Welcome back to The Tech Behind series! For the succeeding ones, I plan to put one out at least once a month! In that way, I get to interview people on a more regular basis. I also get to do that if they aren’t too keen on doing The Creator Life podcast. Check out my features on Isa Rodriguez, Joshua Vergara, and Camie Juan! For this one, let me introduce you to the blogger behind Ron Does Things!
Say Hello to Ronah of Ron Does Things!
When she’s not doing things (hehe), she works at a software company and also does more work things there! (I’m really pushing with the things pun. Haha) She’s also a member of Cebu Fashion Bloggers, an awesome group of Cebu bloggers that focuses mainly on fashion! Without further ado, here’s my interview with Ronah!
Blogger Beginnings…
URTechie: What made you start blogging? Was it always something you wanted to do?
Ronah: I’ve always been a reader and a writer for as long as I can remember. I’ve always had a blog or some form of creative outlet since high school. It wasn’t until 2012 when I seriously thought about starting one for everyone to consume. I guess, it was also because I was free from University work and I suddenly had a lot of time to waste. Plus, the work was repetitive and I kept craving for a creative escape. The problem was, I didn’t know what to write about. I wanted to cover fashion, travel, and food, but how? I can barely afford anything at the time.
And then I got my answer in 2013. At my first job as a software test engineer, I was given an opportunity to travel to Scotland for 2 months to work on a specific project. My travels around the United Kingdom were the perfect stories to start my blog with.
It took me half a year to curate and visualize my blog. The hardest part was determining the name. I was once called out for being a jack of all trades, master of none. Instead of getting affected by insults, I I turned them into my strength. I may not be an expert at one thing, but I’m above average in most things. Thus, rondoesthings.com was born. Also because francesca.com, a variant of my second name, is already taken, ha!
Tech Essentials
Ronah: Styling is that one creative outlet I can do every day. We have to wear clothes and I like expressing myself through that. It’s not uncommon to find me glassy-eyed because I’m visualizing pieces and styling them in my brain. It has always been organic and easy for me. I rarely, if not never, force myself to be creative in that aspect.
URTechie: What are your go-to tech essentials to help you blog?
Ronah:
- DSLR
- 35mm lens
- VSCO + Lightroom + Snapseed, in that order
- Flickr + WordPress
- MacBook (because AirDrop)
- iPhone because the photos are easy to edit, the colors aren’t saturated and closer to real life
- Bonus and not really a go-to because I don’t own one so how can I go-to it when it’s not accessible to me, lol, but whenever the boyfriend is around, I use his Samsung (Galaxy) S9 a lot to capture photos in low light, it outperforms iPhone on that, dinners are suddenly Instagram material
Let’s Talk Influencers!
URTechie: What do you think of the term “influencer”? Do you think you are one? Why or why not?
Ronah: I often perceive “influencer” negatively because of many reasons which include but not limited to people buying their following, as well as people taking advantage of their following and endorsing unhealthy choices because it pays good money. It discredits the organic and genuine work the rest of “us” (who are also categorized under that umbrella) do.
Apparently, a study said (don’t quote me) people with 1000 followers are considered micro-influencers. I’ve also been asked about the things I publish; where I bought that, where I ate this, where I traveled at, what books I read, how to pose, and seen people follow. So, I suppose I am an influencer in the most literal sense of the root word influence. But do I think I’m as much of an influencer as those paid for in Fyre Festival? Obviously, not.
URTechie: Does Cebu have what it takes to stand out from Manila in terms of the pool of content creators?
Ronah: Of course!
URTechie: What advice would you give to people starting out in this wild world of blogging and content creation?
Ronah: Be practical. Don’t let trends and “what works” turn you into something you’re not.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Ronah! I really applaud the fact that she is still able to do blogging and everything around it. Despite her ever-busy schedule, she still finds a way to do what she wants to do!