Blogger Spotlight: Moonsomnia

Welcome to the Blogger Spotlight Interview. This week we have Shevy from Moonsomnia taking part.

If you would like to take part, and your blog is under six months old, or has been re-launched in the last six months, please email me randommusings29@gmail.com

1 Firstly, tell us a little bit about yourself

My name is Siobhan, more commonly known as Shevy and I am a 33 year old mum of two beautiful girls.

I have 4 pets, 2 cats named Ragnar and Dorian (Dorian is a Sphynx, a hairless cat) and 2 snakes named Valentine and Drogon (a Burmese and a reticulated python).

I was born in England but moved to Johannesburg, South Africa when I was 6 years old. Both of my children were born in South Africa and my husband is South African as well. I moved back to England in 2014 and my family followed approximately 9 months later after going through the family settlement visa process; this is currently in progress.

I have had a rather difficult year health wise including a hysterectomy and oophorectomy after an Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome diagnosis. In October, I was diagnosed with a DVT and have subsequently resigned from my full time job as a travel consultant.

In the New Year, I will focus more on my blog and my content writing skills full time.

I am obsessed with body modification; I have had over 80 hours worth of tattoos and have 21 piercings.

2 What is your blog’s name and what is it about?

My blog’s name is Moonsomnia, where thoughts take the place of sleep. This is a versatile blog where I talk about anything and everything.

I share my personal experiences, opinions and views on almost everything but also enjoy doing reviews and have had the opportunity to do some sponsored posts, which is really exciting and I am very grateful.

3 Why did you decide to start a blog?

I have been running blogs on and off for about 8 years now, this is my fourth web page that I have started from scratch as each page before it served its own purpose and had its own dated content.

Moonsomnia is a site that I am extremely proud of, I think it is very professional and truly reflects who I am as a person and as a writer. I started Moonsomnia as an outlet for my writing, the same reason I have started many before it, only this time I want to leave a lasting impression on those who choose to read my work.

Moonsomnia and its name came about as a result of my insomnia as a result of surgical menopause, when I couldn’t sleep I would write.

4 Do you have any goals for your blog?

The goal for my blog is simple, stay as personal as I can, be as honest as I can, share with as many people as I can and keep a steady and consistent number of posts coming; I prefer quality over quantity.

In the near future, I hope to increase my DA rating to attract brands and do more reviews, I would also like to have a separate portfolio for the content services that I offer once I have built up a good amount of content.

5 Tell us one random fact about you

I have travelled to Borneo as part of a familiarisation trip with other travel agents in 2008; it was the most memorable trip I have taken. I have travelled up mount Kota Kinabalu and snorkelled with turtles and clownfish; it was inexplicable.

6 What is the best piece of blog related advice you have received so far?

I would have to say that the best advice I have been given is to not get too caught up in blog SEO and the admin side of things. Provided you have a basic understanding of SEO and keywords, ensure you are posting quality content that YOU are happy with and the rest will follow. That said, SEO is not unimportant and should be in the back of your mind with anything that you do.

7 What is your favourite thing about blogging?

I love the fact that I can sit down in the comfort of my own home and share my personal opinions and experiences with my audience.

I can pour all of my thoughts onto a site of my own that is completely personalised by me and for me but also appeals to my followers and my regular readers.

I love seeing the growth week on week as more and more people connect with me and I especially love being a part of a very close and tight knit community of supportive bloggers. Everyone I have spoken to up until now for advice and assistance has been fantastic; I have been taught so much by the community on Twitter and the likes.

8 Is there anything you would do differently if you were starting over knowing what you know now?

I would have completed the ALT TEXT information on my images from the start, as it stands I have about 50 posts to go through and correct.

9 Anything else you’d like to share with us?

I think that it is important to remember that as a blogger, there may (or will) be off days.

It is so very easy to get caught up in social media, sharing your posts, following and reading and commenting on other blogs. What once was checking a notification or two becomes a full three hours glued to your phone. You do have to allow yourself some breathing space and do you first.

Don’t let the opinions of others determine how you choose to run your blog because it is yours.

10 Where can we find you? (blog link and links to any social media)

You can go to Moonsomnia for my WordPress blog, alternatively I have the following social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+.