Your Email: jimcad007@gmail.com
What's your Blog's name and URL: My blog name is JimCaddy's Blog, while the URL is http://www.jimcaddy.blogspot.com
What's your Blog about: My blog is a news blog. It seeks to inform readers about events going on in Nigeria. Who did what? What happened around the country, what events took place. Which celebrity did what, said what. It is all encompassing.
Who are your readers: JimCaddy's Blog readers are young people who want to get informed about what goes on in the country. My blog is targeted at young enthusiasts who love Nigeria and seek a better Nigeria. Getting informed is a right.
What's the greatest thing about your blog? Why is it better than other blogs?
The greatest thing about my blog is the fact that news is sourced reliably. Fast and up to speed. It is unique from other blogs in the sense that my blog posts are very unpredictable. News you would ordinarily expect to be on my blog may not be there if I don't deem it fit to be targeted at young people. Targeted towards change and transformation. For every news I post on JimCaddy's Blog, there is always a positive to be learnt.
How did you come up with the name for your blog?
Well I must say that the name was something I had to cook up, and it is taken from my names Jim (Jimi) Caddy (Cadmus). The name is more personal than professional, afterall, the concept of blogging is personal.
What was your first blogging experience? How did you first get into the world of blogging?
Well I have always loved news, I have always loved a platform to express myself. I remember back in Secondary school, I had a book where I wrote down all the news about events that went down in school. I even blogged about it in my Diary series. Maybe I'll put the link here, and you can all go back to read what I wrote. I never wanted to be a blogger, I only wanted a platform to express myself to the outside world. But here I am blogging.
Here is the link on how my passion for blogging came to be- jimcaddy.blogspot.com/2013/05/jimcaddys-diary-how-my-passion-for_7044.html
What time do you usually start blogging each day? How many hours a day do you usually blog?
Well I don't have a specific time to start posting on my blog. I can do it anytime news breaks. I don't really have a timeframe for blogging. I blog anytime.
What major problems is your blog coming to address in the lives of your target audience?
Well, JimCaddy's Blog is targeted at the youths especially. Like I earlier said, the purpose of my blog posts is not only to inform, but educate. Something positive must be learnt from whatever I post. It could be an inspirational story about how a celebrity who had nothing before, but is now flying private jets all. It may be about how the EFCC paraded some undergraduates of a school. What does that tell us, CRIME DOESN'T PAY.
For every post, there must be a positive to be learnt. JimCaddy's Blog is addressing the negativity of crime and seeking to promote change.
When do your best ideas come to you?
My best ideas come to me in the morning, I must confess. I think better in the morning
What gives you the confidence to go after your ideas?
Well, blogging for me was just a hobby I decided to add to my list of hobbies. Now we are in the computer age where new opportunities abound. I love what I do, and I'm prepared to take it a step further because I know that opportunities are many.
When was the last time you went on vacation?
I haven't gone on any vacation before. I have lived my life in the shores of this country. Hoping to travel out on vacation someday.
Describe the struggles you went through when starting up your blog?
Starting up JimCaddy's Blog wasn't easy. I remember when I would go to the cyber cafe just to post stories. Though I still go. I remember I had just 12 views for a long time. I continued to persevere and now I have managed to conjure up over 300k views.
What has been your biggest professional frustration? How do you handle it?
My biggest challenge is the fact that I don't have a laptop to use to blog. My old laptop was stolen from me exactly three months before I started blogging. That has really been frustrating as I resort to going to the cyber cafe to do anything that requires a computer, otherwise, I post stories via my mobile phone.
What's your blogging environment like?
My blogging environment has to be serene and quiet. Since blogging is a serious profession, I take it with utmost seriousness too. I love my environment quiet when I post stories.
How do you picture your blog in the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years, I picture my blog to be one of the best, if not the best blog in Nigeria. I see JimCaddy's Blog becoming one of the most sought after blog in Nigeria, overtaking the most popular ones we have out there.
Who or what inspires you?
Well, so many people inspire me. I won't lie, Linda Ikeji is one of the people who inspire me in the blogging world. Her story is so inspirational. Success inspires me. I love to read success stories because I believe success is the eventual yardstick used to measure efforts.
How do you currently make money off your blog?
For now, I am yet to make any money on my blog. Though I am an affiliate for some companies, I'm still yet to make a dime. My blog is just a little over a year, and I'm striving to build a large fan base for it.
What other advice do you have for wannabe bloggers struggling to get started?
I advice wannabe bloggers not to go into blogging with the sole aim of making profit. Blogging should be a passionate profession.
One never really makes money from blogging until a long time. Build your blog, carve a niche for your blog. Make your blog unique. It must not always be about celebrity news and gossip. It could be a sports blog, a food blog, a christian blog. No matter what niche you choose, you will always find your target audience. Perseverance is key in the blogging profession.
What would you do if you had a year off and N50m to spend on something other than blogging?
I would invest in something else, maybe startup a business I have been nurturing for years. I would sure start up something that would generate me more income.
Do you consider yourself a successful blogger?
To a little extend, I feel I'm a bit successful because I get a lot of pat on my back for what I do. It means I'm doing a great job. It can only get better. I see myself getting better at what I do.
Top 5 sites you couldn't live without and why?
Lindaikeji.blogspot.com- I love Linda and her blog. Her stories are always spot on.
Stelladimkokorkus.com- I also love Stella and her blog. Stella is such a unique blogger with a unique, humorous style of blogging.
Misspetitenigeria.blogspot.com- Emeh Achanga is one fantastic, young woman. I visit her blog everyday. She is such a prospective blogger. I see her going places.
Punchng.com- Punch Newspapers have always been a delight while growing up. If it isn't Punch, it is no newspaper. Punch goes straight to the point in their reportage. They give you first hand details about how events unfold. Thank Goodness they are now on the internet. I can't do a day without reading Punch Newspapers.
Goal.com- I love soccer a lot, so I must get the latest news in the world of soccer
What is your music genre of choice?
I love Hip Hop so much, R n B too isn't bad, but it has to go along with my current mood.
Number 1 country you have always wanted to visit?
I really would like to go to Israel. Israel is so historic in terms of Biblical and spiritual reference.
Three people we should follow on BBM and Twitter other than you
Well three people you should follow are my fellow close bloggers, namely, Deborah Peters (@Debbyscorner), Moji Delano (@Mojidelanoblog) and Emeh Achanga (@misspetitenaija
Share some specific numbers of your blog. Revenue, funding, visitors
Well as from revenue, Its zero as I haven't started making money from my blog. As for Funding, I spend roughly N2000 monthly to get connected to the internet or go to the cyber cafe to do some technical details on my blog.
As for visitors, I keep recording tremendous growth in the number of people who visit my blog. I a day I have an average of 1000 visitors. Depending on the post, I could have like up to 1500 visitors daily. But on the average, I put it at 1000.
Twitter handle? @JimCaddy
Facebook page? www.facebook.com/JimCaddysBlog
Google+? www.google.com/+GbenupoCadmus
Culled from: http://www.estreet.com.ng/talks/7481843
wow! interesting interview jim, thumps up!