Interview With Aisha Bint Mahmud: A Programmer and Blogger from Northern Nigeria

In today’s blogging ecosystem women also contribute immensely, Blogging has been around for quite some time, and I have many reasons to believe that it is at a profitable edge (Just ask Linda Ikeji). Women all over the world are endeared to glamour, fashion and colorful motifs and this explains their enthusiasm towards the world of blogging, what draws my attention here is when usually talking about women blogging in Nigeria many believes (even I myself) that those women are from south, and of course they, but today I found woman from northern Nigeria who’s a blog about technology and she’s a programmer

This woman works full-time as a blogger and earns full time income blogging. He lives in Nigeria, in Kano State for that matter.  But thanks to the Internet which is not a respecter of your location.

Mama Indo has given good amount of time in answering my interview questions. This interview is 2000 words plus long. So I would suggest you have a cup of coffee with you while going through the interview. I’m really thankful to her for accepting my interview request and for her time in answering my interview questions

Hello readers, I have the honour to present to you the first person to be featured in our “Interview” section of this blog. Aisha Bint Mahmud aka Mama Indo (the name I usually called her) is the lucky woman to be the very first one to be interviewed on this blog

Salamu Alaiki Mama Indo and Welcome to Tech Guide NG. Can you Please Introduce yourself?

I’m Aysha Bint Mahmud – a  Computer programmer, Web designer, life coach, writer, blogger, Humanitarian advocate, Entrepreneur, Agribusiness-woman, Public speaker, Radio Presenter, and the list goes on. I’m an average Niqabi who found passion in helping others realize their potential and make healthier choices, investing in them, helping them grow to give out to the world without losing themselves.

I am the founder of Youth Assistance for the needy initiative, a non-profitable, non-governmental organization, whose main aim is to protect and build the capacity of the needy to withstand societal pressure and be self-dependant. I’ve been an Islamic teacher for almost 5years now, working as a part-time school teacher, worked with quite a number of radio stations here in Kano, Nigeria, and have been on the radio for years. Currently undergoing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a 5-years Islamic degree program.

Your blog is a Multi-Niche blog and You write on so many topics. What are your favorite topics?

I am a self-development, productivity, Parenting, religious, motivational and fitness blogger with an enthusiastic mindset. It's difficult to choose a specific topic I like the most because I like and I'm passionate about all of them. And because it helps me achieve my mission of trying to guide others to be productive and improve themselves in life by writing/blogging, which I believe will help them embark on an inspiring, motivating, and productive life with an enthusiastic mindset.

How you define blogging? Do you think, it is useful for women?

You can think of a blog as a frequently updated online journal or diary, a place where you express yourself to the world, sharing your thoughts and passions. But personally, I feel a blog is anything you want it to be. We are now in an information age where every individual is searching for information that will help improve his/her life. And as long as you blog about a topic or any area of interest, there’s always an audience ready to read and appreciate. Blogging comes with a lot of opportunities So I don't think of blogging as something only useful to women, it's for everyone who wants to tap into it.

Why did chose to blog? was there any interesting story? Have you faced any kind of obstacles in beginning?

I've always been that young girl who wanted to make an impact in the world, a girl who can get her voice out there even if it's in a written format. But then I had a lot things in my life stopping, after struggling I finally decided to just sit at home and make an impact to the world, and blogging came into the picture. I was 15 years then, I had no access to a laptop, so I had just a small phone which I used to create a free hosted blog, and it worked for me. From then on, I tried a lot of things related to blogging, learning each day which brought me to where I am today.  I used to be a blogging newbie and went through the same problem every newbie goes through when it comes to starting and creating a blog. I can remember then everything was just so complex and confusing for me, but now I know a bit about blogging and even how to start a blog from scratch. I have also helped others to create and start a blog for their business and they’re doing well enough. Alhamdulillah!

How you keep yourself motivated all the time?

The bare thought that I'm still not where I want to reach in blogging keeps me motivated. I know I'm there yet, so I have to keep pushing.

How much time did you spend to make your first dollar online?

I earn from my blog through my web design, content development, and life coaching services. It doesn't take long, we just set an appointment, I do the work and get paid.

Please tell us about your Offline Life.

When I'm offline, I'm always busy weather with household chores, Reading Books, research, Thinking of new ideas to benefit the world, writing down my thoughts & journaling ( I love pen & paper so much so that I buy new pen every week, plus I love buying exercise books). I do a lot of activities offline, especially when I'm on online break.

According to You, What are the essential requirements to become a successful blogger-Is that technical skills or anything else?

You don't need to have technical skills. Every day millions of people, some of whom have no technical ability whatsoever, write on their blogs. So,  these are a list of everything you need to start up your blog:

• An ICT device: well this is obvious.
• Decide this: Free hosting or Self-hosting.
• Domain name and hosting server. (Two most important things)
• A blogging platform.

Do you invest money on Promotion of your blog?

The Investment isn't much, with that little investment, you’ll get your blog LIVE and running, and it’ll be worth it.

Apart from this blog, Do you have any other blog?

Yes, Apart from this blog, I manage other websites some of which I don't own. But Currently, I'm working on my E-commerce site, which I'll Insha Allah be launching soon.

How you differentiate yourself from other bloggers?

I strongly believe there's no competition when it comes to blogging. Just write about topics you’re passionate about, your contents will always be there for people to read.

Now a day most of the new bloggers (especially from developing countries) start blogging on common topics like Making money online, Blogging tutorials, Technology etc but very few of them achieve good results. According to you, which are the best topics for new bloggers to start blogging?

This is a question people always ask when you advise them to join the blogging community. Well, blogging is done for different reasons, different blogs out there have different things to offer, but at the end of the day they all have one thing in common, which is “PASSION”. The best bloggers are those who do it with passion. Here are some profitable topics which hundreds of people can blog about:

• Wealth/Entrepreneurship
• Health/ Fitness
• Relationship
• Self-development.
• Career improvement
• Hobbies/interests

Trust me, anything that falls into these topics are great and promising topics to blog about.

Every blogger needs inspiration. Mention the names of your favorite bloggers and blogs.

I.m part of a huge International Muslim women bloggers community with 1000+ female bloggers who blog for different reasons. That's where I get to amazing and inspiring bloggers who motivate me.

How are you making Money from your blog- Is it Adsense or anything else?

I personally hate ads on sites, it can be really annoying at times. So I made sure I avoided adverts on my site as best as I can. I blog for passion, not for money, But then I earn from my blog through services I offer.

What are your future plans?

I'm planning on coming up with amazing courses, and workshops on blogging, because we need more bloggers in the community who can come up with amazing topics to blog. My first blogging event will take place online on the 15th of September, live on Facebook. I always think of new ideas, so I never stop planning.

Your Message for our Readers.

My message is we shouldn’t be pleasant with accepting our current position, you should challenge your own perception and other people’s projections about you, not only that you become supportive of who you are but also who you want to be. Clear your heart of negativity, and environmental influence, Seek to continuously guard your mental space. Speak love, joy, happiness, support, and action to yourself. We are the only ones that can do that to ourselves, free yourself from all those areas that don’t help or upgrade you.

Thank you very much Mama Indo for being with us, We were happy to have you. Good Luck for the Future!!!

You're welcome! thank you for having me.

Dear my sister’s living in north please don’t be responsible to guys, waiting for them to buy make, workaround and be inspired by Mama Indo “you should challenge your own perception and other people’s projections about you, not only that you become supportive of who you are but also who you want to be. Clear your heart of negativity, and environmental influence, Seek to continuously guard your mental space”. Join her to make our north better.