Here comes my very first interview on this work at home blog. This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Yan Susanto, affectionately known as Yan to most bloggers among us. He runs ThouShallBlog, Blogging Tips For Beginners, a blog that helps beginners blog better.

I’ve always been fascinated by Yan from the very first time I met him online in June last year. I remembered well how I met him though. I was doing my research for my Link Building Strategy Blog Posts Series and was first attracted not to his blog but his Gravatar. You see, Yan used a pretty lady picture as his blog gravatar. It was probably an experiment or a case study and yeah, you could say I participated in it, quite unknowingly I might add. I’ve always wanted to interview him to find out a little more about this intriguing man who seems to know what he needs and gets what he wants.

Peter: What do you think is the no. 1 mistake many new bloggers make and what specific tips can you give to them to make it in the blogosphere.

Yan:Personally, I think one of the most common mistakes newbies make is to have the wrong mindset right out of the gate. 90% of newbies start a blog hoping to be the next superstar blogger with a big fat paycheck.

Sure, anyone can be the next superstar blogger but it doesn’t happen overnight. In blogging there is no such thing of instant results.

When you blog about something you enjoy writing, you’ll probably stick around long enough to be a superstar blogger and make money.

Peter: We’ve seen your ˜ThouShallBlog” achieve so much success within so short a time like PR3 in 3 months, ˜the 45n5 Top 100″ (#8), 300 unique visitors/1000 page views in 4 months. Could you share with us what made these possible.

Yan: In retrospect, getting a PR 3 then was a big deal but it isn’t the case anymore. It’s an open secret that anyone who comment consistently could easily get a PR 3 nowadays.

And for that reason alone, the quality of comments has degraded to a pathetic level. To put it bluntly, it has evolved into a competition of “who has the right to stay as the top commentator”. Just look at those who sit comfortably on John Chow’s Top Commentator list and you’ll know what I mean.

Sad but that’s exactly what made all these possible.

Peter: In Nov last year you made a big decision to change your blog to a nofollow blog, You felt that dofollow blogs leak out too much pagerank link juice and that this change will help TSB achieve higher PR. Fast forward to today, 5 months later, your higher PR expectation has not happened…yet. Did your decision come back to haunt you? You did mention that you could revert back to dofollow if it didn’t work out. Or do you still believe you made the right decision and on course for better things to come?

Yan: Those who have been following TSB know well that whatever things I did were just my way of experimenting with different style of ‘doing things”. Yes, nothing happened on the last PR update and judging by the number inbound links from authority sites, I believe the PR is not likely to change on the next update either.

It’s too early to say if what I did was right or wrong but as my blog grows so does the spammy comments. So ‘nofollowing’ my blog might not be a bad thing after all. Besides, I don’t need to “dofollow’ my blog to encourage more comments at this point of time.

Peter: We noted some big changes you’ve recently made on TSB. You’ve outsourced most of the writing to a team of writers. What was the main reason behind this change. I mean lots of your readers enjoy your blog not only because of your excellent content you’ve shared, but also your unique writing style they love and have grown quite accustomed to.

Yan: I’m grateful that many are still supporting TSB long after I stop contributing. Readership level has grown by as much as 30% over the last few months and so has the subscribers level. The team of writers and some guest posters have done really a great job. Well, what more can I ask?

Anyhow it just dawned upon me that there was little room for me to grow anymore if I were to spend my time maintaining TSB. I wanted to do something else. I didn’t want to stay in my comfort zone. So I made the resolution to explore into a whole new world of niche marketing and that’s where I’ve found my new passion.

And inviting others to write for TSB helps me to focus on what needs to be done. It’s a win-win deal for both parties. With an already established blog community, writing for TSB is the next best promotional strategy for any aspiring bloggers.

Didn’t I say it’s a free advertising?

Peter: Here is a hypothetical question. If you had to start blogging all over again, what will be some of the things you’ll do differently for TSB.

Yan: Build an email list right from the start. It’s the best permission marketing I should have undertaken long ago. It was a mistake but we live to learn, don’t we?

Peter: Recently you’ve gone into niche blogging. What prompted you to venture out of your comfort zone and into this more specialized form of blogging. Is this the direction you’re heading i.e. start many more niche blogs? What are your goals and what experience can you share with us and has it been profitable so far. Who would you recommend niche blogging to.

Yan: Yes, apart from coming up with my own products, that is going to be the direction I see myself heading for the next 2 years. My goal? To be able to draw 5-figure incomes all on auto-pilot by the end of 2010.

That said, I’m working 16 hours a day now so I can only work 1-hour a day in 2010. That’s the ultimate destination.

Anyway I’m coming up with my own ebook soon where I’d share all there is to know about niche marketing. So stay tuned.

Peter: What’s a typical work day like for you Yan?

Yan: As I’ve said I work 16 hours a day answering emails and comments, browsing my RSS feed, ghostwriting for others, uncover hidden niches and working on other internet projects.

My day usually starts at 12PM till 4AM. Yes, I’m not an early riser as I usually work better at night when my brain is at its best. Suffice to say, the most important task is done after midnight.

Peter: While we know a lot about your blogging prowess, we don’t know much about you as a person. Could you tell a little about you as a family man?

Yan: I’m a father of 9 months old son who is the king of the house and that’s the reason why the most important thing is done after midnight……

And I also count my blessing to have a very supportive wife who takes good care of our son. Yes, she is the Queen who rules the house too…

Peter: Where do you see yourself blogging wise in 6 months and in 5 years?

Yan: I picture myself spending 16 quality hours a day with my family and working 1-hour a day in 5 years time. That’s the beauty of being an internet entrepreneur.

Peter: How do you keep coming up with such great content for your blog? Where do you get the inspiration?

Yan: To be honest, what’s on TSB can be easily found elsewhere. All I did was to present them in a different style that appeals to my readers. So it’s safe to conclude that it really isn’t about ‘what you say’. It all comes down to ‘how you say it’ in your unique voice.

My Final Thoughts

Thanks Yan for taking your time for this interview and sharing such great insights and words of wisdom to others. I’m sure many who stumbled upon this post would have taken away some good advice from you and go away inspired in their search for success. Interviews after all offer a great way to learn a few new tricks from those who have become successful and in this case learning some great blogging tips from someone who’s been there, done that. Thanks Yan!

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