Interview With Vibhu Gaur! (Founder of #Onelife13)

Hello Friends,

I am back again. This blog is slightly different from my previous ones.

I started an interview series with my blogger friends.

In this series, various bloggers turned authors share their experiences regarding blogging and its challenges!

I hope this will help you if you are a newbie blogger.

Here is the first interview with “Vibhu Gaur” (A blogger, A poet and A published author). Recently He published his first E-book “Disconnected Vibes”.

So without any delay,

Let’s get started!

1. Me-A short introduction about you and your blog?

Vibhu– IT Consultant by profession, I am 31 years old and reside in Delhi. An avid reader, passionate blogger and cycling enthusiast, my time gets divided between my family, work and hobbies. Writing comes naturally to me and has indulged me since I was 11 years old. Poetry remained the focus throughout childhood and youth hence it’s always a thought away.

The blogging journey started about a year back (23rd July 2018 to be precise) and has been one of the most liberating and healthy hobbies I decided to pursue along with cycling. The blog has been named “onelife13” and targets lifestyle and wellness topics. The core concept is to spread awareness among people that they need to give importance to themselves and their lives as well. There is no need to get lost in the race to achieve but rather enjoy the journey.

2. Me- How did you get into blogging? What inspired you to start a blog?

Vibhu– I have always been extrovert and outspoken. So to address various concerns related to chaos and struggle in our lives and distorted notions I needed a platform. Blogging seemed effective as well as approachable for my love of reading and writing. Along with lifestyle and wellness posts, I keep infusing other useful content for my readers like my travelogues, stories of inspirational individuals, city exploration, social issues, etc.

The real inspiration or push behind the blog has been my wife. I am lucky to have her unconditional support and the space she gives me to pursue my passion and hobbies.

3. Me- How do you motivate yourselves, your source of motivation?

Vibhu– As already stated, my wife stands out as the primary source of motivation for me. Additionally, I seek motivation from life itself, the beautiful people and my surroundings. I try my best to mingle with nature in its raw form which acts as a trigger for ideas for me. Staying in sync with changes in society is another factor which motivates me to write. And one of the biggest motivators is the feedback and love bestowed upon me by the readers.

As a result of the love and appreciation of my readers, I was able to publish my first e-Book recently, named “The Disconnected Vibes” and available on Amazon for download. Another form of motivation bestowed upon me by the community.

4. Me- Do you want to mention about few challenges which you faced in your blogging journey?

Vibhu– The biggest challenge when I started was to source ideas for content creation. I was stepping in the public domain with a vision and consistency was paramount. Secondly, it was to get any kind of engagement or recognition as this community is vast and full of extremely talented people.

Off late I have another set of challenges since I have switched to my custom domain and hosting. These include SEO, indexing, crawling, and reachability. The struggle is never-ending but the journey is beautiful.

5. Me-What suggestions do you want to give to the newbie bloggers?

Vibhu– Every newbie should focus on content quality and consistency. Engagement and readership take time to build. Read and appreciate other boggers’ content too and build relationships. Keep realistic expectations from yourself and do not get intimidated by established bloggers.

• Use social media effectively to market your content and enhance the reach.
• Take care of SEO compliance for better results.
• Define a niche and explore its flavors.
• Do not shy away from hard work.
• Be smart to spot and grab opportunities.
• Shed the fear of failure.

6. Me- Do you want to give some tips or ideas for those who are interested in making money from a blog?

Vibhu– Well! That’s the ultimate aim for most of us and what’s better than to earn through your passion. This question is exclusive and I’ll try to answer with utmost sincerity. To earn money from any venture, it’s important to get the basics right. Listed below are some action points which serve as pre-requisites for a monetization ready blog.

• Basic blog structuring (theme, widgets, security, visibility, reachability).
• Decent amount of audience.
• Quality and quantity of content.
• Effective social media presence.

7. Me- What is the most frustrating aspect of Blogging? If any? Please mention?

Vibhu– It can vary from blogger to blogger but for me, it’s the lack of engagement even after your dedicated efforts. Honestly, there is nobody to be blamed for this but every time you put out a well researched and crafted post which doesn’t garner the expected audience the feeling of frustration creeps in.

8. Me- Any common mistakes which most of the newbie bloggers do with their blog?

Vibhu– Plenty of things worth mentioning here. To begin with, re-reading your words and analyzing your blog from a reader’s perspective is what we all shy away from doing. Secondly, promoting the content seems an uphill task but believe me there’s no substitute to that unless you are rich enough to opt for professional services. And the most important aspect, keep the content simple for a larger audience to understand.

9. Me- What do you love about blogging and your blog?

Vibhu– Blogging is therapy as well as liberation for me. It gives me a chance to be with myself, me and my thoughts with no adulteration or diplomacy whatsoever. Moreover, I feel privileged to be blessed with the skill to express myself and help other’s see a different perspective of life.

My blog is my playground and I am a free creator which is a feeling to rejoice. It’s a reflection of me as a human being without filters and judgments. My blog provides an identity to my thoughts.

10. Me- Your message to readers?

Vibhu– The world of blogging is as rewarding as any other profession in existence. You can achieve and shine only if you have the passion and will to work hard. Anybody offering a shortcut is only distracting you from your target. And most importantly, it’s a journey to be enjoyed. So be true in your efforts and HELP OTHERS. Wishes and blessings go a long way.

For those who enjoy reading, be our support and critics for we write because you read.

Thank you, Deepika for this lovely platform and opportunity.

Here is the link of E-book and blog.

Link to E-Book – https://amzn.to/2SuHOiN

Link to Blog – https://onelife13.com/

Now I am ending this conversation with a happy note. Thank you so much Vibhu for giving such an honest and clear answers.

Lovely talking with you!

I will meet you in my next interview. Till then take care and be productive.

Regards & Gratitude,

Deepika