In today’s Confessions of a Blogger we meet the lovely Charlene from GeeWhiskers. I have “known” Charlene for quite a while on the Twittersphere but more recently had the opportunity of meeting her in person – what a lovely gal!
Hi my name is Charlene and I am a Business Analyst. Being a Taurean I naturally enjoy the beautiful things in life. I blog about beauty, decor and pretty much anything that tickles my fancy at the time. I adore dachshunds, flowers, perfume, music but above all spending time with the people I care about.
- When did you start your journey as a blogger and why? In 2009 I started reading blogs and joined certain community beauty websites. During this phase it really sparked a passion in me and I felt really restrained because I could only do so much on the websites. Through many conversations over twitter and comments on other bloggers’ blog posts, I finally took the plunge and decided to start a blog. I started it purely as an almost scrapbook-like kind of space, I never actually had any ideas of grandeur for my blog – it was and still is a hobby for me.
- Do you blog fulltime or do you have a regular 9-5 as well? I have a regular 9-5 job (although I wish I only worked those kinds of hours). I am a Business Analyst which means my blogging is done in my spare time.
- Tell us a little about your space on the interweb and what you blog about? I like to refer to Gee Whiskers as my space for simple, beautiful things. My focus is more on beauty products but I do also branch off a little into lifestyle kind of posts occasionally and my dog, Scamp (a miniature dachshund), is also featured at times. As mentioned before, my blog started off as a scrapbook so I think it still retains some of that. I am fortunate that my readers enjoy my more personal posts as much as I enjoy putting them together.
- Being a blogger is not always easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? When I am very busy and working long hours it is so difficult to sit late at night to have a post ready for the next day. I do go through phases where I feel exhausted and uninspired. In times like that it can be something small such as trying out a new lip balm and wanting to share how great it is or something bigger like attending an event. These things reignite the enthusiasm and joys of being a blogger. But my biggest motivator is receiving feedback from my readers. Every comment I get on a post inspires me to do more and keep blogging – readers are the ones who keep my blog going.
- How important do you think it is to have a niche blog? I didn’t realise just how diverse the blog industry is in South Africa until I actually started attending events and interacting more with bloggers. I think niche blogs are of utmost importance. I like visiting a blog that appeals to my specific interests not only in content but also in the way content is shared. I like reading people’s personal opinions and also learning more about the blogger behind the blog. I know there are many people who the facts about things and nothing more – which is perfectly okay, I visit blogs like that too. We are very fortunate that we have such a rich and diverse blogging community.
- What have your biggest blogging challenges been? For me time is always a challenge because I work a full 8 – 10 hours a day. Finding the time to write posts, take photos and plan the future features or competitions on my blog, all becomes a big challenge. But it does keep things interesting and exciting.
- What do you love most about being a blogger? Interacting with other bloggers and readers of my blog. I have met such wonderful people through my blog. It probably sounds very insincere, but I really do feel so blessed to have met such wonderful people.
- If you had to choose a favourite social media platform, what would it be and why? Well I don’t have a facebook account so that already helps me. Between Twitter and Instagram, I think I will have to go with twitter because you can have real time conversations with people. It is probably where I interact the most with my readers. However Instagram is a close second place because one isn’t limited to 140 characters!
- What has your journey as a blogger taught you {about yourself or in general}? Has it changed your life in any way? I think the biggest change blogging has had on me is my willingness to interact with people. It is not that I am socially maladjusted, it is more that I am rather reserved. I am not the type of person who will just walk up to someone and strike up a conversation – in fact I am awful at small talk. Attending blogging events kind of forces you to do precisely that, which I believe is a good thing. Over time I have become so much more at ease at events and that has seeped into other aspects of my life.
- If you had to give a newbie blogger any advice, what words of wisdom would you impart? I believe it is so important for any blogger to know who they are and what they want their blog to be. It is definitely admirable and okay to aspire to be the biggest blogger in the country, but I do feel that you need to be realistic. You can’t start a blog with the single hope of wanting to receive lots of free things while attending all sorts of events – many bloggers I am sure will agree with me that it just doesn’t work like that. A blog is such a personally expensive undertaking, you have to love what you blog about else you won’t have the passion or motivation to blog. You will lose interest. In the beginning when I started my blog I think I was trying to please brands in hopes that I would grab their attention. I quickly snapped out of that and focused on why I started blogging in the first place – that is what gets me out of bed late at night when I realise that I don’t have a post scheduled for the next day.
Thanks Charlene for sharing a bit more about your life and blogging journey with us! You can find out more about Charlene and connect with her here:
Blog link: www.GeeWhiskers.com
Facebook: Don’t have a facebook account
Twitter: www.twitter.com/gee_whiskers
Instagram: www.instagram.com/gee_whiskers
If you would like to be featured on Confessions of a Blogger or would like to see a blogger featured here, then please email Fiona or leave a comment below.
Images: GeeWhiskers, PInterest
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