Kevin Muldoon has been working online since 2000. Therefore, he has 16 years of experience under his belt. From a domain trader to a content marketing specialist, Kevin is nothing but full of inspiration. He has used his blogging skills to earn from Internet. Being self-employed via the internet has also given him the opportunity to travel the world doing what he loves.
The best thing about this guy is his humble way of talking. During my interview, I never felt inadequate or out-of-place. He has proper chill in him. He is smooth like Scottish whisky whereas his content is as crisp as a Walkers’ shortbread. All in all, he is a fellow from whom you can learn a lot of cool thing.
So, let’s read his interview and see what he has to say.
Cloudways: Kevin, tell our readers a bit about yourself. When did you start your career as a blogger ? What are your work related interests?
Kevin: Hi everyone.
My name is Kevin Muldoon. I am a blogger and internet marketer who has been working on the internet since 2000.
I was one of the first people to use blogging platforms, such as WordPress. I used to write blog style articles on the discussion forums I owned, but it was not until around 2006 that I started blogging on a daily basis. Since then I have blogged regularly.
I mainly make money through affiliate marketing, freelance writing, and advertising revenue on the websites I own.
Cloudways: You’re a successful blogger. What would you suggest to newbies who choose blogging as a career ? What was your motivation to start your career as a blogger.
Kevin: I would tell them to go for it.
There really is nothing stopping someone from being a blogger. Visual editors mean that people can start a blog with no technical knowledge and there are a number of free blogging services that allow you to publish blogs free of charge.
That being said, aspiring bloggers should be under no illusion of the hard work that is required of them. Building a successful blog does not happen overnight. It can taken anything from six months to a couple of years before a blog is profitable.
Getting to the point where a blog is profitable requires a lot of hard work. It can be discouraging to blog for such a length of time without seeing any reward for it. Due to this, you need to be passionate about blogging in order to succeed.
When I started blogging I had been making money online for many years and I continued to make money from other websites I owned. This gave me a head start in many ways as I already had experience running websites.
Cloudways: You’re director of Content Marketing at Next Level Leads. What are your responsibilities ? What would you suggest for high quality Content Marketing?
Kevin: That project is actually on standby at the moment whilst me and my friends work on other projects. It is something we may return to at a later date.
Cloudways: There are lots of CMS in the market. When did you discover WordPress? And what were the reasons to choose WordPress for most of your blogs?
Kevin: I must have tried hundreds of different scripts that were listed on HotScripts. I used many free and premium content management scripts.
I had a real love for PHP based CMS solutions that integrated well with discussion software such as vBulletin. I frequently used PostNuke and PHPNuke for projects.
I tried WordPress shortly after it was released, but the first blogging script I used regularly was Serendipity. At the time I found it to be a better script for publishing blog posts. Over time, WordPress became a much better solution, but in its early development it was just one of many blogging scripts available and it really didn’t do anything that the competition wasn’t doing.
Cloudways: You have a WordPress related forum “www.riseforums.com”. What made you start your own WordPress forum to help the WordPress Community?
Kevin: I started developing discussion forums very early in my career. In 2001 I had an active football related forum that had over 30,000 members. I also run many different webmaster, design, and affiliate related discussion forums.
In 2003/2004 I started a successful poker community that was very successful.
What many people may not realise is that I have ran communities helping WordPress users for years. When I launched BloggingTips.com in 2007, it had a discussion forum in which I helped bloggers with WordPress and blogging related problems.
When I launched WPMods in 2010, it also had a discussion forum. Every week I helped WordPress users with their projects.
So I have been helping WordPress users through online communities for over nine years at this point and prior to that I had helped other website owners through other communities I owned.
After selling WPMods in 2012, I missed being part of a community, so the idea of launching another community for fellow website owners was always there. I have always preferred connecting to people using discussion forums than social media services such as Twitter and Facebook. So it was inevitable that I would launch something like Rise Forums.
Cloudways: You’ve attended many WordCamps. Please let our readers know how they’re beneficial for WordPress Communities?
Kevin: I have actually only been to one WordCamp: WordCamp Europe 2015 in Seville.
I didn’t think the talks were great at WordCamp. The speakers were superb and the event was well organised. I just feel that the content was a bit misplaced. Most of the talks focused on beginner topics when most attendees were experienced WordPress users.
However, the real benefit of WordCamps is to meet fellow WordPress enthusiasts. Events like these help the community connect and can form friendships that will last for years. This greatly helps the WordPress community as a whole as it allows WordPress users to meet and contribute to the development of WordPress.
Cloudways: You’ve met Pere Hospital, CEO of Cloudways. How was the experience ? 🙂
Kevin: Pere is a wonderful character who is fun, polite, and enthusiastic about his work. I had a fantastic trip with him and I’m looking to sharing a beer with him at this year’s event.
Cloudways: You’ve been in the blogging arena since a long time. Who do you consider your best buddies throughout your career ?
Kevin: I have been blogging regularly for ten years so I have made a lot of connections over that time. I do not speak regularly with fellow bloggers, not as much as I used to. I do still chat to Zac Johnson from time to time, but I mostly connect with fellow bloggers such as Joe Fylan and Brian Jackson through RiseForums.
Cloudways: Blogging is a tough job, but everyone wants to be relaxed. What do you do in your free time?
Kevin: I train in Brazilian Jiujitsu about five times a week and do the odd boxing and muay thai class too to stay fit. It is important to stay healthy and when you work on the internet I believe it is also important to get out of the house and socialise with other humans 🙂
Cloudways: Kevin, you’re going to attend WordCamp in Austria. What are your plans and expectations?
Kevin: I’m hoping to book a few extra days before and after the event so that I can do some sightseeing as I have never visited Austria before. I love travelling and I love experiencing new cultures so I want to do as much as I can when I am there.
I also hope to meet many fellow WordPress enthusiasts and catch up with some of the people I met at last year’s event. It’s going to be a fun trip 🙂
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Cloudways: You’ve been in business of domain buying and selling. How would you compare traditional web hostings with optimized, managed and 1-click application installer cloud hostings like Cloudways ?
Kevin: I was involved in actively buying and selling domains between 2000 and 2003. I moved away from that area as it became too competitive and, quite frankly, it became quite boring. I only sell domains associated with websites now and I don’t sell websites as much as I used to.
I have used many different hosting services over the years. I think it is great that there are solutions available for experienced users and managed services that allow anyone, regardless of their technical experience, to host a website.
If hosting companies can simplify their service, they should. Services shouldn’t be overly technical for the sake of it. That is why I appreciate the presence of user-friendly services that simplify the process of hosting a website.
Cloudways: Just to humor our readers, can you please send us an image of what your desk or workspace looks like? 🙂
Kevin: I sometimes use my Windows laptop downstairs in my kitchen or in my living room.
My main office starts off tidy but then becomes messy over time. I use my office for blogging, maintaining my websites, and producing videos for YouTube. Therefore I always have a lot of equipment lying around 🙂
Mustaasam Saleem
Mustaasam is the WordPress Community Manager at Cloudways. Where he actively works and loves sharing his knowledge with the WordPress Community. When he is not working, you can find him playing squash with his friends, or defending in Football, and listening to music.
