13 Questions With… DannyUK

Welcome to the next instalment of ’13 Questions With…’. Today we have Danny from DannyUK.

1. When did you start up your blog and why? The blog started in its original format in 2004, and was done mainly as a way for me to keep a diary and track things that were going on in my life.  That’s evolved over the years to where the blog is today.  These days it’s much more open and better publicised, and though a lot of content from back in the day is available to read, there’s a few bits that are locked away under passwords because of the private nature of the blog at the time.
2. What is the most important thing you’ve learned since you started blogging and what advice would you give to a newbie blogger? The most important thing is to blog because you want to blog, not for any other reason.  It’s fine to have ups and downs.  It’s normal to have periods when you don’t want to blog.  Don’t beat yourself up over it, you’re doing it because it’s fun, remember!
3. Which has been your most popular blog post? My Durex condom review (http://dannyuk.com/2014/04/18/durex-real-feel-latex-free-condoms-review-2/) continues to get lots of views even years after it was written, much to the dismay of my kids who find it embarrassing.  Personally I like my Guide to modern dating (http://dannyuk.com/2012/01/15/the-rules-of-online-dating/) which doesn’t get as many views as I would like.
4. Do you blog as a hobby or as a job? As a hobby.  I couldn’t do it as a job, I’d get bored of having to churn out content.  That said, I am “between jobs” right now and have amused myself by referring to myself as a Professional Blogger.  I know, I know.  Simple things please simple minds.
5. What do you do to stop getting blogging burn out? I stop blogging.  As I said before, it’s supposed to be fun.  If it’s not fun then stop for a while.
6. Who are your favourite bloggers to read and vloggers to watch on YouTube? I don’t read other blogs anywhere near as often as I should in all honesty.  I tend to read blog posts as and when I see them pop up on Facebook or Twitter.  If I actively search out blogs to read it is normally http://sussexwithlove.co.uk/ or http://whattheredheadsaid.com
7. What are your blogging pet peeves? Bloggers who pretend to be perfect.  Give over, love, you’re as screwed up as the rest of us, and no amount of fake smiles or sugary upbeat posts will persuade anyone otherwise!
8. What’s your biggest aspiration for your blog in 2016? I don’t think I have aspirations for my blog. Maybe to be read more. To finally break into the Tots 100 top 100. Nothing that immediately or overly springs to mind.
9. What were your career aspirations when you were at school? To get rich and retire young.  I failed on both counts.
10. Do you find balancing work/blog/family/life a struggle? No.  It’s only a struggle if you are trying to do too much.  Family and work come before the blog, always.
11. How do you get exposure for your blog and what is your favourite social media site? A lot of the growth was organic in the early years.  Now I tend to churn through social media promoting stuff.  I’m definitely a Twitter fan, though it seems to have lost the appeal in recent years due to saturation.
12. If you had £1000 to spend on yourself, what would you buy? Ha!  Erm.  It’d go towards credit card debt!  Or maybe a £1,000 Costa Coffee gift card.
13. Which 3 famous people (dead or alive) would you invite to a dinner party? Why would you want dead people there?  They’d smell and wouldn’t talk!  Assuming that they were alive again, then maybe Freddie Mercury, Bobby Moore and Julius Ceaser.  That’d be an interesting party.

Thank you Danny for your brilliant answers! If you want to get to know Danny more then head over to his blog DannyUK or find him on social media.

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