What does it really mean to be a “tech blogger”? Usually, a tech blogger is someone who review tech gadgets or share tech news straight from flagship events or launching ceremonies. They break big news and do live interviews.
This type of blogging is uncommon in Pakistan since most of the tech blogs target the international news and are not really reporting directly. However, this trend is changing as certain blogs including TechJuice are focusing towards technology news within Pakistan.
Moreover, we saw a number of events in the past year where bloggers have not only attended tech events but also reported them live. The time to be a tech blogger in Pakistan cannot be more right than it already is.
Here is what I have learned from my one year experience of being a tech blogger. These points are also applicable to anyone who just want to be a blogger.
Just do it!
The year 2014 started with me going through a bad breakup with stochastic systems (the subject never really understood me!) and spending semester break watching every movie of Paul Walker. As we all know, at some point of constantly wasting time, the inner conscious kicks in and it happened to me too. That’s when I decided to try everything I always wanted to do and figure out what really works out for me. Blogging was one of the “To-Dos” from the list.
I have learned that the rule is simple – “do things and figure out”, this way you will know if it is really what you want or not. This is better than not knowing at all and living with a regret all your life. However, you should keep in mind that you are not enforcing a certain interest on yourself or you are not doing it for money. Successful people are usually very specific about their interests and keep the end goal in hindsight when taking decisions.
A good start for newbie bloggers will be to write for a local student blog or start their own personal blog on blogpost or WordPress. If you are one of those people who can’t stop their mind from constantly thinking then you probably are a good writer too. All you need to do is put those endless thoughts onto the paper.
P.S. Of course, I passed the subject.
Don’t Compromise On Grammar!
You should be adept in Basic English grammar at the very least. Personally, I believe that you can only come up with beautifully constructed sentences with practice but if you don’t know if it should be “They is” or “They are” then you can face real difficulty.
My personal favorite book for Grammar has always been “High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin”. This book covers all the grammar rules in very detailed and easy way.
Writing skills can also be improved if you read books and listen to English programs such as BBC podcasts or News. This will not only improve your writing but also listening and speaking skills. You should also listen to tech channels on YouTube as they live stream events or review gadgets. It will improve your knowledge about different gadgets and give you ways to tackle tech articles.
Get feedback from an honest friend!
Once you have mastered the grammar and wrote your first article. You should get it reviewed from a close friend or a teacher. It is very important that your friend gives an honest opinion about your writing so that you can improve it. After that, you should take criticism positively but don’t blur the lines between an honest opinion and leg-pulling.
Read different mediums!
If you want to be a tech blogger, then read tech articles, books, research papers, newspaper etc. Reading from different sources can help in improved perspective and increased knowledge.
One way you can keep up with tech news is to read articles on your smartphone or laptop before or after breakfast. I, personally, use Flipboard which can pull up articles related to any word I type in, in addition to the already available categorized magazines. You can also read while travelling to work if you are not driving the car, of course.
Another way to be aware of tech news is to make lists on Facebook with your personal favorite pages and follow their status updates.
Personalize content!
If you are still reading this article, chances are that I have accomplished my task of personalizing the content. Making the content your own, helps in grabbing the reader’s attention from the start. There are few different ways to do so such as if you have a relatable personal experience, life experience or something you have watched on TV or in movie then add it to your content. This makes the content more fun to read and the reader feels like a part of the article. Moreover, the content looks more authentic if the writer has experienced it. This suggestion is applicable for opinion based articles mostly, things are different if you have to break a news.
The news articles are straight to business types; write the major highlight of the news in the first paragraph, then go to the important details and lastly, mention the unimportant stuff.
“Don’t compare your chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 20.”
This is the most important suggestion of all. Often, natural human instinct is to make comparison when we see other people doing the same thing. However, this comparison may be flawed if it is based on your first attempt while the other person probably had years of experience. Trust me, the other person also came up with a crappy article in their first attempt but over the years they learned the trade. Therefore, instead of comparing and feeling bad about it, learn from their writing style and adjust yours accordingly.
Before I sign off, I should mention that you can also kick start your tech blogger career through applying to TechJuice Ambassadorship Program. The program is available to university students from Lahore for now but it will soon come to other universities in Pakistan. Stay tuned!
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