I’m sure Brian will be more than happy to answer any of your extra questions if you have them in the comments section below

Q1. What was your inspiration for Blog Engage?

When I first started blog engage I wanted to create a community that not only allowed self promotion but infact encouraged it. There was so many communities to meet new people but if you shared your content they called you a spammer. In my opinion as a marketer this was unacceptable and a self prompting community was desperately needed for bloggers.

Q2. If the internet didn’t exist, what do you think you’d be doing?

Sitting behind a desk making cold calls and doing sales. It’s obvious I was meant to be in sales as I have the ability to easily sell anything. I love to interact with people and enjoy the entire sales process.

Q3. Do you blog/work online for a living?

Yes, I work full time with Blog Engage now and have successfully brought it to the level where I can make a living from it. Everyday since I’ve been full time we have gotten new members and new RSS customers. Business is amazing and the community is buzzing.

Q4. When you were younger what was your dream job?

Oh jezz, I hope when you say younger you mean when I was a kid. I remember wanting to be like every other kid, I wanted to be a fireman, than a policeman, and then a teacher. We all have dreams when we are younger but as we grow older our interests’ change along with what we want to do for a living.

Q5. Do you ever just want to give up working online?

When I was working full time in sales and part time on Blog Engage yes, there was many instances where I thought about just selling the site and letting someone else develop it. Now that I’m full time building the community I don’t have any intentions on selling it.

Q6. Could you go a week without internet access?

In reality yes, would I want to? Never! Even when I don’t have my pc I have my smart phone which is pretty much like a computer. You may say I’m a little obsessive but I plan on working hard now and relaxing later.

Q7. You’ve started up your own social network, would people say that you’re a social network addict?

Everything I do during my day has been motivated by helping my members. All my tweets, diggs, stumbles it’s all my members content, so if anything perhaps I have become addicted to social networking for others… It’s a hard question to answer seeing it’s my actual job now.

Q8. If you were stranded on a desert Island what could you not do without? (apart from food and water)

I would have to say music. I have 4 guitars and I love sitting back and playing the guitar. So If I had food and water the next best thing would be a camp fire and guitar. There’s something about playing guitar that brings me back down to earth and makes me relaxed. I have a few you tube videos of songs I’ve written if you want to check them out.

Q9. If you were to choose one word to describe yourself what would it be and why?

Taurus (Astrology)

Q10. If there was a blogging genie that could grant you 3 wishes, what would they be?

Unlimited ideas for amazing blog content, a new custom and unique wordpress design every year, and a following that would make every article I write go viral. This is what I would pack and I think all three would be a nice combo.

Q11. Where do you see yourself and blog engage in 5 years time?

I’ll be very honest here, Blog Engage is going to be huge. We have an amazing following of bloggers, all great friends of mine and the relationships I have built are strong enough to last a life time. I’m marketing full time right now, guest blogging and doing everything I can to bring new members to blog engage. I’ll be doing this for the foreseeable future and unless something drastically changes I see blog engage becoming one of the largest most interactive blogging communities on the internet.

Q12. Have you ever surprised yourself?

When I first started the blog engage RSS services I didn’t think it would blow up so big. I knew we would get a few customers but now I’m sitting at over 150 customers and the most amazing thing is they are all happy. The SEO and backlinking benefits are amazing, the services provide traffic and overtime develops new blog readers and most importantly comments and social engagement.

Brian is a graduate of Business Administration Marketing and lives in Ontario Canada.

Brian has several blogs and websites of his own. Of course there’s the popular Blog Engage website that he runs, but he also has several others sites including

• Affliate lights.com
• Yawoop.com
• BrianBelfitt.com
• Seomkt.com

Currently his sites generate over 4000 unique hits a day with 40,000 or more page views. He’s also generated over $30,000 a year in revenue from them with a nice little profit of $26,000 a year.

Of course you can also follow Brian on Twitter and Google +

Be sure to check out his sites and suggest any questions that you may like me to ask him in the interview.

You can submit them quickly with this form below

Please feel free to leave any comments and questions you may have for Hesham or myself in the comment section below

Q1. What’s your favourite thing about blogging? What is it that drives you to get out of bed and start blogging?

My favourite thing about blogging is the interaction and engagement, this is quite enough to get me out of bed every day! Maybe you won’t believe this, but I fight for about 2 hours every day before sleep thinking of things I have to do when I wake up the next day, I mostly sleep 4 – 5 hours daily, and I dream a lot about my blog and business.

Q2. Would you say that you blog everyday?

Not really, I don’t blog every day; in fact I don’t need to blog every day, thanks to many guest authors who maintain the blog updates, this gives me time to maintain the blog and work on my other projects.

Q3. Do you follow a routine when you blog?

Not at all, I never followed any routine even in my personal life, so I don’t apply this in blogging, I just blog when there is something interesting to say, and publish when needed.

But, the only thing that I could think of as a routine is that I update the blog almost every day, sometimes up to two blog posts. My goal here is to give the blog readers something new to read every day.

Q4. Have you ever been recognised by anyone offline?

Ah, no.. .. it’s never happened, not yet! It would be a lot of fun

Q5. Since it’s now 2012, chances are something crazy is going to happen (if you believe the movie 2012 anyway) What would you do if the entire web was destroyed, and there was no way to get it back up and running for years?

I can’t imagine my life without internet, just to let you know, I’ve got some issues with my laptop last week, I wasn’t able to connect for a whole day (for me, this is too much, really!), this has had a bad impact on my mood, probably until today!

So, my answer to your question is: I will go get another job!

Q6. Do you think that having a .net domain name affects your sites traffic somewhat? I’m sure you would have preferred the .com domain.

Well, it was a big mistake that I hadn’t got the .com domain name, but it wasn’t available that time when I purchased FamousBloggers.net, so yes, I think this can affect my blog traffic as I assume that some people will just type it as a .com or even link to a wrong blog by mistake. But technically speaking, having a .net domain name doesn’t mean less traffic or ranking.

FYI, I’ve done a few attempts to secure the .com domain name, but the owners asked for what I think is a very high price, that’s why I didn’t make a decision.

Q7. Would you ever consider taking a career break from blogging?

This is something I cannot think of at the meantime, I am just starting and trying to grow my online business, so it won’t be a good idea to take a break at this stage.

Q8. Do you blog primarily from your Laptop, Desktop or Smartphone?

I blog primarily from my laptop, the reason is I use images on posts, so there is no way I can do it on other devices. However, sometimes I use my iPad to approve comments and reply to urgent emails.

Q9. If you had the time to start a new blog in the morning, what would it be?

It would be about social media and engagement.

Q10. Would people say that you’re addicted to social networks?

Not at all, I use social media mostly for business and to connect with my fellow bloggers.

Q11. Could you imagine your life without social networks?

Yes, I can easily live without social networks, but not sure if my business can survive without it

Q12. Do you play any instruments??

I used to play Piano, and I am comfortable with anything that has keys, mostly keyboards, I love to compose music too. But it’s just a very personal hobby.

Q13. Has Famousbloggers grown quicker or slower than you thought it would?

FamousBloggers.net has grown insanely quicker than I thought; now my big challenge is actually to keep it on the stage, I really want a bright future for FamousBloggers.net, but it’s hard to maintain success, wish me good luck!

Q14. Would you like to become a full time blogger?

I am already a full time blogger, internet marketer and web designer

Q15. Apple or Windows?

Apple to show off and not to look weird at Starbucks, Windows and PCs for design and development. I use both, I like both, because simply I need both.

Q16. Is there one thing that you’d love to learn? (ie. Musical instrument, new language, programming etc..)

I am always keen to learn more about web design and development.

Q17. Assuming that the world doesn’t end in 2012, have you made any New Years resolutions?

I don’t think anyone can predict when the World ends, they say live life like you will live for ever, and work like you will die tomorrow.

I haven’t really decided any resolutions for the New Year, but I have a few blogging goals that I would like to achieve.

He founded Famousbloggers back in 2009 and it has grown from strength to strength ever since. Of course he’s put an awful lot of work into it and describes himself as “the night creature who lives on his laptop working hard to keep this project up”. He also has his own personal blog over at Zebida.com where he likes to share some blogging tips.

Hesham is also a skilled web designer and has developed an array of Thesis Skins with an innovative thesis manager. His love of social networks and the online community is also reflected in the amount of visitor participation that he gets on his sites.

If you want to see just how successful Hesham is, you can see his monthly income reports which he publishes on his site.

If you want to connect with Hesham, you can follow him on Twitter @hisaman, Facebook, Google Plus and LinkedIn

We’ll have an interview with Hesham up on the site soon, but for now I want you guys to submit questions that I can ask him. Remember you can ask anything you want, it doesn’t have to be related to blogging.

You can submit them quickly with this form below

Here is her interview which will be followed up with some of her thoughts and reflections about the competition. Don’t forget that you can see her profile and all the other contestants over at this page

Q1. Where do you get most of your inspiration for writing?

Curiosity. When something piques my curiosity, I like to explore it by writing about it. They say, “Write what you know,” but if we all took that literally, then literature would be boring, indeed. I would rephrase it to, “Write from what you know.” It’s essential to a writer – just as it is to an actor – to be a keen observer of his environment and the people in it. I soak in a variety of experiences, then extrapolate something from all of them. Of course, I also listen to the little voices in my head, and sometimes I’m reduced to taking dictation.

Q2. Do you prefer to write with a pen and paper, or to type?

Typing is faster. Writing long-hand taps into different parts of the brain. I’ll do whatever works. I will say this, though – I can’t write a novel on a smartphone’s virtual keyboard. I’ve given up even trying to compose a sonnet, that way.

Q3.What do you think is the most important thing to remember when somebody is writing a blog post?

That there is a reader out there. Not readers. We all hope there are tens of thousands, if not millions, of readers. But I tend to write for just one or a few – the ones I know will come back, time and time again, not because they think my writing’s so wonderful, but because I’ve managed to connect with them through it. Because whether they loved it or hated it, it struck a chord and they stuck around and now we have a conversation going.

Q4. How do you like to relax and unwind?

I read. Or write. Is that pathetic? I write professionally and do it as a hobby? I also like to cook – I’m not a gourmet chef, by any means. I have no pretentions  to be one. But there is something relaxing about nurturing loved ones with a meal or a treat that’s been carefully prepared (we’re not talking about the rushed Tuesday night left-over reheats here, but the slow, deliberate crafting of a Sunday dinner or a loaf of bread from scratch). I also enjoy photography – I like composing the shot, seeing what I might miss if I didn’t look closer to do that. Sometimes, I just let it all go and veg in front of the TV – I enjoy all the CSI shows, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and Being Human.

Q5.If there was one person who you’d like to trade places with for a day, who would it be?

Honestly? No one. I cannot think of anyone I’d want to trade places with for a day, a week, or a lifetime. I am happy being me.

Q6.Would you like to blog as a full time job?

Does that come with a six-figure income? Of course I love that I’ve been able to build a career around writing – it’s one of my strongest skills, and if I didn’t already have a great job that lets me use those skills, I’d probably just say “Yes!”

But I don’t see myself as a “full-time, professional blogger,” now or in the future. It’s one form of writing among many. Right now, I get to write documentation, video scripts, books for children and adults, blogs, poetry… It seems like everyone wants to be a full-time blogger, but no – I don’t see that in my future. I actually see that as limiting – blogging is just one of many things I want to do.

Q7.What’s your favourite meal???

Garlicky leg of lamb rubbed with parsley, rosemary, red-wine vinegar, and olive oil; fresh steamed asparagus; new potatoes roasted in butter and parsley. A side salad of crisp, seasonal greens topped with diced red peppers, daikon radish coins, and cherry tomatoes. Top that off with a crème brulee and fresh berries, a few squares of dark chocolate infused with chillies or orange zest, and a good cup of dark roasted, Columbian coffee.

Q8. Can you play any instruments???

Not really. I have studied voice and piano – I actually sang on board the S.S. United States when I was a precocious, fearless, and utterly cheeky little five year old – and I tried playing the balalaika (inspired by the movie, Dr. Zhivago) and guitar (inspired by Cat Stevens and Peter, Paul, and Mary) for a while. I don’t do any of those things well.

My daughter, on the other hand, is majoring in Music History at UNT – she’s an accomplished violinist, and played at the Mirabell Palace in Salzburg this past summer. I’ve never really had a desire to live vicariously through my kids, but I do wish I could have been there to hear her in person. My son has just started taking piano lessons, and shows far more native talent for that than I ever did.

Q9. What social network would you use most? Would people say that you’re a social network addict?

I have a couple of coworkers who refer to me as a “social media butterfly.” I have been involved in “social media” since the early 1980s – I used Compuserve’s “CB” chat; Genie’s RoundTables, interactive role-playing games, and chat; NVN’s forums – I started my first web site in 1994 or 1995, and was one of the first people to use Blogger back when it started. I am like a social media magpie: “Oooh, pretty shiny things!” I’ll try anything for a while, but if it doesn’t capture my imagination quickly, I drift away and gravitate back to the familiar. Facebook is familiar – and how can you not love a site that lets you stay in touch with all your online buddies, half your elementary school friends, a random smattering of coworkers, and a couple of famous people you admire – all in one place? My own blog is my online “home.” Twitter is like one big “party line” (showing my age, now) for texting, kind of ties it all together.

Q10.What kind of animal do you think you’d be??

Other than human? Maybe a dolphin. They’re intelligent, sociable, deep. Being Pisces, their environment appeals to me. The only downside, I think, is their lack of hands and opposable thumbs.

There’s always the frog. My mother collected owls – wise, inscrutable owls. My  grandmother collected frogs. I’m not sure what it is about frogs – they’re funny creatures. They can move easily between land and water, and they’re surprisingly agile. You know the best part about being a frog? You can eat what bugs you.

 Here are Holly’s follow up comments from the competition

At first, it was simply to beat Team1 and keep TheNextGoal.com in the hands of at least one of its founders. Of course, I wanted my interview to be the last one you posted. And after a while, I think what kept me going, really, was not wanting to disappoint the family and friends who were supporting me in this – some of them worked very hard to help promote me through some of these challenges, and they became part of my team, too.

Q2.What do you think it was that allowed you to stand out from the rest and take the 1st spot?

I don’t remember who it was – Brian Belfitt, maybe – who remarked once on my “intensity.” I think that when you are committed to a goal – determined to see it through come hell or high water – it’s a lot more likely you’ll achieve it.

Q3.I’m sure you’ve probably learnt a lot more than you ever could have imagined, could you give a few examples of what you’ve learnt?

I think the theme of this whole year, for me, has been that – well, maybe you CAN go it alone, but you can move mountains with the right help and support from others.

Q4.Would you say that this competition has paved the way for you to pursue a career in blogging further?

Maybe just the opposite. No, I don’t think I’ve changed my mind about blogging as a “career.” I do think that I can use it a lot more effectively than I have been – as an author. But there are still easier ways to make a living.

Q5.Would you enter another similar sort of competition and do it all over again?

Of course. Right now, I just want to curl up with a good book and take a short break from the kind of competitive blogging we’ve been doing for the last nine weeks. But we’ve built something amazing – not just the blog, but our team, and I’d like to keep that momentum going. I can’t do that alone, though – so I’d like the others to weigh in on that.

Q6.Where to from here for TheNextGoal.com?

We’ll see. But I think 2012 is going to be amazing.

Q1. What made you want to start blogging?

Writing is in my blood. As a child i would keep a diary and throughout my life I have always journalled. When my brother died in 1997 I froze and stopped writing for about 4 years. Then I remembered  it was John’s birthday, couple years after his passing, I was laying in bed and suddenly had an urge to write and everything poured out…everything poured out and I haven’t stopped since then! Blogging, seems a natural progression as a way to combine my love of writing, share and inspire others and grow my business.

Q2. Where do you get your inspiration for writing from?

Life.

Q3. Are you a big user of social networks?

Over the past six months I have overcome my fear (well, ongoing overcoming!) of technology and am gradually using twitter, facebook and linkedin as  a way of communicating with other. In the last couple of months I am trying to be more consistent and focused in posting updates and having a more “business approach” to my updates.

Q4. What would you do if you won the lotto tomorrow? Would you keep up your current job?

Yeah. I don’t see what I do as “my job”…its like a vocation or grown up hobby.  If I hit the jackpot, one of the first things I would do is treat my parents and my daughters to a cruise. My parents have worked hard all their life and never really took “a holiday”…so a cruise around the Caribbean island, with my daughters, would make them real happy. My dad would be in his element.

Q5.Do you play any instruments?

Funnily enough, during the summer I was feeling creative and asked my daughters to teach me Mary Had A Little Lamb on the piano..

Q6.Can you speak any other languages? Have you ever considered blogging in another language?

Does texting count….  Would love to learn another language but I ‘m too lazy too, especially as everywhere speaks English (my daughter is looking over my shoulder and said that “is such an ignorant attitude J !”)

Q7.If there’s one thing that you couldn’t do without, what would it be?

My phone or my laptop…

Q8. Do you find that there’s a certain time of day when you can write better?

Early morning..I love to wake early, when the house is quiet, say my prayers, meditate and write. Bliss. Sometimes I will wake up and just write about my “waking thought” and that often forms ideas for future blogs poems or courses.

Q9. Do you follow a daily routine?

In theory, I wish I was a more structured organised person…I have a sort of routine (which coincides with my daughters school wake-up –routine-home time-evening meal-watching Glee or America’s Next Top Model) and recently I have started to focus more on my online business and marketing on Monday-Wednesday’s and teach yoga on Thursday-Saturdays.  On a personal level I wake up most morning around 5/5.30 am and spend the first part of my day prayers, meditation, breathing or journaling. On a good day, when I am being really conscientious I try to be in bed by 10pm…but that is a tall order and most nights I am up till 11 and sometimes later…

Q10. What type of animal do you think you’d be?

A black horse. I love the sense off freedom, speed and power of horses.

Thanks. Take care and Be Your Best

 Be sure to read to the end to see Neeraj’s reflections on the competition

Q1. You say that you’re fairly new to blogging, what is it that inspired you to start?

I am a budding entrepreneur and love jumping head-first into new projects. My friends joke that I like to get my hands into everything possible – so I know some things about everything. Blogging just came along as an extension of my freelance business. Initially, I started working on niche websites, but didn’t have as much success as I wanted. Lack of interest was to blame, and I had the wrong strategy. There are no get rich quick schemes. So instead, I decided to actively blog and connect with people. I decided to blog about my experiences with freelancing, and have ideas to expand into other areas I know and am fond of.

Q2. Did you design your blog yourself?

No. When I was starting up, I shopped around for themes. With no semblance of a budget, I installed a theme that went well with my blog name. I outsourced blog installation to someone from a freelancing website. However, the past few months have been very educational, and I plan to undertake everything related to blog design in future. I also need to redesign my current blog, just waiting for the right theme to come along!

Q3. What’s one instrument or sport that you would love to learn/play that you don’t currently play?

You know, I really wish I had musical talent. Like I really wish for it. I just want to be one of those cool people sitting by a beach bonfire, strumming my guitar, singing Johnny Cash to a group of swooning girls. Seriously. I would love to play guitar, but can’t get my fingers around the strings!

Q4. Have you ever surprised yourself with something that you’ve done?

Yes, I most certainly have. I am just surprised by how I have grown over the past few years. Till the age of 22, I used to be quite an introvert with my head immersed into books, following the herd. But I have grown out of that phase, where now I am an avid proponent of change and self-improvement, which is how the Next Goal ties into my personality. When I was younger, 17 or so, I never expected myself to be anything like I am now. But I like it, and my change in personality surprises me, makes me feel excited.

Q5. Would you say that you’re a social network addict?

Yes and No. I actually try and avoid it if I can. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is very useful. I mean Facebook has made it easy for me to stay in touch with my friends in 6 different continents. However, I feel it is an easy road to mindless distraction. I am usually not one for small talk, so feel out-of-place when a chat window pops up from an acquaintance in Facebook.

Q6. What phone do you have? Why did you choose that one?

It is an old Blackberry something…not too old, like 2 years. But I always forget the model and make. Maybe Curve 9370. I chose it because a close friend of mine had it too, and I wanted to communicate (for free) with her over BBM.

Q7. What’s your dream car?

Not a car person, sorry!

Q8. Could you see yourself becoming a full time blogger in the future?

Yes. But I don’t think that I will focus on one area only. My interests vary and I like to work on different projects. So it is very likely that in 1-2 years, I will be actively working on another blog, along with the current one. Though ideally, I would love to be part of the Next Goal team.

Q9. Apple or Windows?

I am a windows guy. Ignorance is bliss, I have never tried Apple platform (except for iPod).

Q10. Have you ever won anything (ie. prizes, lotto, raffles etc..) ?

I used to do a lot of public speaking in school, won some awards there. No luck with lotto or raffles. Most recently, I wrote a Haiku for a freelancing website (they were promoting a book), and I won a copy of that book. I enjoy winning, more for the sake of it than the actual prize.

And here’s some additional follow up questions from Neeraj

Q1. Have you enjoyed your experience in the “Surviving The Blog Contest” ?

Thoroughly. There was so much to learn, and I definitely appreciate the premise of the contest.

Following Larry’s unfortunate exit from the  Surviving The Blog Contest - Here is his interview which will be followed up with some of his thoughts and reflections about the competition. Don’t forget that you can see his profile and all the other contestants over at this page

Q1. What made you want to start blogging in the first place?

Honestly, I didn’t want to have a blog.  I had someone working on marketing my business and she pretty much made me start blogging.  I ended up liking it and things took off from there.

Q2. You don’t seem to be too concerned with anonymity online, however some people like to remain anonymous when they blog, what’s your view on this?

I think you still have to be smart with what you post – but I try not to obsess about it.  For example, if I am going on a big trip, I generally won’t blog about it til I get back – rather than “Going to Europe for 10 days on September 7^th so please come rob my house”

Q3. Do you design your blog/s yourself?

I’ve done it both ways.  I hired someone to do my current one and will probably hire someone to do the next revision.  I limit myself to tweaking the plugins and things like that.  Blog design is an art – best left to the pros, in my opinion.

Q4.Who is the person that you would you like to meet most, living or dead?

Tough questions – too many options.  I sat down and went through everyone from George Washington to Albert Einstein – then ended up going a completely different direction.  I’m a big music fan, so I think I would have to go with Prince.  The guy is a musical genius – and they don’t just come along every day.  Maybe he could teach me a thing or two on guitar!

Q5.Would you consider yourself a social network addict?

No, because I got through periods of high activity and periods of low activity.  An addict does something 24/7-right?  Can I sometimes be obsessive about it…. uh, yeah.

Q6. What’s one website that you couldn’t get by without?

Does Google count?  I can’t imagine having to look something up in the Yellow Pages anymore.  Also, I would have a hard time getting by without my own website.  Without some sort of online presence, businesses will have a hard time surviving- especially small businesses.

Q7.What’s the most outrageous thing that you’ve ever done?

I was in San Francisco doing a portrait session and we decided to take it to the next level and create an illustration of the business man who just can’t ever leave work.  We setup in the middle of California street, drug a chair and lamp out there, and started shooting.  In hindsight, it was kind of a crazy move.  However, it led to one of my all-time favorite images.  It did really well for me- making it into the Professional Photographers of America Loan Collection. (See below)

Q8.Is there a certain time of day when you find that your creative juices are flowing a bit more?

Not really a certain time of the day – more a certain time during a project.  Generally, the creative juices start flowing about an hour or two before a project is due.  When I did my 40@Forty Project, I had a self-imposed deadline of Monday to upload that week’s portrait.  I almost always waited til Monday to start.

Q9.Mac or Windows?

That’s an easy one – Mac.  Made the switch a couple of years ago and wondered why I waited so long.

Q10.Have you ever met people online and then met them in person at some stage?

Not really.  When I’ve spoken at a photography convention, I’ve communicated via Facebook with my contact there – then eventually met them when I arrived… but that doesn’t really count, does it?

Never had someone who was an “online friend” that I eventually met in person – although I would love to meet some of my STB teammates at some point.

Following Brandon’s  unfortunate exit from the  Surviving The Blog Contest - Here is his interview which will be followed up with some of his thoughts and reflections about the competition. Don’t forget that you can see his profile and all the other contestants over at this page

 Be sure to read to the end for Brandon’s comments after he left the competition

Q1.  What is it that you like most about the internet?

I love being able to hop on and learn anything I want about whatever subject I’m looking for.  It’s a great resource.  It should be one of the next wonders of the world.

Q2. What was your inspiration for the name of your blog “Big Dogs Internet Marketing”?

I’ve always enjoyed how the internet can level the playing field between large and small businesses.  With a great website, nobody can tell the difference.  Before I started blogging, I just sold web design services and wanted to send the message that I could help you “compete with the big dogs.”

Q3. What’s your dream car?

Dodge Viper, hands down.  More specifically, the Hennessey Viper Venom 1000 Twin Turbo

Q4.  Have you ever written an e-book?

You bet, I have two up for free on my site right now (one is a two-parter also) plus a premium eBook that I’m selling on using the internet to blur the lines between your small business and your largest competitor (related to why I chose the name “Big Dogs Internet Marketing”).  Soon that eBook will hopefully be a video course.

Q5. If mankind had never come up with this whole internet thing, what do you think you’d be doing today?

I finished getting my Bachelors Degree and am currently I am trying to get into a physician assistant Masters program.  I will be doing it in conjunction with my internet marketing passions.  If the internet didn’t exist, I would probably be doing the same thing – minus the internet marketing 

Q6. Would you like to blog as a full time job?

You bet!  I’d love the freedom that could provide.

Q7. If you won the lotto tomorrow, do you think you’d still continue to blog?

No.  No way.  Not unless it was about the wonderful things I was doing with my money   Actually, after having fun with it, I’d probably use the money to start up some businesses, so then I might start blogging again   Unless you’re blogging about your life, blogging is a means to an end.  It has many great benefits, but for me it’s to build business.  I enjoy teaching others and helping people with my writing, but it’s never been easy to keep up!

Q8. What type of animal do you think you’d be??

Dolphin.  It says something when a Great White shark respects you

http://videosift.com/video/MythBusters-Are-Sharks-Afraid-of-Dolphins

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21689083#.TpR4a5sr1tM

Not to get too mushy, but they say dolphins and humans have some kind of deeper connection.  I have to say that after getting a chance to swim with some, I have to believe it!  I think a dolphin and I could be great friends.

Q9. Do you follow a routine when you blog? If so what is it?

Not so much a routine, but a list of priorities.  I wish I was better at having a routine.  My own posts come first, and then I try promoting those posts on different networks.  Then I try promoting the blog in general by commenting and working on guest posts.  Right now, I have a vision for my site that I’m trying to bring to light that takes up a lot of my time between posts (writing sales letters, improving design, etc…) and a lot of it has to do with me learning how to do something better.  So I spend a lot of time reading and taking notes.

Q10.Where would you like to see yourself 10 years from now?

Living in a beach house in Hawaii with a laptop with a 4 hour work week.  Isn’t that what happens when you’re a blogger? 

Here’s some of Brandon’s follow up comments from the competition

 The best thing I’ve taken from this competition has been the chance to be a part of a winning team.  I had a huge hand (as we all did) in completely dominating the other team in the first half of the competition (no offense Crimson!).  That’s definitely something to be proud of.  The bonds created during the first half of the competition are going to last much longer than the competition itself.  I can make up the money I didn’t win elsewhere

Following Anthony’s unfortunate exit from the  Surviving The Blog Contest - Here is his interview which will be followed up with some of his thoughts and reflections about the competition. Don’t forget that you can see his profile and all the other contestants over at this page

 Be sure to read to the end for Anthony’s thoughts on the competition

Q1. What could possibly have possessed you to start blogging online?

I see a blog as an arm of an online business; with the advent of an easy website builder in WordPress, one gets a blog almost by default if one works online.  I see the blog as a way to communicate with potential clients, and those who share a passion.  Inspired debate through a blog is a good way to keep connected with real people when working online.

Is the internet not far too over populated for any more blogs?

In the context of WeBlogBetter’s ‘Surviving the Blog’, I’m the wrong one to be asking, as I didn’t set up the contest.  However, I believe that there’s always room for something done well, in any field, as so little is.  Our challenge is to do well and be relevant and that’s what we’ll be judged on.

Q2. Where do you blog most often?  

I have not blogged much; I expect to do a lot more if I am successful with this contest as will have spent a lot of time developing a voice and a readership.

Is there a certain place/time of day where/when you blog best?

I work from home, so I’m always in the same place. And I blog best when I’m not tired, whatever time that is.  As I write this, it’s 3am, which is far too early to be awake.  But I am.

Q3. Would you ever consider becoming a full time blogger?

As already mentioned, I think that writing a blog is a part of an online presence and business, not the whole of it.  I am already full-time engaged online.

Or do you prefer it as a hobby?

It is all tied together: work time and passion time.  I think I would only operate a blog as a means to an end, not for its own sake – I am doing ‘Surviving the Blog’ to learn about visibility and connections.

Q4. How many hours a week would you dedicate to blogging?

This is difficult to quantify. What is writing a post to encourage participation in activities that might draw fans towards a purchase, and what is business?  For me it’s very hard to see the line.

Q5. Are you one of these people who likes to go on a rant and cause all sorts of controversy in your blog posts?

I am encouraging my voice and muse to wander in that direction. I hope it will take the chance with every vocal chord I have.

Q6. 10 years from now – Will you still be blogging?

I have no idea; as I wasn’t ten yrs ago; ten yrs from now there will doubtless be something else.  And who knows what that will be?

Q7. What’s the dream? Retire early to a tropical island sipping exotic cocktails, while the money roles in from your blogs without you having to do a single thing? Or are you one of these people who enjoys working and keeping busy?

What’s an exotic cocktail?

Automation in any business is the key; it’s just a job otherwise.  A business is something that can be walked away from.  But it’s also true that as I work at what I’m interested in, there hasn’t been much of a boundary between work and play since becoming self employed.

Q8. Apple or Windows? Why?

Is there an apple on my window sill?

The designer in me wonders why I don’t have a mac, since ‘everyone’ knows they are better; the truth is that I have the other sort.  I got on that side of the fence before I knew there was another side, and have stayed because changing looked hard and why would I?  I have no way of telling if one or the other is better.  I am a designer and a writer, not a geek, who do know about such things.  All I see is a high retraining and hardware cost.  As no salesman has yet bothered to attempt my conversion, I remain a heathen. Or one of the enlightened, depending on your viewpoint.

Q9. What would you do if there was a worldwide ban on the internet?

In that environment of total anarchy, I would do something else.  Probably not in the burning cities, however.

Q10. If a blogging genie came along and granted you 3 wishes, what would they be?

Ahh.  Welcome, Genie.  And assuming the net is not yet banned:

Please supply an image library containing the best photography in the world.

I also ask for wisdom; all the better to tell the difference between social media networking, need and nonsense . . .

And finally, grant me touch typing ability to expert level on the Dvorak keyboard.

Here’s some of Anthony’s reflections and thoughts of the “Surviving the Blog “Competition:

Robert asked my thoughts about the whole thing; post Survivor, as it were. The camera-in-the-face technique, a few seconds after sentence is pronounced. More profanity is extracted that way, I suppose.

Would I pursue Blogging further?

Now, I wonder. After having sat at desk and eaten of it till bloated, am I now stuck in the way of it, somewhat like Pooh in Piglet’s hole? Pooh’s problem was of course caused by honey. I certainly don’t feel sweetened by the Blog experience.

I think I find that Blog, like many things, is best in moderation. I think Pooh realised that about honey after he got stuck – or did he? He didn’t subsequently swear off the stuff, that’s for sure. And I’m not swearing off the blog, either.

I expect I’ll keep a debate going online where I can with those I’d like discourse with, or to sell things to. Seems silly not to use the latest communication bits and pieces. But fads are fads. We would do well to remember that most new things are fads.

Did you gain much from the competition?

I didn’t gain a lot from my participation. I left other things to do it; stuff suffered elsewhere. I had to write; deadlines force action. I loved the thrill of it; ghost writing posts for others was fun too. I got a platform to post parts of my book to see what reaction I’d get. That was fun. Things nearly published.

The forced write got the posts done. Forced allies in a blog team made blog happen. A bit like forced marches move military men further. I should remember that and keep reaching.