Daniel Ominde is a 28 year old living and working in Kisumu. He is a husband to a beautiful wife and a father to two lovely kids
He started blogging in 2006 when he left media school. It started as writing for fun and about personal experiences before he decided to make a little money out of it and started a new blog with content that his target readers would enjoy and added a twisted logic to it.
His blog was initially called Kisumu’s Best Kept Secrets as he was targeting people in Kisumu, a market that had yet to be exploited. The name changed when his readership grew beyond Kisumu.
His blog is about day to day issues that any of us can face. He has five other blogs, one of which won 2013 BAKE Awards for best political blog.
We had a few questions for him and this is what he had to say:
1. What do you do aside from blogging?
I am a trained journalist though not currently practicing in the mainstream media. I currently work with a policy research institute affiliated to Maseno University as a Communications Officer. On the side I write articles for a news wire service based in the US known as UPI and I also do a little of social media marketing/communications handling Facebook and Twitter accounts for a few corporate.
2.What made you decide to start blogging?
I would say my background in Journalism played a huge part but mostly it was my passion for writing which took me to media school in the first place and blogging gave me that opportunity to be published even though I wasn’t working for any particular media house.
3. Every one has something or someone that inspires them. What/ who is your inspiration
I am inspired by the things I see and hear around me….crazy yeah?
4. What blogging trend(s) do you hate and why?
I don’t hate any blogging trends…I believe blogging is some kind of free world with no rules…well coming to think of it I don’t like bloggers who thrive on manufacturing stories about people just to get readers
5. What are the challenges you face as a blogger?
Writers’ block…not having inspiration!! Other challenges are financial in nature like how to rate my services for clients. I don’t have a constant rate I charge for articles. It’s hard coming up with a rigid rate that you will charge all your clients especially because social media marketing is a new concept that most of our clients are yet to understand.
6. What’s the weirdest thing anyone has ever said about your blog? How did you react to it
Someone published a blog and called me fake…wannabe…and many other things. Well when you are doing something good people will always hit at you. Of course I hit back in one of my blogs and called him a coward coz he/she dint sign his blog…but either way I had an idea who he was. Then winning 2013 BAKE Award shut ‘em up!
7. What are your top 3 blogs and what makes them special?
Top 3 of my own or top 3 of other bloggers? Well let me go with other bloggers
1. Wamathai I like the poetry and short stories in that blog. They are always so real and speak to my soul.
2. Crazy Nairobian The author should be in some mental ward! Tickles me all the time.
3. Hazel Vint funny the author is a pal of mine…she is just crazy in her stories. I love humor. Let me throw in a fourth
4. Real Issues a critical look at real life issues.
8. What should people expect from your blog in future?
I keep growing…I keep changing what I write about based on my interest at the time. I started writing about parties when I started out, I rarely do that today. So as I grow in life my writing grows with me too. It will always be something relevant to my generation though
9. What tips would you give new bloggers to help them start out on a path to success?
Nobody is a pro when it comes to blogging. There is experience though and from experience. I’ve learnt sharing your posts with your friends on social media will take you places. When it comes to content write about things you are passionate about – you will rarely lack what to write about