John Aggrey is 22 years old, lives in Nairobi. He started blogging in 2012, he first started writing for fun but soon realised he could use his blog to educate and make a little money out of it.
His blog Superfoota won the 2013 BAKE best sports blog award. It originally started off as www.superfoota.com but aiming to give it a Kenyan look, was changed to www.superfoota.co.ke
His blog is about local football but once in a while gives views on international football and issues relating to the game. With regular guest bloggers, he aims to give other football bloggers a chance to showcase their talents.
We had a few questions for him and this is what he had to say:
1. What do you do aside from blogging?
I’m a Fourth Year Economics and Statistics Student at Kenyatta University. I’m also a network Engineer, though still a junior one for that matter.
2. Why did you start blogging?
I love reading, I love writing. Above all, I love football. It must have started as a passion, writing in high school for the school magazine. Later on, I realised I could write about the football I loved so much. I came across a friend in 2011 December who knew a little about blogs, and in January 2012 I started Superfoota.
3. Everyone has something or someone that inspires them. What/ who is your inspiration
My inspiration is the realisation that, in a fast changing world- online media is the way to go. Through blogs, several people read about several interests of life and learn lots. Having watched football for a while- I use it to help change my society, help teach others about the game and help document history.
4. What blogging trend(s) do you hate and why?
I do not like bloggers who reblog stuff to get traffic. If you’ve read a blog post that you find interesting and would want to bring it to our attention, just provide us with the link. Period! This also applies to Sports Newspapers/Magazines who publish wire reports from international media. If you have to bring an international article to our attention, kindly use it as an example in local articles.
5. What are the challenges you face as a blogger?
Having to come up with new content every day and having to give your readers something out of the box. They read newspapers daily, they already know who scored, they already know who the coach is- but they just want to know a little more. Creating that type of content is a big challenge.
Another would be having to say NO at times to certain topics and certain suggestions. I sometimes ask for suggestions on what I need to write, and others are just off the hook. You get invites to some events and you’re like ‘I can’t write about that- it’s not good for the game’. It’s so selfish out there; you just got to be careful.
6 Any question for us? We will publish the answer as well
Does BAKE plan to tap in the potential writers in high schools and colleges, who might have never known about blogging and online responsibility?
Yes. BAKe does have plans for this. It’s part of our outreach programs. We will be letting people know about ti and the progress made soon.
7. What’s the weirdest thing anyone has ever said about your blog? How did you react to it
Someone once said the colours in my blog just didn’t excite him. He wanted me to get a green and maybe black/white color theme. Explaining to him that we had to settle for what I currently have because of several factors was really hard, I’m glad though at the end of the day, we spoke over the phone, and reached an understanding.
8. What are your top 3 blogs and what makes them special?
The Red Backpack written by Mr Statistics (Michael Kirwa) it seeks to provide information on Kenyan football using the numbers. They say numbers never lie, it helps so much in relating the trends with the actual play to build an important argument when writing the game of football.
Futbol Triangle written by My friend Mike Njoroge- it’snot just a powerhouse of the global game, it’s a journey into the uncovered and unexplored parts of the game with a global outlook. How many Kenyans dare write about the Serie A, the Spanish LaLiga- and again write about tactics and style of play. Must be just this one.
Inside World Football nothing best beats the thrill of reading what the best football bloggers in the world write especially when you don’t have to look for them in different platforms but find them all grouped up together. From Financial football, to the politics of the game, to what is done on the pitch and right back to the historical characters of the game- I guess this is the epitome of football writing.
9. What should people expect from your blog in future?
2014 is the year of the World Cup; the biggest football festival in the planet. You can be sure there will be previews, reviews, expert analysis and not forgetting our own football back here. Now that Kenya is not participating, I shall give deliberate undue attention to the African teams in there. I want SuperFoota to graduate from Kenyan to African in the next 10 years.
10. What tips would you give new bloggers to help them start out on a path to success?
There’s no substitute for reading. Great writers have a religious habit of reading what other writers write. Secondly, if you are starting out, focus your reading to your area of interest. This will help you research more into the area while on your path to being an authority voice. Thirdly, and most important, inculcate a habit of befriending those who have gone before you in your area of interest. For instance, if you aspire to be a sports writer, talk to respectable sports writers in the country, get to know their challenges, their successes, etc. That way, you will not repeat the same mistakes they made while they were starting out.
Listen; everyone knows a thing or two about your subject, read comments, but be careful to filter right from wrong.
Every day is a learning process, you are never at the top, learn from others and be ready to critiqued.
Lastly- Be Consistent.