Linda Ikejii
You're most prone to have a success story when you add loyalty to passion with a tiny mix of good fortune. Five years later, www.lindaikeji Blog.blogspot.com has exploded to be one of the most visited websites in the country. As a regular source for news, entertainment, star gist, rumor and many more, Linda's site proceeds to bring tens of thousands of visitors daily. In this exclusive interview with Adeola Adeyemo, Linda shares her journey into the entire world of blogging and what makes her stand out.
There are not many individuals as open minded and down to earth. That would be known by any regular visitor of her blog. She has very little to conceal and she's not the least bit pretentious. With Linda, everything you see is exactly what you get and a regular visitor of her blog understands that she is single and hunting. Committed "LIB Readers" understand that she makes an enviable income from her blog and saved cash to buy her dream car- a 2008 Toyota Camry in four months.
This openness about Linda's coupled with her quick and smart method of bringing people news, information, jokes, graphics and a lot more from all over the world on her blog has earned her the reputation among Nigeria's favorite bloggers. Her blog is a hotspot for people and on-line advertisers wanting to bring web traffic to their sites or sites and gets over 50,000 visits daily. Remarks on Linda's blog might be revealing, more contentious and interesting compared to the post. As one reader wrote "Linda see this site everyday simply to read comments"
How did you find blogging?
Much younger wanted to be a journalist, once I was me. I was already writing, when much younger had been about ten years old. A few fiction stories were written by me within my notebooks and I gave a few people and they read and they believed I was an excellent writer. Much younger used to actually appreciate viewing people doing interviews newscasters,, I used to look up to them so after I had been going to go into the University, I put in for Mass Communication but I didn't get that course, I got English. So people understood me as a model, and I had become a model and when I completed school, it was extremely challenging for me to go back to being a journalist, to back so I simply moved on from there. But then I found blogging in 2006. Incidentally, it was throughwww.bellanaija.blogspot.com. That has been the first time I ever saw a website.
What was the website post about?
Just what exactly really inspired you to start your personal blog?
From I said to myself one day and then, I started reading her site, I can in fact live my dream, put narratives together, tell people what is going on, that year and so I created the blog. Myself created the blog but I actually began blogging early 2007.
I started my own company, Blackdove Communications after graduating in 2004. It is a modeling agency and event management company. Myself began modeling in 1998 and I quit in 2005. But in 2004, after I finished university I started my own company but I remained within my comfort zone which was modeling thus instead of being in front of the camera. I went behind the camera by running a service, recruiting models, training models, getting jobs. Myself still possess the modeling agency but I'm not running it.
There were not so many Nigerians on the net in 2007 then as they are now. What was the traffic on your own blog like afterward?
You're right, but I still loved it. I was getting for me and like 200 visits a day afterward, it was a big deal, really. Now myself'm getting from up to 180 countries like 50,000 visits a day.
What do you really think is responsible for this particular traffic?
Myself do not understand, I think people just love what I do. And much younger've done some extremely contentious places that gets people's attention.
What's kept you going all these years?
The love as well as the fire myself have for blogging, I actually appreciate it. Myself enjoy writing stories and receiving feedback, getting people to react to it.
When was the first time you made money from your own website?
2011 actually. It took me four years to start making money from blogging. Myself never even believed that I would earn money from blogging. Myself did not start blogging with the mindset that one day I'd make money. The good writer didn't even think that was a possibility, it never crossed my mind. I didn't say that OK let me blog now and perhaps in five years time, I will make money from it. I never envisioned it would happen. Infact, in 2008, 2009, myself was placing free advertisements on my blog, I was telling my website readers, please give me your ads and they will be place by me for free. But then in 2010, folks began asking me and I was like 'really?'
How regularly would you blog?
Much younger blog every day. I try as much as possible to blog every single day although if myself miss blogging that means something occurred to me or possibly my laptop crashed. Myself spend some hours daily online.
Where do you source for news?
A wide range of locations. Much younger can't tell you.
Why haven't you went to lindaikeji.com?
Some guy has chosen the domain name and myself am not considering purchasing it because he's telling me to pay tens of thousands of dollars and I see no reason why I should try this.
Because you began blogging, many are inspired to begin their own sites. Would you feel intimidated by the competition?
I think competition is healthy. I have been there longer than most of people and fortunately for me personally, I am in addition to every one of them so I don't feel like I am competing with anybody. There's enough space for anybody on top. Myself welcome any blogger that prefers to come on board, I try to help as many individuals as I could. Myself have a site list where people go from my site to other sites.
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Any regular reader of your website would know some things which most folks would call private. As one of these, I know you're hunting and single. Why would you share such personal details together with your readers?
Everybody knows I'm single. I'm consistently saying it, I am desperate.
Don't you think where millions of people can read, that is too private to share on a blog?
I've zero issue with sharing my private life with people, which is the way i am. Folks are shocked by it but that's who I'm. It can't be explained by me. It is just that if there's something going on with the good writer, I don't mind sharing. There are a few things I do not share, and some things I do not mind sharing. Myself don't have a problem with a problem with it, if others have it.
The issue of female genital mutilation is something you have shared with your readers and a few may feel it is a bit too private to be out there. Why did you do share it?
That is public, that's something I will share with anybody. Lots of women would keep quiet but I will not keep quiet, that is how I am. I don't understand how to keep such matters to myself, I must say it. I feel as if you have one life to live, why would you go with all those sort of advice.
I don't know.
Don't you think making such information public would turn your would-be suitors off?
Who cares. If it turns them away then they aren't the people meant for much younger. The person that's meant for me would be turned on by it.
Are you able to date someone younger than you?
No, never.
How about a person who doesn't bring in as much cash as you?
Yes I can. Exactly how many young men make the sort of cash myself make? I might likely be doing the kind of money while if myself'm waiting for somebody who earns more than I make. There are plenty of men who get more than I get but if I meet with someone who brings in less than myself, that's fine, provided that he's his own cash. However, not like a jobless guy, no, which will not really happen.
How much can you earn monthly?
(Laughs) More money than I believed was possible.
Myself love blogging too much to be tired of it. A lot of individuals are trying to start blogging and I tell them, I hope you are starting it for the appropriate reasons, because if you are beginning it for the incorrect motives, you are going to get bored and tired, and you're planning to proceed. In the event that you are doing it as you love it, you'd remain there for a little while but should you are doing it because you want to make money, before long, you'd wish to move on.
Does one run the website alone or do you've got a few other individuals on your own team?
Right now, I am doing it solo, but eventually I'm going to get people to simply help out. Maybe it is because I'm single and I do not have that much responsibilities. Probably I get married and have kids, when, my time would be taken by other things so I had need people to work with me but now I am loving doing it solo.
You've this ability to turn virtually anything. For instance, how does a celebrity buying a new automobile become gist?
The good writer set it for a post, and it comes back with more than 50 opinions, so is it not gist? Myself do it intentionally since I am aware that buying a car is just not that a huge deal, but if I put it, it becomes gist.
Why do you get really naughty, like putting up a post and you say 'for men only'?
My website is an enjoyable blog. Much younger do a variety of things. Much younger tell folks, should you find it bothersome, don't come. I recognize that I've plenty of male readers and I am a very mischievous, naughty person.
