Interview with Lorelle VanFossen

Lorelle VanFossen is considered one of top experts on blogging and WordPress in the world and can be regularly seen keynoting at large blogger conferences such as WordCamp and SOBcon.

Lorelle was kind enough to give me some of her time to answer a few questions on blogging, analytics and the WordPress community.

JW: For people who do not know you, would you mind giving a brief introduction of what you do and how blogging affects your life?

Lorelle VanFossen: I blog. I write technical and editorial articles on blogging, travel, web analytics, blogging, WordPress, blogging, and more WordPress, and some life and more travel.

I have several blogs and write for magazines, ezines, and other blogs, podcasts and even video blogs. I speak, teach, and present workshops on blogging, social media, WordPress, and web technology, as well as travel and writing, all over the world. I’m also a consultant for a variety of clients on social media and blogging, helping them to integrate social media marketing cultures into their businesses.

I’m also a major WordCamp fan and if I can get into a WordCamp anywhere in the world, whether as an attending fan, keynote, or presenter, I’m there – as much as I can be. Matt Mullenweg and I were in a race for most frequent flier miles. Last year, I finally lost to my friend.

I adore the WordPress Community. WordPress users want to work with WordPress users. They are the best people and I love working with them. Their needs are constantly in my mind when I write on Lorelle on WordPress or the Blog Herald WordPress News.

Blogging is my life. It’s a platform for me to have my say and teach others about having their say.

JW: You’ve been blogging for over 10 years now, what made you first start?

Lorelle VanFossen: There was no first start. Since the 1970s and 80s, I’ve been involved in the development of the web in all its forms. I had one of the first (and now oldest) websites in the world and its evolution to “blog” was just part of the process. For me, there has been no beginning or end. It’s part of the evolution of technology and publishing.

JW: What helps you generate ideas on what to post about?

Lorelle VanFossen: Everything. Anything can be a blog post. From a walk in the woods to a visit with a friend to a business meeting, conference, radio news item, book I’m reading…it doesn’t matter. Anything and everything can be written about and inspiration has no rules. It comes when it comes and if you are paying attention, your muse will guide you accordingly.

The issue for me is not to come up with the ideas but to find the time to write all the ideas down, then finding more time to actually turn a few of those into publishable content.

JW: Do you still track the analytics of your blog?

Lorelle VanFossen: No. Lately, this makes people laugh. I work with Woopra, the first live, real-time web analytics program, and it’s all about tracking the stats. But Woopra isn’t about tracking the numbers as much as the individuals.

Woopra changes the whole dynamics of web statistics. It’s not about the numbers. I don’t care about the numbers. I could have 5 visitors or 5,000. I don’t care. It’s what they take away from my site that matters. If I impact one person, my work is a success. If I can change the lives of a few more, I’ve overwhelmed and humbled.

It’s the personal touch that makes web analytics special with Woopra. Woopra turns those numbers into faces. Instead of tracking visitor 45398, I’m tracking Fred Smith or Alice Anderson through my blog. If they are using Gravatars, I see their face or avatar in Woopra. I now have a name and face to go with the stats. I’m learning about what they enjoy reading, what they are searching for, what answers they want, and what they come back for. They become friends and acquaintances. I’m like a restaurateur, chatting up my customers to find out what they really want to eat in my restaurant. That’s what I want to put on my menu, making them want to come back for more.

We’re still in the early days of web analytics, and I fear that so many are taking the profiling path. I’m a huge fan of what Woopra is doing with analytics and stats, to track the individual not the numbers, and thrilled to be a part of something I think is going to change the face of the web.

JW: What changes do you see in the future of blogging?

Lorelle VanFossen: As I said, I believe that services like Woopra are going to change much of our experience on the web. The web is breaking down barriers in so many ways – we are still in diapers.

I see blogs becoming the focal point again in online communication. While services like Twitter and other social networks are growing quickly, there is only so much you can share within a 140 character limit. Sound bites. The world of relationships isn’t possible in 140 characters or less. But it’s a start.

A blog is becoming a business card and resume for many people. It is the center of their online experience, and many are returning to it, understanding that they need a place to showcase themselves and their thoughts and experiences. A referral point. People come from YouTube, social media services, networking groups, blog comments, and all over the web to find out who you are and what you do, and why should they trust what you say and do.

I see social networking expanding, but the blog returning to the center of people’s world as they integrate all their spheres of influence back into the core.

I also see that features like what BuddyPress has to offer, integrating social network features into a blog, will change the blogging experience. The ability for people to group themselves within a blog by interests is fascinating – and distracting. It will be interesting to watch the evolution.

JW: How do you keep readers interested?

Lorelle VanFossen: Give them what they want and more. Not more as in anything and everything or over the top sensationalism, but give them more than they want in bits and pieces so they will stay interested and enthused.

Over all, give them something to tell others about. Water cooler stories do much better than staid, home work exercises in writing.

JW: With your busy schedule how do you schedule time to blog on a consistent basis?

Lorelle VanFossen: I thrive on future posts in WordPress. I work when I can and work ahead as much as possible.

Many bloggers are what I call Weekend Bloggers. They save up their time all week to pound out 1-7 posts on the weekend to release throughout the week, making them look like they are blogging every day. Sometimes I will do that or do 14 – 21 posts ahead, always finding something to write about.

Yet, it depends. A single blog post can take me a few minutes or weeks or months to finish. I keep an Idea/Drafts file with all my blog story ideas. I go through them frequently to see if a story is ready to publish, or what needs more work. It’s an ongoing process.

I think of blogging much like magazine publishing. It involves contributions from a lot of folks, from photographers to writers. The editor has to work with all the different contributors to plan and schedule the content for every issue. Some get pushed to the front due to their timeliness, and others get pushed back for later issues. The only difference between a blog and a magazine is that I’m the editor, publisher, photographer, writer, editorial manager, etc.

A while ago, I started a series called Blog Struggles about the real life of a blogger and the hard work that goes into blogging. It’s gotten an amazing response and resonated with so many. They loved that we’re finally talking about the elephant in the room that bloggers have to deal with but few talk about.

Blogging is my job, but it is also a part of my life. I work it in. When I’m traveling and working on not creating content for my blogs, I will actually go through withdrawal. Writing is my passion and I love working on stories to share with people. Luckily, it’s my job, too.

JW: Do you think it is an easy transition for a writer to be a blogger?

Lorelle VanFossen: Easy? To move from what kind of writer to writing blogs? That’s too open a question.

For technical writers moving to a technical blog, there is little transition. For creative or fiction writers, also not a big transition. It all depends upon the skill and training of the writer and what their goals are with their blog.

A few key things a writer needs to know about writing online are:

• Keywords: You must use words people search for in order to be found.
• NO Pronouns: Stop using it, he, she, those, these, and other pronouns.
• Shorter Paragraphs Increase Readability: Keep paragraphs short and break up multiple point paragraphs.
• One Point Per Post: Keep your content to one point per post if possible.
• Short versus Long Posts: If the writing is good, long posts will work. Don’t believe the myth that short posts are best. It depends upon the quality of writing and the points that need to be made.
• It’s About Conversation: Writing for the web can be an ongoing conversation rather than a thesis, if you want interaction.
• Write Linkable Content: If it ain’t worth linking to, consider not writing it. Make people want to talk and link to your content.

JW: You have such great passion in your posts and about your industry, what advice do you have in novice bloggers?

Lorelle VanFossen: Blog your passion, or don’t blog.

Don’t blog about what everyone else is blogging about. There are enough blogs about blogging, WordPress, celebrities…unless you can bring something special to the game, don’t blog.

JW: I hear you have a talent for snow sculptures? What have you done lately?

Lorelle VanFossen: I do indeed enjoy snow sculptures. A couple years ago I did a guitar, and I’ve done dinosaurs, reptiles, rats, people, dogs, cats, castles, and all kinds of things out of the beautiful but ethereal white stuff.

Unfortunately, a sledding accident this year ripped my shoulder, so sculpting was out for me during one of the best snow seasons in the Pacific Northwestern United States. My friend, Ed Morita of Baker’s Hours, the first person with a permanent WordPress tattoo, sent me a beautiful huge picture of a Chinese dragon he carved out of 30 pounds of chocolate to make up for my downtime. He’s inspiring me to consider trying chocolate carving for a longer lasting (and not so cold) creative experience.

Next year…I have a great list of ideas for sculptures inspired by the beautiful nature and wildlife we have here in Oregon, where we just moved and have made our new home base.

JW: Thank you so much for your time.

Lorelle VanFossen: And thank you for your support of the WordPress Community.