Today we have with us Raju of Technically Personal. Technically Personal is a popular technology blog on web apps, online tools and useful software tips. With more than 3000 rss subscribers, TechPP has also been featured in CHIP magazine, a popular Technology magazine in India.

1. When did you start blogging ? What made you make that first post?

I don’t remember exactly, but must be sometime in early 2005. I remember seeing my classmate’s blog and thought even I want to have one.

2. How many Blogs do you have or write for currently ?

I have around 5, but write for only 1.

3. How much time you devote to your blog everyday ? We know that you work in an MNC as a Technical Specialist, so how do you find time to blog ?

On an average I spend about 4-5 hours per day. It gets really tough at times, but if you love something, you can ALWAYS make time for it.

4. What according to you is more important for a tech blog : Quality or quantity ?

Quality for sure. It is very important to make your blog stand out in the crowd.

5. In 1 year your blog has reached 3000 Rss subscribers. That’s really a great achievement.Please Tell us the secret and strategies you have implemented.

Initially I tried hard to get the count to 200. That was when I organized contests and giveaways. But I realized people who subscribed then used to unsubscribe at the end of the contest. Having unique content along with subscription widgets at right places helps a lot.

6.Where do you find compelling content. I mean Every Blogger uses RSS feeds to consume Content. Do you think that it adds up in rehashed material?

In a way, it does. May a times I keep off from such posts. But then, if you are able to add something (like a view or review or a tip) on top of the original content it helps everyone. Moreover when you have a dedicated set of readers who expect to know the details from my blog, I can’t afford to disappoint them.

7. What is the biggest mistake you think you have done in your entire blogging career? How did you manage to come out of that?

This is a tough one. I guess during early days of TechPP, I tried to emulate other popular bloggers in the kind of posts I wrote assuming “if they can get traffic by writing that post, why can’t I ?”. I was completely wrong. All those posts went unnoticed. Only then I realized the importance of “making my own way”.

8. What’s your best tip for bloggers starting out today ?

Never try to emulate successful bloggers in the kind of posts they write. You got to find your own way to success, there is no shortcut to success.

9. According to you, how much time a blogger should wait before deciding to monetize his blog ?

There is no rule defined for this. It also depends on the niche you are in. For Tech bloggers, I would suggest them to wait till they get 200 unique visitors per day.

10. Tell us some Blogs that you love reading ? Who are the bloggers you admire the most ?

I love the posts, not the blogs :)  Few of the may bloggers I admire – Keith, Lee Mathews, The Geek, Ajith and many more.

11. Give us some tips on how should a beginner market their blog from the very beginning.

1) Don’t waste too much time “initially” on blog marketing. Rather, concentrate on writing quality posts.
2) Leaving valuable comments on popular blogs related to the niche will help in developing good relationship with the blog owner/author.
3) Write guest posts on those blogs. The benefits you get out of guest blogging is HUGE.
4) If you are into Internet marketing, SEO and other related niches, spend some dedicated time on related forums. Promote your blog via signature. Make sure you don’t spend too much time in this.
5) Don’t look desperate.

12. What has been some of the challenges ?

Every day has been a challenge. Right from the time I had to decide about spending $10 on domain and $80 on hosting, to this day when I look to diversify the blog content and build a community around it, everything has been a challenge!

13. How has your blog audience changed over the years?

“over the years”? It’s been just 1 year :) Initially the core audience consisted of fellow Tech bloggers, now it isn’t the case anymore.

14. Where do you want to see TP in a couple of years ?

TWO years is way TOO long for me. I evaluate myself on a monthly basis. Having smaller targets help a lot!