Big Fat Daddy's is Blogging: How the Social Networking Bug Bit This Baltimore Business Owner

I never thought I'd see the day Wayne Mark Schafer of Big Fat Daddy's wanted to change his website from a business format to a user friendly personal Blogger format. When he told me that he wanted to put up pictures of his real life, his dog, and his top secret family recipes, I was in shock. That's what he wanted, and so I helped him do so. What I often wondered was why?

At 47, Schafer is a barbecue guru and private caterer, who travels in six states selling his Texas style pit beef at fairs, festivals, and Kansas City Barbecue Society events. He is working towards three decades in the business, and although he knows all about cuts of beef, and how to season them, his computer is a bigger challenge.

Schafer laughs, "This has been my biggest challenge in life. I admit it came in steps, and sometimes I still want to type with one finger on each hand."

So why would Schafer who is already booked a year in advance with a solid schedule even care about blogging? He hardly has any open dates to take new clientele, and his old website could not keep up with t-shirt orders. Schafer's company has a huge list of credentials including mentions in Rachael Ray magazine, The Baltimore Sun, Northern Virginia Dailey, The New York Times, Stephen Raichlein's BBQ books, and Saveur Magazine. Seems odd that now he wants to blog.

Schafer explains his main goal was to be more interactive and personal with his readers so they viewed him more of a person and not a business entity. Schafer says, "I spend a lot of time on my laptop, and I look up recipes and what people are up to. More and more people have turned their websites into blogs where they keep their customers or fans up to date on what they are doing. I liked that idea. I found that I was putting a name to a face and learning more about them. I would like to say I'm innovative and on top of things but as for social networking, I've discovered I'm really far behind."

Schafer continues, " I thought it may be nice to share some of my own recipes to the public, and some grilling tips. Much of what I cook at fairs and festivals is my business, but at home I try to whip up low calorie healthier option meals. I lost 100 pounds and I want people to know there is a balance between eating beef and barbecue and salads. Fair food is great in moderation but no one should live on it seven days a week. I want people to know that my biggest love is cooking, and to know me, the man behind the beef."

Schafer's blog is still new in comparison to others, but does contain some of his own and family recipes for free, for others to try and savor. Who would have though red beans and rice or pork chops and brussel sprouts would end up on a barbecue blog?

With so many social networking options like Word Press blogs, Squidoo, Twitter and Facebook often wonders why he would choose Blogger? Schafer says, "Ease of use and I love Google. The format is so easy my three year old dog could do it. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a lot of time because I'm self employed. When I do have time it's nice to throw up something on my blog from my laptop, no matter where I'm at. I often write in hotel rooms."

When asked about the other forms of social networking Schafer indicates he doesn't' do much with them. "With a blog you can network your blog posts that into your Facebook, and throw up a post on your Twitter. I don't tweet and I'm horrible at using my Facebook, but the point is, all this social networking doesn't have to be hard or take a lot of time. For me,I only spend about thirty minutes a week. I do admit it was baby steps though, my first big success was learning how to take, upload and crop photos. Now I'm blogging and sharing recipes and what once scared me to do seems easy. I guess it's never too late to teach an old dog like me some new tricks."

There has been much debate with people who ask if a site or a blog is better. It boils down to personal preference. Professional website may appear more professional looking. Big Fat Daddy's was previously using Verizon for their site, and had #1 Google placement due to years of views. Moving to a blog lost some placement for Schafer, but he is hopeful. Blogs often assign a different page URL to each post may which may be a positive benefit. He can now appeal to the blogging community and people who look up his website directly.

Instead of a site being stagnant, the front page of the blog is constantly changing and moving which may enable more content to be picked up by search engines. Proper tagging of titles, good content and blog labels are fields that may help grow your customers and not bore them.

Schafer chose to keep his own website address which sends visitors right to his blog. There are pros and cons of redirecting or cloaking your site in this manner that may hinder or impact search engines from finding you. When in doubt, be sure to read the plethora of free tutorials online to see what's best for you and how to proceed. Schafer says, "Social networking used to be the wave of the future, but now I'm living in the present and I want to go down in the internet books of life."