Friday Featured Blogger (7): Sophie from Mrs. Magoo Reads

Today's Friday Featured Blogger is special because she is not a new blogger. In fact, she is well established, and thus very knowledgeable in all aspects of blogging and blog promotion and the like. Please welcome Sophie from Mrs. Magoo Reads and listen to what she has to say!

Hey! Tell us about yourself in a few short sentences.

Hi! I'm Sophie, alias Mrs. Magoo, and I'm currently 13 years old, living in California (and sadly don't have any pets). Other than reading and blogging, I also like making jewelry and playing soccer.

Tell us about your blog. When did you start it and why? Where did the name come from? What interesting things can visitors expect?

I started blogging in August 2007 because I thought it would be cool just to have a blog. The name stemmed from the cartoon character "Mr. Magoo" (changing the Mr. to Mrs. because I'm a girl). Visitors can expect book reviews, movie reviews, author interviews, review videos, contests, and all around awesomeness!

What strategies have you used to promote your blog?

To be honest, I'm not fabulous at promoting my blog. I depend strongly on content. But I have a Twitter account and also use link exchanges to drive traffic.

Favorite authors?

JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Scott Westerfeld, Libba Bray...

How consistently do you follow other blogs and/or comment on them?

I try to follow most YA book blogs. If I visit a new blog, I almost always follow it (as long as there's a "follow" button. Sometimes I'm too lazy to copy and paste the URL). To be completely honest, I'm horrible at commenting. I try. I recently started making posts on Twitter, asking people to reply and I would then comment on their blogs. But I need to come up with a good system. Any suggestions?

Commenting back on commenters' comments (wow, say that 5 times fast) is always a start. Personally I just try to read every post that pops up in my Dashboard. You can imagine how tiring that gets after a while! So I'd say it's a tough balance.

Here's something easier: name 3 of your favorite books of all time and why you think everyone should read them.

Harry Potter series - I think this is kind of like the initiation into human culture.

Twilight - The initiation into teen culture. It's kind of embarrassing if you have to stand around while all of your friends scream about Edward Cullen.
Uglies - Not only is the plot fantastic, the novel is thought-provoking and inspiring.

What are some things you just LOVE to receive for presents? :)

Books, or course (or rather, gift cards to bookstores)! I also like to receive music related things, such as an iPod or an iTunes gift card.

What advice can you give bloggers who wish to promote their blogs?

Link exchanges work. Before I started doing link exchanges, NOBODY knew about me, but afterwards, people were visiting! Plus when you email somebody asking for an exchange, it can often lead to a series of emails that may end up helping you.

-

Thanks for answering my questions, Sophie! Be sure to check out her blog and say hello. She ALWAYS has sweet contests going on. :)