Chad Ledford - 3tailer.com : Blogger Interviews

 Interviewing Chad Ledford from 3tailer

Brief Intro about yourself?

3tailer, LLC is a niche online retail company with numerous websites selling a variety of products. For example, we have one website that sells stopwatches at SportsCounters.com. 3tailer.com is the corporate site and blog for the company.

How did you get started?

3tailer was founded in 2005 by two friends and recent Appalachian State University graduates, Jon West and Chad Ledford, after winning “Most Likely to Succeed Online” in the annual Entrepreneurship contest.

Do you run your blog under any “Media” type site? Like I run mine under the control of Gurilla.net

Nope.

How long have you been blogging?

3+ years.

Whats your strategy with your blog in general?

We don’t have a particular strategy per say, we just write about topics we like and things that we think will help fellow entrepreneurs/Internet types out. Generally this appeals to small business folk, search marketers, our customers, and the general Internet audience.

How do you get rss readers?

Most people subscribe because of the tips while others are just interested in keeping up with our company’s growth. Getting picked up on sites like Sphinn, Mixx, Propeller, Reddit, Digg, etc. helps with getting subscribers. Hooking up your blog posts to your Twitter account works well. A noticeable subscribe link in the top right of your website helps too.

Could you tell me, in as many words as you can, what made you stand out in blogging?

We stand out in blogging because Jon is 6’5”!

Just kidding–we are honest, post interesting stories, and we like to keep our readers up to date on our business growth. Most corporate blogs are stuffy but ours isn’t because we’re pretty up to date with what’s going on in Internet land. We just used LOLcats to illustrate why it’s better to shop online, for example.

Do you give out freebies?

The only freebies we give out are our sage advice, which is priceless.

Whats your opinion about the importance of PR in a blog’s life?

The more PR a blog gets the more successful it can be. One good story in the right publication can turn your blog viral which gives you a whole new range of opportunities to really grow.

Do you consider the top100 list at 45n5.com as authoritative?

No.

Any thoughts on my post on Blogs are not the authority, the Bloggers are?

Nope.

Would you sell out your blog at some point?

If someone bought the company, our .com would go with it. Not just the blog itself.

Do you think people should sponsor wordpress themes?

I don’t see anything wrong with sponsored wordpress themes. It’s no different than sponsoring anything else.

What’s your take on sponsored reviews?

I think sponsored reviews are OK as well as long as the writer is honest and lets the readers know it is sponsored.

What’s the best thing a blogger can give to his readers?

Honesty. Don’t try to trick your readers and just be yourself. Also, one million dollars.

Did Aweber play a vital role in your growth?

Nope.

Do you think Pagerank plays a vital role in a blog’s life?

I don’t see how PageRank could play a vital role in the life of a blog because it is ever changing. It isn’t a big deal unless you’re still in 2006 selling links for PageRank. The content should be the main focus and PageRank is a bonus.

Could you give me a statement for everyone using the feedburner hack here:

http://thenextweb.org/2008/08/04/feedburner-hack-how-to-get-2500-subscribers-overnight-video/

(this link will not be published on my blog at all)

It’s like with anything else in life, a lot of people will choose to cheat to attain something rather than work hard and do it the right way. At face value, both ways seem to have the same end result when actually the latter is much more rewarding. If you are using this hack you need to rethink why you blog. But seriously, thanks for the hack and we’ll let you know if it works.

What would you prioritize? Content? SEO? Traffic? Readers?

Content

Traffic

Readers

SEO

Good content will create traffic which leads to readers who link which Google likes.

Did you ever consider selling links to those underground link sellers, you know, the ones that mail you and ask you to sell in-content links and pay per year.

Nah son.

Did you ever get an offer of selling your blog out of the blue, if so how did you react to it?

Haven’t received any offers.

What are your thoughts on my free wordpress themes here, be as blunt as you can.

How can anyone complain about something that is free? They’re a good value. ;-)

Overall what do you think of blueverse, once again be as blunt as offensive as you can.

It’s a good blog, but the ads are a little distracting. I think the layout could be a little cleaner but overall it’s a 8.5/10. It’s a good idea to have guest interviews.

Any tips for my readers?

Find your voice and remember to spay/neuter your pets.

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