Hi Guys,
My interview as posted on WeBlogForLove website after winning @SamsungSA Community challenge for Round 1. The post that made me win is here.
- What inspired you to enter the challenge?
It was the most marketed and promoted challenge by the @SABloggers and @Webinfluential along with @SamsungSA asking for entries all over
from Pretoria, Jozi, Durban and Capetown. I always wanted to be a part
of Samsung brand and showed my interest to blog about their mobiles,
tablets etc. In India, I missed the contest as I haven’t started
blogging when they chose some people to become their “Samsung Mobilers”
where they get new products as soon as they are launched to post
tweets/blog, review and use the product. So a chance to be a part of
Samsung community was my biggest motivation behind entering this
challenge. I hope that now I have won the first Challenge as an
outsider, I will get invites to various product launches/review to cover
for Samsung. Fingers Crossed!
- Is there a specific blogger who you thought would win besides you?
This is one thing I am missing on at the moment. I don’t get enough
time to go through and read the blogs of my fellow bloggers. I do check
their blog once in a while to see what I can do visually to my blog and
which other badges/communities I can be a part of. I did check the
chosen 10 bloggers for Round 1 on Samsung Promotions website from which I
found some are famous celebrities whom I have been following (on
twitter) for advice on social media. I have not checked CapeTown Guy’s
winning entry but will definitely go through once I have the NX300 in my
hands to capture the same kind of photographs that made him win.
- When did you start blogging?
I started blogging on 27 Dec 2012 on the occasion of my best friend’s
birthday with a purpose to share my life with others. Soon I became a
member of various blogging communities and learned a lot from them. I
purchased my domain with the first cash prize I won in a blogger meet.
It was great beginners luck and then I started to market my blog well
based on the learning I could gather from fellow bloggers. I have helped
a lot of interested friends open their blogs when they saw my
achievements in the same.
- Was this the first blogger challenge you’ve ever entered?
Yeah, this was the first blogger challenge I have entered in South
Africa. It was a great opportunity to write about something I am so
passionate about and then chosen to be a winner amongst many. I am
really thankful to the organisers and the brand.
- What has it taught you?
This has taught me that Dreams can always be fulfilled, no matter
where on earth are you, if you have the perseverance and enthusiasm to
keep going. I never thought I will win but I wrote the same on the last
day of submission with a cup of tea and mood to write about the product.
Everyone loves photography and I wrote about the product which makes
this feasible for everyone. Every time I will hold NX300 (prized
possession) in my hands, it will bring an achievement motivation to keep
writing and moving forward.
- Will you enter any other blogger challenges?
Yes, with more enthusiasm and motivation I definitely will enter more
competitions. I participated in SonyMoviesSA – Amazing Spiderman2
#SAReviewContest but lost the same. Generally, I miss them as I am not
aware about any blogging contest happening also.
- Why do you think it is important for bloggers to participate in such?
Competitions keeps you active and on the top of things as you
constantly think about what to write, how to write and when to write? I
love participating in blogging contests because I measure my writing and
luck with other fellow bloggers. It’s also about the idea which no one
else has thought (as per your thinking) and when you present yours, you
know that you will be the winner. But it’s important to read the winning
entries so as to benchmark yourself and get a lot of ideas for
improving your writing. Blogging is all about enjoying the expressions
in your writings.
- Do you own any thing from Samsung?
I bought my 32” Series 5 – LCD TV way back in 2008 and another one in
2012. Other than that I got Samsung Chat phone which I bought in
London. My parent’s have installed Samsung Split AC 2 Ton in their room.
I also received a S5 I am FIT Sipper in Sandton City Mall after doing
194 steps in a minute.
- Why do you love this brand?
I loved Samsung for its great picture quality in terms of my
LCD TV. I have enjoyed a lot of movies, TV series etc on my LCD TV. I
have literally lived my life watching a lot of TV on Samsung LCD TV.
Touchwood, there has not been a single incident of repair since 2008 in
my Samsung LCD TV whereas I have seen many complaints in Sony, Toshiba,
Panasonic and LG LCD/LED of my friends/relatives who bought it after
mines. Hats Off for the quality and that’s the reason to buy one more
for my parent’s room.
- Why do you think it is important for bloggers to stay loyal to brands they love?
It’s a selfish world. People change their loyalties all the time.
Bloggers do need to think what’s best for them as well as their blog. I
have been following Gionee, Samsung, Nokia, LG, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony,
Sennheiser and many other brands for long time with no success. At the
end of the day, I want to review a lot of products and whosoever will
send me products to review, I will be loyal to them only. I even offered
to blog for 52 continuous weeks (One post every week) in return of
their latest mobiles/gadgets reviews on various social media channels
i.e instagram, google+, facebook as well as on my blog. Hence, Loyalty
will only come if brand trusts you with their latest products and gives
you access to them. A blogger doesn’t want his blog also to look like an
advertisement channel for a single brand featuring nothing new but his
self purchased ages old Panasonic FZ5 camera or HTC mobiles. But Good
news is that, I am still available to any brand that shows interest in
my blog and wants me to write 52 posts mentions of their product for
their best product in return. 
Cheers!!!
Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com
Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com
