Blogger Interview # 72 : Freda

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Can you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?

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Hi, I'm Freda. A mother of two teenagers who has a love for books, cooking, photography. I love writing poetry and taking photographs as a hobby. I also have two dogs that are my furbabies and sometimes my muses. I do get inspiration mostly from my pets and natural outdoor life such as gardens and sky shots.

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Are you a full time blogger? How did you get into blogging and why?

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I am a full time blogger but not on my photography. I have a blog for photos, Day One, but it is just a hobby. I post more often on my general review and giveaway blog, Freda's Voice.  I initially got into blogging as a way to read and review books, but it has quickly turned into something more. I really love letting people know what I think about stuff, so a blog seemed most fitting.

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If someone was interested in blogging, what would be a few things you would suggest?
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I'm not expert by any means, but I say you have to visit others as much as possible and comment often. Networking has been a wonderful thing for me, and I highly suggest it for any bloggers who are serious about blogging. You gain more connections in the field you blog about, and even some extra opportunities. More followers is always nice too, it lets you know you are appreciated. 

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How do you build a community around a blog and social media?

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I use Twitter and Facebook as a place to be seen and heard. You post your thoughts or photos and people start to recognize. Then the magic of word-of-mouth happens and the rest is history! 

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What are your three favorite blogs to read? What makes those blogs special?

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I only have two top blogs, just to show a variety of my reading tastes. I enjoy to many to limit it down. 

For photography I love Written Inc. It's run by a photojournalist for the Toronto Star named Carmi, and he has quite a visual eye for editorial photos. His pictures, even so vague, always impress me. I also partake in his meme:Thematic Photographic.

For reviews and giveaways I head to Simply Stacie. She was one of the first blogs I started to follow, and in my 3 years of blogging, has also been a great help connecting bloggers to PR companies to work with and resources for making money off blogging. 

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Which one plugin would you suggest all bloggers to have?

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I don't have a favorite plug-in. What I do suggest is taking a crash-course in html, or reading HTML for Dummies. If you are going to blog, you need to know how to html. That has been one of the toughest challenges for me, so it's definitely something I suggest you invest time in learning.

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