Tamar Taylor ‘Fearcely’ changing the blogosphere!

Social media have revolutionised the way people communicate with each other and share ideas globally. The popularity of social networking has birthed the latest branch of communication known as blogging. It is within the more than 200 million registered blogs around the world that the expertise of professionals and young writers (most of which have never been formally published), has taken the information age and transformed it into the vast phenomenon it is today. In fact, it is this non-traditional means of journalism that has created a whole new profession, as many bloggers are in fact paid to express their opinions online.

The popularity of blogging is even seen here with locals who recently got a platform to show the fruits of their labour at the recently held Jamaica Blog Awards. This award show revealed that there were more than 200 Jamaicabased blogs.

Our very own Portmore resident, Tamar ‘Ashlei Fearce’ Taylor, has yanked the chains of this vastly growing trend, in the hopes of getting her ideas out there in a public forum. Her blog can be loosely classified as a fashion and personal blog and, though it is fairly new (as it started in October of 2010), it has received over 20,000 hits. Seemingly unfazed by how much competition she has, she vows that her blog’s survival will happen because it is an expression of who she truly is. Though she confesses that initially she started because she needed an outlet, her hope is that “though the blog is very amateur at the moment, I hope that it will grow and get international acclaim”.

What stands out so far about her blog – www.ashleifearce. blogspot.com – is the clear connections she has with the entertainment industry as well as a keen interest and genuine love for fashion. A personal interview with dancehall artiste Tifa was done to find out her fashion inspirations and must-have items. Also, Taylor mentions that she is close to the owners of local fashion line ‘Yahdie Conscious’, which explains a few posts about the clothing company. However, she insists that “it [the blog] is personal. I try to keep up with everyday stuff. I try to relate to everyday persons. So I am not blogging about couture but regular stuff that I think people will be interested in.”

Ashlei Fearce’s Tips for New Bloggers

Utilise social networking. Twitter and Facebook are essential for gaining and maintaining some measure of interest in your blog.

Read related blogs regularly so that you can be aware of what is going on in your category of blogging. Recently I started going on to www.ishkadesigns.com because it was nominated for a Jamaica Blog Award.

Blog about things that you truly like and can relate to. Also, if you are shy, like I am, it is a good outlet for expressing yourself.

Do weekly updates because you want to keep your blog up to date and your viewers will, or should, be looking forward to your next post.

Research for greater accuracy unless of course you are blogging about your personal experience.

Writer: Alyssa Taffe
Source: portmoresun