My Blogging Community #welovetowrite

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The story began when I decided to register for a couple of premium bloggers certification workshops happening in Delhi on the 29^th and 30^th of July 2017. The Workshops by WeBlogAcademy, an Indiblogger enterprise, were held at CoWorkin, Nehru Place, New Delhi. The facilitator at the workshops was Rama Arya (Founder and Executive Director of The Communiqué). Rama blogs at www.ramaarya.com.

‘IndiBlogger is one of India’s leading blogging communities, constantly striving to provide value-added services to its community. The Communiqué led by Rama Arya, meanwhile, is passionate about capacity building in communication and works with leading organizations countrywide. She is also the author of a successful blog.’- Weblogacademy

Five Bloggers, One City #blogarhythm

A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click. ~Author Unknown

Once you click and you click, there is no looking back. I had the pleasure of meeting four of my blogger friends in Delhi last month. We are part of a blogging community on Blogarhythm (B-A-R) and had only met online till then.

My blogger friend, Shilpa Garg, from Jaipur, was one of the attendees at the blogging workshops. We met, exchanged life stories in between breaks at the workshop and made plans to meet up with some more BAR members from Delhi at Nehru Place Metro Station.

Shalini Baisiwala, Rekha Dhyani, and Nibha Gupta, met Shilpa and me on the evening of 29^th July and we spent a couple of hours talking excitedly and bonding over coffee and Shilpa’s homemade banana-walnut cake.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Interacting with this amazing group of lovely women was a beautiful experience. We wanted to capture these happy moments forever. While Shalini clicked our selfies, we requested perfect strangers to click our group snaps. The pictures turned out great. Thanks to the photographers who immortalized our meet.

The four young women have amazing blogs and lead equally interesting lives. The many hats they wear and the dexterity with which they multitask is an inspiration. This is the first of the four-part series of interviews I’d planned to post on my blog.

My guest today is Rekha Dhyani. I will let her tell you her story in her own words…

Interview With Blogger Rekha Dhyani

What are the many caps you wear? Introduce us to Rekha Dhyani.

A software engineer turned marketer, seasoned publishing expert, passionate blogger and photographer. A doting mother to two angels.

What’s the story behind your blog? Was it easy starting out? Challenges you faced?

I started off with my first blog, Dew Drops, about six years ago as part of my intrinsic journey in learning more about digital platforms at work. It became a habit which then turned into passion. The entire story behind the blog is crafted here: https://rekhadhyani.com/2013/06/19/the-origin-of-dew-drops/

Since I never looked at any number or popularity from the blog, the results have always amazed me. The only challenge that I find most of the time is to get into the flow. Time management is one area I need to work on and I seriously need to overcome what they call writer’s block.

Could you share your thoughts on perseverance and commitment?

When you are newbie, it does feel like you’re an outsider. But over the time, you make good relationships that help nurture your online space. The more you interact the more you’re bound to learn. Always be willing to take constructive criticism and walk away from the negative bunch.

The one lesson that I learnt through blogging is you should always and always ‘pay it forward’. It’s true that the more blogs you read, the better you write and the more it helps improve your readership. Content is always the king. But a continuous engagement with the community helps you in many ways in building your blog professionally. Writing is nothing but a committed relationship your have between your heart and mind.

What kind of content do you create and who’s your target audience? What are your top 3 favorite blog posts from your blog? Kindly put in links to the same too.

I play with almost all kinds of topics from personal memories, parenting lessons, travel stories, social issues, photography and fiction.

The Window Sill – https://rekhadhyani.com/2014/02/06/the-window-sill/

Beyond Spaghetti Tops, Sling Bags and Danglers – https://rekhadhyani.com/2016/03/13/beyond-spaghetti-tops-sling-bags-and-dangles/

Withered Dreams Revisited – http://rekhadhyani.com/2013/04/16/withered-dreams-revisited/

At a time when a lot of content is being created on a daily basis, how do you carve your niche in the blogosphere?

Honestly, the last few months have been very challenging on the personal front and I have actually neglected the blog big time. I see a lot of content but only a select few that are actually genuine content and not recycled information. It is this space that I want to get into; creating quality content that helps my readers and myself.

What are your long term plans for your blog? Any special word or thought you’d like to share with our blogging community.

My one big dream is to become an established travel blogger and travel the world. That’s exactly why you see more travel stories coming from me these days. Also, my second blog Wings and Chirps (http://rekhadhyani.in) is specifically dedicated to travel and photography.

I am sure Rekha’s dream will come true and she will become the most sought after travel blogger.I would love to accompany her on her world travels if she’d have me 🙂

By Sulekha Rawat