A blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online informational website displaying it's content in the reverse chronological order, with latest posts appearing first and used by a writer(s) to share their views on a subject, shape public opinion and make money. Bloggers are the new influencers as there are bloggers and YouTube personalities with millions of followers that organisations need to develop relationships with now for better public relations.
Blogging is said to have started in the Cameroon communication sector about some 13 years back. Today, it is estimated there are over 200 Cameroonian bloggers within and without the country. As days go by, more individuals (mostly journalists) keep creating and running their own blogs for news, entertainment, sports, business, health, politics, religion, activism and other nitches.
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| #237BloggersSummit Attendees |
The success story recorded at the first ever Cameroonian Bloggers Summit that took place in Douala from the 26th to the 28th of October 2019 under the theme "Blogging, Development Tool" was a major indicator to how blogging has come to stay in the country considering that there exists already a registered Cameroon Blogger's Association, the body that organised the summit. Drawn from Yagoua, Yaounde, Buea, Douala and Bamenda, attendees for three days exchanged on blogging and its perception in the Cameroonian society, blogging and civic responsibility, regional challenges related to blogging, blogger as key player in sustainable development etc.
Created in Yaoundé on the 13th of April 2017 the association is currently having 42 members with prospects for a huge increase in the days ahead following the recent holding of the summit. It's outgoing national president Rene Jackson Nkowa says blogs contribute to hundreds of online content daily. As such, he encouraged his peers to ameliorate the practice by networking and developing financially valuable content. Interestingly, cases of persons having Blogger as occupation on their National Identity Cards are already being recorded meaning the phenomenon is speedily gaining grounds. In next door Nigeria there are millionaires that generate all their income only from blogging.
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| #237BloggersSummit Backdrop |
At first, early Cameroonian bloggers did blogging for passion but of recent the trend has been shifting towards wealth creation and employment. Some aspects like poor internet access, dwindling economy, sociopolitical crisis, non regulation and generational differences in ICT knowledge between the young and the old have been identified as a hindrance to blogging in Cameroon. The public is too is still to familiarise itself with the role of bloggers.
Despite these setbacks, it was however revealed during the Douala summit that the state and corporate companies are beginning to recognise and value bloggers. The #237BloggersSummit was supported by Nestlé, Groupe SABC, Active Spaces, and TV5 Monde Afrique that are among the many institutions that have started involving bloggers in their communication plans. Rostand Banzeu, Steve Tchoumba and Brice Kamga Monthè, the trio being heads of the communication units of the first three companies listed above exchanged with the attendees on "Why Brands Solicit Blogging in a Sustainable Development Context."
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| Mbengwi Online Represented |
One of the major outcomes of the maiden Cameroonian Bloggers Summit was a resolution to amalgamate if possible, all Anglophone and Francophone Cameroonian bloggers both within and without the nation on one platform, www.blogueurs.cm that is also available on Twitter and Facebook so that from there, plans to ameliorate the practice could be drawn and implemented. Before closing the summit, using Keyhole, a social media analytics company that provides real-time data with hashtag tracking for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc, the organisers evaluated and found out that the #237BloghersSummit is now known by millions of social media users.
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