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7 Tips to Becoming a Better Blogger: The Nigerian Perspective

Adesoji — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:18:03 +0000

The word ‘blog’, ‘blogger’ or ‘blogging’ come into existence with the advent of Web 2.0. Websites such as www.blogger.com and www.wordpress.com provided a free means (e.g. www.spiritofjesus.blogspot.com or www.charmingff.wordpress.com) for people who are generally referred to as bloggers to have a blog (an online journal) where they can share their thoughts or knowledge (blogging) almost every day based on their (bloggers) choice. WordPress also provided a tool/software through wordpress.org for bloggers to install as part of their paid or registered domain name and web hosting (e.g. www.adesojiadegbulu.com). Blogger.com also has a service through which you can purchase your own blog which will have your own desired name (e.g. www.ogbongeblog.com)

The art and science of successful blogging is universal. The only difference is, why people want to be bloggers and how bloggers use the art and science for their own benefits. All better bloggers are better readers, better listeners and better writers. These are the prerequisites you need to become a better blogger as a Nigerian. Also, blogging has come to stay. It is taking the place of internet media. Most websites now have blogs incorporated into them so as to provide a community and means of information service for their clients.

To become a better blogger, basically you need to;

1. Have a reliable Internet service provider and adequate electricity supply

In Nigeria, two things that limit bloggers from becoming better bloggers are the internet service provider we use and the electricity supply we get. I have used some service providers but I cannot recommend any. To become a better blogger, you need to equip yourself against your limitations. Make use of a quality service provider you have found useful overtime. Also, make sure you make your blog posts available online when you have electricity supply. Whenever you do not have internet supply, you should write several posts and schedule them. Whenever you do not have electricity supply, take time out to rest, read, listen and or write your post titles and a brief intro in a notebook dedicated for your blog.

2. Have your own niche

A niche can be simply defined as your subject, place or position in the universe. You need to know what you want to blog about and stay focused on it before you can become a better blogger. If you don’t know your subject, you can’t have an object. If you don’t know your place, you won’t be known for anything. Don’t be tossed here and there, people will know and they will leave you for other bloggers who know what they want. Your niche can be your experience, your knowledge, your passion, your business, your profession etc. Your niche must have the potency of providing help to people before you can consider yourself among those who want to become a better blogger.

3. Have your own well designed blog

All better bloggers have their own blogs. They don’t use a free blog like blogspot.com, wordpress.com or posterous.com. They rather get a blog with their own name or in the name of their niche. For example, if you are still using www.xyz.blogspot.com as your main blog, you need to get a paid blog like www.xyz.com. This helps to give you a positive image and more integrity in the blogosphere. Apart from that, blogs you pay for gives you the accessibility and flexibility you need to customize to your own niche and taste. The other part is a well designed blog. Your blog does not need all the effects you can think of. Your blog needs to be SIMPLE yet eye catchy, user friendly and easily navigable. You need to work on this.

4. Write your own great contents

This is where your reading, listening and writing skills come to play. Basically, great contents are articles (sometimes referred to as blog posts) that; teaches people what they did not know, provides solutions to people’s problems; talks about what people needs other people’s opinion on. If you are better reader and better listener, you will always come across people’s ignorance and questions related to your niche. Yours is to provide a well written article or blog post as a better writer providing a detailed knowledge for solve people’s ignorance or a well written post providing solutions to people problem. This is a practice you need to cultivate. I will advise that you write a minimum of three great contents in a week or seven in a month. With this, you can also write general post based on what you find interesting but related to your niche. Also, cultivate the habit of writing in batches. You might not get the full idea for a blog post at once. So, as it comes, write your ideas and later develop it into a blog post.

5. Have your own community

Your community is your readers and blog visitors. The reason why you are a blogger is people. People form a community. You might have a good niche, a well designed blog and great contents but if you do not share it with people, only you and your dog (teddy bear or something in this sense) will know about this. This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Optimization (SMO) becomes very important. You need to get your blog into people’s mind. To build a community, you need to submit your blog to search engines like Google, Bing, MSN and Yahoo and also consistently share your blog posts on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, Youtube, Digg, Sturvs, StumbleUpon etc. Once you do this regularly and consistently, you get visitors to your blog.

6. Have your own list

The life of a blog is the number of people it has on its list. This list is simply the names, emails and or phone numbers of the blog readers. All better bloggers place so much value on their lists. You need to provide a means whereby a visitor can subscribe to your blog. This will keep your readers (members of your community) to come back for more of your great contents. Provide an easy means for readers to subscribe and follow your blog. Make it a point of duty to call your readers to action. Actions like ‘subscribe to my blog’ amongst others should be found on your blog. You should also call readers to action that will make them comment on your blog posts. Once you have your list, keep it safe and do your best to keep increasing the numbers of people on your list.

7. Invest time to your blog

It is required of you to invest at least two hours a day for your blog alone. With these two hours, you read and reply people who have commented on your blog; you take time out to read other people’s blog that is related to your blogging success in order to get fresh ideas; you work on the design and functionality of your blog if there is any glitch; you post your new article on your blog; and finally you share your recent post so that people can get to read. Make it a point of duty to be consistent in updating your blog with posts. Normally, you should update your blog at least three times a week. What you do not invest in, you do not get the best out of.

Finally, becoming a better blogger is not a day’s job. You need to do the above stated tips and open yourself to more experiences as your blogging journey goes by. Get out of your shell. Get quality information by reading quality stuffs on the internet. You will be glad to know that the world of blogging is it the mercy of your finger tip. If you refuse to press those buttons and click that mouse, you can never become a better blogger.

How do you feel about these tips? Is there anything you want to add or a question you want to ask? Whatever you want to say, you are free to share your opinions in the comment space provided at the end of this posts. Watch out for more tips on how to become a better blogger. You need to subscribe to this blog for you not to miss the series of posts on how to become a better blogger as a Nigerian. And if you have found this article beneficial, it is important you share it with other Nigerians on your friends list.

Yours in your journey to become a better blogger,

Adesoji Adegbulu

Adesoji Adegbulu aka JesusFreak is a freeblogger (blogs about stuffs that makes people free) whose interest is in People and National Development, Entrepreneurship, Internet Marketing & Social Media. You can read more of his articles on his blog www.adesojiadegbulu.com

Bloggers and Rebranders Respond to District 9

Nneoma Nwachuku — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:44:27 +0000

Nneoma, of Pyoo Wata, reviews the reactions of Nigerian bloggers to the recent sci-fi fim, District 9, and also cautions against the use of the rebranding mantra for the purposes of censorship.

Ever since the Dora Akunyili was charged with the task of cleaning up the national image, the nation, including its bloggers, has been even more keenly aware of Nigeria’s face to the world. While some argue that Nigeria is its own worst enemy, others have come to the conclusion that the actions of but a few Nigerians mars the reputation of millions of others. Therefore the need to rebrand Nigeria is needed. We have previously described, here at NigeriansTalk.org, the Nigerian blogosphere’s response to the rebranding project (Good People, Great Nation). Seems like the Nigerian blogosphere has also taken it upon themselves to challenge prevailing negative stereotypes about Nigerians, particularly by Sony. Nigerian bloggers have teamed up with Akunyili (whether advertently or inadvertently) to condemn recent negative depictions of Nigerians propagated by Sony and its subsidiaries.

Earlier this month, I expressed my dismay at the portrayal of Nigerians in what is to be dubbed as Africa’s first major science fiction film, District 9. While this Sony and Tristar Pictures’ film aims to satirize apartheid and tackle xenophobic sentiments that exist in South Africa, it fails to hide the directors’ prejudices against Nigerians living in South Africa. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Neill Blomkamp states that the small population of Nigerians in South Africa is indeed responsible for the majority of crime in his country. In keeping with his bias against Nigerians, District 9 features prominently, a Nigerian criminal gang that engages in dubious business deals and pimps out its women to this largely male alien species. Nigerians are also the center of the films occultic elements, unrelated to Nigerian traditional religion and medicine (despite ill-informed documentaries citing otherwise). In purporting District 9 to be a social commentary against xenophobic hatred and then opening the movie with lurid Nigerian characters, “…contradict[s] himself as soon as he started writing the script,” according to blogger MellowYel of Stuff Nigerians Love/Hate. Nigerian American science fiction author, Nnedi, also vents her frustration with the film on her blog and makes the point that beyond this, black South Africans served as a “mere setting,” for the film. Sugabelly, known for her biting frankness, goes on to suggest that “…if you squinted your eyes just a little bit you might not even notice the movie was set in Africa.” District 9 was hardly a triumph for African film industry and definitely was not worth disparaging Nigerians in South Africa.

Other Nigerians also blogged about their dissatisfaction with the film. Of note is that of SolomonSydelle on the blog NigerianCuriosity. In her post, she relates this film to the recent Sony Playstation 3 ads which makes reference to Nigerian scams. At the time, Akunyili had already demanded an apology from Sony – an apology which can be found on their website. Amongst bloggers and lovers of Nigerian blogs everywhere remained the question, what of District 9, which probably commanded a wider audience than the gaming ads. As of Saturday, we learnt that Akunyili had also demanded an apology from Sony in regards to the District 9 film. Audio of the request by Akunyili can be found here. Additionally, Akunyili requested a ban against the film in Nigeria. While I applaud her efforts to challenge such stereotypes of Nigerians abroad, I find the latter move, unnecessary. If we continue to censor such images, how can we, as bloggers and as a nation, counter such offensive portrayals. It is largely through our ability to access such information that ordinary Nigerian citizens can assist in Akunyili’s rebranding project. The Nigerian government’s willingness to take on District 9, should also be seen as a victory to the many Nigerian bloggers who took offense to this film. One would hope that Akunyili’s mission is not one of censorship which gives birth to misinformation and impedes upon the progress Nigerians have made and continue to make in the blogosphere. Such would be counter-intuitive to the goals of promoting Good People and creating a Great Nation.

Naija Food Blogging

nigerianstalk — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:22:14 +0000

A review of Nigerian blogs on food by Pam of Pdbraide.

People generally feel the Nigerian “blogosphere” should mirror reality. After all people blogging about their experiences should simply create a Naija freed from geographical confines. Well, yes and no. For most it seems this virtual space offers freedom from social constructs, tedium and routine. In this virtual space you had better nourish yourself with insights, relationships and possibilities; as I found in course of researching for my review, unlike in the real Naija, there is precious little food. If you have mental snapshots of women endlessly and lovingly assembling huge repasts for the hungry, in this space where I believe women to be the majority, forget it.

I breezily chose a food theme because I felt it would be easy and I am currently obsessed with food due to temporary but severe restrictions placed on my range of edibles for medical reasons. So, what better way to torture myself than to trawl for food in blogs I can’t eat?

Back to business

Food enjoys many mentions in Nigerian blogs but I have discovered that very few people take time to write regularly about how and where to get or prepare it so I’m venturing beyond blogs. Nigerians far from home (especially students) are extremely fond of food reminiscing and whip out their cameras occasionally to capture and post their culinary attempts. At Verastically Livin’ a picture of “alive and not burnt” egusi soup pops up in the midst of her hilarious posts on everyday happenings. Ms O’s, Our Journey Long Distance, serves up rice, plantains and gizzards recently between her accounts of school, love and life in general while Backtonaija gives us a review of her dining experiences in Lagos after precisely 4.5 years of living in the US.

If you want to cook and are seeking recipes the mother lode has to be Online Nigeria. Recipes for Isiewu, efere otong, Ikokore, and other “insider” foods are available for all. Unexpected recipe finds include supercomputing genius Emeagwalis site. This site is a really vast resource on Nigerian culture. It was here I learned Joan Baez and Jimi Hendrix performed in a fund raiser for Biafra. Boomie O’s Motherland is another general site on Nigeria I love. Though visually outdated it is still very useful with a small recipe section.

For those aiming to lose weight, blogs like Chilli Peppa’s Disappearing Act provide insights to personal journeys and African Weight Loss Diva’s, information and a Q&A space. Hopefully low calorie ewedu and gbegiri will not taste as grim as they sound.

Now it’s time for the heavyweights of the Naija Food Blogosphere.

The only consistent blogging on food I found is done by Alhaji’s Groove aka “El Toro Negro”, Naija Blogging Chef and Yemisi Ogbe on Next. If writing at Farafina also qualifies as blogging then Yemisi’s Tea with Mrs Bojubari should be included in this non list.

Alhaji Babasheri is dead serious about food and obviously a professional. After viewing the luscious textures of the meals on his space, Iwaxed eloquently about him on my blog and immediately proposed to him as a sign of deep appreciation. I dare you to gaze upon thisEfo-riro and eba and remain unmoved.

Yemisi Obge has the most refreshing; I’m talking about food but not only talking about food, style that is humorous, unpretentious and sneakily competent. Though yet to forgive her cruel attack on baked beans I am nonetheless enthused that the attack was brilliantly written. Her essays on snails, garri and the dubious properties attributed to fish are conversational in tone and very entertaining.

So I ventured into this task hoping to present great foodie finds and return humbled and much intrigued by the paucity of food bloggers in the Naija blogosphere. Unsated by virtual food I clearly haven’t the energy to analyze why. Have a nice week and happy eating. I won’t hate.

Pdbraide