Interview with Mario Elia of the wafflereviews

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself , your blog(s)/website(s),and your aspirations and your hobbies!!

 My name is Mario Elia and I run a blog called www.wafflereviews.blogspot.co.uk . Despite what the name indicates, the blog is film orientated. I called it waffle reviews because my friends say I waffle a lot when I complete work so I thought it was fitting to name my blog this (although I don’t waffle in my blog). 

I am your typical film addict; I will watch any film under the sun and talk about them non-stop hence taking up blogging. I have other interests such as mobile phone technology which gave me the knick name “the phone guy”.

2. How you first got involved in with blogging/writing, are you an imaginative person?

I first got into blogging as an outlet because I am constantly watching films; these are often films my friends did not see therefore I could not really talk to them about it. Before I stated blogging I did not really consider myself an imaginative person or a good writer however now, due to constantly writing posts I have seen these skills develop. 

3. What do you find most challenging about blogging/writing about your topic?

The most challenging part was at the begging whilst writing my first post. When I first started out my writing skills were pretty terrible so I was stumped on how to structure this and future posts. I figured out a way to start this however looking back, the way I structure my posts now and back then are noticeably different.

4. Tell me about some of the people you have met while working on your blog?

Bloggers are a community so once you have started friendships begin to form. You also gain associations with certain companies / YouTube channels.
I have met some interesting bloggers; one in particular ran a positive outlook blog. It was refreshing to meet someone as confident / happy as her.

5. How would (someone) describe your blogging/writing style?

People would describe my blogging style as different because I am not afraid to write everything (waffle). Usually I avoid this and am concise however when the film / rant requires a lot of depth I a not afraid to give it.

6. What do you do when you are not working on your blog?

When I am not blogging I am usually watching films however I have been known to take breaks to “hang out” with friends (mostly cinema trips), do sports (such as tennis) and obviously study.

7 .Where do you see yourself blogging/writing wise in the next 6 months, and 5 years down the road?

I see myself blogging more often and also expanding to guest blogging. I have started guest blogging now however I plan to do much more. No one really expected me to go on blogging for as long as I have however I have stuck to it and made it a permanent task in my busy timetable.

8. What networking do you do that you feel helps your blogging/writing business?

I share most of my posts with social media sites such as Google plus, Twitter and Facebook to help spread the awareness of my presence. By doing this people can comment on my posts, if they are suggestions I will try my best to address these.

9. How do you keep coming up with material/content for your blog? Many people struggle with coming up with different articles/posts and they only have one blog.

When I am extremely busy therefore have no time to watch a film it can become extremely busy as I want to post regularly. When this happens I will write a short review of a film from memory or just comment on trailers, just something to fill the time.

10. Whats your strategy with your blog in general?

I try to keep things interesting and concise otherwise people become bored and stop reading. One key rule that I try to stick to as much as possible is to post every other day (If I know this is not achievable I will prepare posts and save them to drafts to be released for the “other” day).

11. Any specific tips you have for newbie bloggers who want to make it in the blogosphere?

The best advice I can give is to stick by your blog / stay true to it. Chances are you will not get floods of views instantly however do not get disheartened by this, just try and try again.
“Rome was not built in a day”.

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

I prioritise my readers because they are the traffic that keeps my blog going. I listen to their feedback and act on it because at the end of the day, my blog is for them. If they are not happy then they won’t read your blog.

13. Whats the best thing a blogger can give to his readers?

The best thing a blogger can give to their reader are well written posts. Well written posts are extremely important as people are more likely to read these. Regardless of the length of time it takes to write a well w

ritten post, they being in more traffic then poorly written posts.

14. A lot of people are interested in blogging/writing for the money earning potential. What are some tips for people interesting in making money from blogging/writing? What are some realistic expectations in regards to what can be made?

Realistically, you need to get a lot of traffic for ads to be worth-while. Also make sure you read the small print as if you post something against the policy you could get pulled from their advertisements. Make sure that you fully understand what the bogs want from you such as how much advertising space their require. 

15. What motivates you most in life?

Prospering (I think that’s the right word). This can be in work / studies or even meeting new people. Life is about experiences which will help us in the future.

16. What has been your strategy for creating visibility to yourself and your blog?

I advertise on social media a lot such as Facebook, Twitter and Google plus. If you go down my timeline it is mostly WaffleReview posts. Some people may get annoyed but shame on them, if they don’t like it they can unfriend / unfollow me.

17 What was the most challenging moment in your blog content development process and why?

Sometimes I struggle to make the posts short enough to be interesting. When I watch a film the list I make to comment on can be pages long however some of these will be irrelevant / plain boring.
Also I must ensure to not spoil the film during my review.

18. Everyone has a favorite/least favorite post. Name yours and why?

The least favourite post of mine was definitely “The Host” review. I felt like I rambled on and on which I really should not have done. It was a good film which deserved a short and concise review, I felt like I failed to deliver on that.

My favourite post has to be the “red 2” review. It was a great film and the highest on my view count.

19. Name some of the bloggers whom you look up to and why?

Screen rant is a blog / website I look up to. This is because they started off small however now they are a massive organisation who even talks to directors themselves.

20. What is the story behind the name of the blog?

Part 1

When I work my friends will often write considerably less than me (not like it’s a competition or anything...). They will say "your work is good, but you always waffle too much". – meaning that I write more than is needed
After writing like this for a while I received the knick name "the waffler".

Part 2
I watch a lot of films which is part of the reason I started up the blog.  When I watch a film I tend to notice the little things that aren't really important however I feel the need to point them out so. When I do this end up rambling on about the film  or... WAFFLING!

Therefore it just felt right to name my blog (wafflereviews)

21. Your connection with any Blogger Network like Indi blogger or Writeupcafe or any other and the experience?

I am not connected to any blogger networks however I am part of blogger communities especially on Google Plus. This is a great way to communicate with other bloggers and get advice on further expanding our blog.

22. Which genre do you feel gets the raw deal?

Definitely Action. I mostly watch action films and it is what the readers respond the most too.

23. Which one plug-in would you suggest all bloggers to have?

I suggest having a Google translate plugin for your blog so other people in different countries can translate it into a language they are familiar with (therefore getting a bigger fan base).

24. Five adjectives that describe you.

Entertaining, quiet, persistent, couscous, competitive. 

25. What book would you say has made the biggest impact good or bad on you?

“The Forbidden Room”. I read this book a while back however the message has stuck with me. It is about a girl who has a disability however is determined to live her life to the fullest (I have left the twist out for spoiler reasons). The message was that no matter what hand life gives you, play it and don’t look back.

26. Do you get easily provoked by positive/negative comments??

I have been known to over react when I get positive comments and will be in a good mood for days on end.
Negative comments are fine as long as it is constructive criticism, if they are just commenting to be spiteful then I will leave them a “kind” message to stop reading / commenting on my blog.  

27. Do you plan to write a book, as every bloggers dream it is?

My dreams lie in other fields however writing a book in this would be a great accomplishment (especially due to the fact I am Dyslexic).

28. Are you a judgmental person, do you prefer to take sides instead of standing neutral?

I prefer to stay neutral because I don’t really like confrontation. If the situation arises for me to step up I will however I tend to avoid these situations.

29. Your collaboration with other bloggers, are you much into social networking, tell us everything about it?

Recently I have been collaborating with other bloggers through guest posts. I have not had any on my blog however I have posted with others. All but one of the other bloggers have been great, they have been really welcoming and I look forward to collaborating with them in the future.

30. What genre attracts you the most and which genre you avoid?

I really enjoy action because it is just plain exciting (especially scifi action such as Transformers and Gi Joe.).
I tend to avoid horror films because… well… I’m not too good with horrors. I will start watching one and think why am I doing this? I hate horror films.

31. Your Views on Contests and increasing plagiarism?

I absolutely hate hate hate plagiarism! I can’t stand it! If you cannot write your own posts then don’t bother. Someone has put a lot of time and effort into that post so for someone to go and steal it is despicable. 

32. Words for me and my blogs Desire v/s Destiny and Blogger Interviews and my Website www.MyMagicJobs.com

I think it’s a great idea for a blog – interviewing other bloggers. It will really help bring the blogging community closer together. I would also say that your blog is well designed. It clearly has everything it needs however the adverts are a little bit distracting. May I suggest decreasing the size of the side bars to make your posts have more dominance on the page?

33. On winning the Award/s , Are they Really necessary.

When you are doing something you love it is not at all necessary to have awards however it is nice for your work to be acknowledged.

34. So whats Next in your list?

Next, I want to expand my blog by guest blogging. This will hopefully make people more aware of my presence as a blogger and drive more traffic to waffle reviews.

35.Words for your readers and why they should follow you?

I will never stop blogging, but most importantly I will never stop watching films so stay tuned it. So  SUBSCRIBE!