DON’T KILL BILL!
By Ronke Adeyemi
Thursday, January 27, 2011.
What exactly does a working socialite do? Well in Bill Uko’s life that involves working as a communications consultant, running his own company as well as attending New York University. This is all juggled while dividing his time between Nigeria, Ohio and New York – oh and of course there is his blog, Hanging Out With Bill.
Bill started blogging in 2009 as a way to share his thoughts and ideas on his passions which include pop culture, fashion, events and life in general. I caught up with him to find out a bit more about what it is like to be a working socialite.
What made you start blogging?
I started blogging because I wanted an outlet to share my thoughts, views, opinions and run commentary on the things that interest me without any censorship stricter than self-censorship.
Describe the concept behind Billuko?
My blog description encapsulates the concept of my blog…“a working socialite’s commentary on life, pop culture, fashion, events and everything that interests him” that’s basically the concept behind my blog. It’s a platform where I can comment on things that catch and hold my interest.
Over the last year bloggers have really made their mark in society, how do you think they will continue to push the boundaries over the next few years?
Self publishing is one of the most powerful aspects on the Internet. Good bloggers who provide good journals will continue to rise to the top because blogging is basically a niche market and as long as people continue to prefer the opinions and views of ‘real people’ as opposed to company generated ‘copy’, blogs and their authors will continue to flourish. Some will be absorbed by mainstream media, but there will always be a slice that flies in the face of norms in that exciting way that brought bloggers to prominence in the first place.
Where do you get ideas for your blog?
Hmm…my ideas come from events around me, my love of fashion, people, the media and sometimes the random thoughts and issues that I find myself grappling with in my alone time.
What do you do when you are not working on your blog?
I work as a communications consultant and I also run a company called Fab Inc Universal we manage talent (models specifically). We also handle productions (media and events) and our flagship media production is called Grow Up, a show that I host on radio.
Describe a typical day in your life.
The best thing about my life in my opinion is the fact that there is no ‘typical day’. My activities vary greatly from day to day depending on what project I’m handling at the time and that’s how I like to keep it.
What are your favorite glossy magazines?
Vogue, GQ, Esquire, Vanity Fair and lately I’ve been buying and enjoying Mode Magazine (a Nigerian Men’s lifestyle and fashion magazine)
Name five blogs that you read religiously.
My love of entertainment news leads me time and time again to Crazy Days and Nights and Rhymes with Snitch. And the fashion bug keeps me reverted to The Musings of Ondo Lady, Manolo – The Shoe Blogger and Bryan Boy. These are probably the five blogs I visit most often.
How do you see your blog evolving over the next two years?
Doing this interview with you has changed my views on blogging considerably. Over the next two years I will streamline my blog in a way that enables me to provide quality content that has relevance to my readers whilst remaining true to myself, and I’d like to be able to update in a constant and efficient form.
You can read Bill’s blog here.
You can follow him on Twitter.
Ronke Adeyemi is a fashion writer with a background in journalism, marketing and PR. She blogs at The Musings of Ondo Lady.
