Ready to meet some more awesome Publishers in our Community?
1. You’ve been working with IZEA for quite some time. What originally attracted you to our Community? Originally, it was PayPerPost. I saw that there was a way to monetize my blog other than just using ads and thought I’d give it a shot.
2. Why Technology? I’ve always had a passion for technology and knowing how things work since I was a little kid. I used to just talk about tech stuff to anyone who would listen. I love to write, too, so blogging about technology is more fun than anything.
3. What keeps you motivated to blog? Sponsored campaigns obviously don’t hurt, but more than anything, it’s the passion I have for technology and new ideas. Sharing with others and getting feedback is another great motivator. There’s nothing better as a blogger than to get unsolicited positive feedback or thanks for something you’ve written.
4. What’s been your favorite SocialSpark (original platform) campaign? It has to be the Tech Giveaway from Tony’s Pizza campaign. I bought a bunch of pizza, invited a bunch of techie people like myself, and had robots and gadgets for everyone to play with. It may be the most fun I’ve been paid to have.
5. What are you most looking forward to about SocialSpark 2.0? I really want to see how the leads system will work out and if it will generate more opportunities. I think it will also be interesting to see how the new compensation system goes. It will be like having my first sponsored opportunity all over again.
6. You have a pretty significant and loyal audience. How do you market yourself? Contests have brought me a lot of social traffic, but Google search has really brought in consistent new readers. Three of my laptop repair articles make up about 15% of my search traffic all by themselves. A good How-To article with proper SEO is great for search.
7. Complete this thought: If I could I would ______. Travel into space. Along with technology, I have a fascination with space and plan to go into orbit one day. I’ve even set a tentative date for September 17, 2017. The way commercial space travel is shaping up, anything is possible.
8. My favorite word right now is ______. Vernacular. That’s actually been my favorite word for a long time. There’s something poetic about it’s meaning and ironic about learning the word for the first time.
9. I love on your Twitter profile you say “…if you see me at an event, come up and say hi.” How important do you think it is to network at events such as conferences and Meetups/Tweetups? Networking at these events is incredibly valuable for a blogger. Both locally and at events I travel to, I’ve made some great connections which have lead eventually to opportunities and free marketing. Meeting in person puts a memory behind every tweet or email you send to someone and increases your credibility (or decreases, depending on your behavior). Ultimately, though, it’s just great to meet existing and new connections in person and get to know people. I’ve discovered new friends at networking events.
10. What’s one word of advice you’d give to bloggers who are looking to increase the quality of their content? It’s been said time and time again because it’s so true: Follow your passion. If you’re passionate about your subject matter, it will show in your writing and make your posts more engaging. More importantly, you’ll never get bored with it.
Joe’s blog can be found at JoeTech.com.
1. What originally attracted you to Sponsored Tweets? The money, of course! I’m already addicted to Twitter, so I figured I might as well get a little compensation for that addiction. Besides, I often discover new companies and products via Twitter, so why not “pay it forward” by sharing blurbs about companies and products and getting paid to do so?
2. What has been one of your favorite campaigns in which to participate? I have really enjoyed promoting Zenni Optical. I first found out about them a few years ago, via a PayPerPost opportunity, and finally purchased a few pairs of glasses from them myself last May. I love them! Their prices rock and their selection is amazing, so I was more than happy and maybe just a bit proud to be able to promote a company whose products I personally own and use – and love!
3. What do you love most about Twitter? I love, appreciate and take shameless advantage of being able to instantly connect to people all around the world. Twitter is my go-to network of choice these days because of how quickly I can find and share information.
4. Finish this: Without Twitter I would ____. Be hopelessly lost. I’d probably go back to blogging inane posts multiple times a day, because I would otherwise be chafing at the lack of an outlet for the little things I want to share with friends and followers.
5. How do you get creative with your Tweets? I try to make even the most mundane of tweets (“Ugh, I’m stuck in traffic right now!”) interesting by injecting a bit of humor or sarcasm. I’m also not above making up my own funny hashtags. Right now, for instance, I’m dealing with some gallbladder issues, so one hashtag I have been using is #mygallbladderhasadeathwish.
6. What do you do to market yourself, and get new Followers? I just be me. I don’t participate in follower-increase campaigns or the Twitter promotions I see on blogs; instead, I just make it as clear as possible that I’m active on Twitter, and that in many ways if my readers want to know what I’m up to, they should check Twitter before they check my blog, because I almost always update Twitter first. I also run giveaways a few times a month, and I always include following me on Twitter as a way of gaining additional entries into each one.
7. What do you feel encourages engagement with your audience? I think the best engagement with and from audiences stems from Twitter users who are genuinely interested in integrating Twitter in their lives – of course, that doesn’t mean that they have to tweet where they’re at or what or who they’re doing at any given moment, but at the same time they need to be willing to open up a bit. “Realness” is what attracts the best Twitter audience, I think.
8. Any advice to other Tweeters on how to get more Sponsored Tweets Opportunities? Stay active! Tweet about a variety of things, and don’t be afraid to stir up a little controversy, should the opportunity arise. In my experience, advertisers love and get the best results from the “real” Twitter accounts – you know, the ones managed and updated by real people who will go from griping about their job to gushing about their child to laughing about their pets to complaining about politics to sharing a great deal they just scored online. When it comes to Twitter, let it all hang out!
9. A Tweet a Day ____. Keeps the insanity away. (Twitter is a great outlet for venting frustrations, seriously!)
10. What’s your favorite bird (tweet, tweet!)? I’ve always been partial to cockatiels. My family had one that imitated the phone, doorbell, and X-Files theme song. He also knew a few curse words, and addressed most people as “nitwit”.
Follow Jenn’s Tweets at @kissmykitty.
1. Why do you WeReward? I enjoy making some extra money going the places I go, doing the things I do or trying something new!
2. What device do you claim rewards from? iPhone.
3. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear WeReward? Money!
4. Where have you checked-in the most? Publix.
5. What’s been your favorite WeReward reward claim so far? Definitely the Wendy’s reward! It was worth 300 points ($3) and then a 5000 point ($50) bonus for the winning picture. Of course I was going to go all out for this one, so I decided to dress like Wendy! 
6. What other mobile social applications do you actively use? Tweetdeck, Facebook, and Twitter.
7. Sky’s the limit – what company would you love to see using WeReward? I’d love to see local parks using WeReward.
8. Tell one thing about yourself nobody knows. I’m double jointed.
9. If Chops were to have a girlfriend, what would you name her? Porka!
10. Most importantly, what’s your favorite way to eat bacon? With scrambled eggs.
11. Finish this: Bacon makes me ____. Thirsty.
