Interview With Dr Hsien Hsien Lei on Blogging

I just recently did an interview with Dr Hsien Hsien Lei about blogging and some of the dynamics and strategies she uses to become a better blogger. I met her online maybe 6 months ago and have chatted with her quite a bit. In fact, I met her through a blog network where she was a Channel Editor at the time. She has a wide range of knowledge on blogging and I felt doing an interview with her could help benefit those who are looking to blog long term. I have personally learned a lot from her as both a mentor and friend. The following are 8 questions I asked her for some insight on:

1) Hsien, how long have you been blogging?

I’ve been blogging since November 2003 when I started a personal blog at LiveJournal. Back then I didn’t even know any HTML! It was a challenge figuring all of it out but I had some kind online friends who taught me a lot. In April 2005, I started my first topic-specific professional blog, GeneticsAndHealth.com, that was originally part of the About Weblogs network founded by Shai Coggins. About Weblogs merged with b5media in November of that year. And now I’m at my own independent blog - EyeOnDNA.com.

2) What would you say is the most difficult part of blogging?

As much as I love blogging, it’s a non-stop gig. Traffic definitely follows posting frequency and the top 100 blogs all post more than twice daily (some many times more). Even when I got on vacation, I make sure to blog at least 5 times a week. My usual posting rhythm is twice a day on weekdays and once on Saturday and Sunday. I average around 50+ posts a month on a single blog.

3) You have been blogging for a while now so you obviously are getting something out of it. What is it that you like about blogging and what has it done for you, your blogging, and your career?

Initially, blogging was a way for me to make contact with other mothers since I had a newborn at the time. Once I got into the rhythm of writing and posting something everyday, I found that it was a great way to organize my thoughts and share my ideas and opinions of which I have no shortage! Gradually, I began moving away from the daily diary format and more into discussion-type, exchange of ideas posts which is where I’ve found the most rewards.

As for my career, I’m actually trained in genetic epidemiology - the study of the genetic causes and distribution of diseases in the population. After leaving academia in 1999, I was able to continue biotech consulting but later moved into editing and writing which is what led me to b5media. While at b5media, I wrote a fairly successful genetics blog, GeneticsAndHealth.com, that helped me make some contacts within the industry and I served as Channel Editor of the now defunct Women’s Channel, Family & Relationships Channel, and Science & Health Channel. After two years of building my personal brand and reputation there, I was able to return to biotech consulting and I believe this move was made possible largely because of my blogs.

4) You have worked both within a blog network and independently. Could you explain a little bit about which you prefer and what you feel are the pros and cons of each?

Being at a blog network at the start of my professional blogging career was a great way for me to gain necessary experience. I’m sure I could have learned all about maintaining, writing, and promoting blogs on my own but it would have been a lot more painful and slow. In a blog network, I had the support of people who’d been blogging successfully for far longer than me as well as the chance to learn from tech support. And, nothing beats the camaraderie of working with a team. Of course, that’s how you and I met as well! So blogging for a network has many benefits.

Going independent, on the other hand, feels like a breath of fresh air. I no longer have to use the network-dictated template and I can choose what ads (if any) to place on my blogs. Of course I’ve had to deal with server-side issues on my own and even a recent hack, but I see them as learning opportunities. Now I am solely responsible for my blog and given my personality, it’s the ideal situation.

5) If you had to prepare and teach a new blogger, what is it you would tell them and what aspects of blogging should they focus on?

a) Quality blogging is hard work. It’s more than links and regurgitating newspaper articles or press releases. A good blogger should be able to piece together information to give unique insights into a specific topic.

b) Single-author blogs should aim for 2-3 posts per weekday and at least 1 post per Saturday and Sunday.

c) Try to include an image–clipart or photo–with every post. It helps to make them pop especially in RSS readers. Also find podcasts and videos to share once in a while to make your blog multi-media.

d) Make friends with the blogging community by leaving engaging comments on others’ blogs and linking to them whenever appropriate.

e) Actively participate in at least one social networking site beyond just submitting your own links. My favorite is StumbleUpon. Also try participating in blog carnivals.

f) Make sure you include keywords in your post titles and first paragraph.

6) How do you best measure success when it comes to blogging? Is it readership, revenue, impressions, or a combination?

Because I’ve decided to minimize advertising on my blogs, I measure blogging success by traffic and links. I’m absolutely addicted to StatCounter, Technorati, Feedburner stats, and Alexa. None of these measures are perfect but taken as a whole, you have a good idea of how well your blog is doing and if it’s growing. I don’t tend to put as much emphasis on comments because some topics lend themselves to discussion more than others.

7) How long does it take before you can determine whether or not blogging is for you? In other words, is there a certain time in a blogger’s life when they can step back, look at their blog, and determine whether or not their blog is a success or failure?

From my observations, most people know if blogging is something they’ll enjoy by around the 1-2 month mark. If you’re struggling to post at least 5 times a week, you probably don’t have time for blogging, don’t have the inclination to blog,or your topic doesn’t excite you. As for determining whether your blog is a success, that really depends on each person’s expectations. Some are happy with less than 100 page views a day as long as the people that matter to them are reading while others won’t settle for any numbers no matter how high! Personally, I like to consistently beat my daily average.

Do you see blogs as a fad or “new media”? In 15 years from now do you think it will be common place to login to the Internet and read blogs as we do today?

Fifteen years is a loooong time. I’m not even sure what the blogging landscape is going to be like ONE year from now! Personally, I think blogging will increasingly be used as a way to market yourself. Blogging as one’s sole income won’t be possible except for the very few. I can tell you right now that I get paid many times more as a biotech consultant than I ever did working for a blog network. That’s going to be true for most people who don’t blog about tech, celebrities, or entertainment and who aren’t interested in writing more than a couple of blogs at a time.

People will definitely be reading blogs just as we’ll always be reading books, magazines, and newspapers. Whatever makes good reading will attract readers no matter the medium. So maybe blogs won’t be called “blogs” anymore. I prefer “wunderkammer” but that’s probably a little too esoteric. No matter what, I’ll always find some way to communicate my thoughts on the role of genetics, genes, and DNA in our society. For now, blogging has been a great way to accomplish my goals.