A Blogging Interview with Brian Copeland

On Wednesday, December 15, 2010 I sat down via twitter with Brian Copeland (@nashvillebrian) and had an enlightening discussion about blogging. For those of you who don’t know Brian, I highly recommend you get to know him. He’s by far one of the nicest people you will ever meet!

Well, here’s the recap of #NashBlogerview – I hope you enjoy it:

First and foremost you can check out Brian’s blog at:

When did you first start blogging?

I started blogging in 2005 on the Trulia platform and one on Google Blogger.

How many blog posts have you written?

Now that’s a tough one. Not only my blogs but other organizations’ blogs, well over 2000…maybe more?? My finger tips stay sore 🙂

What’s the craziest search term you’ve ever had bring someone to your blog?

I had a jerk who wanted to obviously hurt my feelings. The term was “Is Brian Copeland a lazy fat ass?” Ouch…

Which blog post has had the most traffic for you?

Hands down, no contest. “Why Isn’t My Home Getting Shown” which is top and center on my blog still gets over 100 hits a day on its individual page! On a side note, video in a blog is a gold mine for time on site!!

Which one was the most fun for you to write?

I’m working on one right now that is my favorite one to date. It’s on the evolution of the buyer from great market to bad market (Updated – it’s done!)

Being the great blogger that you are today… what would you go back and tell the rookie blogger you were?

Be yourself. People want to know you, not a formal person who agonizes over every word. Just write!

What is your favorite blog to read besides your own?

I have a guilty pleasure one which covers gospel music scandals, written by the first blogger I’d ever known of… then there’s GigaOM and a ton of techy ones I read.

What’s the best blogging tip or trick you’ve ever received (not given)?

Switch my blogging platform to Thesis on WordPress. The juice has been great! Here’s the link to Thesis – DIYthemes

What’s the biggest mistake you see bloggers making?

Being too wordy. Blog readers want quick, succinct info. This isn’t the time to bore everyone stiff with a litany of words? hmm…I’m more of a three paragraph kinda guy. 500 words or less, however I just finished a 1200 word one.

What direction or innovation do you see coming this next year to the blogosphere?

Mobility blogging is the next trend. I’ve already been impressed with mobile @posterous. It brings blogging everywhere easily.

What would you say to someone who is sitting on the sidelines and waiting to get into the blogoshpere?

First you have to LIKE to write. If you don’t like to write, then don’t start. It’s like going to the gym. You must do it many times weekly.

What is the most popular category and tag for your blog?

Our most read blog category is our “living” section like this one “Nashville Plans for New State of the Art Green Building” written Monday, hit well! We recently took nashvilleandbeyond.com to a complete LIFESTYLE blog which feeds into our lead generator atnashville.com. I also added 15 new bloggers to my site, too, this year to kick off in 2011! You can see the new guys at our facebook fan page.

Where do you usually find the inspiration for your blogs?

Inspiration isn’t hard. It’s everywhere. I can get inspiration from a piece of toilet paper. I always have my blogging glasses on to look through. I grew up poor and learning how to sing and draw to stay busy fueled my creativity. Plus I have WAY too many ideas!

Is there anything you avoid like the plague when blogging?

I’m a pretty safe blogger. Your zonkas are a bit bigger than mine in blogging. However, my QR code blog drew some heavy fire. BTW – I’m talking about you vs. Ferry! You got big zonkas for a Utah guy!

How long does your typical blog take you to write?

Writing is the quickest part. 12 minutes. Time comes in with tagging, meta work, photos, photo tag, all back-end.

Alright… last question – what haven’t you blogged about yet, that you are dying to blog about?

I’m finishing one right now that will likely piss off everyone I know in RE. It’s been a tough write, but I had to get it off my chest.

Follow-up question on photo gathering:

I make it a habit to do about 4 photo gatherings a year, by just driving around and walking my ‘hood with cameras. I’m a big dreamstime user – I keep about $100 in my dreamstime account at all times. Prices range from $1 to $8.