Here at BlogOn we like nothing more than showcasing different bloggers and their wonderful blogs. This weeks blogger is Jane from Hodge Podge Days. If you fancy being featured on Meet the blogger then please email laura@blogonconference.com
Hodge Podge Days
Name – Jane Arschavir
Blog URL – https://hodgepodgedays.co.uk
Twitter- https://twitter.com/HodgePodgeDays
How long have you been blogging and what made you start?
I started blogging in June 2013 following a serious, life changing accident. Blogging was a way of me writing some of my thoughts and feelings outside of my head, but over time changed from a form of therapy, to a hobby and into a business.
What do you wish you had known before you started?
Technical stuff, every day is a school day. I’ve always been pretty good with computers, but having your own website is a different skill-set. I wish I’d taken better photos from the start, I’m having to go back and re-shoot some of my older but still popular blog posts.
What one tip would you give to a new blogger?
Patience. It takes time to build a following, it takes time to build a leadership. If you’ve been blogging for three months and you’ve not made your first million, it’s because it takes time, patience and more hard work that you’d imagine.
What is the most surprising thing you have learned since you started blogging?
That I can write. I trained as a journalist so it shouldn’t be a surprise really. Buy journalism is about having confidence in your ability to write and tell a true story. I lost that too quickly in my career and turned my back on a career I would have loved because I didn’t think I could do it. Now I’m applying those skills I learned at uni and I’ve made a new career out of them. Plus it’s nice when people stop me in the street and tell me my blog post resonated with them, or it made them laugh, or it was enjoyable in other ways.
I guess having just read that paragraph back, the thing I’ve learned isn’t that I can write, it’s that I just needed some confidence.
What is the best thing about blogging?
For me personally it’s that I’ve managed to make a job out of it. Without blogging I wouldn’t be able to work, so who knows what I’d be doing with myself now.
What new skills have you learned since you started blogging?
All of the skills! Website management, social media management, photography, marketing to name but a few.
What is the most unusual thing you have done/received because of blogging?
On my personal Facebook page I sometimes share a photo of something random I’ve been sent and caption it “my job is weird”. I’ve been sent so many weird and wonderful things over the years. Most recently a set of Kegels to review, which isn’t weird, it’s just hard to write a sensitive, informative blog post about.
What has been your proudest blogging achievement so far?
I think too many of us; me included, measure success in awards, social media milestones or UMVs. Sure, it would be nice to be nominated for an award, or to hit a target, but my proudest blogging achievement is something small, which probably none of my readers have noticed. In January I changed the way I did things. I post what I hope is quality content Monday to Friday, I’ve reduced the number of reviews I do and I only review stuff I want to and I’ve got a proper diary for my blog, so Wednesday is books and literacy, Thursdays are craft days, Friday is recipes etc. It means I’ve got content scheduled far ahead in the future, I know what I’m doing each week and I just feel like I’m offering my readers better content and a better reason to come back. Being organised is a personal achievement. I still reckon no one has noticed though.
What is your blogging goal for the next year?
My blogging goal is always to do better. Last year my goal was to have a proper content schedule and I’m learning from that each week. So more of the same, organisationally and I want my Pinterest to take off.
What will you be doing in 5 years time?
I’ll be the mum to a teenager by then, so probably tearing my hair out. In terms of blogging, I’ve no idea. I’d like to think I would still be blogging, but who knows what about.
Will we see you at a BlogOn event this year?
Absolutely. With bells on. Can’t wait!
If Yes, What do you hope to learn more about at BlogOn?
I’d like to learn more about Pinterest and about content planning. I feel like those are my two priorities at the moment.