Discovered by a Greeter: An Interview with Kaili Bisson

Melbel, a member of the Greeter team on HubPages, discovered Kaili Bisson a couple weeks back and was immediately impressed by her beautifully formatted and wonderfully composed Hubs. One thing that sets Kaili Bisson apart from other new Hubbers is the fact that, in addition to quickly getting involved with community programs, she has made an effort to contribute new resources to HubPages- as well as the online community at large- by doing things like sharing her photos on Wikimedia Commons.

I, too, have become a Kaili Bisson fan, so we thought it would be fun to feature this promising new Hubber in our ongoing Discovered by a Greeter interview series! Read on to learn more about this fun, talented, and enthusiastic new Hubber.

Simone: You have shared that writing helps you relax- do you have any particular process you follow when you write a Hub (or something else) that is particularly regenerative?

Kaili Bisson: The wonderful thing about writing as a means to relax is that there isn’t a lot of process. The environment that I work in is very structured, and is full of processes and procedures. So I like to run screaming from that when my day is done. That isn’t to say that good writing doesn’t involve a process, it’s just a far more creative one.

I often find that simply putting my feet up and jotting a few words or ideas down on paper allows my brain to focus on other things…or on nothing. From those few words or ideas come more words, pictures, memories of tastes and smells, then more ideas. It’s pretty relaxing, especially if the process also happens to include a nice glass of wine and some music.

Are your interests in music, cooking, golf, and gardening related to your career?

Only in the sense that they are now potential subjects for my new-found career on HubPages. I consider them to be pleasant diversions and hobbies, is all. Though, if I had listened to my father and had actually worked at my golf game when he was trying to teach me so many years ago, who knows where I could have ended up career-wise? Often in the summer I have to make the difficult choice between playing in the dirt, as I like to call gardening, or going and hitting balls. In either case, you can be sure I’ll have my camera close at hand…I’m such a tourist.

Many Hubbers use images that people have shared on Wikimedia Commons, but you, going by the handle Greenlamplady, have contributed photos to the site! I think that’s the coolest- and a great way to give back online. What inspired your generous donation, and what tips might you offer to other Hubbers who might be willing to share their images on Wikimedia Commons?

I have always had an interest in photography, and I really enjoy the freedom these point-and-shoot digitals provide. These days especially, my camera is never far away as I am always thinking about my next Hub. My husband doesn’t even comment anymore when I’m taking a picture of something odd – food on the kitchen counter, ants on the peonies – as he knows it is for a Hub.

I think original photos really add credibility to Hubs, but it isn’t always possible to have a photo handy that supports what you are writing about. Wikimedia Commons has proven to be a great source of photos for my Hubs, so I thought it was appropriate that I share some of mine with others. It really is easy and takes little time. Hubbers might want to consider what sorts of photos they have in their digital collections that could be the “aha!” shots other Hubbers are searching for.

Your garden Hubs are absolutely beautiful. What has inspired them?

Thank you Simone. I love gardening, and it is something that I know a fair bit about, so it is a relatively easy subject for Hubs. I have a real green thumb outdoors, but I am a complete menace to houseplants. Anything indoors ends up dying from neglect or overwatering.

What first brought you to HubPages? What are your future HubPages plans?

I was just poking around on the internet one day, and there it was. I don’t even recall exactly how I found it, but I did some reading, liked what I read and signed up. HubPages provides the perfect forum for sharing thoughts, ideas, burning questions – and peony photos.

The thing I came to realize very quickly was that HubPages is a real community. Everyone has been very welcoming and encouraging. People really support each other’s work too, by sharing Hubs or tweeting them. I think that’s so cool.

I am really motivated to improve my writing skills generally, and learn more about online writing, since this is my first foray into that realm. I am trying to learn as fast as I can about keywords, keyword density, SEO and all these related terms, most of which I had never even heard of up until a few weeks ago. So I’ll be sticking around.

Is there any particular message that you want to get across through your Hubs? What is your aim in developing an online writing portfolio?

I don’t know that I have one particular message, maybe lots of different ones depending on the Hub. I intend to write about anything and everything, and have tried to create a Hub for the “Weekly Topic Inspiration” ever since I figured out what that was about. The one on appliances had my muse disappear on me though, I’ll admit.

My aim in developing a portfolio is to have fun while sharing ideas and information. If I can help someone who may be looking for tips on a particular topic, or maybe just brighten someone’s day by including pleasant photos in my Hubs, that’s a bonus. Would I love to be able to do this as a full-time career? You bet!

Even though you are relatively new to HubPages, you have published gorgeous Hubs and are involved with the community and special programs, such as Weekly Topic Inspiration. Is there anything in particular that has contributed to this great start on the site? What tips might you offer to other newbies?

Thank you. When I decided to join HubPages, I figured the best way to learn how to write online was to jump in with both feet and devote as much time as I possibly could to writing. Hubbers have responded to my work, and this has really been so gratifying. As I mentioned earlier, it really is a community and I think most people just naturally start helping and encouraging others when people are helping and encouraging them.

As far as tips, I would suggest that newbies focus on what they are knowledgeable about or have a real interest in. This will help them get their first few Hubs done quickly. Before they publish a Hub, they should be sure to proofread and edit it. Get involved in the community. And most of all have fun!