I am so excited about this interview! Meet Matt aka “The Mom Dot Man” (LOL) who runs the blogs, Contest Live and Blog about Your Blog. If you post regularly in the MomDot forum you know & love Matt. I just love how he calls himself “The Mom Dot Man. ” And I couldn’t wait to interview a man who thinks blogging is cool!! Enjoy!
1. Congrats on being a MomDot Feature Blogger! Why don’t you start by introducing yourself to our readers!
Well first of all thanks for choosing me! I have been blogging for two years now and have a collection of blogs. Recently I’ve started doing Internet marketing (as well as paid contest promotion). I live with my girlfriend and we have a little boy who is turning 3 this month.
2. How did you arrive on the blogosphere? What got you interested in blogging?
After some family troubles I stopped going to college and we had my son. Nine to five jobs just aren’t for me. I was IMing with a friend on how he was making money online. He suggested blogging, so I made my first blog. Then another, and another! Now I have more than 10 and collaborate on several more.
3. What do you believe is the difference between men and women bloggers – e.g. approach, subject matter, readers, etc.
There really isn’t much different in my opinion, anyone can be a successful blogger. It really depends on the niche I think, something’s come across better from a woman than a man, and vice versa. For women and these mom blogs, its amazing to see them evolve and a lot of women make some serious money with it.
4. Do you feel men bloggers have a greater impact in the blog world than women – such as more readers, more loyalty, wider range of topics/interests, greater appeal to male and female readers alike, etc.
I’d love to see a poll on this. I think there may be MORE men bloggers than women, but I see that quickly changing. The niches I follow have more men, but I have seen an increase in women bloggers. I also think out of the “top bloggers” more happen to be male, but I’d love to see a top female blogger list *hint hint momdot*. An initial impact of bloggers might be more male, but that could easily change as the blogosphere evolves.
5. Do you have any advice for women whose significant male other thinks blogging is uncool?
You really need to appeal to their interests. I just finally got my girlfriend to blog. She was never interested, but loves free samples. Now she is blogging everyday at Free Sample Deals and actually making some money right off the bat. Find what appeals to your significant other and he may start blogging, or at least get interested.
6. Can you give the MomDot readers a “sneak peek” into what’s coming up next for your blog? Any new events, giveaways, interviews, etc.?
I am most excited about Contest Live. The MomDot owners as well as the great members on the MomDot forum are contest crazy and I have been fortunate enough to share my Web site with them. I’d really like to make it a bigger contest resource and have been just looking into expanding and getting a button and WordPress plugin going to make it easier to submit and vote for contests.
7. Can you tell us some ways we can make money from our blogs?
It really depends on what works for you and your blog. With Free Sample Deals, a few dollars were made with Google Adsense, and the rest with an affiliate program. In her first month she made about $50 which is pretty impressive for a first month in my opinion. I think mommy bloggers should really try pushing affiliate programs and products to collect commission from their blogposts.
Be sure and visit Matt at the Blog About Your Blog , and if you have a contest don’t forget to list it at Contest Live for more visitors to your blog. Tell him that MomDot sent you!
It’s nice to see a man blogger on here, I think you’re the first I’ve ever come across.
@Leah : I am working on my first guest post about how we’ve made money with free sample deals, and how mommy bloggers can incorporate it as well.
@Laura : Thanks for noticing, I definitely enjoy this. I am really hoping to make this more profitable for me. I’ve even started my own online business I am working on setting up, at MatthewHenrickson.com
@Jess : It doesn’t have to be something he does everyday. Depending on the online games, he could make webpages dedicated to the game, or an overall review site. He could post his own tips, tricks, and findings. Some of these online games are so massive like Runescape, that there are tons of sites dedicated to the game itself.
WOW!! Great interview, Matt. My hubby has a interest in online games and art but they are kind of spur of the moment thing. He doesn’t do those things EVERDAY.
Loved checking out his (and his girlfriend’s) blogs. I look forward to hearing more from Matt. Great interview!
I was going to ask him how I could make money with my blog, so the guest posts would be awesome!
Great interview! Can’t wait for his post on making money blogging!
Fun interview. In general, it’s just nice to hear of people doing something they enjoy and have made it successful/work for them. I’ve been hesitant to sign up for the affiliate programs, but think I’ll give them a shot. It’s a little nerve racking putting yourself out there for more than just your friends/family. I also loved his tip on Free Sample Deals! Will check them out tomorrow. Thanks again for a great interview.
Toro Stroller, Contest Edit Ribbon #18
We have asked matt to do some guest posts for us on making money from your blog! Thanks matt!
trisha
Great interview! I’m off to make dinner and then I’m checking out Contest Live and Blog About Your Blog!
As a blogger married to a systems engineer/security consultant, I’ve gotten my fair share of “playing” on the internet comments. After 15 years, however, I discovered that just mentioning something as mundane as CSS or RSS excites him. Recently though, I’ve finally gotten my “vindication”. Last week he asked ME how to find something online and wanted some tutorials. Needless to say, my ego barely fits in the door now.
Matt I would be very interested in that. I checked out the sample site you had in the interview and I am just not getting it on how you make money…if you want to PM me in the forum or email me or post here, that would be great.
email: domestic_goddess@mail.com
Thanks. Now I am off to check your blogs out
Would you ladies be interested in some guest posting about different ways to make money on a blog (especially a mommy blog)?
I’ve known Matt from my affiliate marketing days and he really is a good guy. He is very honest in what he writes about on his blog. Nice to see him making his away in another section of this blog world. Congrats to your girlfriend Matt as well. $50 is a great accomplishment for a blog of 1mth old!!
Thanks for the great interview and the lovely comments so far
I had a few pic requests lol but didnt have a good one. You can see me at my myspace, http://www.myspace.com/p0etree =)
Enjoyed the interview. And I’ve checked out (and bookmarked) the various websites here.
What a great interview . . . very honest and down-to-earth!