Interview With Big Ben Patton

So the interview you’ve all been waiting for is finally here. Who is the person? Well, the title sort of gives it away if you’ve been reading around my niche for a while. It is no other than the blogger that came back just a couple weeks ago: Benjamin Patton.

Ben was, and still is, one of my favorite bloggers as his blog always stands out as one that is personal, yet informative. As a subscriber since the mid-2008, I think I can testify that. However, sometime back in October 2008, my email stopped receiving his blog’s updates and he simply couldn’t be found. Thankfully though, he is back and I thought, “Why not interview this guy?” So here it is.

Static: Hey Ben thanks for giving me an opportunity to interview you. First, can you tell ahnternet readers a little bit about yourself?
Ben: Well I am going to be 27 this 13th, I am in the process of a mutually uncontested divorce. I am a type 1 diabetic. Those are the basic facts. I enjoy working for my business economy level chain hotel as a operations manager. I hope to someday in the near future have my own hotel as a general manager but I am in no real rush as I am still learning. As far as non Internet marketing and non hotel Ben goes I like quick cars of the Supra descent. I own an mk2 MR2 at the moment, will soon be getting a passat turbo wagon though I originally started into the whole Internet Marketing scene via list marketing within the blog niche itself. I saw a serious need for a website that was not problogger.com but was not to simple in its own right. I wanted to attack the niche from my perspective and actually share all my results even if it ment giving away a million dollar secret. I am really motivated to help others through my own experience.

Static: So I was an email subscriber to your blog, and I received an email just a couple weeks ago regarding a comeback. Where have you been the last few months?
Ben: The last few months are a little bit complicated, but I will go ahead and give you the lowdown scoop on what happened. I have not even published this on my own blog yet. Since last March when I was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic which for those that are not aware means I can not live without injecting insulin after most every meal. Which is a serious adjustment. I have been a little more serious about life, getting stuff sorted out and taken care of and not being overwhelmed. Well the change was so great that I am not the same person and as such put undue stress on my soon to be former marriage. This on top of the worst economy for the hospitality industry since probably the great depression of the 30′s means I have had quite a bit on my mind like keeping my staff at the hotel working enough hours to support themselves and families and to keep my hotel open and in business. Now we get to the blog and Ben’s Internet marketing which took the greatest toll of it all first. I was out of commission, but wanting to write daily as I always had. Eventually it became apparent that something was going to have to give so in the hopes of not letting the hard work I had poured into this brand I had created I sold it to a fellow blogger who I will not reveal. They purchased the blog for nearly $1k. It was an undervalued sale and was on short notice but I had to get rid of it to surplus my savings and not let the project die. This along with the previous remarks finally coming to a head and being dealt with we arrive cozily to the end of January when the person in question I had sold the blog to had not paid the hosting and not done anything with the site. I pulled a back up and put it up on my new hosting account and got it back on par. I notified the now former owner that their was a 60 day clause and that he had failed to fulfill it. He did not mind and let me take back over the site without incident. Now I am back and writing and quite happier and better for it

Static: What motivated you to get back into blogging? What’s in it for you?
Ben: I honestly have to say that helping people achieve their goals makes me feel good no matter how insignificant the help is it really gets me revved up. I guess this is why I am in sales/marketing at my own job as well working with people. For me their is a small payoff I think the highest earned income I had from the blog before it went for sale was the $400 I made in the last month. I used it for projects and learning new stuff such as my site flip project that I had never done before or read any material on how to do it. I also once again have to say my supreme motivation and fulfillment comes from helping others though.

Static: Considering that you now have to rebuild the blog’s popularity, what are some methods you are planning on doing to get those readers and traffic back?
Ben: I am going to use the exact same methods I used to build the blog up to its former glory except now I am going to be much harder at it to get it done. Basically comment campaigns, emailing other bloggers, making it worth everyone’s while to read at least one post of mine to consider subscribing and becoming an active participant here at my site. Really nothing legal is off limits and as most know I have a pretty decent network to be able to start to reach people who may not have ever heard of me. My biggest goal to work on is more serps traffic though which has been a challenge in a niche dominated by well established blogs. Thats ok before to long I promise I will dethrone problogger.com.

Static: Good luck there Ben. It looks like you’re in it even more seriously this time around. By the way, are these methods that would work for new bloggers too?
Ben: The methods I use are the methods I write about every day and anyone from a day one wordpress newbie to a grizzled veteran of 10k+ subs can leverage and take advantage of.

Static: Speaking of tips, just out of curiosity, do you have any specific methods that you would recommend, but you aren’t implementing on your blog as after all, Big Ben Patton’s Place isn’t exactly a completely new blog?
Ben: I leave no specific method unused anything that can draw one subscriber I will do. This is a game of inches ladies and gentlemen and success is based off whether your giving inches or taking them. I choose to take them.

Static: So far the interview has been great. I won’t bug you so much more, so just before we close out, where do you see Big Ben Patton’s place going now that you are back? What are some new things you are looking to offer on the blog?
Ben: I see the blog becoming more refined really I want to tenderize my content a bit more so that when I get into mini series worth of pretty hardcore content it is easy to digest for those that may not have ever considered doing anything like what I am actively trying to teach by example. Blogging and Internet Marketing is a very broad genre but they all play off each other and all the subcatagories as well to make you better at everything to earn online, or write online and if you can do those two your doing very well and surely on your way to whatever goal your heart desires.

Static: Thanks for your time Ben. It interesting to get to know you a bit more and your secret tips to a successful blogging journey too. G’luck in the future please do keep in touch!

How did you guys like the interview? The interview was somewhat rushed, and thus, I wasn’t able to ever ask you guys for some questions you may have for Ben. However, he frequently has his own Q&A sessions too, so I’m sure if you have a question that you are dieing to have answered, you can get it.

Also, Ben mentioned that he sees “the blog becoming more refined” and actually, that is exactly what he is doing right now. BenjaminPatton.com will be officially making a move to RealBloggingTips.com, so if you used to be a subscriber of Ben, or are now thinking of becoming one, make sure you subscribe and participate over at RBT.

So, how did you guys like the interview? Informative? A waste of loading time on the blog? I’m thinking of periodically doing interviews, so if you guys like what you are seeing, I’m up for it. Tell me through the comments.