In this interview Jarkko Haarala talks about his aviation blog, Planegrazy.

Tell us a little bit about your blog.

Planegrazy is my dearest hobby and in the future hopefully my dearest job. While mostly focusing on commercial airline news, there is always something for readers interested in general aviation or flight simulator news.

How long have you been blogging for? What made you want to start blogging?

I have been blogging now just over one year, planning to do it next 20 years at least ;). I started to blog about aviation because I have always been interested in planes but I am also very interested airports itself. I didn’t find any place to let out the steam that was inside of me, so blogging came as a natural for me.

What were some of your biggest challenges when you first started blogging?

Biggest challenges were the fear about the other people’s comments. What do they think, am I been bashed from the very first morning etc. But all went well and I think I have achieved something here in the blogosphere. Althought I am not the most famous blogger, I am an honest one and that is what counts the most, I think.

How did you overcome these challenges?

Reading, reading and reading. I have read a lot of similar blogs and the probloggers and I have been lucky to get so many good advices and lessons that I think everyone should read. Those communities deserves my thanks.

The aviation niche is not something that many bloggers would think to explore. Have you been surprised by the audience you have discovered in this topic?

I have been thinking this in another way. Many bloggers do travel like we all do. When you book your tickets, check the weather, delays etc.. There comes a point when people want to have another opinion too. And of course I want to be the one who can help there.

At the beginning, I wasn’t quite sure about the audience, who they will be, what they want and to be honest, I always thought that my niche will attract only the aviation geegs but how wrong I was. Around 70% of all readers are not related to aviation business. That was kind of a surprise to me.

What is a recent milestone that you have accomplished with your blog? How were you able to achieve this milestone?

Recent and so far the only one have been a one year alive. That was something worth waiting for as well as many emails from the readers who thanked me about some stories in Planegrazy.

What is your next goal that you want to achieve with your blog?

Well, 2010 is going to be a hard year for my blog. I set up goals that needs much, I mean much more work than the first year. This year the most important part will be the content. Content, content. That’s what everyone keeps saying and yes, that is what matters. I also set up an editorial calendar for me and following that will be the second biggest goal for me in 2010.

What is your best tip for other people out there who might be new or struggling with their blogging?

This question is very simple. No matter what your niche is, keep reading the big boys blogs. It helped me to get over from the first pain and those tips they give, is a treasure to keep. And the fun part, they are free. Am I been brainwashed, I don’t know but the successful blog is not the nicest one, not with the coolest plugings but with a greatest content.

Thanks again Jarkko for doing this interview.

Jarkko is the owner of Planegrazy, a blog dedicated to news and stories from aviation business, airports, travel. He lives in Finland and is married with four kids.  Follow Jarkko on Twitter at @mrplane.

Tagged as: Blogging, Interviews