The Pakistani Spectator

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?

My full name is Saptarshi Roy Chaudhury, though often referred to as Rishi or “rishi321us” in the Internet world. I am an Internet Marketing professional and have been in this industry for last 7 years. My home town is Kolkata, India though I am presently based out of Hyderabad.

I started my blog way back in October 2006. The main purpose was to provide the basics of SEO to newbies and unsuspecting individuals, however, in course of time, I have moved on to write many articles on advanced SEO and Internet marketing stuff which would actually be of interest to people who are already initiated to the concept of SEO and Internet marketing. Also, another reason for starting my blog was because I wanted to keep my articles together and organized in one place.
Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?

Well, writing blog is more of a hobby for me and at times it becomes really difficult for me to find time to write. However, I love to write and this helps me a lot in various ways. It motivates me to do more research and work on new stuff at the same time I can maintain my writing practice. And definitely, the more you write the better you write. I believe it is largely a matter of practice and if someone wants to grow in writing blogging is probably the best start.

I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?

Well, quite a few..

In two occasions my posts have been picked up by SearchEngineLand.com – arguably the most popular Search Marketing Blog today.

It felt great when Lee Odden (one of the authorities in Social Media Marketing) commented on one of my posts about SMO rules. Its great for the people like Lee to take time out of his busy schedule and comment on my blog.

It was also nice when people like Bill Slawski, Graywolf visited my blog

Also, I have received a lot of consultingrequests through my logs and landed up one of my biggest consulting client ( a reputed real estate group in US) through my blog

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?

I am not really very active on that front – blame it on my super occupancy in consulting projects as well as my day job. However, I try to communicate with them and network using various social network sites. I am active at replying to any comments that is left on my blog. Also, I have many of my favorite bloggers on my Gtalk list and we often communicate

What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?
Well, its difficult to single out one ..

Politicians are effectively using blogs and social networks to communicate with people

YouTube is also used to great extent

Even Digg has been used in US politics.
I think YouTube has got the maximum potential to be an effective tool in political scenario – the politicians can reach millions of visitors and its as good as having a TV show.
Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?
Definitely, the entire Web 2.0 concept is based on responsiveness. The old web was a read only web but with the advent of Web 2.0 it has not become Read-write web and it is general instinct of human beings to express themselves whenever they get an opportunity to speak. These new web technologies are just making it happen.

What do you think sets Your site apart from others?

The nature of content. There are millions of SEO blogs, while some of them are really good most of them are just trash with meaningless post or copy of posts that has already been in another hundred blogs. Though I do not post on daily basis, I always make sure my reader gets some take away for every post he reads. SEO is a field where you need to learn and think continuously – my content are made with the same intention.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?

Honesty

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

Well, there have been many happy and gloomy moments but I look at life from a very relative perspective so there is no “happiest” or “gloomiest” moments for me
If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?
Europe

The Bahamas

Amazon

What is your favorite book and why?

A very difficult question for me because there are so many… may be I will pick The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Every time I read the novel the struggle of the old man motivates me to never to give up and win in life.

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?
Personality

Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t write?

I used to hear that a lot during my school days, my language teachers were never happy with my skills in essay writing

How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?

There are bloggers who are making a fortune out of it. There‘s lot of money that people can earn as ad revenue if your blog becomes popular. There are people who earn by selling links. Some blogs also work as a catalyst to earn new business.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?
I would put it the other way, to maintain a successful blog you definitely need a lot of time J
What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?
Bloggers are the new age journos. They are already giving a tough competition to the news agencies and magazines. So if newspapers can be effectively used to craft and drive home the message of peace among people all across the world, why not the bloggers ? There are billions of people reading blogs everyday – blogs can be effectively used to create a public opinion.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers?

This answer might sound pretty geeky…

SearchEngineLand.com

Michael Gray a.k.a Gray Wolf

Lee Odden

Techcrunch

Amit Agarwal – Digital Inspiration
Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?
Again its difficult to single out one ..

My posts on Social media optimization rules drew attention from many and had quite a few discussions on this.

The posts on 301 redirection and Website content writing are also very popular among readers and I often receive questions on those.

In fact there is a Popular posts section on my blog that shows some of the best ones.

What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

Contrary to the popular belief that Indian’s don’t like Pakistan and vice versa, I firmly believe that there is no such thing among the people in both the countries. The country and its people are as good as India and definitely shares similar thoughts. It is the political ploys that cause the misunderstanding and a feeling of distrust among the people of both countries. Some of my favorite cricketers are from Pakistan, I have heard a lot about the Pakistani food and would love to visit the country some day.
Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?

Jeremiah Young – one of mall time favourites.

Eric Peterson from http://www.webanalyticsdemystified.com – he makes me think every time I read.
What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country?
The way of life with the younger generation. In developed countries they get things on platter but in a developing country the younger generation needs to work for everything.
What is the future of blogging?
I would say this is probably the next big thing. I would not be surprised if they become a replacement for newspaper tomorrow.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
Not really in my personal life but it has affected greatly my professional life. My employers have always been very impressed with my blog. I have landed a lot many consulting projects through the blog. Also, it has given me a brand.
What are your future plans?
I plan to move completely into consulting and blogging in future but that would definitely take time to happen.
Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?

Each one of us have some responsibilities towards making this world a better place to live – let’s do it !

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