Brian Belfitt (Bet you didn’t know that was his last name!) is the founder of Blog Engage one of the premiere social networks for bloggers on the web. He recently took time out of his busy schedule to answer some interview questions for info carnivore.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Background, where you live, what motivates you? What inspires you?
“My name is Brian Belfitt, I’m 30 years of age and live in Northern Ontario. I’m a graduate of Canadore College 3 Year Business Administration Marketing. I enjoy a challenge in life as well as in my career. Opportunity inspires me, the chance of success in everything we do in life motivates me to continue on my path and push harder to succeed.”
How did you come up with the concept for Blog Engage and how long has it been around?
“Blog Engage has been around now for almost three years. I would like to say I had this amazing and great idea but in all honesty I lucked into coming up with the idea. This wasn’t my first website; I had others but it was however the first website that required a community. When I first started Blog Engage I didn’t even know what a blog was. It wasn’t until after I started the Blog Engage community that I myself started blogging. I knew if I was to earn the respect of my fellow blogger I would have to join in the fun and create a few myself.”
What is the best piece of blogging advice you could offer someone?
“Don’t give up on your goals or dreams because of what other people say. Overcome the fear of blogging and engage with other bloggers. Once you believe in yourself the rest will fall into place. Be consistent and dedicated to what you believe in. Take constructive criticism and try to improve your blogging habits every day.”
The recent Blog Engage Blogging Contest, tell us a little about this experience.
“We had two Guest Blogging contests to date with a total of 2200 USD in Cash given away. We don’t mess around when it comes to our contests. I don’t like non cash prizes so I don’t offer anything but cold chard cash for our members. Our sponsors are key to our success and make it happen with cash sponsorships. We’ve had such a great turn out with over 30 unique articles from 30 different bloggers.
Keep an ear open for our year long blogging contest. It starts ASAP and has cash prizes of 3000 USD. First place will be awarded 1000 USD which in my opinion is one of the greatest blogging contests on the net. All our members are welcomed to join you simply have to start blogging on our community blog for your chance to win.”
How did you go about finding the sponsors, and encouraging them to get involved?
“Well the sponsors were referred to me from a great friend over Gerald. He’s the reason I got into contact with the majority of these sponsors and I thank him so much for the help. I have also gotten a lot of sponsors from the members at Blog Engage and I also thank them for everything they have given us.”
Now that the first contest is over, how do you think you can remain unbiased as a judge in future contests?
“So far I’m the only judge and this is for both the first and second contest. I like doing it this way; it’s fast and easy. I thought it would had been a lot of work but it’s really not. A few hours on each weekend leading up to the contest gives me ample time to review the articles and determine the winners.”
As the owner of a social network for bloggers you find yourself in a unique position with a view over a portion of the blogosphere, since you likely see many bloggers start and drop off, what do you think is the number one mentality or roadblock that causes bloggers to give up?
“If I was to pick the main issue it would be the lack of money that people make compared to what they thought they were going to make. I’m sure many people get into blogging to create a second stream of income into their home. The sudden realization that it’s not as easy as we make it out to be creates a negative effect and they simply stop blogging.
I also think many people don’t see the creativity aspect of blogging. Coming up with unique and interesting things to blog about is not easy and many people under estimate this reality. Blogging is hard and if you don’t have some writing creativity there’s a good chance you’re going to fail.”
What is your next goal for Blog Engage? What does the future hold?
“Right now I’m going to focus on our community blog and try to get more people guest blogging and joining our contest. This year for 2011 were going to be giving away more than 6000 USD in contests so there’s no reason people shouldn’t be joining us and blogging. I want to focus on building the community aspect of our website. I want bloggers to engage with one another and more importantly build on their relationships.
One of the greatest advantages about blog engage is you get to meet sincere bloggers like you and me that want to help one another and aren’t simply there to promote their selves. You see a lot of this greedy behavior in the blogosphere and little or none of this happens at Blog Engage. The reality of it is Blog Engage is a community of real people, real bloggers that have families, kids and jobs.
I’m also looking into launching the Google Adsense Sharing Program. We’ve had some issues in the past and Google banned the site from displaying ads. From what I learned we had some members clicking their own ads on a regular basis and unfortunately this ruined it for all of us.
Thanks for the interview Dan it’s greatly appreciated. Best of luck to you on your blogs and thanks for being such a dedicated member of our community.”
Join Blog Engage
If you’re not yet a member of Blog Engage then I highly encourage you to join. I believe in 2011 Blog Engage can easily emerge as the premiere voting network for bloggers. Also, be sure you are following Brian on twitter.
47 comments
Brankica says:
Jan 10, 2011
Hey Daniel, what a great idea to do an interview with Brian.
I had no idea what his last name was 🙂
I love the fact that the contest are so big although I can’t see myself entering one yet.
My favorite part of the interview is Brian telling us not to give up on our dreams because of what other people are saying. That is so true.
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 11, 2011
Brankica, thanks for the compliment! Why would you hold back on entering a Blog Engage contest? There is no reason to hold back!
bbrian017 says:
May 3, 2011
Hi Brankica , first congrats on wining the latest FB contest! it was pleasure coming third to your amazing article! I’m so happy you won! I was a little disappointed to see Mavis fourth I thought she would had been a great runner up!
I really hope you reconsider joining our guest blogging contests I just know you would ROCK the SOCK off!
It’s been a pleasure meeting you 🙂
Patricia@lavenderuses says:
Jan 10, 2011
Hi Daniel & Brian
Very interesting to hear some more about Blog Engage. I’m not a member but have wondered what it is all about.
Good to hear about the person behind the idea. Thanks for a great interview.
Patricia Perth Australia
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 12, 2011
Hey Patricia, I’m surprised that you are not a member at Blog Engage… but now that I think about it, I have never seen you over there. I hope you do sign up! Some of your articles are likely to do well there, it’s such a friendly community – just like you!
bbrian017 says:
May 3, 2011
Hi Patricia, I’m glad you enjoyed the interview! I don’t do many of them but this was by far the best to date! Have you joined blog engage? Are you submitting your articles now? Sorry it’s such a large community it’s getting hard to remember everyone!
Tweets that mention An Interview with the Founder of Blog Engage | Info Carnviore -- Topsy.com says:
Jan 10, 2011
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Brankica U and The Blogging Ninja, Daniel Snyder. Daniel Snyder said: An interview with the founder of @blogengage … http://bit.ly/gkJDCl […]
Thiru@webappdirectory says:
Jan 11, 2011
wow…its really wonderful dani to read interview with Brain. I loved the concept of blogengage and Brian too. The man of success in blog directory in short period. Thanks to Brian for interview and for Dani to make this available for us.
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 12, 2011
Hey thiru! Thanks for the feedback bro. Congrats on selling your first ad on BSA.
Gabriele Maidecchi says:
Jan 11, 2011
I am very glad to be part of this wonderful community, and I hope to see it growing more and more in 2011.
Good luck with everything Brian and keep up the good work.
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 12, 2011
Hey Gabriele! I always appreciate your submissions at Blog Engage, and vote them up whenever I see them!
bbrian017 says:
Jan 11, 2011
Hi Dan,
Thanks so much for posting the interview I enjoyed it a lot! Blog engage has tons of potential and with dedicated members such as the commentators here and yourself we should have a great year.
Thanks so much for the continued support my friend!
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 12, 2011
Hey Brian. Of course I’m glad we could make this happen. Looks like 2011 is going to rock for Blog Engage.
Sheila Atwood says:
Jan 11, 2011
Daniel and Brian,
I have also been looking at joining Blog Engage. I like the small blog communities and this one looks like it will really grow this year.
Thanks for the inside look.
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 12, 2011
Sheila, I hope you do join. and let me know when you are there! PS. I just noticed I wasn’t following you on twitter… following now.
bbrian017 says:
May 3, 2011
Hi Sheila, it’s great to see you active and visiting the blog engage community now! I’ve seen you around commenting and tweeting I really appreciate it!
Ileane says:
Jan 12, 2011
Hey Dan, it was a smart idea to interview Brian. He’s so cool. I met some of my best online friends at Blog Engage. It’s a powerful community and I don’t know any other like it. Thanks!
btw – I was wondering what happened to Google Adsense sharing. LOL!!
bbrian017 says:
May 3, 2011
Hi Ileane, I feel the same ay about you, just so you know. I’ve enjoyed meeting you and having you in my day to day life!Life without Ileane just wouldn’t be the same anymore.
Marissa says:
Jan 13, 2011
its really wonderful dani to read interview with Brain/ Thank you for great articles !
Tuan@Technology News says:
Jan 15, 2011
Great review, Dan.
Some of my questions has been answered after a long time. It is an admirable work Brian has done to the blogosphere, BE is maybe the most active community for bloggers now. 🙂
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 17, 2011
Thanks Tuan. Glad to be a part of BE with you. Chat soon!
TJ McDowell says:
Jan 15, 2011
His perspective on why people quit blogging was pretty interesting. I wonder if he sees that people who continue past a certain point end up making money as a result of their blogging.
For me, coming up with new topics is the easy part. I’ve got probably close to 100 or more blog topics ready for the post to be created. For me, the biggest issue has just been getting readers to engage in the conversation.
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 17, 2011
Hey TJ. I agree with you, and the question you follow up with is a good one. I should ask Brian about that.
bbrian017 says:
Jan 18, 2011
Hi TJ, normally when bloggers continue blogging after surpassing a certain milestone they can easily monetize their blogs because traffic is up. We all know the more traffic the more money we make.
I see alot of bloggers come and go being the owner if blog engage and normally it’s due to lack of income. I can however say anyone that isn’t in it for the money normally continues blogging unless they get bored of it.
Your pretty lucky that ideas come to you easily being creative and unique is a huge obstacle for many of us bloggers.
TJ McDowell says:
Jan 18, 2011
Brian,
Thanks for the reply! I guess I just see new blog topics all over as I read new stuff or think about improving our business.
When you’re talking about a milestone, is that different for each blogger? Are the milestones mainly in getting the blogging style right or is it just mainly about getting enough visitors?
bbrian017 says:
Jan 18, 2011
The milestones would have to be personalized because everyone has this unique idea of success. Mine might be making money, yours might be getting tons of comments while the next bloggers might differ both of ours. In some cases many bloggers may have similar milestones.
I guess at the end of the day as long as your happy with your achievements that should be satisfying enough.
Sunday Link Love #14 says:
Jan 16, 2011
[…] An Interview With The Founder Of Blog Engage – Info Carnivore […]
Justin Germino says:
Jan 18, 2011
Nice to see an Interview with Brian, this is the first one I have seen online. BlogEngage is an awesome network, and I wish him the best of luck growing and expanding the community.
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 18, 2011
Hey Justin, thanks for sharing! Glad I was able to be the first to pull off an interview with Brian. It’s nice to be the first contributor of something original to the web… but not always easy to do.
Dana says:
Jan 18, 2011
Now, we more know about Brian. Thanks to you Daniel.
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 18, 2011
You’re welcome Dana! 🙂
Sarah says:
Jan 18, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this interview! Brian had some great tips and encouraging words. I use Blog Engage, but I’m still getting the hang of it. 🙂
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 18, 2011
Hi Sarah… thanks for your comment here and your visit as well! Hope to see you around more.
bbrian017 says:
May 3, 2011
Hey Sarah this is so great! you have come a long way since this article was written, for the record Sarah here is now joining our guest blogging contests and engaging like it’s her birth right!
I’m happy you decided to become part of our community Sarah 🙂 p.s. best of luck in the contest!
Pete Carr says:
Jan 19, 2011
Hi Daniel and Brian,
As a fairly new member of Blogengage I have been blown away by the quality and the bloggers that are part of the community. I see myself as a community blogger so I do feel right at home.
Thanks for the interview, it has been cool to get an insight behind the scenes so to speak. Will have to start guest blogging for you Brian, I have been meaning to do it anyway, so what better place to start I can’t think of.
Pete
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 19, 2011
Hey Pete! Thanks for sharing here, and for the visit too! I hope to see you around more. Glad this interview was helpful to you… Blog Engage is a lot of fun, and the first network I check out every morning. See ya!
bbrian017 says:
May 3, 2011
Hi Pete, one thing I’ve always been a supporter of is quality content. I don’t even bother much about the design all I want is quality content for our members to read.
Thanks so much for noticing this about our community. Our members should take that as a direct compliment on the integrity of their written content!
It’s been a pleasure having you join us and engage with our members.
kira permunian says:
Jan 19, 2011
Very inspiring! It is really an honor to be part of blogengage. Thanks Brian.
This is indeed a very well versed post of you Daniel. I really love your thought provoking questions.
Warmest regards,
Kira Permunian
SEO Content Writer
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 19, 2011
Thanks Kira! Yeah this is my first interview online, and so it was a challenge to come up with some original questions… I guess the key is getting the person you are interviewing to share something everyone will want to know. Thanks for the visit!
Vuong says:
Jan 19, 2011
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your informative interview. I have just taken part in Blog Engage community and I must confess that it is a great place for bloggers. I myself have 3 articles that are published here. You know, my blogging trip is only in the 2nd month.
BTW, I am planning for DreamBlogger, a BlogEngage young sister. :-P/
Daniel Snyder says:
Jan 19, 2011
Hey Vuong, glad to see your a determined blogger! 🙂 by the way I own the domain “thebloggingdream.com” but I don’t really use it… I wonder if you’d be interested?
SEO services says:
Jan 19, 2011
This is one of the best interviews I have gone through in recent times, Blog engage rocks big time!!..
10 Social Voting Networks for Bloggers | Info Carnviore says:
Feb 2, 2011
[…] extra cash. I recently interviewed Brian, the owner of Blog Engage and you can read that article here. A while back I also wrote a post with a more detailed look at my thoughts about the Blog Engage […]
Shiva @ Webmaster Tips says:
Feb 16, 2011
Hi Daniel,
I really did not know that Brian’s full name was Brian Belfitt, all because he uses Brain almost all the time. I think Brain is really an amazing person and Blogengage, one of the best thing that happened in the blogging world. It has really made networking and communicating with other bloggers very easy. Although I have never participated in the blogging contests due to lack of time, that too is another great thing that Brain has been doing. Contests helps a lot in keeping newbie bloggers motivated. Blogengage rocks \m/
bbrian017 says:
May 3, 2011
Hello Shiva I’m sitting here in my pc chair writing this comment and so very thank full your a great member of blog engage. I enjoy having you and hope to continue building on our relationship as we move forward!
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[…] I’ve also interviewed Brian the founder of Blog Engage and you can read that interview here. I also surveyed a number of bloggers and posted their comments in an article titled The Best and […]
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