Today I have with me an intelligent mind, who doesn’t restrict the application of his learning to his blogs and believes in spreading a word to enable blogosphere rule. It is the foremost but not the only reason for his presence here. Before approaching Daniel, I asked myself if he befits well on to my eliteblogger series. And I got a mixed answer. No, cause till now I have captured only product-based blogs (featuring him would be a deviation) and Yes for reason I respect and value his expert tips that can enable a budding blog mature and an established blog grow.
It was then I took a call to invite him as his pool of knowledge is eagerly welcomed by anyone and everyone and in return of a small deviation I am entering a wider platform that would augment not only my knowledge but that of readers’ as well. To my non-surprise, the face behind the DailyBlogTips confirmed my invitation with a quick ‘OK.’
Accepted the lifeline of running a blog is quality content but for its prolong life, one must feed it with various energy drinks in the form of promotions, SEO, sensible web design and fortunately DailyBlogTips offers it all at one-stop shop. The blog was nominated under the Best Web Development Blog category on the 2007 Weblog Awards and was ranked at No.38 by technorati among the world’s most popular blogs.
Without engaging you further, I propose you to go through his short and sweet responses and take home the needful.
Introduce yourself to my readers and take us through your flow of day.
My name is Daniel Scocco, and through out the day I surf the net, write on my blogs, and manage some side projects.
Where are you based and for how long have you been blogging? Are you singularly contributing to Daily Blog Tips, Daily Writing Tips and Daily Bits or you have more hands?
Currently I am living in Brazil. I started blogging over 2 years ago.I write mainly for my blogs. Occasionally I do guest articles for other blogs, and these days I am also writing a biweekly column for Problogger (which is an honor).
With such unique, diverse yet useful nature of posts featured at your blog, am curios how do you select what to post on every fresh morning?
Well, Daily Blog Tips has a very clear focus: blog tips. Sure we cover different aspects like SEO, design and monetization, but all posts are geared towards bloggers. Usually I try to keep a balance of those different aspects. For example, if I have not posted about SEO in a long time I try to cover it again as soon as possible.
Lately you are inviting Tech Celebrities Bloggers. Are you planning to start a new blog on this niche? What makes you explore this complete different niche?
I blog on Daily Blog Tips not to make money, but because I love the topic. Tech related niches are not the most profitable ones, that is why I am exploring new horizons.
I like your initiative of replacing standard reviews with video reviews. Your deep scanning of the blog and recommendations are really valuable. I think even a alien reader running a blog can take home many things from here. Are you going to entertain every blogger that approaches you or you have some criterion to handpick follow?
I pick the blogs that I think would be interesting for a review. I wish I could review everyone approaching me, but right now there are over 160 blogs on the waiting list. It will take a while.
Point my readers to three must-read blogs that can help an evolving blog/blogger grow.
Do you think RSS is the future of content distribution? How many RSS feeds do you track daily?
Yes I believe so. In total over 200 RSS feeds.
At marketing front, what promotional strategies do you follow?
All of them. Then I analyze and keep doing the ones that work. No black hat stuff though.
What is the biggest blogging mistake you did?
Used a crap hosting service on the beginning.
How active are you on social networking sites/engines viz. Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon or Reddit?
I am not addicted, but I am pretty active. Mostly on StumbleUpon and somewhat on Digg.
I am impressed by your running series of Bloggers Face-Off. Having brought 50 bloggers to the board and shared their inroads into the world of blogging, what do you think is the scope, weakness, USPs and growth prospects of blogging?
Blogging is a medium that allow people to express their opinions, ideas and thoughts. It is a communication vehicle, so it has no scope per se.
If asked for giving three tips to a greenhorn blogger, what would that be?
Quality content
Quality content
Quality content
If asked to read only one blog, which one would be that?
What is your business model? From where do you tag monetary innings? How much are you earning from DailyBlogTops?
Advertising mostly.
What other areas interest you?
SEO, online marketing, web 2.0 and startups.
Is it good to have an individual identity of a blog or run it as a part of a community? Pen down the pros and cons attached to each according to your experience and convestaion with other bloggers?
Every blog needs to have its own identity. Even if you plan to join a blog network or community, you blog needs to stand out on its own if you want it to become popular.
Direct us to your daily online-reads or favorite sites.
Too many to share here.
Provide us with two of your favorite posts from
Daily Blog Tips
Daily Writing Tips
Daily Bits
- Top 6 Bizzare Online Gaming Incidents
-
25 Incredible Skins, Resources & Tools for the Gmail Power User
How you would like to be known as and why?
- Blogger
- Analayst
- Entrepreneur
- Reviewer
Entrepreneur, because that is how I see myself.
One Hidden Truth
I like the Scottish pure butter Walkers shortbread.
What piece of advice you would have given yourself five-years ago?
Take it easy.
Share one of your unfulfilled desires that you wish blogosphere to accomplish?
I want every person to have a blog.
Your views on traditional Journalism V/S Blogging.
They will converge.
Where do you see your blog after five years from now? What’s next for DailyBlogTips?
I hope to see it alive at least in 5 years.
Give us your views on EliteChoice.
Looks interesting.
Whom would you recommend for being featured as my next EliteBlogger and why?
Leo Babauta, from Zenhabits because he is a genius
Lastly, you can ask me one question.
What is the purpose of life?
Until now I have been finding the same. So, the direct answer to this can be finding the purpose of life itself to let juniors or closed ones around me learn from my life.
Many thanks Daniel for such interesting, direct and honest responses and we look forward to seek your suggestions that can help our blog grow. Wish you luck for your to-be-done 160 video reviews and future ventures.
