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The April 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Mark Evans of Mark Evans Tech.Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.This month's interview is with Mark Evans who is an entrepreneur and social media expert.  Mark currently writes blog content for Mark Evans Tech, Twitterati, and All About Nortel.  You can read more about Mark's background and experience at the end of this post.

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Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?Mark Evans: I started Mark Evans Tech in 2004 while I was a reporter at the National Post newspaper. I had written a column suggesting that blogs were nothing more than online diaries for heart-sick teenagers. Blogware approached me with an offer to see what a blog had to offer. After a short time, I was hooked.Newstex: What makes your blog unique?Mark Evans: I try to provide insight and perspective as opposed to piling on to news events. As well, there aren't a huge number of technology bloggers in Canada.Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?Mark Evans: I think my blog has done well for several reasons. One is that I produce a lot of content. I also try to offer insight and comment rather than reporting the news, and I'm pretty good at linking to other blogs and commenting on blogs.Newstex: What are the top 3 tips you can give to bloggers looking to develop successful blogs?Mark Evans: My three tips would be:

  1. Be focused on a particular sector or interest.
  2. Produce content on a regular (daily) basis.
  3. Using a variety of tools (StumbleUpon, Reddit, del.icio.us, Feedburner, etc.) to promote and distribute your content.

Newstex: What is the best thing that has happened to you as a result of your work on your blog?Mark Evans: Through my blog, I've met a lot of terrific people. It also played a key part in helping me start a digital consulting business, ME Consulting, earlier this year.Newstex: What inspires you to keep blogging?Mark Evans: I'm a writer, so having a blog is a perfect vehicle to publish my thoughts. I'm also excited about what's happening online and all the great services and products being introduced.Newstex: What are your favorite blogs and why?Mark Evans: I like ReadWriteWeb because it provides some great insight into online products and services. Dosh Dosh is one of my favorite social media blogs, and I'm a big Seth Godin fan because he regularly comes up with wise lessons or thoughts.Newstex: What effects do you think blogging will have on traditional media?  How about on your industry?Mark Evans: Blogs have had and are having a tremendous impact on traditional media. For one, they're forcing traditional media to be more active and engaging. As well, traditional media need to focus on telling people why something happened as opposed to what happened given how quickly blogs can report the news.Newstex: At what point did you decide to syndicate your blog with Newstex and why?Mark Evans: I started with Newstext in 2006 because it offered a great way to expand my blog's readership and generate more revenue.Newstex:  What’s next for you and your blog?Mark Evans: To be honest, I'm not sure what's next for me and my blog. I recently started my own digital consulting business so my blog has become an important way to provide clients and potential clients with some insight into who I am and what/how I think. At some point, I'd like to do some podcasting and maybe video.About Mark Evans

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Mark Evans is an entrepreneur, enthusiastic blogger and one of Canada’s leading social media experts. He has a passion for the Web and helping others leverage it to build and grow their businesses.Mark has worked for three Internet start-ups - Blanketware (a natural language search service that he co-founded), b5media (one of the world’s largest blog networks) and, most recently, PlanetEye (online travel planning), and he spent 10 years as a technology reporter with the Globe & Mail and National Post.Mark writes several blogs, including Mark Evans Tech, Twitterrati and All About Nortel. Earlier this year, he was named one of Canada’s best technology bloggers by ComputerWorld Canada.Mark is also one of the organizers of Canada’s leading Web conference, mesh.

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