It’s time once again for Featured Blogger Friday my favourite post of the week because it’s when bloggers I love drop by to chat about their blogs. Today’s guest blogger is Sandy Fussell, a good friend, great writer and also blogger. Welcome Sandy.
Firstly, why do you blog?
That’s easy. I blog because I love it.
What do you blog about? How often do you blog?
Now they are much harder questions! At the moment I blog in a free-wheeling fashion – when I feel like it or have the time, about whatever catches my interest. Lately I find I have been blogging about the writerly things in my life – the books I read, the festivals I present at, the workshops I give and the ideas I am writing.
Who is your target readership?
I don’t have one for my blog. It’s a bit like an open house – everyone is welcome to drop in. But I am beginning to think in a more focussed way about blog readership. As a systems analyst my first question to web site clients is always: who is your audience? And while I have asked myself that about my websites (www.sandyfussell.com and www.samuraikids.com.au), I have only recently considered it in relation to my blog. Expect some changes soon!
How much time do you devote to blogging?
It depends on what other things I am doing. I have a full time job and a very tight publishing schedule with 5 books to be released between now and the end of 2012. I blog whenever I can.
Do you have a favourite blog post?
I do although I will admit it is both self-indulgent and personal. Every now and then as an author I come across something that makes me feel proud of what I am writing, that I am achieving something with my readers. This blog post never fails to inspire me.
What do you see as the benefits of blogging?
I love to write in all shapes and formats. Blogging gives me a chance to communicate in cyberspace in a conversational way but without the character count constraints of Facebook and Twitter. I do not see blogging as a self-promotion vehicle, although there is no doubt it is a useful profile building tool. I hope to ultimately use blogging as a means to encourage classroom literacy.
What blogging platform do you use and why?
I use Blogger although I have maintained WordPress blogs. Even as an experienced programmer, I find Blogger is easier and more intuitive to use. It now has multiple page functionality to match WordPress. However, WordPress does have a wider range of sophisticated plug-ins available to end users who are looking for that extra scope.
Do you have a favourite blog to visit (other than your own)?
The Book Chook www.thebookchook.com. I am always interested in exploring technology based approaches to writing and reading for primary school children. I find the most amazing resources and ideas on the Book Chook’s blog. I would recommend it to all authors preparing workshops or developing teaching resources for their books.
Lastly, when you are not blogging, what else do you do?
I am a mum, a computer programmer and an author. Sometimes I have all three hats on at once. During the day you can always find me in front of my laptop or a class of kids. The former is a lot quieter but the latter is the most fun!
Thanks for dropping in, Sandy.
How lovely that you get ideas from my blog, Sandy! I was thinking of writer workshops when I wrote an article about drama recently – a great and fun activity called machines that allows kids to use their voices and bodies to capture the essence of a book. Anything that involves kids in literature and literacy has my vote!