I literally stumble on Monique Solomon‘s first blog Fashion Over Style in 2007. Her online moniker, Irie Diva drew me in. Fashion Over Style was my gateway into Jamaica’s fashion scene, there weren’t many blogs dedicated to Caribbean fashion at the time. I instantly became a fan of hers and have been reading, tweeting and facebooking her ever since. As bloggers, you grow, your life changes and so do your blogs. Blogs are key way to express your interest and connect with others of similar interests. Now, Monique has four distinctly different blogs, each with their own purpose touching on social media, fashion and personal relationships. Based in Jamaica, Monique, aka Irie Diva, gives us an inside look on how she’s turning her blogger experiences into a multi-faceted career.
When did you start blogging?
I started blogging officially in May 2007.
What made you want to become a blogger?
I was reading a lot of logs back then and decided I should give it a try since it was so unpopular in Jamaica at the time. Plus I read I could make money from it somewhere and I was like “Really? Let me see what’s up!”
What do you love about blogging?
I love being able to write about what I love in a fun way. I had no intention of ever being a writer with proper principles and etiquette; I just loved having an informal avenue where I can speak my mind and get feedback from people who don’t know me.
You have multiple blogs, how did you transition from one to the other and keep up with writing and promoting all of them separately?
My first blog was all about fashion (Fashion Over Style), but I always wanted to write about things that weren’t just fashion. When that blog became big and I felt the pressure even more to remain in my niche I created a new blog which was more personal and under a different name (Irie Diva). Now I mix personal with fashion and it’s going over well so far but I started other blogs (Monique Solomon and Irie’s Love Notes) for other topics so I didn’t dilute my main blog too much. I really just write whenever I’m inspired. Sometimes I feel pressured to stick to a schedule but I hate that because I feel as if my writing is forced.
What’s the hardest part about keeping your content fresh and relevant?
Promoting them separately hasn’t been a challenge so far. Sometimes keeping up with two twitter timelines can be difficult and I find my professional one suffering because of that. When I focus, it can be really fun connecting with a whole new set of people.
The hardest part about keeping my content fresh is really the niches I have chosen. Except for my main blog about fashion and my munchkin which always goes down well, writing about relationships or social media can be hard when I feel like its all been said already. What I try to do is include relevant examples and make it relatable to whatever is happening now.
What do you hope to accomplish through your blogs?
I hope to get my main blog back to the level of traffic I once had and beyond. I went through an unfortunate upgrade and lost all my blog posts a couple years back and I’m still recovering from losing it all. I had some really good content. It was fun covering fashion in Jamaica and I really just want to take it there again and be recognised as a major player in the fashion media industry here. I’m only just now starting to write about fashion again hoping to kick things off big with CFW (Caribbean Fashion Week).
I’m hoping to parle my social media blog into some work! I’ve already begun doing social media for a few companies here in Jamaica and have decided to get into it full time, so the more the merrier.
Do you think the Caribbean brands are keeping up with digital marketing and development reaching the Caribbean and Diaspora?
I really can’t speak for the whole Caribbean, but I think Jamaica, however slowly, is really starting to pay attention to digital marketing and realising how it can positively affect the bottom line. The movement has been enough for me to believe I could quit my day job and do this blogging thing full time. I’m happy with this adaptation, haven’t regretted that yet.
Favorite blog to read?
My favorite blog to read. Wow. My Google reader has over 200 blogs on there! I’m partial to Necole Bitchie for some celeb gossip and Very Smart Brothas for some good relationship laughs.
Mikelah
Mikelah is a Caribbean Culture expert, curating the bridge between the Caribbean and its diaspora. A CUNY Baruch College graduate with a BBA in Marketing. With previous experience with Caribbean lifestyle brands such as VP Records, Tempo TV and JAMROCK Magazine. Currently serving as a digital marketing maven by day, while continuing to collaborate with Caribbean brands.
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