Interview With Lorelle VanFossen – Part 9- A Recap Plus A Bonus

Posted by Barbara Swafford on Thursday, August 7th 2008   
Filed in: Archives, Blogging, Interviews, Writing Tips    Tags: , ,

lorelle of wordpress logo 300x215 Interview With Lorelle VanFossen Part 9 A Recap Plus A Bonus

Today we sadly say goodbye to Lorelle. It’s been a fun interview series, hasn’t it? I’ve learned a lot, and the comments have been awesome.

Not wanting it to end, I had to squeeze in one more question.

9) Thank you for your time, Lorelle. One last question, what articles would you recommend that you’ve written to new bloggers?

Oh, there are so many. I’m often staggered when I look at the number of articles I’ve published over the years. Finding the most helpful ones is a challenge.

I’ve pruned through the list and come up with some interesting posts for your readers that will help them with the most common questions people have about blogging, especially about beginning blogging. I’ve also thrown in some interesting posts that many have found helpful.

Thank you again for your time and I wish you good luck with the great blogging you are doing. Like so many, many are so excited about their newest project, they want to tell the world about it, so they start a blog. After they’ve been at it for a while, it’s now work, not fun. Keeping a blog going over the long term is hard work, but well worth it if you do it right and treat it like a long term project rather than a quick thrill. You’re on the right path, Barbara. Keep on blogging!

On A Personal Note

First of all, thank you Lorelle for your kind words and for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview. The readers of BWAB have gained tons of knowledge in a short period of time. For that, we will be forever grateful.

Although the series has ended, I’m hoping this isn’t the last we’ll see of Lorelle. If she has had as much fun with this series as we did, maybe she’ll agree to do this again in the future with a different set of questions.

The complete interview series is listed below:

Part 1 Stay Motivated
Part 2 Errors Bloggers Make
Part 3 Content: Is Good, Good Enough?
Part 4 Finding Fresh Content
Part 5 Managing 350+ Feeds
Part 6 Let’s Woop It Up
Part 7 From Blogging To Publishing
Part 8 The Future of Blogging
Part 9 A Recap Plus A Bonus

In closing, let’s put our hands together and thank Lorelle for sharing her knowledge with the BWAB community. ///clap,clap,clap\\\

Today’s Assignment

Based on all of the topics covered in the interview, which was your favorite?

What is the greatest lesson the interview taught you?

Has the interview with Lorelle, changed the way you blog (or will blog)?

Photo Credit: Lorelle’s Logo

Comments

LorelleNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

This was indeed so much fun. I think I learned more than everyone else. :D THANK YOU.

[Reply]

VeredNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Thank you Lorelle. :)

It’s difficult to pick one topic that I liked most. I enjoyed all of it. I completely agree that it’s easy to burn out and lose interest. One of my main goal is to pace myself, so that I’ll be able to do this long-term. But it is now 11pm and I’m still at my computer. How’s that for pacing oneself. :)

Good night. ;)

[Reply]

DavinaNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Barbara and Lorelle, this has been an amazing series, thank you both. I would have to say that my favourite part was Part 5 – Managing 350+ Feeds. I’ve gone from having about 3 subscriptions to 20 in less than a week. I know… 20 doesn’t sound like much to some of you, but I’m happily not as overwhelmed as I thought I’d be. So, the list will continue to grow.

[Reply]

Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Hi Lorelle,

You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by. I love how you wrote that YOU learned from us. I think I can speak for everyone. We take that as a huge compliment. :)

Hi Vered,

It is hard to pick just one, isn’t it? I agree pacing ourselves is very important. Lorelle’s suggestion to plan, sticks with me.

P.S. I’ll turn out the lights!

[Reply]

Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Hi Davina,

Thank you for your kind words.

Yes, those feeds start with one, and before we know it we start finding more great blogs. You’ll have to keep me posted on how your feed count grows.

[Reply]

RitaNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Thank you, both Lorelle and Barbara,
This has been an outstanding series, which clearly connected interviewee, interviewer and commenters. That is quite a feat, and as someone who is “relatively” new to blogging, I would be hard-pressed to pick a “favorite.”
Certainly, part 4 was a particular favrorite, but I believe that Part 6 was the most enjoyable. The interview was clearly stated, but the vareity – and disiagreements – were well thought-out, bringing a plethora of diisagreements regarding privacy in a public arnea!
BUT, Part 10 will be my all-time favorite: when Lorelle comes back armed to answer a Q&A. I think, Barbara, that you should start taking brief quesions from your readers, and cull them down to a particular number that Lorelle would be willing to respond to on a return visit!
With gratitude to you both,
Rita

[Reply]

Leanne MagraithNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Excellent series. The one that made me think the most was number 8 – the one about the future of blogging. I honestly haven’t even given this a thought until I read this post.

I think blogs have a bright future because bloggers are a very socially aware group and the blog itself is a malleable and flexible medium that be changed relatively easily to keep up with trends.

[Reply]

Scott McIntyreNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Indeed, I must thank Lorelle for being so generous with her advice.

And thanks to you, Barbara, for being willing to provide the opportunity for Lorelle to share her invaluable tips for bloggers.

I have learned much during the series and now have many new areas of interesting research to explore.

Like Vered, I can’t single out any one that I prefer. They were all gold! :-)

[Reply]

AxeCityNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

That was the best question actually, it really makes sense to provide such great list of articles at the end of this interview to give all of the bloggers a good resource to start with.

Have you tried to collect the whole interview in a PDF file?

[Reply]

Writer DadNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Barbara,

This series was my introduction to your site. I enjoyed it a deal and am excited to see what’s next. Thank you.

[Reply]

Karl Staib - Your Work Happiness MattersNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Now that was a great interview! My favorite was “From Blogging to Publishing.”

Lorelle and Barbara make a great team. I was a fan of both of them before this interview, but now I’m even more impressed. Both of them give such great content. I am striving to give my readers something fresh and valuable every time I post and both of them gave me a new bar to hurdle.

Thank you to the both of you!

[Reply]

John Hoff - eVentureBizNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

@ Lorelle – ah yes, teaching ultimately teaches yourself in the end, doesn’t it? ;) Also, if you’re still around watching comments, I’m curious as to why you have a free Wordpress.com account and do you wish you had your blog set up on a paid hosting account?

@ Barbara – Excellent Excellent Excellent interview! I think what I’m taking away from this interview most would be the need to create a disclaimer and copyright notice.

I’m not sure the interview will change the way that I blog, but we’ll just have to see, right?

[Reply]

Ann at One Bag NationNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

I’m feeling the need to revisit the motivation lesson! The series was really great; always fascinating to get into the head of an expert.

Thanks to both of you!

[Reply]

Ellen WilsonNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Thanks for all of this Lorelle and Barbara! It will take A LONG time digesting all of this. This is a paper (I mean series of blogs) I will come back to again and again.

Ellen

[Reply]

Sara with an "h"No Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

They were all good, but my favorite was the one about Content (Is Good, Good Enough) – it stirred up some thoughts in me and I think is helping my blogging get better. :-)

Thanks for a great series, Barbara and Lorelle! I hope to get Lorelle’s book very soon.

[Reply]

Rajaie AlKoraniNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

I didn’t catch the interview from the beginning, but the one about managing the feeds was the best!

Rajaie AlKorani’s last blog post..6 Sources of Free Ideas on What to Write About

[Reply]

Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Hi Rita,

You’re welcome!

Part 10 WILL happen. I’ve been in contact with Lorelle and she has agreed to more Q&As. Sweet! :)

Tomorrow will be my month mini meme (we all get to share one random thing about ourselves), plus Open Mic, where I leave the comment section open to your questions, concerns or other comments. I’ll have a reminder for anyone who wants to ask Lorelle a specific question(s), and at a later date Lorelle will come back and answer them all.

Hi Leanne,

Yes, the future of blogging is a fascinating topic. How exciting it is that we’ve started that (unknown) journey.

Hi Scott,

You’re welcome!

Lorelle did provide excellent answers to ALL questions, didn’t she?

Hi AxeCity,

Wasn’t that kind of Lorelle to dig through her archives and list those posts that she feels are most valuable to new bloggers? It’s a list I’ll be going through, too.

PDF file? I’ll have to give that some thought.

Hi Writer Dad,

I’m so happy you found BWAB during this interview series. What’s next? Sometimes even I don’t know. HeeHee. :lol:

Hi Karl,

You’re welcome.

I have no doubt you’ll be able to “meet or exceed the bar”.

Hi John,

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, disclaimers and copyright notices are very important.

Hi Ann,

You’re welcome! Yes, who better than Lorelle? Thank goodness she so willingly shares.

Hi Ellen,

You’re welcome! Haha! Me, too. I’ll have to bookmark my own blog posts. :)

Hi Sara with an “h”,

You’re welcome! That was a good one, wasn’t it? I know when I read Lorelle’s words, I realized content remains king/queen.

Hi Rajaie,

Now that it’s been recapped, you’ll have access to each question in this post. The comments remain open. Feel free to share your thoughts.

[Reply]

Linda AbbitNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Barbara & Lorelle,

This entire series is a treasure trove of resources and reflects the hard work and passion you each put into your work. Thank you both so very much for sharing it with me.

I think Part 9 is my favorite, because there is so much more to learn here. :-)

It *is* hard to select just one nugget, but the information about copyright and the legal aspects of blogging really shouted out to me.

I do hope Lorelle will come back for another visit, Barbara!

[Reply]

Urban PantherNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

All the posts were excellent. A little something for me, and the more technical stuff for the Lion. The one I found most interesting was Staying Motivated. I was shocked to discover that a lot of blogs disappear after 4 months. But then I thought about it, and it truly isn’t that surprising. It’s a lot of work!! And if you don’t have a clear vision for your blog, and a long term goal, it is going to fizzle out. Life has a habit of getting in the way. Fortunately, I have a business, and life partner, who shares the same vision and goal I do. And for both of us, blogging is a joy, not an burden.

Thanks Barbara and Lorelle!

Urban Panther’s last blog post..The undisciplined Panther

[Reply]

NaturalNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

it was a fun series and while one thing in particular doesn’t really stand out in my mind, i learned a little bit from each post, if nothing but just reading another point of view. this is the only blog i read “on blogging”, so it’s good to have the information here as a reference.

thanks Barbara and Lorelle

Natural’s last blog post..Are You Feeling Guilty Over Something?

[Reply]

MarelisaNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Thank you Lorelle ///clap,clap,clap\\\ . I think I enjoyed “From blogging to publishing” the most because one of my goals is to write a book based on my blog. The lists of posts to read looks great. I’m going to get started on those.

Barbara: You’re a great interviewer. Maybe we’ll see you on TV some time.

[Reply]

Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Hi Linda Abbit,

You’re welcome!

Yes, Lorelle will be back. Yeah!!!! Her and I are working on another angle of incorporating her wisdom into my blog posts. She does have an extremely busy schedule for the next four to six weeks, but after that, like the Terminator said; “She’ll be back” :) (that was the Terminator who said that, right?)

Hi Urban Panther,

You’re welcome!

Isn’t that something how most blogs die out so quickly? Many start thinking it will be easy, but as time passes, we find there is more to blogging than just writing words.

A clean vision is VERY important, as is a long time goal (if you plan to stick with it).

Hi Natural,

You’re welcome! I feel honored that BWAB is our only blogging blog. :)

Hi Marelisa,

Thank you for your kind words. TV? Larry King, move over! :lol:

[Reply]

Evelyn LimNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Hey Barbara, thanks for publishing this series of interviews. Great work there Lorelle! I really enjoyed it and learnt a couple of stuff too.

Thanks!
Evelyn

Evelyn Lim’s last blog post..Walk On Water With 7 Magic Stones

[Reply]

Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Hi Evelyn,

You’re welcome! I’m happy to hear the interview has been a learning too. That was our goal.

[Reply]

Irene | Light BeckonsNo Gravatar said on August 7th, 2008     

Hi Barbara, Lorelle,

Thank you so much for this series, it’s been a blast! Plus Lorelle left a nice trail of cool stuff to read … so much sharing here, I like!

Irene | Light Beckons’s last blog post..Breaking Inertia

[Reply]

Linda AbbitNo Gravatar said on August 8th, 2008     

Barbara,

I love your new tagline btw!! And, I think of you more like Barbara Walters than Larry King. :-)

[Reply]

Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on August 8th, 2008     

Hi Irene,

You’re welcome! Yes, isn’t that a great list. I’ve read some of them, but have lots more to read.

Hi Linda Abbit,

Yes. I forgot to mention that I had changed the tagline. I did that yesterday.

Years ago one of my employees used to call me Barbara Walters. TeeHee! :)

[Reply]

Kaye SwaffordNo Gravatar said on August 8th, 2008     

Hi Cousin Barbara,

You’ve got a wonderful resource here. I hope you set up a special set of links to this series, or at least to this last post with all those wonderful links. Making it easily visible and accessible in your right hand columns will be a boon to new people who come to your site. Great work!

Your Cousin, Kaye

[Reply]

Kaye SwaffordNo Gravatar said on August 8th, 2008     

I’m back for a second comment, Cousin Barbara. I just finished putting links of my latest post in social bookmarking sites using socialmarker.com. While doing that I decided that this post is so valuable, that I’ll take it for a whirl and get the links posted as well. Take care, Kaye

[Reply]

Cath LawsonNo Gravatar said on August 12th, 2008     

Hi Barbara and Lorelle – This series has been awesome. I missed a couple of posts due to being on vacation but I’ll be catching up on them over the next couple of days.

You’ve really opened my eyes to many things I didn’t even consider with regards to blogging – especially journal type blogging. I never used to “get it” when I read diary type blogs, but now I understand why these blogs are probably more important than any other. Thank you.

[Reply]

Barbara SwaffordNo Gravatar said on August 12th, 2008     

Hi Catherine,

What Lorelle said about journal type blogs does open our eyes to the value they hold, doesn’t it?

[Reply]

Jamie SimmermanNo Gravatar said on October 1st, 2008     

So much great information, I’ll have to bookmark it and come bak for a week! Thanks.

Jamie Simmerman´s last blog post..Pick the Brains of Top Bloggers!

[Reply]

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