Interview with Joe Colburn of JoeTech.com
I had first learned about JoeTech from signing up on Entrecard back in August 2008 and I had come across his useful Entrecard Slot Machines and he had written a custom RealRank badge for your blog.
In the two years since I have seen JoeTech as a model for how I wanted my own Technology Blog articles and reviews to be. His blog is often in the Top 10 Technology Blogs listed on IzeaRanks.com and ironically Joe is a blogger living in Phoenix, Arizona a mere 60 miles from where I live.
Here is my interview with Joe Colburn of JoeTech.com
Begin Interview
DragonBlogger: Who are you? Let our readers know a little bit about you.
JoeTech: I’m a web developer, which goes back to learning HTML before there were books by just dissecting the source of Yahoo!, which was listing maybe 200 sites at the time. Development is my passion, but so is all technology. I’m an uncle of six and father of none and have an awesome wife. I a founder in two technology companies that take up most of my time during the day, but I also don’t sleep more than 4-5 hours a night.
DragonBlogger: When and why did you start blogging?
JoeTech: In the mid-90′s I bought the domain name, JoeTech.com because my name is Joe and it had a nice ring to it. After not doing much of anything with it for years, in 2006 I saw all the fun people were having blogging and I love to talk about technology, so it seemed like a natural fit.
DragonBlogger: What makes your blogs different?
JoeTech: In the beginning, it wasn’t much. When I started, I was following the same formula as others, which was to rephrase bits of “news” from Engadget and other big tech sites, which was apparently OK as long as you linked back. It wasn’t fun, though, and it was certainly not original. I do a lot of reviews, but JoeTech.com isn’t just a review site. When I review a device, I always try to take good photos (because that’s what I would want to see) and when I can, I try to bring a unique perspective. I think I also write a lot more than some other blogs. I don’t know if “wordy” is a good thing, but I think it sets me apart.
DragonBlogger: Do you try to monetize your blogs? If so, what do you like using?
JoeTech: I do. I like OIO Publisher, but there’s a lot more money in product positioning. I’ll often make with a month of paid reviews several years worth of banner ad revenue, which is funny because a banner seems more like an endorsement and I pretty much guarantee in my advertising page that a review will come with all the objective scrutiny I can muster. SocialSpark.com is a very helpful source of income for JoeTech.com.
DragonBlogger: Where do you see yourself and your blogs in 2 years?
JoeTech: Sadly, my blogs really take a back seat a lot to my brick-and-mortar businesses. Still, when I can find the time, I try to grow as a blogger and a strategist. I’ve been trying to narrow my focus on what’s important at the time. 2009′s goal was to get JoeTech.com to really bring in money to support itself and trips to BlogWorld, etc. 2010 is about continuing brand awareness and lots of SEO tweaking. In two years, I’d like to have a more predictable revenue stream, more frequent posts and reviews, and definitely some on-location reporting opportunities like the Apple events, etc.
DragonBlogger: What other social networks do you primarily use and why do you prefer those to countless others?
JoeTech: There’s a lot out there. To be honest, I simply don’t have the time to try them all out, but I know that the whole point of social media marketing is to be where the crowd is. Twitter is a must for me. It’s a good blend of entertainment and real networking. It’s also a place where I can tell people about things that might not really warrant a full blog post. Facebook is the one to watch right now. While it still has some things to learn about business needs in a social site, Facebook can create a good buzz for a site with very little effort.
DragonBlogger: Who are some of your inspirations professionally or personally?
JoeTech: Michael Arrington (techcrunch.com) rubbed me the wrong way long ago, but he also inspired me with how he’s turned a technology blog into an empire. John Chow (johnchow.com) has been a big inspiration from a blogging standpoint originally because he made/makes tons of money at it, but more because he can turn anything into a blog post and make it interesting. There’s plenty more to name, but those are probably the top two.
DragonBlogger: What are your goals for your blogs?
JoeTech: Everyone devalues Alexa numbers and Google’s Page Rank, but regardless, I’m always looking to decrease and increase those respectively. Ultimately, though, I want my blogs to be material that people want to come back to and that helps people on occasion. Of course, I’m always hoping for the mention in some major publication like Wired.
DragonBlogger: Do you have any funny or interesting stories about your blogs?
JoeTech: I’m not sure if I have any actually funny stories, but I’ve had a couple experiences that resulted from being JoeTech. As you’re aware, blogging can be a lot of work, but it can be fun, too. At my first BlogWorld in Las Vegas, I was recognized by someone who said she was a fan and wanted to take a photo. I’d never even thought about having fans and I still can’t wrap my head around that. As for funny, the only thing I can think of was when John Chow and I took over IZEA’s booth at Blog World last year and pretended to work there. We both know the IZEA offerings pretty well, so we pulled it off and I think we may have landed them a new corporate client in the process.
DragonBlogger: What advice can you give other people who are interesting in pursing a similar blogging path?
JoeTech: I mentioned before how I started with the lazy route of just regurgitating stuff found on the popular sites and I can’t say enough that a blogger should avoid this. It may take some time to find your voice, but when you do, it will be a lot better for your blog and you’ll have a lot more fun with it, too. Also, don’t be afraid to be yourself. Writing comes so much easier and meeting people doesn’t include worrying that they won’t like the real you. Finally, and this is important, don’t be afraid to ask. I’ve landed partnerships, press opportunities, and a lot more with a simple email.
End of Interview
Joe, thanks for the great interview and I encourage readers who are interested in quality Technology Reviews to check out JoeTech.com a fellow technology blogger who I admire. I also was inspired by some of the same Technology Blogs you follow and will have to learn more about how you leverage Facebook for Buzz, as I don’t seem to be able to get much buzz or traffic from Facebook (not leveraging that social network as well as you probably).
-Dragon Blogger
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So glad to run across your blog.
Kindly,
Maggie
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