one thing about your blog what would it be?
I wish I had the time to post more. I use WordPress.com (not .org), which is free and for the most part awesome, but it would be great if I were able to tweak it just a little more.
9. What is the key to getting readers to your blog?
- Longevity
- Lots of posts
- Quality content and
- Great images.
10. And finally, why do you come to the London Bloggers Meetups?
To see old friends and to network. The free food and drink that accompany many of the meetups doesn’t hurt either.
We had another very successful bloggers social last night, back at our old haunt the Camel & Artichoke in Waterloo. Around 40 or so people turned up, all of whom were given a goodie back from event supporters Berocca. I have to admit, I didn’t really understand the link between blogging and Berocca (a vitamin supplement) when they first approached me, but when I heard about an article in the New York Times it all started to make sense.
Apparently us bloggers are working until we drop, putting in long hours and fitting blogging in around full time jobs, or other freelance projects. I can certainly relate to this and probably a lot of you can too.
What’s the link with Berocca then..? Well, the little orange nuggets of Berocca are jam packed full of vitamins to help rejuvenate your tired body and give you a bit of a kick start. Especially useful after a long night writing blog posts before an early morning meeting – trust me, I’ve been trying these little beauties out all week and so far so good. I do however have to point out for those first timers that you will probably notice a bright green colour when you go to the bathroom. Don’t be alarmed, it’s normal (according to Berocca).
For those interested in cocktails, we tried one in a pint of Guinness at the meetup and it wasn’t at all bad. I’m sure Chris and Tom will agree – although perhaps just half a Berocca next time.
What’s next for the bloggers social then?
I got a few comments from bloggers liking the move away from the Coach & Horses (a venue that’s a bit over done now apparently) so we probably won’t be heading back any time soon. I also had some requests for more content at the meetup, much like the legal presentation we had before. Any suggestions are welcome, but I have in mind a talk at some stage about managing content production and I know M@tt from Londonist has agreed to talk about something along these lines before. M@tt?
I’m also in the early stages of talking to a mobile social network about sponsoring the next meetup. This I hope will bring the return of a free drink for us all – I know how everyone likes a tipple every now and then. I will put more information out on this soon. I’m also looking for a good new venue again, preferably with a private room, big screen TV and ideally wheel chair friendly. I’ll let you all know how I get on, but again, any suggestions welcome.
Thanks to everyone who came along on Tuesday, we really are building a vibrant community of bloggers. The comments always reflect what an interesting bunch of people you all are and I hope you will keep coming. New faces are always welcome as are the regulars. Special thanks to Peter, Mex, Andy and the handful of others that have attended every month!
I’ll see you all on the 24th June. In the mean time ‘keep on blogging’, but keep healthy and of course let me know if the Berocca has added that extra little bit of spice..
Cheers,
Andy
Recent Comments