Movies are the second best thing I do after tweeting: Arun Basil Lal

About:

Hi, I am Arun Basil Lal. I live in Kerala, the Gods-Own-Country, in India. I blog about WordPress, Blogging and the Internet at MillionClues.com. I am a college-goer doing my final year in Engineering. After graduation, I wish to be a full time Blogger and a Serial Entrepreneur.  Thanks for interviewing me here at Speakbindas.

Interview

Q1: Welcome to Speakbindas. Tell us since when blogging has been a part of your life? Was there any motive or inspiration as a backbone of it?

A1: I wrote my first post on 4^th October 2006. Ever since I started using email, I had subscribed to some blogs (I didn’t knew what a blog was though), mostly related to gadgets and technology.

Sometimes I would feel I can write better than them, or I knew some stuffs they wrote already. When I found I could start a free blog at Blogger and that Blogging was a way to make money online, I jumped in.

Though I didn’t make any money for whole two years, I loved and (still love) what I was doing. Never looked back till today.

Q2: What is your blog all about? Which topics you cover there? Is that you alone running/maintaining the blog, or have a team?

A2: I blog about WordPress, Blogging (meta-blogging) and the Internet. Most articles are problem solvers, tips and tutorials.

I do it all alone, but thanks to the amazing community for continued support.

Q3: What are the present statistics for your blog, i.e. number of daily visitors, visitors geographical status etc.?

A3: I get anywhere between 300 to 1000 visits a day, mostly from the US, Canada and India. Roughly 375 readers on FeedBurner.

Q4: Is blogging for you just a passion or a medium for earning too? Does it help you to earn enough cash to quit a 9 to 5 day job?

A4: I don’t have a job, I am still in college. I earn enough to have the little luxuries a college lad can ask for. Gadgets, Clothes and the like…

Q5: Who are your favorite bloggers, whom you read frequently?

A5: I read at least 25 blogs everyday, plus the links I find on twitter. I don’t have any favorites. But I have a love for Digital Inspiration, it was the first blog I ever read and a part of my inspiration to get into blogging came from there. For almost an year I read only Labnol.

Q6: From the secret bucket of your blogging experiences, what tips you would like to share with the fellow bloggers?

A6: Backlinks is important, even NoFollow backlinks that you get from comments count. Leave at least 5 comments a day.

Ask and thou shall receive. Don’t be hesitant for asking out anything. If you want a backlink from someone else, ask for it. But don’t act smart. Only the crying baby gets the milk.

Try to be unique in whatever you do. Be regular. Use Self-Hosted WordPress.

Read at least a dozen blogs in your niche.

Q7: Do you believe that blogging completes you? If yes, tell us how?

A7: Blogging gives me an online presence. I appear in Google mainly because of my blog. I wouldn’t be using any social media or I wouldn’t have any friends I have now, if I hadn’t had a blog.

Q8: What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

A8: With regard to my Blogging life, I felt really happy when I won in the DollarShower SEO Content as the First Runner-up. I seldom get gloomy, don’t think there is enough time in the life to stay gloomy. Lol.

Q9: Say, you are sponsored to travel to 3 world destinations, where you need not to worry about costs for food, hotel or anything. Which destinations would you pick up, and why? Would you like to take someone along with you? If yes, whom?

A9: NewYork – I had some love for NY for quite a long time now, would love to be there.

Indonesia – I have a whole bunch of friends there. Crave to meet them.

Las Vegas – You are paying, I would love to gamble for free.

I like traveling alone, lets find someone on the way.

Q10: Are you into watching movies? If yes, which fills your list of favorite ones?

A10: Movies are the second best thing I do after tweeting. Sometimes I see movies all day. The favorites always keep changing. Right now ‘Freedom Writers’ and ‘Thankyou for Smoking’ are on top.

Q11: How has blogging helped you other than money?

A11: Money is nothing when you consider the other benefits. Amazing and influential friends, Opportunities to work with some great people and a network ready to help when you want it. I would never have the opportunity to meet so many people from all around the world if I didn’t have my blog.

Q12: What would be the one thing you’d change about yourself?

A12: I would like to change my shoes, its getting a bit old now, nothing else.

Q13: What is your deepest fear?

A13: Internet fails for a whole week, that would make me crazy.

Q14: If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

A14: I wish I could spend an evening with Barack Obama, I got something serious to discuss. If that’s not possible (I know its hard because of the security concerns), can you arrange a dinner with Elisha Cuthbert? 😉

Q15: Which is your favorite television show? Favorite songs?

A15: I watch a lot of Discovery and Travel and Living. Bear Grylls in ‘Man v/s Wild’  (Discovery) is amazing. Likes Linkin Park and Avril, but then everything changes with time. When I was in school, BackStreet Boys were my heros.

Q16: How much money do you have in your purse/wallet right now (including change)?

A16: 20 bucks, then about 3.25 in coins.

Q17: What is your favorite food? Any particular dislikes?

A17: I eat whatever I get to eat. I always try out a new dish whenever I can get hold of one.

Q18: What’s your take on the technological advancement these days? Does it make people’s life simple or complicated?

A18: I haven’t seen much of life, but I guess life is always simple. I like to think it that way for now. I love technology, what the geeks do really make our life easy.

Q19: List out the 10 bloggers you believe should be interviewed by Speakbindas.com.

A19: If you haven’t already, invite Anand of theanand.com, Aravind Jose of  AravindJose.com, Binny of binnyva.com and Cheth of  chethstudios.blogspot.com. Cheth is a designer while Anand is a Internet Marketer, Aravind writes really well and Binny can code whatever he want irrespective of the language, All best in class.

Q20: Any special message you would like to share with your blog readers as well with everyone else?

A20: Blogging is a great way to make an online presence. You will learn a lot about the internet along the way. If you don’t already have a blog, start off with a free one in Blogger or WordPress.com and then move to a self-hosted one within 4-5 months.

Blogging will help you make money, but whether you do it for money (blogging for money is not a bad idea) or out of passion, remember to provide value to your readers. If you don’t add value, then there is no point in doing it.

Blogging is still young, don’t miss the chance!

Thanks for the interview.