When I started out exploring the blogosphere (blogville? The names tire me abeg), I was quite ignorant about its true size. I also knew virtually nothing of its makeup or its various architects. Funny enough, I also thought I was a pioneer.
Not a pioneer blogger of course, but a pioneer Nigerian blogger. Yeah... right!
At the time I had no idea there was a whole generation of pioneers who had come before me. But then when you think about it, I should have realized it. I mean c'mon, I only started doing this in 2007. Some Naija bloggers been online since 2004. Probably longer.
I began to come across Naija blogs all dealing with such a diverse range of topics that prove that we Nigerians are not monolithic in our thinking. These fellow explorers would dive readily into issues Nigerian society as a whole wouldn't touch.
I found that Naija has some really bright young philosophers on the net. We've also got a lot of vixens, gangsta wannabes, political analysts (of course), sports enthusiasts, hobbyists and lobbysists, poets and our fair share of narcissistic egomaniacs spouting a lot of self-centered rubbish.
Nowadays, one or two of our Naija superstars are catching on and a few are expressing themselves and connecting with friends and fans through blogs.
Then there's those bloggers for whom a blog is simply a diary through which they can allow others to critique their actions under cover of anonymity.
And I almost forgot the entertainers whose blogs make a nice humor detour on a busy day. Others take you on a voyeuristic journey into their escapades (sex-capades?).
Long and short, Naija-born bloggers are plenty and growing by the day it seems. To those who came before, I throway salute. To those keeping the flag flying, maintain the flame. To those blogs yet unborn, we eagerly await what you will yet build in the Naija Blogosphere.
When the movie 'Living in Bondage' was released in 1989(?), no-one could have predicted a time when actors would earn N1million per movie. When Majek Fashek and his ilk were struggling to make it on the music scene, noone could have foreseen record sales of hundreds of millions of naira.
So who knows where blogging is headed. Perhaps to a time when we'll all get paid by media interests to become legitimate writers. Perhaps to an age when your expertise is recognized and translates into money made from speaking engagements. Perhaps some of us are the movie scriptwriters Nollywood needs to go to the next level?
Anyway. Let's toast... To the growth of a new industry.
Cheers!
PS. I wanna give a shoutout to Naija Fine Boy who's signed out of blogsville for good. We're gonna miss him. (http://www.naijafineboy.blogspot.com)
1 comment:
I recently started blogging on the naija blogosphere myself and I must say that I was more than impressed. I strongly believe that the next stage for us is to start brainstorming on how to start monetizing these blogs. Notice you have some google adsense on ur blog. Please drop me a line and start the brainstorming session together.
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