Edinburgh bloggers – Miss Smidge

Who are you and what do you do?

I am Smidge (my nickname from my Dad as a child). I have lived in Edinburgh for 15 years since I came here for university and have now made the city my home. I have recently returned to university part time to complete another Masters; this time in climate change and sustainable buildings. I may sound like a greeny, but I am afraid like everyone else I don’t always practice what I preach.

What made you start writing a blog?

I have always written diaries since I was a child and have been blogging for about 6 years in various locations. I set up Miss-Smidge in my current home in 2008.

What purpose is your blog serving?

I love writing but I never do enough of it outside of work or university, so my blog is my outlet for my creative talents (or lack of them). I blog about my life in Edinburgh, where I eat out (which I do a lot), fashion, furniture and pretty things in between more personal diary entries. I am also writing a novel set in Edinburgh of which I occasionally post snippets.

Why did you choose WordPress/Blogger or other platform?

I have used both platforms, but since getting my own web address I host my blog with WordPress mainly for the functionality and ease of use. I also like being able to get at my own code, something that you can’t do without your own hosting.

Do your visitor numbers matter to you? Would you tell us what they are?

Of course! Blogging is all about interaction, I love seeing people responding to what I have written.

I get over 100 unique visitors a day, but this is dependent on the topic. My most popular post to date was about my about adoption and the campaign to help save the adoption charity which helped my parents adopt me over 30 years ago. It was read by over 500 people, which although we failed to save the charity it made me proud that I’d tried.

What do you think you could do to improve your blog?

Probably less ranting and more pretty things, but I find my readers respond to reading about my day to day personal life a lot more than restaurant reviews or photos of my new sideboard!

What plans do you have for the future of your blog?

No plans but to carry on. Blogging is a part of my life I couldn’t give up.

Through blogging I have met some amazing people from all over the country. In fact, we now regularly meet up – I am busy organising the next meet in Edinburgh in May. The meet ups are about getting to know your fellow bloggers away from the computer screen and having a great time in my favourite city!

Readers please note that Miss Smidge is so shy she would not give us a photo of herself – but allowed us to use one of her own photos instead!