There’s No Age Limit for Wisdom

Today’s Featured Blogger: Andrew Galasetti of Lyved.com

Welcome to the fifth edition of The Next 30 Blogging Heroes series. Inspired by the book Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers by Michael A. Banks, this series will feature the next group of exceptional bloggers who are making an impact in the blogosphere.

These bloggers are getting their messages out there and having their voices heard. They have long-term goals and are working very each day to reach them. Blogging heroes create quality content and build a loyal, and very large, base of readers. This series will center on their best blogging practices as well as tips and advice.

The Next 45 Years is proud to welcome Andrew Galasetti of Lyved.com. Galasetti’s site is for anyone who wants to life to its fullest. What is remarkable about this blog is Andrew Galasetti is only nineteen-years-old. He shares his story on his About page. Andrew’s story is worth reading in order to understand how such a young man can understand so much about life so soon. His blog captures his insights very well.

What prompted you to start Lyved?

Since I was about fourteen years old I have been trying to become successful with various ventures. I really didn’t know what I was doing when I was younger, but I was just chasing the almighty dollar. As I got older, I pushed the money aside and was mostly focused on accomplishing a lot more than just earning a lot of money.

The last few months have really motivated me to launch Lyved. I was working on an internet venture with a business partner in November and December. It was becoming very successful and exciting. The future was looking very good. But then something very “bad” happened, I actually think it turned out to be one of the greatest things to happen to me. Our server crashed or was hacked and all our databases and information was lost. I knew we shouldn’t give up and rebuild everything, but my partner felt the opposite. He didn’t want to restructure everything because it would be too difficult. I didn’t want to give up, but I had to move on and get away from negativity like that.

I began to explore my options and had always wanted to start a blog because it seemed so interesting and thought I had a lot to share and learn about life and success. This happened in the middle of December so I wanted to move quickly so I could launch something in the new year. Within a few weeks I created Lyved and launched it on December 31, 2007, just a few hours before 2008.

What is the meaning of your blog’s name, Lyved?

The meaning of Lyved is when you grow old and look back at your life, you can rest peacefully knowing that you lived or lyved life. I used a “y” because I wanted a short and simple name that stood out and that people could remember.

Is this blog a part-time or full-time occupation for you?

I’m certainly not making enough money yet to really classify it as a full-time occupation, but I do consider as such. Lyved is always on my mind, whether I’m thinking of post ideas, networking with people, or reading to learn more. Besides Lyved, I am a full-time student and work part-time at another job, be even when I’m at either one, Lyved is on my mind.

If part-time, do you anticipate going full-time?

When advertising takes off on my site and I can make a sustainable income, I will definitely focus even more time on Lyved.

Are you achieving what you set out to do with the site?

Lyved is less than two months old and I’m already amazed that the amount of success I’ve accomplished already. I thought it would take many months to a year to get where I was within two weeks on its launch. But what I really set out to do was make people happy, think, learn, and be motivated. I have received many comments and emails from readers that I’ve accomplished that as well.

Where do you get your ideas for content?

My ideas most of the time just pop into my head. It’s usually something that’s been on my mind and can’t find the answer to elsewhere on the Internet. So I take it upon myself to answer it. Other times when I’m trying to come up with ideas I read other blogs, magazines, and watch TV. All those get your mind working and creative juices flowing.

What do you find to be the more difficult aspects of blogging?

The most difficult aspects are getting the word out and the back end of blogging. It can be difficult to get your name out there when there’s already something like 112 million blogs, according to Technorati. By backend I’m talking about how the site works, databases, php, plugins, things like that. I know a little bit but those are not my strongest talents.

What do you find gratifying about blogging?

Connecting with other people, be able to express myself the way I want, and making people think and act.

Do you do anything special to increase your readership?

I just write content that is interesting to people and helps bring them back for more. There’s no special tricks.

What are you future plans for Lyved?

I have very big plans for the future of Lyved. I hope to eventually turn it into a multi-author blog to get more view points. I hope to also launch a forum for the site, so readers can connect even more. Then from there, in the coming years I will turn Lyved into a media company so that other people that want to live life can be reached.

What advice can you offer other bloggers?

Make lots of friends online. Use social networks, email, and instant messaging to strike up conversations and seek help from other bloggers and your readers. You will need their help and opinions to get the word out and create interesting content.

Another very important thing for bloggers who are just starting out, is to do something for your blog everyday. Whether it be writing a post, emailing other bloggers, brainstorming ideas, reading other blogs, or even just thinking about your blog, it will be very beneficial.

Next week Peter of I Will Change Your Life is the next blogging hero.

Previous bloggers featured in this series:

• Tina Su of Think Simple Now

• John Wesley of PickTheBrain

• Leo Babauta of Zen Habits

• Ellesse Chow of Goal Setting College

If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe via RSS feed or by email updates.

Please browse our Must-Read Personal Development Bookstore or receive free marriage advice from Marriage Fitness: An Alternative to Counseling.

Helpful Blogging Resources

• Unique Blog Designs: As many of you know, I just completed a blog redesign. Matt and his team were excellent. They provided expert design advice as well as much need technical support. If you are ready to take your blog to the next level, I high recommend Unique Blog Designs.

• ProBlogger is an outstanding online resource for learning effective blogging tips. The site has many useful and relevant articles to help you build a better blog and to earn money, too.

• Michael A. Bank’s book Blogging Heroes is as informative as it is inspirational – a must-have reference book for serious bloggers.