Big-time Teeny Bloggers

June 28th, 2009

Recently from this ranking chart I came across Xavier Lur (TechXav.com), a 15 year old from Singapore and Stanley Tang (Stanleytang.com), a 16 year old from Hong Kong.
These are their Twitter profiles. Note the amount of followers.

teenbloggers

 
What exactly is their appeal? Good original content? Good commentary on latest issues?
From my limited observation of their entries on the home pages, Stanley seems to have substantial guest content on his blog, that could be a draw. Xavier also has an apparent focus on latest technologies. The rest is up to intepretation. I would advise any critics to second-think engaging them in reactionary public debate. Social Media often works in a way that big boys have more to lose.

Also, it is noteworthy that both teens make it a point to highlight their youth on their Twitter profiles. Refer to above image, again.

Why is this so? Is this a remarkable draw?
Yes, actually it is quite remarkable; It is worthy of a visitor passing a remark about it:

“Hey look at this amazing kiddo teen blogger! If I didn’t see his About page, I would’ve thought he’s as old as John Chow! Ha-ha ha..”

 
It is quite an achievement for these teens to be involved and apparently successfully involved in Social Media at the prime of their sweet sixteens.

On one hand however, I would think that successful Social Media presence and influence requires a certain degree of Public Relations, and People Relations maturity and sensitivity, which should not yet have appeared in their school curriculumn.

On the other hand, The relative lack of worldly experience could be their springboard to creative realms beyond the mind of the seasoned professional who knows and abides by the Do’s and Dont’s.

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.” - Shunryu Suzuki, Japanese Zen Priest.

Stanley is also the author of a book, eMillions: Behind-The-Scenes Stories of 14 Successful Internet Millionaires. I regret that I’m not inspired enough to purchase the book to appreciate the teen blogger’s creative inputs. Must be all the recent negative people around me.

These teens bloggers have taken big strides into the Social Media arena, with substantial visitor traffic and Twitter followers. What will be interesting to see in time, is if they can engage the professionals and veterans in meaningful discourse, providing insight and feedback on issues from their unique perspective, and that the professionals and veterans would give them due credit when they deserve it.


btw, when Junde was 15,
He made his first website with Microsoft Publisher 97 (Academic copy), and then later went on to do a series of sites on www.geocities.com/junde2, which he no longer updates because he lost the account and Geocities did not bother to entertain the kiddo who wrote in to complain in kiddo language.

 
 
 

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Web Wednesday Guangzhou posts shifted to Guangzhouer.com

June 27th, 2009

With immediate effect, the Web Wednesday June Highlights (Feat. David Ketchum) all future Web Wednesday Guangzhou posts will be published at Guangzhouer.com

The Web Wednesday Guangzhou (June 09) audience at The Paddy Field

The Web Wednesday Guangzhou (June 09) audience at The Paddy Field

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Guangzhouer: Southern China Commentary

June 18th, 2009

It’s here! Guangzhouer, the Southern China answer to Shanghaiist albeit with humble beginnings.

It’s and effort by me and Jay Sun (ABC-of-sorts expat in GZ), to present things modestly through the prism of our Ameri-Singa-Sino-Southern perspective, and in the process share informative and entertaining nougats of Guangzhou life. We are lazy people, if someone else had already done it, we wouldn’t be sitting here typing this in the plural personal pronoun. As for how we plan to evolve … laissez-faire! How else would a Southerner do it?

We would like to invite all to our blog, and feel free to leave on and off-topic comments. We are also looking for guest writers, food reviewers, people who wish to be featured/interviewed. This is our little gesture of further self-promotion and also giving something back to the wonderful communities in GZ.

Visit Guangzhouer: Southern China Commentary now

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$30 for 2100+ Twitpic views, first liner news mention and 1 interview

June 4th, 2009

crabbird

I spent $30 on 3 iStockphotos, put together the little picture above, and got

I think that makes me the Most Retweeted Singaporean Web Consultant in China for a single message.
 
A Simple 3-step lesson here:

  1. Stay tuned to hot news, and respond fast!
  2. Think of alternative/lighthearted ways to present the message/views.
  3. Be visible to influential tweeters. Make sure they catch it. Post when you see they’re online and tweeting

 
Ok, so What about the Crab? and Bird?
Here’s the background:

The Bird - It’s the Twitter mascot.

The Crab - It’s actually a River Crab, though this one managed to climb atop the tree.
In China, whenever a website is been blocked, or comment/essay deleted, Chinese netizens comment that it has been “harmonized” (和谐 pronounced he xie). The River Crab’s literal Chinese translation, 河蟹 (he xie) bears the same pronunciation as 和谐 (harmonization). Hence the River Crabs are a non-sensitive alternative in online Chinese discourse.

I must also admit that I didn’t not draw the image by hand. I simply bought 3 images worth $30 on iStockphotos, then pieced them together on Photoshop. It was a little painful at first, to fork out $30 on these little illustrations. But from the response I got, I think it money well spent.

I consider this my first viral media success (although GZFreeze was also a minor success). Hope there’s more to come!
 
 

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River crab got the Bird

June 2nd, 2009

crabbird

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