When I interview bloggers I find we all have a common thread .
We want our voices to be heard, from whichever corner of the earth we call home.
Travelling with family ,travelling for work ,living anywhere on this planet your blog becomes your digital home.
The place which is always there for you.
Women specially have a genetic tendency to put down roots
So if roots are physically not possible ,put down digital roots.
Make your digital home beautiful .
That’s my Blog beautiful.
That’s what I loved about Shalini’s blogs
She has a beautiful blog home at with an extended kitchen .
Hear her story today.
How many blogs do you manage ?
I manage two blogs. One is Food Blog somethingiscooking.com
Personal blog: kohleyed.me
Who is your target audience ?
For the food blog, I would say anyone who loves to cook simple, easy to make dishes at home.
I don’t fancy those complex dishes which takes more than a couple of hours to cook. I am impatient that way. I write about anything and everything on my personal blog.
You can find poems, a bit of fiction, book reviews, movie reviews or even about how my day went by. Thus said, it is more like that warm cup of coffee on a winter day.
Best blog design tips from your experience
Black text in White background- this does the trick always. Choose only a font or two while writing your posts. I believe too much is too bad.
Time management tips for my audience
There was a time when I did Daily Blogging on both my blogs while I had a full-time IT job. It was tedious but I work efficiently and better when I keep myself busy.
I keep a mental reminder of what to do in each hour of the day, thus managing home, work and both the blogs. I also love to make ‘to-do’ lists just after waking up and tick off the list as the day progress.
Best blogging practices
Be regular, even if it means you post only once a week. Appreciate the readers who share and comment on your posts.
Reciprocate your gratitude by reading their blog posts and leaving meaningful comments.
I am dead against leaving a ‘nice post’ comment on any blog.
Which email service do you use?
I use the default WordPress email subscription tool for now. I am learning about other services and it will soon be available on the food blog.
What’s the one thing you wish your blog had or you knew when you started
That’s a bit difficult to answer because I feel content about my blogs always. It is not a good thing for I always want to better my blogs.
So, right now it is a newsletter which my blog needs.
What would you do differently if you had to start now knowing everything you do?
I would concentrate on Image optimization and SEO a bit more if I have to start a blog right now.
I am still taking baby steps but yes, blogging is a long journey.
Give us your top 5 ways of making money from your blog
Even after three years of blogging, I still feel I am an amateur. I have not started earning from my blogs yet, except a few occasional wins in contests.
Do you have any products?
No. I should say, it is work in progress at the moment. I have big things for my blogs in mind in the coming year.
Your inspiration
I draw inspiration from almost everything that surrounds me. Yes, there are days when I lose my cooking mojo.
But then I try to simplify and prepare my comfort food. I am inspired by beautiful ingredients, beautiful recipes, and beautiful stories about food.
I am inspired by the weather and and what I am hungry to eat????.
Your favourite quote
“I stopped feeling like I didn’t belong anywhere and realized that I actually belong anywhere I wanted to be” 🙂
Tips & Your message for struggling Bloggers
Persistence and perseverance rewards. Keep writing good content and do your bit by sharing your articles on social media
You never know when an opportunity will knock your door.
Services+freebies ?
Not yet. It is definitely on top of my list for 2017.
What’s your vision with this venture?
Vision? I believe in short term goals. For example, I wanted to improve my Alexa rank this month and I’m seeing good results.
Next month, I will have some other thing in mind. I guess, achieving each milestone boosts up my morale and that can be seen on my blogs.
Are you involved in any charitable causes ?
Yes and I do not disclose about it much. I have pledge to donate my eyes and I am privileged to be part of a cancer charity support.
Tell us a little bit about your family.Who is your biggest support?
I am an Army Brat and an Army Wife and to say the least, that is my strength.
Short bio
Army Wife -Food Blogger- Food Critic- Product/Restaurant Reviewer- Ardent Reader- Delinquent Poet- Trained Bharatnatyam Dancer- Dog Lover- Wannabe World Traveler- One day wanting to meet the one and only Gordon Ramsay, I cook my heart out to bring a smile on my soldier’s face!
Insta: @kohleyedme
Fb page link:
https://www.facebook.com/somethincooking/
https://www.facebook.com/kohleyedme/
Have you visited Shalini’s blogs . What is your opinion of digital homes?
Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks Amrita to help know Shalini more..
Good to know more about shalini..Love her food blog and the short fiction stories too. Thanks Amrita for featuring her..got to know little more about her. 🙂
thanks for such a wonderful writeup on one of my fav bloggers – she just rocks. And Amrita your questions are so well framed and thought of – excellent job my friend!
this was a lovely read!!! Shalini loved the interview 🙂 lovely to know more about you and yeah we all refer your recipes its a huge help.
@Amrita – Digital Homes!!! What an interesting concept. You should write more about it makes so much sense specially for woman today.
So much fun to read more about you, Shalini! I love your blog, your dedication to it and the generous comments you leave on others blogs. You are awesome!:)
Thanks, Amrita, for letting us know more about Shalini 🙂
It was fun to answer your questions, dear Amrita. I understood that I had to work a lot more on my blogs. Thank you again for this lovely opportunity. You are doing an awesome thing by featuring bloggers in your space. Much love <3
It was great fun reading your answers.Blogging is a journey for all of us.So sharing each others wins make it more fun.
Glad we did this.
Loved reading about Shalini! I like her food blog and the pics posted there. In fact I have more than once checked her somethings cooking for recipes when I get bored of regular ideas. Wishing her the best in future! Loved the title Amrita, all the best to your series too.
Menaka Bharathi has recently published
Yes somethings cooking is a fun blog. Thanks Menaka for visiting.
Glad you like the title