Featured Blogger: Da Vinci of Your Life After 25
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
Your Life After 25 is a modern survival guide for women navigating through life after turning 25 years old. Blogger Da Vinci provides her readers with helpful and fun tips, including advice for how to dress for a job interview, how to get a guy to notice you and how to make a Chicago hot dog. You can keep up with her on Twitter by following @YourLifeAfter25 along with more than 11,000 others and “Like” her popular Facebook page!
- Da Vinci, blogger for Your Life After 25
Q: When and why did you start blogging?
A: Unofficially, when I was 16 I started a site called Lady Epiphany, but I didn’t really understand the whole dynamic behind running a site. Officially, I started my original blog, Da Vinci’s Blog Log, which was later known as D.V.B.L in 2007. I like to think of it as the blue print for what Your Life After 25 is, which launched earlier this year. D.V.B.L. was my baby that taught me a lot of lessons in the blogosphere. The blogging world has grown and changed so much for the better. I’m just happy to have a blog that people receive well, can relate to and learn from. I started blogging because I truly wanted to reach and help people. Whether it’s through physical appearance or just inspiring others, I wanted to help and build a sense of community among women.
Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst blogs of the same genre?
A: I like to think of Your Life After 25 as a lifestyle “blogozine”. It stands out because it’s about LIFE; we’re all living life and trying to figure it out, and as our motto states “believe it or not it does go on”. Our name really speaks for itself. So many women experience that pivotal moment in life where they wonder where their lives are going at age 25. For men, it usually happens at 35, lol. We try to address things in life from 25 and over. Our mission is to entertain, educate and inspire.
Q: What does your family think of your blogging?
A: Truthfully, not all of my family knows about my blog, lol. That is partially because I go by the alias Da Vinci; however, the ones that do are very proud of me and are avid readers. I consider it a blessing; they really don’t have to read it just because they’re family. When I hear their positive feedback and constructive criticism, I value it and take the opportunity to improve the site. They get to be my informal focus groups.
Q: Which blogger most inspires you to keep blogging?
There are so many bloggers out there who blog straight from the heart and with so much passion. Those are the ones that inspire me most. To name a few blogs that I love: http://socialwebtools.info, http://fashiongrail.com, http://www.shoesmitten.com, and http://focusorganic.com.
Q: How much time daily do you spend blogging?
A: This is a funny question. It might be easier to ask how many hours I DON’T spend blogging. Truthfully, as a blogger you really need to love what you do. I find that most of the time is spent running the site, maintenance, etc. I would say that I spend a minimum of 7hrs a day on my blog.
Q: How many times have you redesigned your blog since it started?
A: Your Life After 25 is fairly new, but since it launched there have been 2 major redesigns. I wouldn’t want to change it too often; readers value familiarity. However, I’m about constant improvement, so I always make changes that are beneficial to the reader experience, and I try to ask questions before I implement them.
Q: How much do you correspond one-on-one with readers?
A: I really do encourage my readers to reach out to me with many avenues. I’m an active tweeter, skyper and I respond when there are facebook comments and site comments. I also have an “Ask Da Vinci” page on the site in addition to the contact page. I love to hear stories of how people have been helped, inspired or just about their overall feedback.
Q: What joys did you not expect when you started blogging? What pains?
A: I honestly didn’t realize how much it would touch my heart to hear reader’s stories and positive feedback. I learn from my readers and receive inspiration from them just as much as the site is able to do the same for them.
The BIGGEST pain I didn’t anticipate is the constant checking of how your site functions and runs on ALL browsers, lol. It’s a blogger’s worst nightmare in my opinion.
Q: What’s something your readers don’t know about you?
A: Most of my readers don’t know my real name; I like the sense of mystery. Da Vinci was a name given to me by my big sister because she says I’m like Da Vinci; I’m creative, innovative, etc. I loved the nickname and stuck with it. I’m also a HUGE foodie; I love long walks on the beach… oops wrong interview ;). I’m a big jokester.
Q: What’s your personal favorite blog post?
A: I have 2 favorites thus far:
1) Life Before 25 vs. Your Life After 25
It’s the introduction to what Your Life After 25 is about and what we want to accomplish over time. I love that it inspired so many women.
2) HELP SUPPORT IMPOVERISHED ELDERLY WITH MICHAEL’S HOUSE!
This is another favorite, because it shows how something as small as a giveaway for a gift card can help someone do something really kind and inspirational. It really was a touching story; I LOVE seeing people show social responsibility. I think what Michael’s House has been able to accomplish is a beautiful thing.
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