Interview of Andrew Galasetti of Lyved

One of the things that I enjoy most about blogging is that it has given me the opportunity to meet people of all walks of life and from all the parts of the globe. Andrew Galasetti is much younger than I am in age but I have started to feel that he is one of my heroes after visiting his website http://www.lyved.com/aboutpage/ . He is only 20 years old but has the maturity of a middle aged man. Andrew lives in USA but he has perhaps the background of a young man of South Asia because of his life struggle. The other day, I emailed him some questions and I received prompt answer from him. Here is the interview for the readers:

Razib Ahmed: Your life is full of struggles and you are still very young. I got interested to interview you because many young people in my part of the world have similar challenges. When we think of USA then a very rosy picture comes in front of us thanks to MTV and Hollywood. How much do you know about South Asian countries? What image comes to your mind when you hear about countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh?
Andrew Galasetti: I know a little bit about South Asia, but not a whole lot. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear about countries like India and Pakistan; I think of culture. I know the people of these countries have a lot of ancient traditions that they still practice today.

Razib Ahmed: Why did you start bloggine (Lyved)? Any particular reason for selecting the name “Lyved”?
Andrew Galasetti: I started Lyved right after a business I was working on failed. I didn’t want to quit, so I decided I wanted to help people and the best way I knew how was through the internet and through writing. I originally wanted to call the blog Lived, but Lived.com was taken. So I replaced the “i” with a “y.” It means that you’ve lived life.

Razib Ahmed: Your blog just passed 1 year of time and it generated huge traffic. What is your secret of success in blogging?
Andrew Galasetti: There are really no secrets to blogging, but for me, being different is the most important. If you want to stand out, you have to write articles unlike anything out there. I approach different popular subjects with a unique view that gets people thinking. When you get people thinking, then you get people talking, and when you get people talking. you get them acting and sharing your post links around.

Razib Ahmed: What advice would you like to give to a new blogger?
Andrew Galasetti: Don’t blog because you want to make money. You should never start something just because you think you can make a lot of money. I learned this the hard way. Also, don’t let criticism hurt you. There will be people commenting on your articles that try to attack you or insult you, but you must brush them off.

Razib Ahmed: Many people think that blogging is very easy. Do you have anything to say to them?
Andrew Galasetti: Blogging is easy. Blogging successfully is difficult. Anyone can set up a blog and start typing, but to get readers and make people think, it takes a lot of work.

Razib Ahmed: Many bloggers are not keen to reveal too many details about their personal background in their blogs. I can see that you are an exception. What led you to do that?

Andrew Galasetti: My blog is about life so I needed to share information about my own. It helps me connect with readers on a much more personal level. And that’s what blogging is all about.

Razib Ahmed: In Lyved, you allow other people to write their entries and in return, they get maximum 3 links back to their own website and blogs. What kind of content do you like to publish in Lyved?
Andrew Galasetti: I only like to publish content that is different, positive, and gets people thinking. There’s no specific subject that Lyved sticks to, except life.

Razib Ahmed: What is your future plan about Lyved? Do you want to open your own blog network or just focus on expanding Lyved?
Andrew Galasetti: My goal is to turn it into an internet magazine with multiple authors and have it grow to millions of readers a month. I was thinking about launching a blog network, but Lyved covers a lot of topics already, so there’s no need.

Razib Ahmed: Can you share some details about personal and educational background with us?
Andrew Galasetti: Right now I’m 20 years; I attend college, and work part-time while running Lyved.