Happy 2018 everyone! I hope the new year is life-changing for you – in a good way. Since today is also my birthday, I thought I’d do a special post to help you get to know me a little better. I turn 34 today so I’m going to answer 34 questions about myself. But first, a quick lesson on why I’m posting personal information on a public blog.
Reader-to-Blogger Relationship
When you read a blog and you don’t know the author, it can feel like you are just reading words on a computer screen. That’s not enough for me. I want you to feel like I’m talking to you one-on-one and personally teaching you what I have experienced.
That’s why blogs are so popular, because they can be personal. This is also why most blogs have an “About Me” page. Darren Rowse of Problogger even highlighted the importance of an ‘About’ page in this 2005 post.
How to Personalize Your Blog
One of the best ways to retain readers and create a loyal following is by personalizing your blog so your readers can get to know you better. Besides creating an ‘About Me‘ page, here are some other things you can do to strengthen the bond between you and your readers:
1. Provide a picture of yourself and/or your family
2. Respond to comments and answer reader’s questions
3. Add social media to your sidebar
4. Provide your personal opinion on various topics
5. Be open and honest
How is This Related to Making Money Online?
If you are going to start an online business, then you need to earn the trust of your customers before they will buy from you. You wouldn’t buy something based off a recommendation from a stranger, would you? People will be more likely to buy the stuff you recommend if they know that you are honest and trustworthy. Plus, they will be more likely to follow you on social media, recommend you to their friends and will come back for more.
34 Questions
In an effort to show you that I’m not just a random person behind a screen, I’m going to answer 34 personal questions about myself. I really want you to get to know who Ally really is.
1. Did you graduate from college? What did you major in?
I graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2005 with a BS in Geography. I went back to college and graduated from Rochester Community & Technical College in 2011 with an AA in Interaction Design. Interaction Design is combo between graphic design, video design, animation and web design.
2. What is your favorite movie?
My favorite movie since I was 5 has been Back to the Future. I was so obsessed with it that when I was at school and alone in the hallway, I would act out scenes from the movie. Particularly the scene where Doc would put his hands in his coat pockets, say, “Everything will be fine.” and wave his coat. I was a total dork. I’m so glad social media wasn’t around back then because it was totally embarrassing. I also loved the scene where Marty was in 1955 talking to his dad about fighting him and accidentally called him ‘dad’ and had to quickly change it to ‘da-da-dadio’. Not sure why I thought that was so hilarious but I still laugh every time. Of course, I have a Back to the Future collection – my prized possession is a bottle of Pepsi Perfect that took me 2 tries to order on Amazon (sold out within 5 minutes the first time).
3. Do you have any pets?
I have a 3-year old beagle named Remington. I got her in November of 2014 when she was 9 weeks old. I consider her my baby. She’s a little troublemaker – loves to steal food off the table or dig used tissues out of the bathroom trashcan. However, she is so sweet and loves everyone she meets. She is very smart and knows a ton of tricks.
4. Where did you grow up?
I lived in Columbia Heights, MN (suburb of the Twin Cities) until I was 8 when we moved to Ogilvie, MN. Oglivie is a small town, population 500, located in northern Minnesota just south of Mille Lacs Lake.
5. Where do you live now?
I currently live in Mapleton, MN with my parents. It’s small town in southern Minnesota. My parents put the house up for sale in September. I’m not sure where I’m going to live when the house sells – either Mankato, MN or somewhere in Florida (MN winters suck).
6. What is your favorite book?
My favorite book is Gone With The Wind. I don’t really like the ending though I’ve come to terms with it. I haven’t read the sequel and probably never will because it wasn’t written by Margaret Mitchell so I just figured it probably isn’t the same.
7. Do you play an instrument?
I don’t currently play an instrument but I played the clarinet in high school. I’d love to learn how to play guitar.
8. Are you married? If not, do you have a boyfriend?
No, I’m not married. I also don’t have a boyfriend. I haven’t had a boyfriend or even tried dating since college (since 2005, yikes!). It’s hard when you live 45 minutes from the nearest large town plus living with my parents is a little embarrassing (even though it shouldn’t be since I split the bills with them each month). I’m hoping to jump back into the dating pool after we move later this year.
9. Do you have kids? Do you want kids?
I do not have kids but I would LOVE to have kids. I want to have four – 2 boys, 2 girls – but, honestly, I’ll be lucky if I even have 1. I haven’t had a boyfriend in a long time and I’m not getting any younger. Every year, I hear my bio-clock ticking louder and louder and louder…it’s scary!
10. Do you have any siblings?
Yes, I have a younger brother, Josh. He is 1 year younger than me and lives in Mankato, MN with his wife, Ashley, and their 6 year old son, Colton.
11. How many states and/or countries have you visited?
I’ve been to every state except Alaska, Hawaii, Arkansas, Louisiana, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Delaware and Rhode Island. I’m driving to New Orleans in February so I’ll be able to check off Arkansas & Louisiana this year.
I have visited Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Grand Turk, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and Columbia. I have also been to the US territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
12. Who is your favorite band and/or singer?
My favorite singer is Bob Dylan. I’ve seen him in concert 11 times. I love all of his music but my favorite song of his is Mississippi from the 2001 album Love and Theft.
My favorite band changes depending on when you ask but, right now, it’s the Avett Brothers. My favorite song of theirs is Live and Die from the album The Carpenter. I’ve seen them live twice – I saw them at Red Rocks in Colorado in July 2013 and the next year in Sioux City, IA at Saturday in the Park.
13. What is your biggest regret?
Not sticking it out at St Cloud State University and graduating with a degree in meteorology. I had made so many great friends my first semester and then just up and transferred to a different college because I hated my roommate. Well, not just that, I also hated living in the dorms and I flunked most of my classes because I decided to take 4 advanced math & physics classes the first semester (advice: don’t take too many science classes in one semester, the lab work alone will kill you). If I would have stayed, perhaps I would be married by now with a great job working for NOAA or the National Weather Service. I try not to dwell on the ‘what if’s’ but this one really gets me sometimes.
14. Do you watch/participate in sports? What is your favorite team?
I don’t participate in sports, although I was on the track team in high school. I did shot put and discus. I’m not athletic at all and didn’t do very good.
I do watch sports, mainly football. I’m a huge fan of the Minnesota Vikings. I’ve been a fan my entire life. I hope to see them win a championship someday (hopefully this year is the year *knock on wood*).
I used to watch NASCAR and was a big Jeff Gordon fan. I started watching around 1998. I attended the Daytona 500 in 2014 which was pretty cool. After Jeff retired, I stopped watching. They change the rules every year and it’s a big turn off. It makes it confusing and the playoff system just doesn’t seem fair to me.
15. What are your hobbies?
I love to travel, go on cruises, go camping, attend concerts, play video games and try new things (is this considered a hobby?).
16. What are you afraid of?
Two things: First, I’m afraid of my parents dying. I love them so much and I don’t know what I would do without them. Second, I’m afraid that I’m never going to get married, never going to have any kids and am going to die alone.
17. What are your favorite TV shows?
At the moment, these are the shows I usually watch: The Rachel Maddow Show, Property Brothers, Family Guy, South Park, Alaska: The Last Frontier and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. As far as older shows I like Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Top Gear and Futurama. I’d like to get into some of the more popular TV shows like Game of Thrones and Stranger Things but I just don’t have time right now.
18. What is your dream car?
19. What year were you born?
1984
20. What was your first job?
My first job was a stocker at the IGA grocery store. It was an easy but very boring job and I got fired because they said that I didn’t smile enough and I was depressing the customers.
21. What is your favorite quote?
Sorry for the non-answer here but I don’t really have a favorite quote. I pretty much like all inspirational quotes.
22. What is your dream job?
I’m doing my dream job now. I love working from home – designing websites, writing articles, posting on social media and helping other people find solutions to their problems. I just wish it paid more.
When I was a kid, my dream job was a storm chaser. I wanted to be just like Warren Faidley. I wanted to have a big black Chevy Suburban with all of the newest weather technology and drive around Oklahoma chasing storms and taking pictures of tornadoes. Then the movie Twister came out and everyone wanted to be a storm chaser which annoyed me. I still think it would be a fun job but there are so many idiots out there pretending to be storm chasers that it makes it a hard career to get into.
Update 2022: I just wanted to add that with social media and internet pretty much anywhere you go, becoming a storm chaser is much easier. You just need a car, a dash cam and a laptop computer. I’m still probably never going to become a storm chaser but I could if I really wanted to.
23. What is your favorite drink?
Miami Vice. It’s half pina colada and half strawberry daiquiri. Yummy!
24. What is your political stance – conservative or liberal?
This is the only time I’m ever going to discuss politics on this blog. I’m moderate but I lean liberal. I voted for Hillary Clinton last year since I like her policies and thought she would have made a great president. I tend to vote Democrat but sometimes I’ll vote independent if I don’t like the Democrat running which isn’t very often (once way back in 2003).
25. What is your favorite season?
Spring – I love the warm weather, the blossoming flowers and the newborn animals. I love being able to open the windows and smell the fresh air. I love the birds coming home, the thawing of the lakes and feeling of summer just around the corner.
26. What is your favorite holiday?
I’m not a big fan of holidays but my favorite is Memorial Day. It’s a 3 day weekend that signals the start of summer. We always get together with family, go camping, grill burgers, go hiking and have a lot of fun. Of course, we also remember the fallen soldiers by having a service at the cemetery.
27. What is your favorite color?
My favorite color is purple. I’m obsessed with it. My office walls are purple. My dog’s collar & harness are purple. Most of my shirts have purple in them. My fingernails are often painted purple. Plus, my favorite football team’s colors are purple & gold. I can’t get enough of the color purple.
28. What is your eye color?
Depending on the lighting and the color of the shirt I’m wearing, blue, grey or hazel.
29. Is your hair color natural or do you dye it?
Unfortunately, I have to dye my hair or I would be almost completely gray. I dye it the same color as my natural color – dark brown.
30. If you had a free plane ticket, where would you like to go?
If I had a free plane ticket, I would go to either Paris, France or Sydney, Australia.
31. Who is your favorite superhero?
My favorite superhero is Xena, Warrior Princess. I grew up watching Xena every Sunday night. I wanted to be just like her. I even got bangs my senior year of high school so I would look more like her.
32. What was your most embarrassing moment?
When I was 13 years old, my swimsuit broke and the top fell off in front of a boy I thought was cute. Him and his friends laughed at me and the camp counselor yelled at me for flashing everyone. I was so embarrassed that I hid in the dressing room for the rest of the night (it was a midnight swim party) and cried.
33. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
I would like to try living in Tallahassee, FL. It is a big city with a small town feel. It gets cold in the winter but it doesn’t get too cold (the high today in Minnesota is -8F, in Tally it’s 47F). I love that it has 4 distinct seasons unlike in southern Florida where it is summer year-round. It’s close enough to the beach that you could go swimming in the Gulf whenever you wanted to, yet it’s surrounded by forests with lots of hiking trails and parks. It’s also a days drive from New Orleans, Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa. I think it might be a nice place to live. Someday, when I get enough money, I plan on moving to Tallahassee.
Question #34
Question #34 is up to you. What else would you like to know about me? Leave a comment asking me a personal question about pretty much anything and I’ll be happy to answer it.
I’d also like to know a little bit about you. In the comments, please answer one of the questions above so I can get to know you better.