The September 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Maddie Grant from SocialFish.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Maddie Grant, CAE who is an association industry blogger based in Washington, DC.  She is chief social media strategist for SocialFish, a consulting firm that helps organizations build community on the social web. Maddie has written articles for a number of publications and speaks frequently. Maddie writes for the popular “SocialFishing…” blog, covering the intersection between social media and association management. You can find Maddie at www.socialfish.org.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Maddie Grant: I was working as COO of a small membership association and decided to start a personal (yet professional) blog where I could explore issues relevant to associations.  I found that it quickly became part of me, something I had to do, and eventually I built my consulting firm around it.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Social media is a hot topic and represents a fundamental change in how people communicate, collaborate, and work.  Blogs are social media, and there are many great blogs about blogging, and blogs about social media, but mine was one of the first to tackle how the association industry specifically is being transformed because of it, and how building community is at the heart of why associations exist.

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?

I was lucky to start blogging when the association blogosphere was still tiny.  In only a few short years, it has truly blossomed, and I had an advantage of being in the first wave of bloggers.  It didn’t take long to make a name for myself as a blogger – in our industry, everyone knows everyone, and even much faster and easier now though social media!  Blogging is so interactive, I have great relationships with technology bloggers and nonprofit bloggers too, and we’re all learning from each other.

Newstex: What are the top 3 tips you can give to bloggers looking to develop successful blogs? (more…)

The August 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Jay from MarketFolly.com.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Jay, the author of Market Folly.  Jay has experience at a long/short equity hedge fund focused on intensive fundamental research.  Using his expertise in the area, he tracks hedge funds extensively on his blog.  He has degrees in both Economics and Communications and has been involved in financial markets for just under a decade.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Jay: I have been tracking hedge fund portfolios for many years and figured there were other people out there interested in the topic and decided to start posting up my findings.  It was an easy place to keep all my research and aggregate a nice timeline, so it was really convenient.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Jay: I believe MarketFolly.com is unique because it fills a specific niche in the financial blogosphere.  We track 40+ hedge fund portfolios in-depth every single day and try to bridge the gap that is often present with the secrecy surrounding the hedge fund industry.

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?

Jay: I think it is a combination of a couple things.  Firstly, a lot of people have complimented our content and I’m a big believer in the notion that if there is good content out there, people will spread it around.  Secondly, I think it can also be attributed to working hard to generate material on a daily basis.  I always ask myself, “would I want to read this today?”  It’s cliche but hard work is the key here.

Newstex: What are the top 3 tips you can give to bloggers looking to develop successful blogs? (more…)

The July 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Esther J. Cepeda of 600 Words.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Esther J. Cepeda who is an opinion journalist and expert on the issues of U.S. Hispanics/Latinos. She writes about that and much, much more on www.600words.com.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Esther J. Cepeda: I was a columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times when the print media industry started to melt down because of the migration of advertising dollars to the internet.

When the newspaper had its second round of mass layoffs I was let go and the city lost the only metro columnist who regularly wrote about Hispanic and Latino issues, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from reporting and opining on news, sports, and culture. So instead of mourning the loss of my printed perch, I decided to keep writing on-line where all the action is anyway.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Esther J. Cepeda: “600 Words” is unique because its foundation is laid on first-hand reporting of stories that are unique and relevant to a mainstream audience – news, politics, sports – yet also focused on Chicago and on Hispanics, who comprise such a large share of the internet traffic these days.

My readers – who write to me from all over the country and are young, old, black, white, Hispanic, male and female – honor me with comments such as “you tell it like it is,” “you’re never boring,” and “why isn’t everyone talking about this?” (more…)

The June 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Jeremy Goldkorn of Danwei.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Jeremy Goldkorn who is the founder, editor-in-chief and publisher of Danwei, a blog about media, advertising and urban life in China, where he has lived since 1995.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Jeremy Goldkorn: Danwei is about Chinese media and Internet — industries that I have been working in for more than a decade.

I caught the blogging bug during the SARS panic in China of 2003 when I  noticed that a few blogs were more comprehensive sources of information than the WHO, the Chinese government and media reports about the disease. Soon after the end of the SARS panic, I had figured out how to set up a blog and launched Danwei, initially as a one man show.

Danwei has always been primarily about observing changes in the Chinese media and Internet, and translating noteworthy articles and blog posts by Chinese writers. There are now four of use who work on the site.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Jeremey Goldkorn: We have a mixture of content ranging from daily summaries of important stories in Chinese newspapers to tracking Internet censorship and following the changes in China’s media in terms of business, government regulation and content, political and cultural. We do a lot of translation from Chinese media and Internet writings and use Chinese language and Mainland sources very heavily in our research.

Although we do comment on certain issues, Danwei has never been an opinion blog: the emphasis is always on high quality information. We also produce our own video shows which attract a different group of people from our articles and blog posts.

Essentially, if you follow Danwei, you will stay on top of developments in the Chinese media and Internet, and that is what draws most of our readers.

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?

Jeremy Goldkorn: Persistance, good writing, and focusing on specialized content area that big media companies are not well positioned to produce.

Newstex: What are the top 3 tips you can give to bloggers looking to develop successful blogs?

Jeremy Goldkorn:

1. Choose a subject area where you have real expertise, or enough passion to educate yourself into an expert.
2. Do original writing and research, not just commentary on what other bloggers or the media publish.
3. Your personal life is not interesting.  (more…)

The April 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Mark Evans of Mark Evans Tech.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Mark Evans who is an entrepreneur and social media expert.  Mark currently writes blog content for Mark Evans Tech, Twitterati, and All About Nortel.  You can read more about Mark’s background and experience at the end of this post.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Mark Evans: I started Mark Evans Tech in 2004 while I was a reporter at the National Post newspaper. I had written a column suggesting that blogs were nothing more than online diaries for heart-sick teenagers. Blogware approached me with an offer to see what a blog had to offer. After a short time, I was hooked.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Mark Evans: I try to provide insight and perspective as opposed to piling on to news events. As well, there aren’t a huge number of technology bloggers in Canada.

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?

Mark Evans: I think my blog has done well for several reasons. One is that I produce a lot of content. I also try to offer insight and comment rather than reporting the news, and I’m pretty good at linking to other blogs and commenting on blogs.

Newstex: What are the top 3 tips you can give to bloggers looking to develop successful blogs?

Mark Evans: My three tips would be:

1. Be focused on a particular sector or interest.
2. Produce content on a regular (daily) basis.
3. Using a variety of tools (StumbleUpon, Reddit, del.icio.us, Feedburner, etc.) to promote and distribute your content. (more…)

The April 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Patrick Duffy of The Housing Chronicles Blog.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Patrick Duffy who is Principal of MetroIntelligence Real Estate Advisors, a division of Beacon Economics, author of The Housing Chronicles Blog, contributor to The Wall Street Journal’s Developments Blog, and contributing editor of Builder & Developer magazine.  You can read more about Patrick’s background and experience at the end of this post.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Patrick Duffy: I started my blog in November of 2007 after noticing that almost all of the housing blogs online were focused only on the housing bubble as well as to promote my company, MetroIntelligence Real Estate Advisors.  Many didn’t even pretend to be objective, only focusing on the bad news that would help the authors substantiate their theory that the housing market was certainly doomed.  Since I wanted to create a blog for the long term, I specifically avoided any reference to a housing ‘bubble’ or ‘crisis,’ and instead chose the very generic term ‘Housing Chronicles.’  Over time, I’ve expanded it to include coverage not just on housing, but also on commercial development.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

I write my blog from the perspective of a consultant to the building industry for over 20 years who has already been through one of these boom-and-bust cycles.  My regular reading list is pretty comprehensive, including most major newspapers and a variety of magazine titles related to current events, politics, general business as well as real estate development.

Since time is in such short supply these days, I like to share stories with my readers that I find interesting and that could impact the business of real estate.  Consequently, you’ll find citations from published articles ranging from the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times to The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and Builder magazine.  In addition, I also reprint original articles that I write for industry-related magazines such as Builder & Developer or Hardware Retailing and link to other articles and book reviews I’ve had published for Inman News or the Los Angeles Times.
 
Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?

I think any successful blog requires regular updates in order to keep readers coming back, but that’s not necessarily easy to do when other deadlines are constantly looming, so being committed is key.  I’ve also benefitted from reciprocal links to other housing blogs which already had fairly large built-in audiences, as well as from those which continue to grow in popularity.  There’s a definite sense of community among most bloggers, and the best of them will help each other out with advice, citations and appropriate links.  Finally, I know I benefit from syndication deals with companies such as Newstex, which place my blog posts on places such as Lexis Nexis and the Amazon Kindle, which would otherwise be unavailable to me. (more…)

The March 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Michael Panzner of Financial Armageddon and When Giants Fall: Economic Roadmap. 

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers. 

This month’s interview is with Michael Panzner who is a 25-year veteran of the global stock, bond, and currency markets and has worked in New York and London for such leading companies as HSBC, Soros Funds, ABN Amro, Dresdner Bank, and J.P. Morgan Chase.  He is also the author of several books about the finance industry and business.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Michael Panzner: Actually, I have two blogs, Financial Armageddon (www.financialarmageddon.com), which I created in December 2006, and When Giants Fall (www.economicroadmap.com), which I began in November 2008. I began both sites as a way of elaborating upon, adding to, and highlighting the material contained in my second and latest books, which have, respectively, the same names.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique? (more…)

Time for a new edition of the monthly series called Blogger in the Spotlight where Newtex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview provides a glimpse into the world of political blogging. Newstex spoke with the founder and sole author of Above Average Jane, a blog dedicated to the progressive politics in Pennsylvania, particularly in the greater Philadelphia region. The author is a mother of two who writes anonymously under the pen-name Jane. She has been blogging since November of 2004.

In the days before the Pennsylvania primary in 2008, Above Average Jane featured an in-depth interview with a staffer in the political campaign of Barack Obama. During this interview, Newstex asked Jane about how she landed this interview, what first got her blogging, where blogging is headed and much more.

Newstex: I’m curious how you came up with the title for your blog, Above Average Jane, what inspired that?

Jane: A friend of mine suggested that I might pick up blogging, and I decided to do that, and I decided rather quickly – you know, I was trying to think of a title…and I had an opportunity to meet President Bush a few years ago, before I started blogging, and the reason that I was picked for that is because I was average. I was a just a person off the street basically, and – but if you do things because you’re average, then at some point, you lose you’re average, then at some point you lose your average-ness, if that makes any sense.

Newstex: Kind of like the magic of being unoriginal? Like that?

Jane: Yeah. [she laughs] Something like that…implying that I had no particular credentials, but the fact that I was doing this and there were very few women bloggers at the time.

Newstex: So, you said you got picked for that event because you were an average person. Did you end up meeting with Bush?

Jane: I did meet with him. I actually had a picture taken with him. I did not know if I could bring a camera to this event, so I brought a disposable, and one of the people I ran into was actually someone of some note, and he hadn’t brought a camera, so he asked the President for a picture, and since I had the camera, I got to be in the picture too.

Newstex: So, you started your blog in 2004, and did your blog turn out the way you intended it to, or did it sort of take on a life of its own?

Jane: Well, when I first started out I didn’t necessarily know a lot about local politics. I was interested, but I didn’t really know a lot, and as I went on, I started going out to political events and I started doing email interviews with candidates, and, you know I found some niches that I hadn’t really known were out there. There weren’t that many people writing on state-level politics – state house races, state senate races; unless it was a hotly contested race, it doesn’t really get a lot of press, so that’s an area I could focus on. (more…)

Welcome to the first post in a new monthly series called “In the Spotlight” where we’ll be turning the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that will give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

Our first “In the Spotlight” interview features Vince Leibowitz who writes the highly successful Capitol Annex blog. With the U.S. Presidential inauguration happening this month, it seems fitting to feature a blogger who focuses on politics. Vince Leibowitz is a former award-winning mainstream media journalist. He founded Capitol Annex in 2005 and is the chair of the Texas Progressive Alliance, the largest state-level coalition of bloggers in the United States.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Leibowitz: Capitol Annex isn’t actually my first blog. My first solo blog was “Free State Standard,” (fsstandard.com), which I opened in August of 2003, back when “blog” was still a term that wasn’t really as much a part of our culture as it is now. During the 2004 election cycle, I suspended writing that blog to work as Communications Director on a political campaign. Suspending the blog was a major mistake, and I lost a lot of my readers.

After the 2004 election, I sort of lost the desire to blog on a daily basis. That, coupled with trying to regain my readership, was more of a challenge than I wanted to tackle at that time, so I scuttled the blog. My decision to close it made the front page of the Dallas Morning News as part of a story on how political blogs would adapt after the 2004 election.

Shortly after I closed Free State Standard, Byron LaMasters, the founder of Burnt Orange Report, invited me to be a front-page writer at that site–another Texas political blog. I did that (and am still a front pager there) for a good while. In late 2005, as the 2006 election cycle started to get underway, I began to realize that I really wanted to go back to having my own “shop,” so to speak, from which to publish my opinions and news stories. Since I don’t live in Austin, the name “Capitol Annex,” which refers to a beautiful underground extension to the Texas Capitol in Austin, seemed like a perfect name. The domain was available and the rest is history.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique? (more…)