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It’s time again for our weekly interview with a Mommy Blogger. We took a break from the series over the holidays and this is our first mom blogger feature of the new year. I’ve been asking these 20 questions to get a better idea of what mommy bloggers around the web are thinking and doing.

This week’s awesome mom blogger is Dana Adams of MrsMoneySaver.com (formerly known as FrugalinVirginia.com)

Dana Adams is married to her high school sweetheart, Ryan. She is a work-at-home mom to a spirited daughter, Sadie, and a newborn son, Jack. Dana lives in a tiny community near Charlottesville, Virginia.

1. How did you come to have your “mommy blog”? Was it planned that way or did it just accidentally sort of happen?

I started my blog as a way to share information on money saving with friends and family. It didn’t take long though to learn that I could grow it to bigger audience and also turn it into my own business.

2. Do you work outside the home or work from home? What are you currently working on?

I currently work from home, working part time on my blog.

3. Do you accept advertising and sponsorship on this blog? Why or why not?

Yes, I accept advertising and sponsorships on my blog. I offer a lot of useful information to my readers for free, but I put a lot of time into the site providing that content. In order to justify the amount of time I spend on it, I decided to earn an income through the site. I do try very hard to make sure the advertising is only a small part of my site, not overshadowing anything else I offer.

As a side note I want to say that I personally think that Dana has a nice balance as far as monetization goes. The site is not over run with ads and she points you towards things that are on topic.

4. Do you have a blog publishing schedule or do you just spontaneously blog as the mood strikes you?

Yes, I do have a publishing schedule for the weekly store deals I share. The rest of the content comes as the mood strikes and I have the time.

5. Do you consider your blog a business venture or just a mommy outlet for getting thoughts out of your head? Is it both?

Yes, I absolutely consider my blog a business. But at the same time, it also provides a wonderful creative outlet and opportunity for personal growth that I might not have otherwise. Before I started blogging, I felt like my brain was turning to mush staying at home with my baby. Not that I didn’t love being a stay at home mom, but I felt I needed something more to keep me sharp.

6. How do you feel about paid blogging and it’s impact on the mommy blogger community?

I’m okay with paid blogging as long as it’s disclosed and the blog posts are written honestly and with an authentic voice. If you aren’t writing with integrity, your readers will eventually see through you, and you won’t be able to sustain traffic. It’s a lose/lose situation for both the blogger and companies involved if the readers can’t trust your voice.

7. Do you talk about your family in any depth of detail on your blog? Do they know about it and do they read your blog?

I occasionally talk about my children and husband, but typically only when it’s related to my blog’s topic of frugality. My husband writes for my blog sometimes too, usually sharing some more details about our family life.

8. Do you use real names and include pictures of your children on your blog? What brought you to that decision?

Yes, I use real names and pictures, but I keep the picture sharing to a minimum and am very careful about the pictures I do post. I guess my thinking has always been, why not share those things? If someone really wanted to see my children or find us, they could.

9. What really inspires you to blog? My desire to help families live well on less.

10. Has a comment on your blog ever made you cry?

Yes, occasionally I’ll get a comment that makes me cry a little. The stories people share of how my site helped them get out of incredibly tough financial situations always touch me.

11. Do you read and comment on other mommy blogs frequently? Do those bloggers visit your blog and comment as well?

I read several other mom blogs each day, and I like to join in their conversations by commenting when I have time. Some of those bloggers visit my site as well and actively participate by commenting.

12. Name one thing about your lifestyle that blogging has changed or impacted?

I think I’m more organized and purposeful with my time than I used to be, because of the increased work load.

13. Has blogging led to other things online for you? (such as business ventures, job offers, additional blogs etc….)

Yes, it has. Currently, I have teamed up with two other bloggers to organize a mom blogger’s conference scheduled for October 2010. I also have something exciting in the works that including blogging on a company’s site, but as of the time I’m writing this, I can’t share any more details!

14. What mommy blogger myth or misconception annoys you the most? What do you want to say to those people, even if you bite your tongue?

The myth that bothers me the most is that we’re a bunch of moms who are willing to work for free. While that may be true of some, most of us find our time valuable and need to be paid accordingly.

15. Have you been contacted by media or PR reps because of your blog? Is that something you’re interested in and enjoy, or not so much?

Yes, I am contacted on a daily basis by PR reps. I really enjoy that side of the blogging business. I like making those contacts, learning about their companies, and forming partnerships.

16. Were the technical aspects of getting started a hurdle for you?

Absolutely. I knew so little about the technical side of it when I started. Really, I still have a lot to learn. My husband knows much more than I do, and has helped me out a tremendous amount with the technical side of things.

17. What blogging platform do you use and why did you choose that platform?

I switched to Wordpress several months ago after over a year on Blogger. It’s been a great move. I’ve found Wordpress to be much easier to customize and navigate. Plus, I feel like it has a bit of a cleaner look.

18. What three things do you *need* to have for your blog? (Plugins, tools, etc…)

Feedburner, spam blocker plugin, and a stat counter.

19. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

I love being able to provide useful information to families that will hopefully have a positive effect on their budgets.

20. What advice do you have for someone that wants to break into blogging and has never done anything online before?

It takes time. First, it takes time to blog well. Lots of it, especially if you want to grow it into a business. Be sure you’re aware of the time commitment. Second, it takes time to grow an audience. Don’t get discouraged.

I agree with that 110%, blog content certainly doesn’t write and publish itself and you need a little time investment to get things rolling along.

Head on over to Dana’s blog MrsMoneySaver.com and sign up for her feed to keep up with what she’s doing and learn how to save a lot of money each and every week on your household shopping. I know I’ve learned quite a few things since I started following her blog, including how to work out those drugstore deals that everyone is always buzzing about on Twitter.

Speaking of Twitter, you can follow Dana there @MrsMoneysaver and check out the deals that she tweets as well. If you’re a tweet addict like myself, I’ve created a list at Twitter of all our 20 Questions with Mommy Bloggers interviewees so you can find them and follow them easily http://twitter.com/retta719/mommybloggers Of course, I’ll be adding to that as we go along and updating each week.

I hope you are enjoying the 20 Questions with Mommy Bloggers series as much as I am. If you’d like be interviewed or recommend your favorite mommy blogger for the series please send an email to retta.oliver@gmail.com and let me know.

Happy Blogging!

P.S. Learn how to plan, set up, and blog your way through your very own Blog World Tour from Nicole Dean.

Nicole gives you step by step guidance on how to plan your blogging tour, and to top it all off she provides you with all the resources you need laid out for you. There’s even a sample email to help you explain the tour idea to the bloggers you want to work with.

If that’s not enough this guide and planner is packed full of juicy blogging tidbits. You’ll be able to generate blog post ideas for your tour in no time flat, you’ll have an easy to use spreadsheet handy to keep you organized, and you’ll be able to build links and grow your readership like you never imagined possible.