What is the name of your Blog?Jeddah Daily Photo Journal
What is your name?
Susie of Arabia
Where are you from? (include country, state and/or city)
I'm an American woman now living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
What is your current age or age range?
mid-50s
Please describe your blog
I post a new photo every day from Saudi Arabia. Some show just ordinary life here, and other photos have to be seen to be believed.
Describe the main purpose of your blogging, what are you trying to accomplish?
I started blogging to assuage the fears and skepticism that my family and friends had about our decision to move to a country that doesn't allow women to drive and forces them to dress up like nuns in the stifling heat. I wanted many things in writing my blog. I wanted to assure the infidels that I wasn't living in a tent out in the desert with a camel tied to a fencepost outside. I wanted to show how very normal life can be here, and yet show the differences as well. I wanted to educate the masses about this country, its people, and its culture while I am learning myself. And I wanted to dispel some of the myths and falsehoods about this mysterious and exotic land that most people will never get to see.
What blogging platform do you do and why?
I actually publish two blogs. This one I am submitting is my daily photo blog. I think images can say so much more than words. My other blog has more text and goes deeper into experiences that I have actually had here.
What do you blog the most about?
I blog about anything and everything concerning life here. Jeddah, the city I live in, is the home to the world's largest public open air art museum, and I would have to say I have probably posted more photos of the extraordinary sculptures that dot the landscape here. Coming in second would be the Red Sea, as Jeddah is located right on the coast of the Red Sea.
What kind of blogs make you angry?
Blogs that criticize without proof. Blogs that get too religious. Blogs that are boring. Blogs that copy other's work.
What are some things you would NEVER blog about?
I would never criticize the government here and I try to avoid religion, although it is such a dominant force here since Saudi Arabia is an Islamic Kingdom. Bloggers here have been thrown in jail for criticizing or speaking out. I feel that I am a guest here and it is not my place to criticize. But I do present facts as I see them and I try to remain as objective as possible.
Did you start blogging for the purpose of making money and if so, are you making enough money?
NO!
How long have you been blogging?
I started my text blog in the Fall of 2007 and I began this photo blog in the Spring of 2008.
About how many hours per day do you spend blogging?
It varies. With the photo blog, I try to set up posts ahead of time so I don't have to do it every day. With the text blog, I try to post about once a week. At any rate, my husband says that I spend way too much time on the computer (I have to read everybody else's blogs!) and that I love the computer more than him.
What promotional techniques work best for you and why?
I don't care about having a huge following because I don't want to attract wierdos. I am writing this blog mainly for the benefit of my family and friends back in the states, but if others want to read it, they are welcome, as long as they are respectful.
What mistakes have you made that you could warn others about?
I have to be especially careful about the culture and the religion here so as not to offend. Saudi Arabian women highly guard their privacy. I once did a post about a teenage girls pajama party here where I posted some photos of the guests in their pajamas. Even though the photos were fuzzy and no one was recognizable and I pixelized faces, I still got some flak from people who were criticizing me for posting these photos because the female forms were visible.
Have you met anyone offline as a result of your blog?
YES - and that's one of the greatest surprise benefits of blogging. It has opened up a whole new world to me that I really knew nothing about prior to doing it. I feel I have made so many special cyber friendships and bonds through blogging.
What is the url of your blog?
Jeddah Daily Photo Journal
