I have a treat for you guys today! Today, I’ve interviewed with Blogger Amanda Ripsam. Go check out her blog: http://mommiesquietplace.com/
What inspired you to become a blogger and what do you wish to accomplish with your blog?
I have a rare genetic disorder called 22q deletion syndrome I have a daughter with the same disorder. I was recovering from a illness and needed to be be rested while I healed up. I thought I should blog about our journey so I can document what happens at doctor’s appointments. My blog has turned into much more than I ever dreamed it would.
What is your blog mainly about, and do you enjoy what you do?
I didn’t think anyone would read my blog it the fact that over 3,000 people follow my blog brings me joy. I thought my blog would just be something I put on the blog personally for myself.
I have had so many people email me and say thank you to me. Random strangers with the same disorder I have interviewed and connected to other people most people and are greatful I am talking about the hard stuff and the joyful stuff of living with the disorder.
There is mine and Bella’s review blog I get products in the mail to test and write about my experience with the products my 9 year old loves to help with the testing out part. . Now I have people who come to me asking me how to start a blog. I might make a how to video one day.
Have you written for any other websites or offline publications?
I write product reviews for different sites like one is about books called bakers publishing I receive a list of books to pick out I read the books and write about what I thought about the books. I really enjoy that one. Another site I am loving lately is moms meet I love getting packages in the mail from them and testing out organic products. I have not written for other websites but I have done a few interviews like this for other bloggers. My story is published on the 22q dempster foundation website.
How would you personally summarize the purpose of your blog?
The purpose of my blog is to help others first with information about what 22q is without having to pay a arm and a leg to attend a conference just to learn what resources are out there and who is out there. I enjoy connecting other people who have 22q I also share about books and other products that readers have found helpful.
Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging because I was tired of all of the other sites about 22q that did not talk about how it affects adults. I was healing and shared my journey and started to write about my story.
Is there another blogger that you really like or that inspired you to blog/inspires how you blog?
There are so many other wonderful bloggers out there I don’t think I could just pick any one blogger who has inspired me.
What do you enjoy most about blogging?
Blogging perks like the products I get to test out. I like sharing about what 22q is to others. I like sharing about the products I get and connecting other people to products and services. I also like connecting and making friends online who I share a similar passion with. The connecting with others is the biggest blogging benefit.
What have you learned through blogging?
I have learned how to make time for myself for my hobbies to care for myself while helping others. I have learned a lot about how social media works such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. I have improved in my already advanced photography skills. I used to work in a photo lab and I learned how to add those skills into my blog. I also learned how to put my retail experience to use by promoting and marketing the products I write about by word of mouth marketing. I love learning how to do things and it has been fun. One project after the next I am discovering there is always more to learn in the blogging world.
What kinds of problems have you had with your blog?
I was hacked a while back I had a lot of work to fix up on my blog because of spam bot stealing my traffic. I was also hacked and a dating site was created with the same name. I didn’t have security with the go daddy hosting. I also don’t blog for money and didn’t make enough to cover the cost of hosting and I dropped web hosting. I am trying to decided to keep the domain I have or to create a new domain. I get so many followers and then the spam hacker bots took me down. It wasn’t fun at all.
I started to get offers by email to review products and suggest products and service to my readers. I decide to keep my reviews on a separate blog as I felt some readers were getting confused as to what my blog is about so I own two blogs. www.mommiesquietplace.com I started over 3 years ago and http://amandabellarevews.blogspot.com which I just started back in January
#BloggerInterviews #AmandaRipsam