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Stephanie Gwee & Oo Gin Lee
Tue, May 20, 2008
Digital Life, The Straits Times
The bloggers and their profiles

 

The poly student The law student
Benjamin Toh, 19

Day job: Final-year student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Place he blabs at: typicalben.blogspot.com

Earnings each month: Between $200 and $500

Advertisers include: Motorola, Citibank, Music Story

When he started: Late last year

What he blabs about: The teenage boy-next-door blogs about his daily life, as well as social issues like how students should give up their seats to the elderly. Topics like boy-girl relationships and school-life are also common topics that he comments on.

Why I think my blab is interesting: 'Actually, I really don't know why people read my blog, even though I get more than 2,000 visitors every day.

'I think the pictures that I post of myself and my friends attract people to read it, as it makes the blog look more vibrant and attractive.

'Also, I believe that a picture conveys a lot of emotion, so I like to flood my blog with pictures.'

Sabrina 'Princessa' Ong, 23

Day job: Business and law student at a private school

Place she blabs at: sabrina.sg,

Earnings each month: $1,500 to $2,000

Advertisers include: Consumer technology and Web 2.0 companies

When she started: Two years ago

What she blabs about: This self-taught Web designer puts some cool animations in her blog and has a range of interests - tech, Web 2.0, food, dolls and more. She is also the host of Bloggers' Treats, a new video blog where she goes around with other bloggers to try out the best food in Singapore. Sabrina gets about 1,000 visitors and 10,000 page views a day. She combines her online popularity with her Web design skills to optimise her search rankings - search 'sabrina' in Google Singapore, and her blog comes out right on top.

Why I think my blab is interesting: Four words - shameless, scandalous, dramatic and crude. I try to write my entries like I'm speaking to an imaginary friend.

The channel rep The model
Peggy Heng, 19

Day job: Channel representative at Sony Ericsson

Place she blabs at: thy-dowager.blogspot.com

Earnings each month: Between $500 and $2,000

Advertisers include: Online fashion blogs like Wardrobefemme.com

When she started: April 2007

What she blabs about: The part-time model writes about her modelling experiences as well as the celebrities she meets while modelling. For instance, in her recent post, she posted pictures about her modelling stint at the Boat Asia 2008 event.

She also shares her thoughts and feelings, such as when she breaks up with her boyfriend, or when she faces conflicts in the workplace.

Why I think my blab is interesting: I feel that Singaporeans usually lead monotonous lives in the sense that they are either studying or doing regular desk-bound jobs. But I blog about my modelling career and my different modelling assignments and, as this job seems exciting and vibrant, people enjoy reading my entries.

Also, I blog about my emotions and feelings. For instance, I blog about the conflicts that I have with the people I meet. As Singaporeans are generally very gossipy and enjoy reading gossip, I think my blog appeals to them.

Dawn Yang, 23

Day job: Model and host

Place she blabs at: xanga.com/clapbangkiss

Earnings each month: $4,000 to $6,000

Advertisers include: NEC, Escada, Redbull

When she started: Early last year

What she blabs about: Dawn posts entries about anything from her clubbing escapades and school life to her favourite movies and her ambitions of becoming an F1 racer. Her blogpage is also filled with pictures of her pals at various watering holes and hotspots.

Why I think my blab is interesting: I have no idea, actually. I'm also trying to figure out why people read my blog. But if I had to guess, I think that it's because my blog is written in a light-hearted fashion. And there are also many pictures on my blog and, like what we all know, a picture says a thousand words. And I also try to blog about things that people might be interested in, such as F1 racing or the latest club events.

The doctor  
 
Leslie Tay, 39

Day job: General practitioner

Place he blabs at: ieatishootipost.sg

Earnings each month: Doesn't want to reveal

Advertisers include: Online sites like BibleGateway.com and Sgflyerking.com

When he started: Last year

What he blabs about: This foodie heads down to different hawker stalls all around Singapore, dips his tastebuds into their fare and blogs about them. Written with a sharp wit and accessorised with drool-worthy pictures, this food critic is a well-known name in the blogosphere.

Why I think my blab is interesting: A lot of people are drawn to the photos on my blog and because it is a blog about the best hawker food in Singapore, many tend to use it as a directory to decide where to eat next.

Aside from just reviewing the food, I also try to add in interesting bits of local food trivia like the eateries that President SR Nathan is known to frequent. The 'Food Nazis' section also lists all the popular hawkers whose food is so great that people don't mind suffering abuse just to eat it.

 

Photographer: ALAN LIM; Make-up: HUANG HUI MEI from MAC; Hair stylist: CRISTINE HOR from Hair Pride Salon & Boutique; Art direction: ANGELINE NEO

This article was first published in Digital Life, The Straits Times on May 20, 2008.

 

 
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