Question received:
I'm a [[cut out]] student and I'm currently writing my bachelor's thesis on image in blogs. Since I am a reader of your blog, it would be great if you could answer a few questions!
The answers to this interview will only be used for research and will not be made public. I know you are a busy person and can't spare a lot of time, so I would be very grateful if you could at least answer the question in a sentence or two.
Below are the interview questions.
Daniel's answer:
1. What do you think determines the popularity of a blog?
I really don't know. I'm not sure. Because there are all kinds of blogs and they are read for all kinds of reasons. Some are popular because their authors are well-known, they are always involved in scandals - like Maldekienė. Others, because they write a lot for portals and magazines - Užkalnis. Treti simply provides different content that is not written elsewhere - Rokiškis. The fourth one is different. Take a look at the lists of pop blogs, you will see that there is a wide variety of them!
But maybe: Message, Quality, Advertising. All three together lead to popularity.
2. What features of the image stimulate the reader's attention?
Openness, unchanging level of quality, and otherwise - there are no terrible things. In some places, braggarts go well, and in others, they are simply storytellers of experiences.
3. Does close contact with readers improve the image of the blog?
Of course!
4. Do you think businesses that partner with bloggers succeed in gaining loyal customers?
Some strange questions. Well, yes, it works. But a better question would be how much? What's the CTR? What's the ROI? What is the percentage of returning visitors? It already depends on a) Advertising (the wider you advertise - the more people can get hooked) and b) Quality (which would make them stay).
5. Can the blogger's attractive image interest the reader, even if the blog author writes on a topic that is not relevant to him?
Aha! There are such readers of mine. Perhaps there are some human qualities at work here - simply being human is attractive. See Facebook persona.
6. What elements, in your opinion, create the image of a good blog?
Uniform style (even "bad"), convenient design (browse on the blog), convenient way to follow - subscription by e-mail or in another way (at least on fb page, but that's no good, everyone has them and most fans don't see them after that anyway). Not bad at all - readers' activity in the comments, their statements and the author's answers. The page load speed is also important so that it does not take longer than 6 seconds and does not weigh more than 1MB. High-quality illustrations and gifts - books, tools, other tools.
7. As a blogger, do you notice that companies increasingly choose cooperation with blogs, thus replacing traditional advertising. Why do you think?
Because it pays off? Also, content on blogs is long-lasting. If no one remembers a Facebook post after 1 month, blog posts are remembered for more than a few years. Creating long-term content on blogs, collaborating with their authors, simply pays off. If your business is long-term.
8. Can the desire to identify with the blogger's image determine the reader's buying habits?
Well yes. But, again, poor question. Everything is possible. The question is how effective it is.
