Blogger Interviews

Interview with Nathania Johnson

Nathania Johnson, a Senior Editor at Bold Interactive, an Online Custom Publishing and Conversation Marketing firm. Her major interests are in blogging, filmmaking, podcasting, photography, and screenwritting.

In the world of blogs, SEO and Internet Marketing, your name needs no introduction, but for the benefit of our readers who is Nathania Johnson?

Wow. I had no idea I was so popular. Well, my name is Nathania Johnson and I'm the Senior Editor at Bold Interactive, an online marketing agency based in Durham, NC.

How did you venture into the world of internet and web 2.0?

My dad introduced me to the internet when I was in high school. And I loved it. I was really shy back then, and the internet made it easier for me to meet people with similar interests. College killed themomentum for me a bit. But I started getting into the internet again in2005, when My Space was getting popular. I was doing Social Media Marketing before I knew what it was. It was natural for me. A year later, I started a job as an SEO copywriter and the rest is history. I just wish I knew in 2000 what I know now. That's when I graduated from college. My dad was trying to get me to launch some web sites. I had great ideas - one of which is making gobs of money right now(gifts.com). But I just didn't know enough.

You are a very prolific blogger, what blogs & sites do you author?

I blog at BoldInteractive.com, OriginalMeTees.com/blog, NathaniaJohnson.com, TheSchoolofJohnson.com (a blog about education for parents), and Politivity.com (a political blog).

With so many blogs, guest blogging and other venture to name of, Nathania Johnson must be a very busy woman! How do you manage?

Most blogs just don't the attention I would like to give them. I really have to examine my priorities on a regular basis. I'm constantly thinking of new ideas, but I don't have the time to sustain them. It'seasy for me to drop ideas to start new ones. So I've been learning toreally examine what I want to do and stick to that. I'm also learning to mix that in with having a family. The good thing is that I have skills that I'm able to teach my children. What they are learning and how theyare learning in school is hardly relevant to the real world ofinnovation and technology. So, I'm glad I can provide them a future no matter what happens with their schooling.

What is Bold Interactive and how did the idea germinate and what does it offer ?

Bold Interactive is the online marketing agency I work for. I didn't realize until just now that people might think it's "just" a blog. Adam Schultz started the company and I was his first hire last summer. The first day he told me to start blogging, it was like offering a kid a shopping spree in a candy store. I get ideas for posts pretty much everywhere. Client work, commercials, TV shows - anything is inspiration (and that's true for my other ventures as well). Adam gives me complete freedom and without that I doubt the blog would be as successful as itis. Incidentally, I find myself with less time for it as our company has grown. But I've also been realizing that most people are really too busy to give attention to 7-10 posts a week, so the reduction hasn't hurt us at all.

Would you please elaborate on conversation marketing and how a blogger looking for making money online can make use of it ?

Conversation marketing is when you participate in the discussions going on in your niche in a way that enhances your brand. Dell is currently doing this brilliantly. If you write about a Dell product, there's a good chance you'll hear from one of their digital media representatives.You can also follow some of their employees on Twitter. What happens is that people start to feel connected to a brand or ablog. And that builds loyalty which turns customers into brand evangelists. For bloggers, you want to build a base of people who feel connected to you. This requires vulnerability and even exposing your weaknesses. Let's face it. No one really likes being around a know-it-all. When you make people feel great about themselves, it's so rare - they will never forget you. You can foster that feeling by listening and properly responding. But really, all you have to do is just participatein the conversation. And remember, this is a patient marketing technique. In fact, I hate that the word "marketing" is attached to it, because I truly am interested in the people in my niches.

What according to you Social Media Optimization has its relevance in Web 2.0?

In my mind, social media and Web 2.0 are interchangeable. So, optimizing for social media is simply being relevant in today's technology, which is designed to support community. Some ways to optimize are creating groups on Facebook, developing an active Twitteraccount, and maximizing StumbleUpon. But I also recommend creating your own community, and there are a bunch of open source tools to support that.

What tools, software and gadgets do you use for your work ?

I have one tool/gadget: My pink Dell Inspiron 1420. On it, I useFirefox, Thunderbird, and Microsoft Office. I use Wordpress for blogs,and we're launching a client site in Joomla (which I have yet to love). I use Paint.net and GIMP for graphics. I'll hopefully get Photoshop inthe near future, but I do love software that is open source.I use Twitter, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, and Facebook for social media and conversation marketing.

What interests and hobbies do you pursue, though I am sure it would be tough pursuing interests, with so much authoring to do ?

Improv and independent filmmaking are my primary hobbies. In January, Iwill graduate from the iO South training program in Raleigh and then I hope to join an improv team at one of the local improv theaters thisyear. In filmmaking I get to team up with my husband. We're hoping to start pre-production on our first feature film in 2008.

What are some of your favorite blogs,websites and books?

In blogs and websites, I love StuffonMyCat.com, IttyBittyKittyCommittee.blogspot.com, Techdirt.com, EMarketingPerformance.com, aimClearblog.com, MichaelTotten.com, Massa.Techndu.com, PatBDoyle.com and MatthewSherborne.com among many many others! In books, I love Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, Dearest Friend by Lynne Withey, A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby, The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer, and Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray. I'm currently reading The Myth of Laziness, The Story Factor by Annette Simmons and Doug Lipman - so far, they're both fantastic books.

What is next for Nathania Johnson?

I'm really excited about 2008. Bold Interactive is growing substantially by each month. I'm in the process of building up my Printfection store, OriginalMeTees.com and I'm going to launch a stock photo site.

Thanks a bunch Nathania for the interview, any advice for our readers who are looking for making money online ?

Understand funnel marketing and use it to your potential. Blogging freecontent and sticking AdSense on your website is an insanely difficult way to earn a full-time career. Explore premium content (I recommend TeachingSells.com as a model and training program). Also, be who youare. Don't try to be an A-lister. Don't try to be Shoemoney or Rand Fishkin. Be Ronald Fiddlesticks or whatever your name happens to be. That's who people will show up to your site to see. The minute you start trying to be something you aren't is the minute it stops being fun. And then no amount of money in the world will make you happy.

Thanks, Nathania for sharing your thoughts with me on blogging and making money online.

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