Jessica Colaluca is a true lover of colors. On her blog, Design-Seeds.com, Jessica sees the inspirational details in photography.  Along with posting photos with a great use of color, Jessica offers her fans the color palette swatches that make up the dynamic photos.  Design Seeds is the perfect breeding ground for cultivating design creativity!

Blogger Jessica Colaluca of Design Seeds

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: I started blogging in May 2009…Design Seeds is my first blog and a complete passion project.

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst other design blogs?

A: Design Seeds are for any sort of creative inspiration…I have received feedback on the many ways people are inspired by Design Seeds beyond design. One of the most powerful comments I received was from a reader who said they were moved by color in the same way many are moved by music.  Those sorts of comments and emails are humbling, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share my approach to color and inspiration.

The goal of Design Seeds has always been to provide original content, which is also another way the Design Seeds blog is set apart from many other design blogs.

Q: What do your family and friends think of your blogging?

A: Although friends and family know I blog, the concept of Design Seeds is a bit abstract and not something I am defined by with those most close to me. Although it is my passion project and what I am most driven by, I don’t talk about it that often with friends. My family & friends know me for owning the design consultancy, and we don’t discuss my blogging generally. (more…)

Blogger Scott Esposito publishes quarterly essays and book reviews for his online magazine, The Quarterly Conversation, in addition to posting reviews and interviews of authors and publishers on his literary blog, Conversational Reading. Esposito’s 25th issue for Fall 2011 is now available on The Quarterly Conversation, so make sure to check it out in addition to keeping up with his news on Facebook and Twitter!

Blogger Scott Esposito of The Quarterly Conversation and Conversation Reading

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: I started my personal blog, Conversational Reading, in 2004 and The Quarterly Conversation in 2005. In both cases the reason was the same: I didn’t see a whole lot of places to do the kind of writing about literature that I wanted to do–in-depth writing about great books, but not in an academic sense at all. I started these sites to share my writing, meet other like-minded people, and encourage people to read great literature. I think it’s worked out on all 3 counts.

A: I think The Quarterly Conversation stands out for the kinds of books we tend to cover–we do a lot of translations because that’s where a lot of the most interesting literature is happening these days. We also go very in-depth, with our reviews averaging around 1500 words and our essays 3,000 to 4,000. Everything on TQC is closely read and edited, and I think it shows in the quality of the material we present. We’re definitely not one of those sites that will throw whatever up online in hopes of generating pageviews through quantity. We believe we’ll get plenty of traffic—and better traffic—through quality.

A: I don’t really know. I think they think it’s cute, but they probably don’t really think about it beyond that. They probably have some idea that my sites are cool to certain people, but the things that my sites cover aren’t really my family’s thing. (more…)

Blogger Heather Cushman-Dowdee balances being a mother of four and sharing parenting insights through her cartooning on MamaIsComic.com, which addresses topics like breastfeeding, home-birthing and attachment parenting. In addition to visiting her site, check out her Facebook and Twitter pages!

Blogger Heather Cushman-Dowdee

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: I’m pretty old school; I was posting comics to a static Web site once or twice a week starting in 2001 before I had even heard about blogging. My first official blog was probably started around 2003.

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst other similarly-themed blogs?

A: I’m first and foremost a cartoonist, I post a newly created comic two or three times a week and then the ‘classic’ comics are posted daily, along with a few of my written thoughts. I think the whole process of posting takes about three times longer than it would if I was just writing. I have been creating the comics since 2001 and so I’ve built up a stockpile of 500+ comics, and a large fan base that can’t wait to see the next comic. My fans are global, which I believe is because I’m posting ‘art’ instead of just words. I have a lot of visitors from England, Australia and the first customer of any product I put up for sale is always from Croatia. Go figure!

Q: What does your family think of your blogging?

A: They are incredibly supportive, and they enjoy the comics even though it takes a lot of time.

Q: What blogs do you read?

A: Stephanie Morales who runs my Facebook fan page does a really good job of aggregating blog posts, so I usually visit my page to see what I want to read:

Q: How much time daily do you spend blogging?

A: About three hours- I have four kids, and we homeschool. I make them my first priority, and posting a comic is my second priority. If I can get to the rest of the business of blogging, it’s last on the list…

Q: How many times have you redesigned your blog since it started?

A: About 6 times. At the beginning of 2011 I had two different blogs with two different comics posting. I recently redesigned the whole site and moved the two into one. It’s now called Mamaiscomic.com, and I post the new comics in a members only portion of the site. I post daily Hathor the Cowgoddess comics for everyone to see.

Q: How much do you correspond one-on-one with readers?

A: Any time they write to me, I will also leave comments in reply to them on my blog and will check in on the fan-run Facebook page and post there, too. I think of many of my fans as friends now. A few have been fans since the beginning (Hi Heather, Hi Lara!)

Q: What joys did you not expect when you started blogging?

A: I didn’t realize how much I would like growing a fan base and how personal it feels to post a comic and have an immediate friendly response.

Q: What pains?

A: It’s been more work to monetize the blog that I thought it would be (my blog grew up as Internet surfers began to believe that everything should be free). My goal in the beginning was to be published, but in the years I was blogging print production started to recede, so now I self-publish. I’ve had to readjust quite a bit to the changing times, and sometimes the adjustment is painful. A while back, I realized that my comics weren’t ‘searchable’ by Google, and that essentially my blog was full of un-search-engine-optimized posts. I had to quickly come up with a plan to make my images searchable. The plan is work intensive. It’s a strange new world, that I have to constantly adapt to.

Q: What’s something your readers don’t know about you?

A: That back in the day I was a mohawk flying punk rocker girl. Most of them think I’m a crunchy granola hippy.

Q: What’s your personal favorite blog post?

A: My favorite and my fans’ favorite luckily coincide:

http://www.mama-is.com/very-crafty/ the comic is Very Crafty, the ‘likes’ reached 5,715 people.

ADVERTISERS: Reach Mama Is…Comic’s audience for 50% off using discount code “Blogads50” for the next two weeks! Advertise on her top right sidebar, bottom middle square button or bottom right mini ad units!

Blogger Wendy Atterberry is the friend that everyone has needed at one point or another. On her blog DearWendy, she provides thoughtful and honest relationship advice. Wendy has the broader perspective and insight that a close friend just may be too close to properly give. Wendy responds to readers’ questions in addition to posting advice inspired by issues and trends in the news. In conjunction with reading her blog, fans can follow her on Twitter and Facebook!

A: I started a personal blog called “City Wendy in the Windy City” back in 2004 at the urging of my then-boyfriend, who was a blogger himself and thought the writing outlet would be good for me. I changed the name of that blog to just “City Wendy” a few years later when I moved to New York. Shortly after that move, I began blogging professionally, first at Nerve.com, and then at TheFrisky.com, where I started my advice column, “Dear Wendy” in 2009. In January of 2011, the column got a new home when I launched my own blog of the same name. I now publish my advice columns, as well as other relationship-themed content on DearWendy.com several times a day.

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst other advice blogs?

A: I have a “tough love” approach in my advice-giving that’s maybe a little less touchy-feely than some other advice blogs out there. That’s not to say I’m not compassionate, but I try to tell people what I think they need to hear and not necessarily what they may want to hear. I don’t mince words. And the one thing that perhaps sets me apart the most is the active community on my site — it’s not unusual for a column to get 100-200 comments from readers with a range of perspectives and additional insight and advice. I also frequently post updates from previous advice-seekers letting us know whether they followed the advice given and how they’re doing today. I think that further fosters a sense of community and reminds us that our words — both mine and the readers’ — are making a real difference in people’s lives. (more…)

Jon Accarrino’s MethodShop is not your standard gadget site. In addition to bringing reviews and tutorials on gadgets and games, the blog stays fresh by offering up humorous and offbeat posts like the favorite celebrity mustache poll and a how-to article for using social media at a Renaissance faire.  With such unique and fun content, it’s easy to get hooked on this blog. Stay connected with MethodShop on Facebook and Twitter!

MethodShop Blogger Jon Accarrino

Q: When did you start MethodShop, and what was the inspiration that got you started?

A: MethodShop.com turned 15 years old on March 22, 2011, but the origins of MethodShop actually go back 5 years more to 1991 and an alternative print publication I started in high school called Rubber Ducky Magazine.

When I was a freshman in high school, my English teacher brought in an underground magazine of short stories, called a Zine, and made it part of our assigned reading in class. That’s all it took. I was instantly seduced by Zines. We weren’t reading an old boring text book that millions of students had read before. It was new, raw, edgy and unfiltered. Plus, let’s be honest, anything “underground” is cool when you are in high school.

After learning a little more about Zines from my English teacher, I decided to make my own. It was a cross between a twisted children’s activity book and MAD Magazine. I called it Rubber Ducky Magazine. The content included things like satirical David Hasselhoff Valentine’s Day poems about his chest hair, a South Central Los Angeles version of Where’s Waldo and a comic strip about a gassy baby called Fart Boy. It was ridiculous, but everyone loved it.

The first issue consisted of 15 black and white photocopied pages stapled together. I sold it for $1 an issue to my high school friends (and a few teachers) and probably made $30 on the first issue. But I submitted issue #2 to Factsheet 5, a Zine that listed other Zines that you could subscribe to via mail. Factsheet 5 gave me a great review and before I knew it, I had my own PO Box and Rubber Ducky Magazine was a quarterly publication with around 500 subscribers (including a couple C-list celebrities and a few Fortune 100 executives). Original content, a unique voice and the ability to make a profit…. Zines were in many ways the grandfather to the blog. And thanks to my financially successful experiment with independent publishing, I had a nice little nest egg to head off to college with. (more…)

Comprised of about 20 contributors,  The Volokh Conspiracy focuses on providing thoughtful discussion of newsworthy legal issues.  Blogger Eugene Volokh took some time to chat about the site and its distinctiveness from more political and news-oriented blogs. Make sure to check out @VolokhC on Twitter in addition to visiting the blog!

The Volokh Conspiracy's Blogger Eugene Volokh

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: April 2002.  I had seen what a great resource some blogs had become – my favorite was Prof. Glenn Reynolds’ Instapundit.com – and I thought that my cobloggers and I could also offer something to readers.

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst other similarly-themed blogs?

A: We try to use our knowledge about law to explain interesting legal issues, especially ones that are currently in the news.  So ours isn’t a political blog, like some, or a news headline blog.  It focuses instead on news analysis, specifically with regard to contentious legal debates.

Q: What does your family think of your blogging?

A: My brother is a coblogger of mine, so I hope he thinks well of it! (more…)

The Spoony Experiment shares Noah Antwiler’s entertaining video reviews of movies, comics and video games with a multitude of loyal fans.  In addition to becoming one of the many fans of his site, join his nearly 14,000 Facebook fans and more than 20,000 Twitter followers for Antwiler’s latest updates!

Spoony Experiment Blogger Noah Antwiler

A: I started writing and making videos in 2004 primarily to make my friends online laugh.  I never expected that it would catch on as widely as it has, let alone that I’d be able to make a living doing it!  The whole purpose of the site and the reviews is to exorcise the demons (and by demons, I mean bad movies and videogames) from my childhood.  People really enjoy watching me lose my mind and reviewing all the stuff that drove me nuts as a kid.

A: It’s all about personality and style, and my friendship with many of the other critics who often show up in my reviews.  I think a lot of people identify with me and trust that I’m being honest with them.  Well, honest and hyperbolic.  People really appreciate the work I put into the reviews and enjoy the nostalgia trips I take them on.

A: Oh, they’re supportive of the fact that I’m self-employed and working as a comedian, although “bewildered” is probably a more fitting term.  They always figured I’d go into software development after college, not dressing in funny costumes and playing horrible video games for the enjoyment of others.  I can hardly believe it myself! (more…)

A self-proclaimed cat lover, Amy Bajalis shares her passion for felines on her blog, Love Meow.  In addition to posting oodles of adorable cat pictures and videos, Bajalis also uses her blog to draw attention to the importance of animal rescues and adoptions. Fans of this addictive blog can also keep up with cute cat news on Twitter and Facebook!

Love Meow Blogger Amy Bajalis

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: It was fall 2009 after we adopted Flip into our home. He is a shy black cat with the sweetest heart. A couple months later, we were found by two other cats Jackie and Shadow. Together with Flip and Lucy (our youngest adopted kitty), they became my inspiration for Love Meow, a blog dedicated to spread the love of cats.

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst other animal-lover blogs?

A: Most posts on Love Meow have a story behind it. Love Meow has published many amazing and inspiring stories shared by animal shelters, rescuers, foster parents, and cat lovers. They have touched the hearts of so many that now we have approximately 50 thousand Facebook likes and the number is growing fast daily. In an effort to raise the awareness of animal adoption, for each comment my readers make, I put 5cents into a fund which goes to an animal shelter nominated by my readers.

Q: What does your family think of your blogging?

A: My husband is my biggest support for my blog. He is a real cat lover who understands and loves cats with a passion. My blog has brought many interesting topics into our family conversation. It’s been a joy to talk about things we all enjoy. (more…)

The Triangle is a unique magnet for captivating music. The venues, artists and music lovers that make up the Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh, North Carolina, music scene have provided Triangle Music Founders Valerie Marino and Kevin Norris with plenty of music reviews and news to share with their readers. In addition to visiting the site, stay connected by following Triangle Music on Twitter and Facebook!

 

Triangle Music's Founders Kevin Norris and Valerie Marino

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: We started Triangle Music in May 2006. It was purely selfish at first — we just wanted an outlet to write about the bands we were listening to and any shows we happened to go to.

A: A lot of music sites focus on a particular genre of music, but Triangle Music’s cornerstone is its diversity. We started the blog by writing about the music we like, and that’s anyone from Gillian Welch to Arcade Fire. Our goal is to inform our readers about not just local acts but to stay up to speed on the latest concert announcements and other music news that impacts the Triangle.

A: The scene seems to have exploded in the last five years since we started Triangle Music. There have always been some great local bands, but these days it’s a hotbed of activity from new festivals like Hopscotch to all the new venues that have cropped up and bands like The Love Language and Lost In The Trees garnering national attention. (more…)

Kristi Diehm has transformed her personal passion for reading  into a community to share her enthusiasm for young adult books on The Story Siren blog. In addition to providing YA book reviews, author interviews and giveaways on The Story Siren, Diehm spends her time as a wife and orthodontic assistant. Stay connected with Diehm and The Story Siren news on Twitter and Facebook!

The Story Siren Blogger Kristi Diehm

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: I started The Story Siren in 2007. I had a personal blog before then that consisted of mostly day to day mundane antics. And it was very mundane and boring. I’ve always been a reading fool, and often posted my thoughts about books on my personal blog, and soon it was overrun by nothing but books, so then I made the transition from personal blog to book blog, and I never looked back!

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst blogs of the same genre?

A: My enthusiasm. I absolutely LOVE blogging and reading, and I think that comes through on my blog and people enjoy that. My reviews are also really personable and simple. I want people to feel like they’re discussing a book with their best friend, I don’t want a literary analysis, I just want it to be fun!

Q: What other book genres do you enjoy reading?

A: I love Romance novels. Paranormal…. historical… I’ll read anything! I also enjoy Urban Fantasy as well. (more…)