Hannah @ Fantasy Gypsy

Hey, guys! :)

So, some of you guys know Hannah - previously from in Neverland - and some of you probably even know about her decision to go pro blogger! I was pretty excited about this. I consider Hannah one of my close bloggie buddies, so I was really happy for her that she was able to do this! And so, I decided to do a Q&A with her. And, being the awesome person she is, she agreed!

Here is the Q&A! :)


Anna @ Hero: Why did you choose to become a professional blogger? What does this entail?

Hannah @ Fantasy Gypsy: I don't remember the initial why of deciding to be a professional blogger. I was just thinking about things I could do differently with my blog and considered the possibility of going pro. I didn't want to be a cliche/average blogger, I wanted to be different and more professional. I have considered moving to Wordpress and going pro before, but had decided I wasn't ready. But now I think I am. Going pro, I guess, means something different for everyone. To me it means that my blog will look and feel more professional then I think it currently does on blogger. I'm also working on making my blog my actual job, so it is a big step for me. 

AH: What will be different about your blogging style?

HFG: Absolutely nothing!.. Well... maybe I shouldn't say that... the content on my blog will probably always be the same. It's just me and my voice, talking about the things on my mind. I do want to write about things that will interest my readers more. So it won't all be personal ramblings you could care less about, but, of course, I'm sure there shall still be plenty of that.

AH: What will your new site's name be and why?

HFG: The name was quite an ordeal. Let. Me. Tell. You. I originally, when I had the idea of going pro, wanted to just use my first and last name as the blog title… well my parents didn’t like the idea of haveing my name being searched and viewed by thousands of people very much… so I had to scratch that. And after a whole lot of grief and mind wracking thought (and maybe a bit of head-desking), I decided on the name Fantasy Gypsy. I sometimes think of the name as a good spin off of in Neverland, but you’ll be able to read the whole story of why I chose this name on the blog, because it’s a long story. 

AH: Why did you decide to do a .org instead of .com?

HFG: Okay, let me explain this a bit. There are two different versions of Wordpress, the Wordpress.com which is a free blogging platform, like Blogger, and Wordpress.org, which is the more professional self-hosted one of the two, used for many real-deal websites out there. My website shall still have a (dot)com domain, I am just using Wordpress.org for the website, and a web host for the website foundation. (dot)org's are usually only used for big organizations. My blog is not a big organization. I hope that makes sense.

AH: What kind of a different experience will your readers get with your professional blogging career?

HFG: I don't know. That's up for the readers to decide. Some might like it, some might hate it, some might think I should’ve stuck with Blogger. My hope is that my readers will be able to connect with me more, and feel like they are a part of my life, and me a part of theirs... creepy, I know. ;) 

AH: How will your current readers still be able to follow and connect with you?

HFG: Unfortunately I can't just pack up all of my followers and take them with me. There will be a subscribing button somewhere on the website, where people can come and follow via email. And of course there is always bloglovin' and RSS feed that can be used to connect and follow. 

AH: What are some of the challenges with switching from Blogger to Wordpress?

HFG: Just learning the basics of Wordpress after living on Blogger for two years is difficult. You're just so used to the Blogger ways and you feel so overwhelmed. There were nights when I first got Wordpress where I just wanted to curl up in a corner of my room and wait for the website to build itself. But once you actually learn to do something with code on Wordpress, it’s like the clouds are cleared and you can see! I'm still not entirely comfortable using Wordpress, but I'm learning. Moving to Wordpress is definitely not for everybody. And especially for people who are not at all tech savy.

AH: Will you be keeping your old blog, In Neverland, intact?

HFG: I will be keeping in Neverland intact… at least for a little bit, to direct readers who might not have known about the blog move to the new website, but once this new site starts to get a good reading, I might have to consider deleting the old site. I hate to say it, but I don’t really think there is a reason to keep it up… I may make it private, so that I can still look at it… but I don’t know we’ll see.  

AH: What will be the biggest perk for you in switching over to pro blogging? What are you most looking forward to?

HFG: The fact I’m making blogging a part of my life is a big perk. Before I decided to go pro I would just sort of blog, and wouldn’t really talk about it to my friends and family. Of course my family knew I had a blog, but they didn’t know how many followers I had, or what I posted about. And the only one who would read my posts was my mom, and that was just because…well, she’s my mom. I didn’t even really want to tell my friends about it, because I was so nervous that they wouldn’t agree with what I said in a post, or would think the whole thing was stupid. But now I’m trying not to over think it. I want people to know I have a blog, and that it is a part of my life. 

AH: What will be your fondest memory of In Neverland?

HFG: In Neverland will always have a special place in my heart. It was my first big blog, the one that launched my blogging career in a way. And the spirit of this new blog will still be in Neverland… it will just be different.

AH: What's your biggest hope for your new blog?

HFG: That people will like it. I guess that’s kind of a given, but really I’m worried about it. It can be weird for the readers to be so used to one blog, and then have to go somewhere else. Some of my favorite blogs have moved to Wordpress before, and it is weird. But I hope that won’t scare people away from the site. 

AH: If someone else wanted to be a pro blogger, what would be the biggest advice you could give them?

HFG: Know that you are ready! Ask your friends if they think your content is strong enough for a real site. And most importantly, make sure you would be willing to blog for long term. Look at your future self and if you can see yourself being a blogger for a long time, if not forever, then go for it! Especially if you are younger, it’s better to start when you’re young and build up. Also, I would suggest getting lots of support.  This is definitely not a project I could’ve done myself.

AH: Do you think you'll have a topic on your new blog?

HFG: Nope. It’s just the random ramblings it’s always been.

Thanks so much, again, Hannah, for letting me do that with you! :)

If you want, go ahead and check out Hannah's new site, Fantasy Gypsy! :) I know it would mean the world to her! :)

Be a hero,
Anna