Best of the Bloggers: Life in a Venti Cup

Glamour gal about town Franki of Life in A Venti Cup talks about her favorite blogs, her reasons she loves TypePad, and who was REALLY the first fan of Six Apart in her family.

How long have you been blogging with TypePad?
My husband likes to brag that he was one of the original SixApart fans and customers, but it took me a while to make the switch since I'd built up a good deal of content and traffic on my original blogging platform. I finally made the switch about two years ago and have never looked back.

What led you to choose TypePad as a blogging platform?
Many reasons! First, my traffic was growing at a pace where we knew it was time to migrate to a more sophisticated system. Additionally, I needed a more elegant way to manage comments and interact with readers. TypePad made it possible to connect with people in ways that my old system couldn't by providing me with their email address in addition to their blog URL. Another driver was TP's use of categories. At the time, my other blog wouldn't allow me to categorize my posts. This was a necessity for me, since my topics range from stilettos to Spanish tapas. Looking back it seems like such a basic feature, but when you don't have that capability it feels like a luxury. And last but not least, traffic. I don't have any metric or stats to back it up (you'd have to ask my husband who is way more focused on data and details), but making the switch boosted my traffic tremendously. Suddenly my posts were coming up in Google searches and new readers were coming my way daily.

In many ways that's when Life in a Venti Cup really took off. Those tiny improvements made it possible to really build and nurture those online relationships and ultimately to grow a single blog into a family of "venti" sites. It's been remarkable!

What’s your favorite comment/interaction from someone new you’ve had through your blog?
Too many to mention. It's worth mentioning, however, that most of the interaction doesn't take place on the blog. The blog ends up being a starting point for offline friendships. I've developed some close relationships with people around the world - all due to my blogs. We email, write letters, talk on the phone, send things to one another. But nothing compares to finally meeting in person. That's when the fun really begins!

Most recently a reader struck up an email conversation with me about a pair of Tory Burch high-heeled sandals. I'd grabbed two pair of these shoes on sale recently and she happened to wear the same size . Several emails later I was pulling together some things from my personal closet - including those sold out shoes - and sending them to her in South Africa! That's a long way for a girl to go to track down a shoe, but she did it! Best of all, we've now got this great connection and a great story to share. Little stories like this continue to reinforce how small our world is thanks to the marvels of technology.

Who are your top 5 favorite bloggers?
Oooh, this is a great question and a very difficult one to answer. Off the top of my head:

Joanna Goddard of Another Cup of Jo puts out consistently great content. She's warm, personable and seems like a close, fabulous girlfriend. Love her!
Ronda Carman of All the Best is another exceptional blogger. Stepping into her world is like entering an exclusive partly loaded with socialites and influentials. Here's a woman who consistently interviews bold faced names worthy of Page Six exposure. I'd love to see her list of contacts!
For my fix of remarkably pretty photographs I can always rely on This is Glamorous. The name of the blog says everything you need to know. If you are seeking glamour, be sure to visit her online world. And don't miss her more fashion focused Glamorous Little Side Project.
Another favorite is Paloma's wonderful blog La Dolce Vita. She does indeed show us everything we need for a sweet life. With Paloma you read as much for her warmth as you do for her wonderful imagery. She's another one of those blogger friends that you know you could spend the day shopping and lunching with and never skip a beat.
And because I love travel, Jen Laceda's Folie à Deux is a must. Globetrotter, fashionista and all around wonderful person to connect with. I just love Jen!
You've asked for only five, but I could go on at length. There are so many quality blogs out there deserving more exposure. I may need to expand this into a post! :)

Who would you recommend for your followers on your blog to start following?
Obviously, Aneta of Bobbin Talk is a popular choice for any fashionista to follow. She mixes it up with morsels of travel and dashes of street fashion. But a bit off the beaten path I've found Carrie of Boomacious. She offers a look at the more glamorous side of life, and I often find myself drooling over the photographs on her site. More recently I'm also following you, Ginevra! It's fun discovering new ways to reach out and meet new people. The "follow" feature is new, but hold a lot of promise in my opinion. I'm looking forward to having more time to play with it!

Comments

[franki durbin]

Thank you so much for featuring me! It was a pleasure seeing my blog mentioned!

[Bobbin Talk]

Awww! Franki, thank you so much for mentioning BobbinTalk! I am very flattered! I agree with you. I have "met" so many people through my blog, it is an amazing platform for discovering the world and starting friendships!
xoxo
Aneta

[twitter.com/allthebestblog]

Wow! Franki!! Thank you so much for your kind words! You're the BEST!!
Ronda
xoxo

[citified.blogspot.com]

How perfectly lovely -- thanks so much, Franki!

xo