Time flies

It’s been 11 months since I wrote my very first post on akinakingbogun.com and to be honest, I was extremely excited about starting this project. I had worked several weeks earlier on every little detail for the pages and design with one of my mentees whom I credit for the unique layout design and style of the website.

Several months later, I am still excited. Very much so; invigorated by the possibilities that the website offers and spurred on by the support from everyone who has read an article or two. It has become a veritable platform to voice an opinion, share a story, learn new stuffs and re-live history not just for myself but also for a decent number of other literary enthusiast (feature writers) who have contributed valuable articles to the over 120 post on the website to date.
It feels as though the months raced by so fast and several articles later we are at the cusp of celebrating a milestone achievement. And that feels really good.

What kept me going?
Somewhere inside my head, the obligation to share something new drives the passion for writing. And there are quite a number of things to share about life experience, acquired taste, fictional stories, life hacks, business insights, hobbies, historical events, travels and a host of others I haven’t gotten started with.

Ultimately, there is something that would interest somebody!

How daunting has it been?
It’s super tough to get many people to read. At first I spent countless hours monitoring the readership from the backend. Looking out for trends and what was driving the readers to one post and not the other. It almost felt like a fixation. I was convinced that I must have the right mix of the title of the post, the length of the read, the picture inserts, the layout of the paragraphs and even the channel of communication. And I needed the numbers to show the way!

It’s far easier to get more likes on a Facebook page, Instagram post or LinkedIn than to have the average person read a blog post! It’s so damn tougher! While some will read till the end and possibly drop a comment, others would simply skim to the end and exit. Others literally exit the page the moment they get in and some never completes the read! Data is indeed king.

It’s a learning experience for me and one thing that is absolutely important here is the Consistency – of writing, of posting, of figuring out what to write and adding value!

If you have been following all the post on the platform in the last 11 months, then you will agree that the following post were the stand-out articles for a lot of readers. This is backed by data and it tells me that we (my feature writers and I) are doing something positive and phenomenal.

Top 5 Most Read articles on the Blog

1; Waste of Sin (The very first Episode)

Author – Akin Akingbogun
Published – July 2020

My Thoughts – The first episode for this thrilling and intriguing story was originally intended as a flash fiction for an ongoing story – The Prisoner of Fate. It somehow got a life of its own and evolved into a separate story that grew in complexity as the plot developed. The post and overall was enthralling and I got excited as I wrote every one of the eight episodes.

Overall theme – fiction, mental illness, betrayal, intrigues.

Readers’ Response – This post had as many as 34 comments and it left viewers guessing what the outcome of the story was likely to be.

2; Identity Theft by the Owner

Author – Deji Sowunmi
Published – May 2020

My Thoughts – This was Deji’s first post on the platform and it came laden with excess energy. He delved deep into a really difficult topic and with a unique writing style pushed the boundaries of our thinking process to rediscover ourselves. You would feel the passion in his writing and the references and research painstakingly detailed in the post would leave you in no doubt of his dexterity and literary finesse. It was also his very first writing project after many years. I see the post as a classic and the readers apparently agree so.

Overall theme- Research, historical, reflective, retrospective

Readers’ Response – The comments in response to this post were mostly very engaging and appreciative of the writing style, perspective and reasoning.

3; Be Audacious, Take that blind leap – My interview story

Author – Akin Akingbogun
Published – October 2019

My Thoughts – This was my very first post on the platform. I had shared this story with a good many of my friends, mentees and colleagues but never in writing. I recollect the excitement I had writing this piece. I wore a smile throughout the two-hour period it took to write the post early that morning. The reception I received after it was published was overwhelming. To be honest, it showed there was something to give and a good many readers were open to learn.

Overall theme- Reflective, True experience, life hack

Readers’ Response – The response was massive. At the time, I hadn’t set up a comment section and so I received the feedback messages directly and had them saved up on my drive. I would put the many comments up on my home page soon enough. The remarks and feedback were glowing and very appreciative.

4; The Mummified Maiden

Compiled – Akin Akingbogun
Published – July 2020

My Thoughts – Not many readers would have noticed that I ran into a writers’ block for almost two months (May – July). I lost a bit of the zeal to write. It was post lockdown in the middle of the year and I had done a lot of writings during the restriction. Nothing seemed to be working. I spent the period studying online courses in business, photography and even to improve my writing. I did everything else but write. I wanted to create an environment that would stimulate my creative juices, but for two months I drew a blank.

This post was my come-back article. It came laden with a different perspective to an historical event. It was the most read article for many weeks. You will find this very intriguing and informative.

Overall theme- Historical, reflective

Readers’ Response –I suppose that the story itself was quite sad, thought provoking and gripping enough that few readers cared to drop comments. But it appeared to have received good look-ins and views from around the world.

5; Rent a Fraud – Story of desperation and suspicion

Author – Akin Akingbogun
Published – February 2020

My Thoughts – This story came in two parts and I shared an interesting experience during a house search in Lagos that could have easily gone very wrong. I personally enjoyed writing this piece and it had a lot of lessons shared along with an entertainment value.

Overall theme- Reflective, True experience, life hack

Readers’ Response – There was no comment section at this time too. But the readers sent personalized messages via chats with fervent request for the second and concluding part. This I obliged.

To fuel your curiosity, I will list the other 5 post making up the Top 10;

6; The Sleepwalker and the Walk of shame –

July 2020

7; Prisoner of Fate –

Ongoing

8; Public Presentation and Speaking –

March 2020

9; The Buffalo Hunter Story –

May 2020

10; George Floyd, Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, Societal lip service & love–

June 2020

Happy Reading!