Meet The Blogger: Slouching Towards Thatcham
Here at BlogOn we like nothing more than showcasing different bloggers and their wonderful blogs. This week’s blogger is Tim from Slouching towards Thatcham. If you fancy being featured on Meet the blogger then please email laura@blogonconference.com
Slouching Towards Thatcham
Name – Tim Liew
Blog URL – https://slouchingtowardsthatcham.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/thatchamdad
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/slouchingtowardsthatcham
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thatchamdad/
How long have you been blogging and what made you start?
I’ve been blogging for 12 years in all, although Slouching towards Thatcham has been going for just over 10 years now. I’ve always had an urge to write dating back to my teens. One rainy Sunday morning, on a whim, I decided to start a blog. The rest, as they say, is history.
What do you wish you had known before you started?
Where do I start? Blogging started out as a way for me to process the many random thoughts and memories that fly around my head. Over the years, things have evolved somewhat haphazardly, as the mood takes me. So if there’s one thing I wish I’d known before I started, it would be to have had more of an idea about where I wanted to go with the blog, as opposed to making it up as I go along.
What one tip would you give to a new blogger?
Can I offer two for the price of one? They’re both about taking the time to really know and define yourself.
Firstly, by all means, do your research and take inspiration from other bloggers. But don’t imitate them. Think about what makes you unique and distinctly different to the thousands of other bloggers out there. Don’t be a pale imitation of someone else.
Secondly, be clear about what your objectives are. If your aim is to earn income, that’s great. But if you’re writing for yourself or to share your own experiences with others – or any of the million and one other reasons people start blogging – that’s also great. But how you define success and the things you should focus on are different in each case. Don’t fall into the trap of chasing other people’s objectives just because everyone else seems to be focussing on them.
What is the most surprising thing you have learned since you started blogging?
How to work with audio. I’ve always said that I have a face for radio and a voice for silent movies but through blogging I somehow ended up doing podcasts for five years. I also regularly write and perform parody songs too. Okay, I’m never going to have the Christmas number one like LadBaby, but I love doing them anyway. (There’s no way you’re ever going to convince me to start vlogging, though.)
What is the best thing about blogging?
I’ve never been a confident person but blogging has provided me with a personal space and a supportive community in which I do feel confident. I’m normally the shyest person in any room but when I come to blogging events such as BlogOn I feel completely at home, surrounded by like-minded people and I’m much more outgoing. Bloggers are just my kind of people; they’re like an extended second family to me.
What new skills have you learned since you started blogging?
Being a blogger forces you to develop so many different skills: how to produce engaging written and visual content, social media, SEO – so many things. I now work as a social media manager for a large American multinational, overseeing social media across 70 countries. There’s no way I would have even been considered for this job if I hadn’t developed my social media skills as a blogger first.
What is the most unusual thing you have done/received because of blogging?
Sing live on stage in front of 500 people at BritMums’ BML conference. I performed my parody of the Eighties classic Pretty in Pink, which is about our eldest son’s former love of all things pink and my sadness at him growing out of that phase.
What has been your proudest blogging achievement so far?
For three years, I wrote TV blogs for the website of the Metro newspaper and one of my posts achieved over 250,000 views, which was pretty cool. It’s as close as I’ll ever get to being famous (which is to say: not very). Never mind parenting – if you want a post to go viral, write about Game of Thrones! ?
What is your blogging goal for the next year?
I don’t have one! If I had to specify one goal, it would be simply to enjoy blogging. Write about what I want, when I want. No deadlines, no pressure to do something out of obligation or because it will improve my stats or my DA or make me more attractive to brands. Just write for the simple joy of writing. It’s how I started out on this journey, so I’ve essentially come full circle.
What will you be doing in 5 years time?
Still blogging, hopefully. And complaining about how old I am and how I’m old enough to be many bloggers’ dad. (Actually, I’m old enough to be that already – don’t tell anyone!)
Will we see you at a BlogOn event this year?
Yes – I’ll be there in May and hopefully September, which would be my seventh consecutive BlogOn (and eighth in total).
If Yes, What do you hope to learn more about at BlogOn?
I’m pretty well clued up technically but I will definitely be attending the podcasting session in May. It’s been a year since I took a break from podcasts but I’ve got a few new ideas floating around and it would be good to do it properly this time rather than taking my usual random approach.
If you liked this make sure you check out last weeks Meet the Blogger.