Having an online blog is a common thing nowadays, and some even take the opportunity to earn a few ringgit here and there by placing ads on their blogs. In conjunction with Blogopolis 2012 that’s happening this weekend, we sat down with Sue Anna Joe, one of the key speakers at Blogopolis, to find out what it’s like to be branded as a ‘blogger’ and if one can earn enough income through blogging.
A: I started eight years ago, in 2004 on deviantART. It’s a site where you can post your own artworks, and it had a feature that allowed you to write journals as well. Then I shifted to various blogging platforms and finally ended up with Blogspot when I started to blog more seriously.
Q: Do you have a full-time job, or does blogging bring in enough income for you (to not need to work on a full-time basis)?
A: I’m still a student. However, I do photography on a freelance basis. Blogging is pretty much a fun thing that I do, a hobby. It turned to be something that brings in some money as well, enough for me to go shopping!
Q: What do you write about in your blog?
A: I have multiple blogs, from photography to fashion to motherhood as well as my mixed personal blog. So I blog about almost everything. I blog about whatever that comes to my mind or catches my interest, current events; I blog about my studies as well, and the challenges I go through in life.
Q: Any bad experience with blogging? For example, getting stalkers or hateful comments on your blog?
A: Yes I have. Whatever I do, I do it passionately, and I tend to take things a little too personally. I have had a fair share of harsh comments coming from anonymous commenters. But throughout the years, I’ve coaxed myself into turning these negative vibes to positive ones. I observe what kind of posts that bring in such criticism. Now I tend to be a little more careful about the issues I blog about, and the way I express them.
Q: When did you realize that you can monetize your blog?
A: I jumped on the bandwagon when I saw other bloggers having ads on their own blogs. So I thought I’d try it out, and when I saw the first few cents coming, ka-ching! *laughs* To be honest, it isn’t really about money, it’s just being passionate about what you do, in this case it’s blogging, and the monetary gain is just a bonus. A really yummy bonus – like dessert!
Q: Is being a blogger a credible enough ‘occupation’? How do people react when you tell them you’re a blogger?
A: Hmm..I never really see it as an occupation, ’cause it’s fun. But well, I guess it can be credible enough, depending on what you blog about, whether the content is useful, informative, engaging, thought-provoking. In a traditional sense, I’d say no. But now that almost everyone has internet connection, it could be. This is a tough question – I personally want it to be a credible enough occupation. Then I could imagine in school, when the teachers ask their students what they want to be when they grow up, a kid would say, “A blogger!” *laughs*
I usually don’t tell people I’m a blogger. I just say, “Hey I blog.” In fact, it’s usually the other way around – that people will come up to me and say, “Hey you’re that blogger, right?” It’s quite flattering to be known for just blogging.
Q: Nowadays, almost everyone out there blogs. What do you think makes a blog worth reading?
A: Original content. Not ‘copy paste’, and blogging about the same thing as everyone else. Informative content that makes you think, and witty and humorous writing skills. The more ‘simple’ blogs about someone’s daily life with a lot of photos, those kinds of blogs are interesting too. I like a blog that’s easy to read, not the ones that are overly decorated. An absolute no-no is blogs with music that automatically plays on loop with no ‘Stop’ button – that will scare me away.
Q: Finally, share with our readers what Blogopolis is about and what they can expect there.
A: It’s an event that’s a must for blogging addicts, or those who want to start blogging. I’ll be sharing some personal experience, tips and tricks of blogging, and some stuff about photography as well. I hope to also be able to socialize and have fun! And of course snap a lot of pictures and blog about it later!
Sue Anna Joe blogs at Budu Dan Belacan – check it out!
“The Malaysian Blogopolis is intended to capture and stop Malaysians in mid tracks and re-evaluate how things can be done. We want to see this conference as a creative playing field for people within and also not even necessarily directly within the industry to pool creative thoughts, share experiences as well as improve and enhance the blogosphere as a whole.” -Nicholas Chay, Country Manager of Nom Nom Media.
