Interview: DiTesco of iBlogZone

I done stalked and trapped me my second interview victim! Drum roll, please... it's DiTesco of iBlogZone! DiTesco, thanks for the fabulous interview. It was a ton of fun for me. You are a joy and a pleasure. I should probably release you from under my golf cart now.... nah.


Heather: I have to know. From where did the name DiTesco come? How should your readers address you?

DiTesco: This is amazing, haha. After a little over one year of blogging, you are the very first person that actually asked me that. I would never have imagined. Anyway, DiTesco comes from the Latin word that means "To Be Rich", lol. I came up with this alias at the time I started to blog. Why? Not really sure, but there is this thing about me and Latin words. Take my consulting company, it is called Arcanus, which is also Latin and means "Secret Society". By secret, I don't mean dubious or anything like that, just the fact that I am a consultant and I keep all my clients information confidential, hence secret. How should people address me? Francisco (my real name), Frankie (my nick) and of course DiTesco. I'm good with anyone of them.

I like Latin words as well. They exude poetry, mystery and power. You are a consultant? What are your services and to whom do you offer them?

Yes, I am a Management Consultant. I offer my services to small and medium size companies that require assistance in several areas. These include but not limited to, Company Incorporation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financing, Business Plan Preparations, Special Audits (Internal Control & Fraud), CRM, etc. My business is mainly concentrated to local companies. I do have some clients from Russia, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Most of them are off-shore companies that are particularly interested in investing in Real Estate and Fund Management.

Wow, I had no idea! When you say local companies do you mean Portuguese companies? What is the best way for interested parties to contact you regarding your Management Consulting services?

Yes. Local means Portuguese companies. And as for contacting me for consulting services, anyone could send me a direct email at fperez at grupo-arcanus dot com. Ironically, I never did put the time to set up a website for my company. I fortunately never needed one. All my marketing activities are by sending direct emails to potential clients and word of mouth. You see, before I decided to go "solum" (solo), I had another company called "Inter Alia" (among other things). This company provided accounting services and I used the existing client base to leverage this for Arcanus. I later closed this company. Another thing worth mentioning is that I occupied several executive positions before. I was Chief Operating Officer of AIG (American International Group - Life Division), General Manger Of Sensormatic, Chief Financial Officer of Banesto Insurance, etc. I met many great people and now I work with them:)

Well I'll be a monkey's aunt! Who knew? I just assumed you came into being via Twitter and manifested your DiTesconess and SEO brilliance through iBlogZone.com. It seems as though you've got a wealth of business experience under your belt. (How do you say knock me over with a feather in Portuguese?) Did you first experience the internet as a business application, or as a personal one?

Thanks for the compliment:) As far as the internet is concerned, I really do not remember, but I am betting that it was for Business purposes. My blog, on the other hand, did start as a personal/business adventure. I did not want it to be purely personal so I tried to find a way to balance it with business. Bingo, online business by sharing my personal experience and opinion. This is obviously easier said than done. At inception everything was really a mess, and after way too much of trial and errors, I finally settled with iBlogZone.

There were two things that I had in mind when I took my first steps to blogging. First, was more of a personal challenge. I wanted to know and prove to myself that it was possible to make a difference and succeed online. Second, and this really did not take long to decide, was how to achieve the first goal:) I did what I constantly say in most of the ideas I share with my readers, that is, I acted on every single thing I learned. As with my offline experience, I had mentors which were kind enough to take the time to share their wisdom, and online was no exception. Countless people are out there that are willing to help. You just have to find them:)

I agree, DiTesco. We hear so much about the creeps and cretins in cyberspace, but not so much about all of the fabulous, helpful people just waiting for us to engage them. You strike me as a driven person. Like once you get your eye on the prize you are off like a racehorse and don't stop until you cross the finish line. What would you say drives you to succeed?

What drives me most is that wonderful feeling that in a way I am able to help people that I do not even know or met it my life. Receiving their feedback through their thoughtful comments gives me the sensation that I am not alone and that there is someone actually reading what I have to say. That feeling of having accomplished something no matter how big or small it is, is just awesome, as I truly believe that "every bit counts". All in all, this translates into gaining a reputation and credibility. After that, everything else just comes in naturally. That's what success means to me:)

What do you think sets you apart in the world of reputation and credibility? Is there more to it than simple consistency?

Although I would like to think that I had built a pretty good reputation and credibility, things is, I really do not know. However, there are some signs that will lead someone to believe that his/her word matters. For example, I always made it a point to recommend only things that will actually provide value for my visitors. If you have noticed, on every blog post I have, you will rarely see an affiliate link. Why? Because I do not want people to think that all I'm doing is to lure them to buy something from me. Sure I've got ads, but that is a given:) I rather make money online from advertisers and not from my readers.

Let me give an example. There was this guy who bought a hosting package once and I told him that it was a pity that he did not buy it from my affiliate link. His answer was, where is the link, haha. How silly of me. Next day he sent me an email asking me if I have an affiliate link for a theme he wanted to buy. I told him Yes, and he bought it from me, without me asking. Now, this is something that you do not achieve out of sheer consistency.

Another example. I have this new found friend, where we started completely on the wrong foot (she bullied me at first sight, haha). We had a small confrontation and then she told me that getting to know someone is a learning curve. I respected that and we built our relationship based on interaction, exchanging ideas, sharing our thoughts, respecting each other and countless other things. Today, she has sealed that trust and credibility with me. Now, I am betting that as soon as she reads this, she will know who I am talking about, yay...


Well let's hope she reads this interview! I've got three regular readers, you, my husband Dennis and my Mom - so if you aren't talking about my Mom we're sunk. ;-) Have you ever been moved by a piece of art in such a way that it altered or enhanced your philosophy of life?

Nope. Can't say I have. Don't get me wrong though. I like art but, but merely for appreciation. It never really moved me that much. Now, I have these two cute little young devils, whom I can say are a work of art. Those guys did change my way of life. Oh well, they totally deserve it. I am a "drooling" Dad, what can I say, LOL.

Aww, you are a Daddy? How old are your kids? And are we talking human or are you a doggy Daddy?

Actually both, lol. I am both human and a doggy Daddy. My eldest is 13 (the intellectual) and youngest is 10 (the terrorist). As for the four legged companions, one German Shepherd and a Cocker Spaniel. They all get along just fine, hehe

Sounds like your home is filled with lots of noise and madness and fun! Do you and your boys listen to the same kind of music? How about the dogs? ;-)

I would like it to be that way, but unfortunately I only get to see me kids during the weekends. They live with their mom and it is about a 300 KM drive. In a way, it is good, because we spend quality time during 48 hours (almost non-stop), hehe. Fortunately we share pretty much the same taste as it comes, to eating at McDonalds, playing bowling, video games, golf and yeah, we all go nuts listening to the same kind of music when in my car. Basically R&B, Hip-Hop, POP, you know, what else could it be:)

The dogs do live with me. Angel, my German Shepherd sings (maybe howls), every time my mobile rings. She thinks that she is a serious contender to Beyonce or something because she will do this until the ringing stops. They do drive me crazy.

What else could it be? GOOD music, for starters. Alternative Rock, Blues, Classic Rock. *sigh* DiTesco, DiTesco, DiTesco... I will forgive you for this. I always thought it would be so hard to be separated from one's children so I am sorry for that, but it sounds like the three of you (or five of you?) make the most of your time together and that there is no shortage of love. Are you a good bowler or a gutter baller like myself? And what do you order at McDonalds? I get the southern chicken sandwich or small cheeseburgers with those fabulous dehydrated onions. Yum!

Thanks (for forgiving me), hehe. Those type of music, I like too, but my kids prefer the "cool" ones as they say. Well on weekends, that will be the three of us only and that is quality time. Believe me, I have friends that are so busy, they leave home before the kids do and come back when the kids are already sleeping. Then on weekends they do things that they did not do during the week, so it you account for hours, I get to spend more time with my kids than most do.

Am I a good bowler? How does an average of 98 sound to you. That of course includes me going all the way down the lane and kicking some pins with my foot:) Kids are OK, for their level.

We vary every time we go there, so we do not get tired of it. Big Macs, 1/4 pounder, nuggets (love those babies) and anything else hamburger. The choices in Portugal are different from that of the US.


I don't know if 98 is good or bad, to be honest! But I like the image of you kicking the pins with your foot. I'll bet your sons enjoy that spectacle as well. I'm not at all familiar with Portuguese food. What is a sample breakfast, lunch and dinner? DiTesco style, of course.

My kids say that it is cheating:) Anyway, moving on. I like to stay fit, so bacon and sausages for breakfast, a nice pasta for lunch and a fried chicken for dinner with a lot of french fries, haha - just kidding. Really, Balut for breakfast, I skip lunch and eat tripes for dinner, ewww, kidding again. Seriously? No breakfast, just yogurt and coffee, very light lunch, usually a sandwich and I'll abuse a little during dinner with a variety of things, nothing fancy or anything in particular.

You totally had me there with the balut thing! Seriously, you sound so... normal. I pictured you living on a diet of Red Bull and fancy Portuguese power bars. On that note, what is your favorite vice?

Yeah. Depending on what the definition of normal is, I'm as normal as they can be, LOL. Vice? Complicated, too many bad habits, some of which I prefer not to disclose:) You know, its a male thing, hehe. Anyway, one thing that I must do every single day is my 30 minutes workout, right after the "bacon and sausages":) If I don't do it, I will get grumpy the whole day. It has been one of those things "I can not live without" daily routine. On weekends, my vice are the kids. Nothing else.. BTW, Red Bull "on the rocks" is mind boggling:)

Oh, what a cop-out! I ask you about vices and you give me workouts and spending time with the kids? That's okay, now we are all picturing something ten times worse than your vice probably is. Heh. :) What is your Twitter philosophy and game plan?

OK. Let the "vices" be a product of imagination:)

Moving on. I really don't have a game plan, per say, but my philosophy on using Twitter (on my main account) is to build relationships, interact with people who have the same interest as me and also use it as a promotional tool. By promotional tool, I mean using Twitter as a means to share interesting articles, blog posts, News, and anything else that to help the online community. As an example, a mutual friend of ours, Holly, has began Irma's tour and that it something I am Retweeting and promoting as much as possible.

I also use Twitter to promote my online business and other bonafide services or products from third parties. Although I do this, I have set up different and special accounts just for this purpose.

That makes sense. I know you also participate in BlogEngage, and Mahalo, and other social networking sites. With so many available, what is your criteria for picking and choosing the ones you will devote your precious time to, and how do you manage that time?

One of the criteria I use for picking social sites are those that I believe will bring value to me and the community as a whole. My favorite is BlogCatalog. It is a great community of bloggers and I had the advantage of being able to form a group that has now over 2000 members. My approach to a social network is not being in all of them, but rather, one that you can stand out. This is only possible if at the beginning you put the necessary effort. I was very active on BlogCatalog and today I require very little time to manage my group and interact.

As far as the others are concerned, I take the advantage of the "technology" that links many of my activities. For example, if I have a new post, it will show on FriendFeed, FaceBook, Technorati, Twitter, BlogCatalog and at a click of a button (Onlywire), it gets distributed to the major Social Bookmarking sites. No time warranted here:) I interact with my friends on Twitter, and an awesome group of bloggers (P50) of which I am a proud member of in Google Groups.

I like what you said about "not being in all of them, but rather, one that you can stand out". That makes a lot of sense. Also, I've heard of those P50 bloggers - a rogue group of internet bandits in Halloween costumes, I think. Or something of that nature. What is on the horizon for you, DiTesco? What are your plans for the coming year?

Yeah, the P50. It is a bunch of bloggers with different backgrounds, experiences and topics, all united to help each other out. A bloggers alliance that actually works and manageable due to its size and a cool and awesome way to really build long lasting relationship. I love being a part of it.

Plans for 2010? So many... Online, I would pretty much continue with what I have been doing since inception and that is to further build relationships, provide as much useful information for my loyal readers to build their online businesses, solidify my blogging network and hopefully find a way to consolidate them all. All in all, I am managing about 15 active blogs and and 30 domains.

Offline. I would really like to find a buyer for my SPA business. I am tired of it and I think it is the right moment to pass it onwards. With this, I will have more time available and will most likely spend it with my kids. They are now in need of more fatherly guidance:)

That sounds like a great plan. Do you celebrate Christmas? If so, what is your favorite tradition?

Yes I celebrate Christmas? My favorite tradition is what we (my family) calls the "secret friend". Every year all members of my family gather in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil. About a week before my dad writes the name of each of us in several pieces of paper. Then each one of us will pick a paper and whoever name is written will be our secret friend. We can not say anyone about it and we have to buy a special gift for that secret friend. No one will ever know who is the secret friend and that is where the fun begins. Theoretically no one know but at the end of the day, every one will know. It will depends on each ones ability to figure it out, LOL.

That sounds like fun! Economical, as well. I'm sure you figure out who your gifter is by the end of the day. :) Wow, Brazil. I've never been. Is your family from Brazil, or do you just enjoy spending time there?

With the exception of my biological mother all family lives in Brazil. My dad, stepmother, two brothers and a bunch of hoodlum nephews, hehe. Plus I also enjoy spending time there, particularly this season when its summer there and winter here. I hate the cold weather.

You are a lucky man, DiTesco. I'll let you off the hook now, with one parting question. Outside of reading iBlogZone, what simple advice would you give to new and up-and-coming bloggers who wish to attract a readership and position themselves for good SEO?

You are letting me off the hook? What a pity, I was enjoying this short interview myself and have to admit that this is the first time I ever had this unique opportunity. Thanks.

For the advice. Determine upfront what your blog is going to be (yes, you need a plan), i.e, topic or niche, especially if you are thinking on building a small online business. If you are thinking of blogging just for fun, do not worry to much about SEO and those kind of things. Build your readership by interacting, socializing and respecting other people's views and opinions. If it is a small business you are looking for, aside from determining your niche upfront, provide good content and value for your potential audience. Learn the ropes on basic html, internet marketing, and SEO. And finally, TAKE ACTION. Act upon everything you learn and put it in motion. There is much information out there that teaches you how to do things. Everything else is up to you. Good luck.

Contact Information for DiTesco
Blog: iBlogZone
Twitter: @ditesco