Blogger Interview -Tom - Sylwia Korsak

I met Tom at ActionAid UK event when I was presenting on trends in blogging to parent bloggers. I think we talk a lot about mum bloggers, especially in the UK at the moment, but there are a lot of dads sharing their stories too! I have the pleasure to introduce one of them to you today! Tom blogs over here and was kind enough to answer my questions. Enjoy!

Sylwia: Thank you for agreeing to this interview. When did you start to blog?

Tom: No problem! I started my blog in September 2010. I’d been meaning to start it for a while, but was one of those many things in life that took a bit of getting round to doing!

Sylwia: What inspired you to blog?

Tom: The birth of my first child, Dylan. I had this deluded notion that I could write a book about being a new dad and that starting a blog would be a good way of piloting material. The book never happened – well it hasn’t yet – but the blog is doing well, so I’ll settle for 50% success!

Sylwia: How did you choose the main topics for your blog?

Tom: That was quite easy really – Diary of the Dad is about my experiences of being a parent so I generally just write about the kind of things that my two sons get up to.

Sylwia: Did blogging change your life? If so, how?

Tom: Yes! Starting the blog got me more interested in Twitter and that, in turn, ultimately helped me get a job in social media. I also won an award for Diary of the Dad during its first year. I am still in a pleasant state of shock about the latter.

Sylwia: You write about your children a lot – do your children inspire topics for your blog or do you come up with topics on your own?

Tom: Yes, for the most part it’s about what Dylan and Xander get up to so I don’t have to come up with much myself. That said, I’ve got plenty of ideas and I’m planning on branching out a bit in the next few months.

Sylwia: Apart from your children, who was the most inspiring person you have met through your blogging?

Tom: Tricky one that! I met some amazing people at the MAD Blog Awards and also at other blogging events I’ve been to since. It’s difficult to pick just one person, but I’m going to give Sally Whittle (http://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/) a shout out here. Sally has found all kinds of things for the parent blogging community, including the MAD Blog Awards, the Tots100 and Blog Camp. Anyone who gives so much to their peers has my respect and everyone in said community owes Sally a great debt of gratitude.

Sylwia: What is your best, most interesting memory related to blogging?

Tom: Apart from all the happy family memories that I’ve written about, meeting so many other bloggers at the MAD Blog Awards stands out. Winning my category was, of course, amazing, but feeling part of a community when, beforehand, I’d felt like a bit of an outsider was fantastic and what blogging should be all about.

Sylwia: Do you use social media to promote your blog?

Tom: Yes, it has its own Facebook and Google+ pages and I use Twitter a lot too. I know I should be using Pinterest as well, but don’t really have the time!

Sylwia: Do you feel that discussions about your blog posts and topics of those moved to Facebook and Twitter or do you see more people commenting on your blog?

Tom: Yes, sometimes. I don’t get masses of comments and will admit to being envious of people who do, but most of them continue the topic on my blog itself. That said, I do find that, if I’ve written something about a concern I have, people answer on Twitter, which is always welcome.

Sylwia: Where do you see your blog in 2 years time?

Tom: No idea! I often tell myself I’m going to give up on it completely because I don’t have the time I want to put into it, but always end up changing my mind so it’ll be lurking on the internet in some form or other. I’d like to think it’ll be well known by then, but as long as I’m still enjoying writing it and those others are still reading it, I’ll be happy.

Sylwia: Where can we find you on-line?

Tom: You can read my blog at www.diaryofthedad.co.uk

Sylwia: Thank you!