Name: Tzevai Chong
Age: 30
Location: Caerdydd
Blog URL: Light…In A Digital Shade
What is your blog about?
Everything and nothing in particular?! I tend to use it to write about things I’m doing at any given time. There’s a mix of all sorts from YouTube videos to creative writing and fitness challenges.
Is this your first blog?
Sort of! It was my first blog, but then I ran a sports blog for a while and neglected it until I shut that down at the end of last year and then re-designed and rebooted this one again. So it’s technically my first blog, but in a reincarnated form.
When did you start your current blog?
I originally started it back in November 2010. There was an 18 month break in the middle though and I redesigned it and started again from scratch in October 2012.
What made you do it?
I’ve always liked writing about things and I’d tried to keep journals in the past but I was never any good at sticking to it. I met my wife in 2010 – she’s been blogging for years – and she encouraged me to start my own and use it to write about the things I wanted to do or wanted to remember.
What was your first blog post about?
In the original version of the blog I think it was a review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One? I called it Harry Potter and the Shiny Hermione…
What do you think is the most useful tool to you as a blogger?
I think just having a platform as accessible and easy to use as WordPress is the biggest thing for me. I’d never used it before but when I started it was simple to find my way around it and get started but now I’m more experienced and can make use of some of the more advanced features.
Do people in your “real life” know about your blog?
Yep, I publish everything on Twitter/Facebook/G+.
If yes, has your blog helped you career wise?
Not in the slightest! It was never meant for that purpose though so I wouldn’t ever expect it to.
What has been the one thing (blog post, project, etc) you’ve been really proud of?
It would probably be my old sports blog rather than my current personal blog. It was called Dodgy Knees and Dirty Balls and ran for 18 months with a mix of written posts and regular hourly podcast discussions. The podcast actually got to number two in the iTunes amateur sports podcasts at one point and was only behind Alan Davies’ Arsenal podcast. I was pretty chuffed with that!
Where do you see your blog in a year?
Probably pretty much in the same place it is now. I’ve got a few personal projects I’d like to get finished in the next 18 months so hopefully I’ll be able to share my progress on them through my blog and keep things ticking along.
What do you wish you knew when starting your blog?
More CSS! I’m quite fussy when it comes to the design of my blog and I’m always playing around with bits of it. I remember it taking me forever to get my blog the way I wanted it to look the first time round – it was basically trial and error! I know everyone says content is the most important thing but if a blog looks awful I’m less likely to stay and read it.
What do you wish you know about now?
I’d like to know more coding in terms of PHP, etc so I could do a bit more design wise with my blog. I’m fairly up to speed with HTML and CSS these days so I just need to take the next step really. I don’t blog for business or personal profit so the things I need to know are on a fairly basic level.
How do you keep motivated to post?
It’s a struggle to come up with things sometimes to be honest but I don’t put pressure on myself to churn out something on a weekly basis. There’s no point posting just for the sake of it. I’ve been setting myself little challenges every now and then which give me something to write about it if I don’t have anything else to say!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Umm…as in advice? Just enjoy blogging and don’t force yourself to do it if it’s a struggle. I don’t really blog for an audience, it’s mainly things I like doing or I want to keep track of – if other people enjoy them then that’s a bonus!
