BAKE Awards
“Blogging is not easy. When readers see a beautiful site that has high quality content, some may think it is glamorous and easy, but it takes a lot of work. That is why we award the best.”
The annual event, which is now in its fifth year, has had positive impact to many bloggers. With the awards, bloggers now have a chance to get their work recognized.
Take the instance of Sharon Mundia, the popular fashion blogger of thisisess.com website.
According to her, getting nominated thrice and winning the award once changed how she blogs completely.
“The first time I got nominated meant so much to me. I felt like finally someone had noticed what I do and loved it,” she says.
Winning the award, for the Best Fashion Blog 2014, was a highlight for her career. This she says opened new doors for her as it made approaching clients to work with much easier. “It instilled confidence in my clients as they were able to know that people had a lot of faith in what I do,” she explains.
The case is the same with Chase Bank which has been nominated twice for The Best Corporate Blog for two times. Even though they have not won any, the nomination means that there are people who are noticing what they do and appreciating it.
“Getting our blog, Chase Stories, nominated for BAKE Awards means a lot to Chase bank. It means that our mandate, which is to inspire people to achieve what matters most to them, is being achieved through the blog,” Chase Bank’s Senior Manager, Digital and Marketing Communication , Naazneen Parkar says.
The Challenges
Even as Bloggers Media Limited continues to influence the work of bloggers in the country, the company has faced its fair share of challenges.
A big challenge that is present in Kenya’s blogging circles is lack of knowledge about the constitution. According to Kachwanya, many bloggers are yet to read the constitution. “You get many bloggers riding on freedom of speech which is stipulated in the constitution. But there are also other laws in the constitution that may lead one into trouble with the law such as hate speech. You cannot insult the president and expect to get away with it in the name of freedom of speech,” he concluded.
