Blog Anniversary: I Am A Year Old Today!!
Maraba (welcome)
Oh! It’s not me talking, it’s the blog
saying it. Hurray!!
A very fun filled journey it has been
and still going strong. Truth is, this isn’t my first blog; I started blogging
in 2009 (used the old blogger,lol). It was meant to document academic
stuff-especially essays on gender. Well, I got tied up with the same academic
stuff and left the blog hanging.
Fast forward to June, 2011 when I
visited my blog again and this time, decided to delete it since I wasn’t sure I
was going to use it. However, I had just bc’ed and read that documenting the
hair journey was one of the ways of monitoring your progress. So, instead of
deleting it, I wrote a short post on it about my hair. Then, I vanished again as
I was busy with grad school. In December 2011, I had eventually submitted my
thesis so I went back to my “precious” (Lord of the Rings?). I quenched that
blog and set up a new one using the name “naturalemprezz”. I’d seen too many blogs with the name
“natural” attached to them and didn’t feel unique. (No offense intended).
After
racking through some creative thinking, the name “ghanaianemprezz” popped up. I
wanted fellow Gh women to identify with the blog and what it stands for- an
avenue to share hair care experiences as women living on the African continent.
I also created “academiclounge” to still document academic stuff which I’ll be
focusing on it in the coming year.
After December 2011, I went on a
“holiday” again as I was saddled with school work. I, finally, got to put down
another post in March, 2012 and haven’t been MIA again. Just around that time,
I stumbled upon AfroDiva’s group on facebook and we hooked up.
The Good
I’ve reached a point where I have a
network of readers who support with their comments, suggestions, questions and
interactions. Friends and family (eg my web developer hubby who’s the blog’s
no. 1 critic), BLMGirls on facebook, local and international hair bloggers,
facebook friends,. This month, I reached 200 hits per day and I appreciate it a
lot. I value EVERY single person who has contributed to this growth. I have
also met wonderful ladies and gentlemen in the Gh blogging world who have
taught me so much.
The Bad
I had to learn the art of blogging; the
how, the what, why, when, where as well as networking. Writing the content is
an art on its own. These require practice and don’t come to you easily. I had
to learn how to edit pictures- which ones to use or omit. Considering that I
was busy with academic work, it was stressful. There were days I woke up early
in order to get a post up or edit errors in existing ones and late nights where
I watched youtube videos and how they work on the blog. The learning process is
challenging but once you get the bits and pieces, it becomes less tedious
The Ugly
If I say it’s been without hurdles and
disappointments, I’d be a big liar. When I started, I felt lonely and sad that
there wasn’t a hair blogger in Ghana. Most of the bloggers were males and were
into technology. How was I going to get women who are not even aware of hair
blogs? I sort the help of my sister-in-law who is natural. She encouraged me to
go on and share what I write on her facebook group for ladies. I remember when
I saw that I’d had 5 page views, I knew it was going to be a tough road. Some
people started visiting on a daily basis and soon, I got another friend on
board-AfroDiva. Now, we have another Gh hair blogger, Stella of
ghlonghair.blogspot.com who happens to be closer to me than I thought. I pray
we’ll also take Gh hair blogging to a new dimension
Aspirations
It’s my prayer that the blog becomes all
that I wish for. I also want “academiclounge” to be a foundation for academic
success especially for Ghanaian women pursuing higher education.
There’s so much to say but all glory and
honour to God who is my everything. May He continue to guide you as you grow
your hair to prove your “haters” wrong.
Stay Blessed
Emprezz
Awwww congrats to you all, blogging isnt easy, not for the faint hearted like myself lol!, but i must commend you on a good job, bcuz when i need a quick info i quickly refer to your blog and its easy to get hooked up bcuz there is loads to read.. keep it up
ReplyDeleteHappy one year love. keep it up, it can only get better. Blogging is anot as easy as it looks
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your one year anniversary, I wish you many more successful years!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much.
ReplyDeleteYeah!!I
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Annette. It means a lot to me knowing that I have you ladies by my side. I also love your make-up tips.
ReplyDeleteSo Happy to find a ghanaian hair blogger. I'm crazy obsessed about hair now. My blog go to guides are growing. Happy journeying and wish you another Blogful year ;)
ReplyDelete