These days, everyone is a blogger; logging their opinions on everything from politics to entertainment to express themselves and/or be an internet sensation. Art created one of the web’s best hubs for current music news (MadeToBeNow.com), Ronald (RonaldMatters.com) & Dio (It’s DiO!) operate as activists for the LGBT community all while commenting on pop-culture & daily life and Chike Evans is a burgeoning journalist on Blog Talk Radio’s “The Steven Knight Show” and YouTube with "Conversations with Chike Evans." These online media personalities gave an interview to J.Says Online to reveal how they've managed to stand out and discuss the downsides of web success.
What brought you to online media and what were your initial intentions when you got started?
Art: Ever since I can remember I’ve always had a profound love for music; like an obsession. I always knew everything about everyone in the business, like the latest single, the latest video, the next album, the inspiration behind each record, I mean… I was crazy even back in the day. Then one day, I decided it would be fun to share all that. And here I am.
Ronald: Superstar status! *throws hands up as if I see my name in bright lights* When I first started my blog, I had intentions of being the next Freddy O or Necole Bitchie. However, I discovered real quick that I would appreciate being a niche blogger more. Fame wouldn’t be all that great if the gay community hated Ronald Matters.
Dio: Online media has served as an outlet for me: my thoughts, worries and aspirations [it] has been used as a release. I was initially intrigued by the B. Scott character; he inspired me to put it all “on the table.”
Chike: My friend, now boss, Steven Knight, brought me to online media… [He] asked me to be a part of the project. There was no way that I could have said “no” to that.
J.Says: I wanted somewhere to express sometimes lengthy opinions, inform and start a dialogue with new people, especially Beyonce` fans, because I didn’t know any other dedicated fanatics.
What brought you to online media and what were your initial intentions when you got started?
Art: Ever since I can remember I’ve always had a profound love for music; like an obsession. I always knew everything about everyone in the business, like the latest single, the latest video, the next album, the inspiration behind each record, I mean… I was crazy even back in the day. Then one day, I decided it would be fun to share all that. And here I am.
Ronald: Superstar status! *throws hands up as if I see my name in bright lights* When I first started my blog, I had intentions of being the next Freddy O or Necole Bitchie. However, I discovered real quick that I would appreciate being a niche blogger more. Fame wouldn’t be all that great if the gay community hated Ronald Matters.
Dio: Online media has served as an outlet for me: my thoughts, worries and aspirations [it] has been used as a release. I was initially intrigued by the B. Scott character; he inspired me to put it all “on the table.”
Chike: My friend, now boss, Steven Knight, brought me to online media… [He] asked me to be a part of the project. There was no way that I could have said “no” to that.
J.Says: I wanted somewhere to express sometimes lengthy opinions, inform and start a dialogue with new people, especially Beyonce` fans, because I didn’t know any other dedicated fanatics.
It's DiOOO! (Autumn Chanel Photography)
How have your goals changed over your time online?
Art: The goal was always to have the best music blog “for me”; every little piece of it, from the…design, the way of writing, color schemes, everything. The only rule is that if I like it, then it’s ok. The goal was, is and will always be to make something I like. Something I think is fun.
Chike: Now I see my dream unfolding in front of my eyes. I see the prize, so to speak, and that makes me push even harder to achieve my goals.
Dio: I wouldn’t say that I ever had any goals as an online personality. It is merely a self-therapeutic platform.
Ronald: After a while in the game, you’d be a fool to say your goals haven’t been modified in some kind of way.
What do you know now that you wish you would've known in the beginning?
Dio: I wish I would have realized then that being an online personality would make my past and present public knowledge. I’m much more reserved in “real life”.
Chike: I learned that people are really willing to hear what you have to say as long as you present yourself appropriately. After all, it is about who you know. Right?
Art: A lot about coding and HTML, website design, writing, social media, I mean… It’s a whole world of new stuff that would have been very useful to know at the beginning.
Ronald: Content is king, always will be. Promotion is the queen. Nothing else matters. Nobody cares about your blog design; hopefully it’s minimalistic so the content can shine and won’t load forever on my slow a** phone. Learn the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) basics up front. It sounds confusing, but you will appreciate it later…and start that Google AdSense account.
Art: The goal was always to have the best music blog “for me”; every little piece of it, from the…design, the way of writing, color schemes, everything. The only rule is that if I like it, then it’s ok. The goal was, is and will always be to make something I like. Something I think is fun.
Chike: Now I see my dream unfolding in front of my eyes. I see the prize, so to speak, and that makes me push even harder to achieve my goals.
Dio: I wouldn’t say that I ever had any goals as an online personality. It is merely a self-therapeutic platform.
Ronald: After a while in the game, you’d be a fool to say your goals haven’t been modified in some kind of way.
What do you know now that you wish you would've known in the beginning?
Dio: I wish I would have realized then that being an online personality would make my past and present public knowledge. I’m much more reserved in “real life”.
Chike: I learned that people are really willing to hear what you have to say as long as you present yourself appropriately. After all, it is about who you know. Right?
Art: A lot about coding and HTML, website design, writing, social media, I mean… It’s a whole world of new stuff that would have been very useful to know at the beginning.
Ronald: Content is king, always will be. Promotion is the queen. Nothing else matters. Nobody cares about your blog design; hopefully it’s minimalistic so the content can shine and won’t load forever on my slow a** phone. Learn the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) basics up front. It sounds confusing, but you will appreciate it later…and start that Google AdSense account.
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