What is the name of your Blog?I Eat My Pigeon
What is your name?
Olivia Ibarguren
Where are you from? (include country, state and/or city)
New York, New York
What is your current age or age range?
29
Please describe your blog
Please enjoy the daily humiliations of an American writer in her expatriate phase. First, Japan. Now Ireland. Next ...?
Describe the main purpose of your blogging, what are you trying to accomplish?
My blog is a chronicle of the unrooted years of my life, as well as practice for my chosen career of travel writing.
What blogging platform do you do and why?
I use wordpress. It's free.
What do you blog the most about?
I blog the most about things I see and how they're different from what I know.
What kind of blogs make you angry?
I tend to dislike blogs written by unpleasant people, but I've yet to meet a blog that actually made me angry.
Give five of your best blogging tips.
1. Stay anonymous. I've seen far too many people get fired for their blogs. 2. Be part of the blogging community - read and comment on other blogs. 3. Write as often as you can; it paints a better picture of where you are in your life now. 4. Give your blog a narrative arc - the best reads have a plot. 5. When writing about others, ask yourself: "Would I want this said about me?"
What are some things you would NEVER blog about?
My personal life or my friends' personal lives.
Did you start blogging for the purpose of making money and if so, are you making enough money?
I started my blog to keep in touch with my friends and family when I moved to Japan. I'd love to make money, but my blog platform doesn't allow me to run ads.
How long have you been blogging?
6 years, in various platforms.
About how many hours per day do you spend blogging?
1.
Do you track RSS feeds and if so, how many do you usually track daily?
No, I don't.
Do you use Digg, and why or why not?
I don't, because I don't know what it is or how to use it.
Do you use Stumbleupon, and why or why not?
I don't, because while I know what it is, I can't figure out how to use it to my advantage just yet.
What promotional techniques work best for you and why?
Commenting on other's blogs, joining blog rings, using sites similar to stumbleupon, entering contests. They help expose people to my blog and if they like what they see, they stick around.
If you could post a blog on any blog in the world, which one would it be and why?
I prefer to stay in my own platform.
What mistakes have you made that you could warn others about?
In my first blog, I was too personal. In my second, I was too impersonal. Keep it anonymous, keep it clean.
What are your top five blogging site picks and why?
I'm partial to Wordpress, but I hear they're doing great things with Google AdSense these days. I also use JapanSoc a lot to promote the posts I write about life in Japan.
Have you met anyone offline as a result of your blog?
No, but I've been invited to.
What is the url of your blog?
I Eat My Pigeon
