THE DAYSTAR BLOGGING SCENE
As I enter BCC 2, I find him at a corner on his laptop busy staring at the screen. It is about 8.30pm. The lights are on. He is the only one in the room and the room is silent apart from murmurs of students in the adjacent room.
As I walk towards him, I ask if he is Duncan but even before he gives his response I have reached close enough to see the luxury cars on his screen and I immediately know it is him. He then asks me if I am Mary and as soon as I reply with a yes, he points at a chair next to him for me to sit.
Duncan Mwangi is a fourth year Communication student with a blog on cars known as ‘on the wheel.’ As I sit down he tells me that he is in the process of downloading cars from the internet in order to post them on his blog. The cars are not just any cars; they are Jaguars, Mercedes Benz and Range Rovers all of them very sleek.
Duncan is not the only Daystar student with a blog. There are several students with blogs. You will find them on computer labs 3, 4, 5, the EPD lab or on their laptops with their eyes firmly glued to the screen, they would not even notice a snake (very common in the Athi River campus) crawling past them.
Blogs in Daystar have continued to grow and have become alternative sources for news. You will find a variety of news or information from different bloggers within campus on topics such as relationships, poetry, cars and life in campus among other topics.
Blogs have grown to the point that they are now mainstream. Students would rather view blogs to get information or news rather than go all the way to the library in the scotching sun of Athi River just to read a newspaper.
Take for example the recently concluded DUSA elections. Some of the students got results from blogs, a clear indication that blogs offer a mix of information which more than fulfills the reader’s tastes.
Students who have blogs are first years to fourth years but the majority fall between third and fourth year perhaps because the first and second years are still in the tourist stage and are spending their time touring the school. The reasons they have for starting their blogs and how they started them is different.
Duncan tells me that his blog did not start as a passion, contrary to what I expected since he writes so well and is even writing a column for the school newspaper, Involvement. He was forced to start a blog by his friends and in particular Dan Mugo because he would often download cars and tag his friends on facebook.
He perceives a car in a very interesting way, as part of the family. He says that a car should be given enough attention like any other member of the family. By attention he means servicing it often, fueling it with the right kind of fuel and waxing it.
As we continue with our discussion on cars, he interrupts to show me the new Jaguar XJ telling me the functions that it has. Some of the jargon he uses is so new to me but I listen keenly and nod as if I understand every word he says.
I ask him what his dream car is taken the fact that he knows the functions that almost all cars in the market have and without hesitation, he tells me that it is definitely the Mercedes S class. He goes on to tell me the history of Mercedes vehicle pointing out that Karl Benz called named the car Mercedes after his daughter. At that point, I am awed by how much research he has done on Mercedes cars. Before I wind up the interview, I ask him how long he will be writing and he tells me that he will be writing as long as cars are being manufactured.
Lawi Odera, who is in his third year, has a blog on poetry. He started his blog because writing is his hobby and because he likes playing around with words. For him, blogging is fun so he does it on weekly basis.
Odera views blogs as sites for extroverts because for him blogs are for those who love expressing themselves. When his friends comment on his posts, he is able to know if he is going somewhere with his blog or is stagnating. He says that blogging has improved his communication skills.
Mary Mukundi an advertising student in her fourth year is another student with a blog. Her blog ‘Shiku’s café’ talks about anything that is of interest to her. For her it is a passion and she blogs from Monday to Friday.
On Monday she focuses on what others have written for example a poem, on Tuesday she blogs on serious issues and gives motivation, on Wednesday she focuses on relationships, on Thursday she posts anything random such as a cartoon and on Friday she shares on her Christianity. I cannot help but notice the names that she has assigned her days for example Random Thursday and Beach Friday. She tells me that she started her blog when her friends who had seen her writing advised her to do so and so far it has been good as she has already received 300 hits.
Some of the bloggers have advanced in blogging and now have more than one blog. One such student is Pauline Muindi. She has a blog on poetry, an opinion blog, a blog on issues concerning women and one on art known as ‘shape of my art.’
Her inspiration comes from seeing other bloggers doing their thing and advancing themselves. Blogging has helped her to write in different styles, a skill that does not come easy. She plans to blog for a very long time as she finds is fun. During her spare time you will find her at the EPD lab doing what she loves most, blogging.
The blogs have become part of the bloggers lives. What they are is reflected on the posts they make on their blogs. Blogs are fun and for any student who would want to start one, all they have to do is have something to write about, choose a website that can host their blog for free, read the user manual and start blogging. It is that easy to be a part of the Daystar blogging scene.
(1105 WORDS)
As I enter BCC 2, I find him at a corner on his laptop busy staring at the screen. It is about 8.30pm. The lights are on. He is the only one in the room and the room is silent apart from murmurs of students in the adjacent room.
 |
| Duncan downloading cars for his blog |
Duncan Mwangi is a fourth year Communication student with a blog on cars known as ‘on the wheel.’ As I sit down he tells me that he is in the process of downloading cars from the internet in order to post them on his blog. The cars are not just any cars; they are Jaguars, Mercedes Benz and Range Rovers all of them very sleek.
Duncan is not the only Daystar student with a blog. There are several students with blogs. You will find them on computer labs 3, 4, 5, the EPD lab or on their laptops with their eyes firmly glued to the screen, they would not even notice a snake (very common in the Athi River campus) crawling past them.
Blogs in Daystar have continued to grow and have become alternative sources for news. You will find a variety of news or information from different bloggers within campus on topics such as relationships, poetry, cars and life in campus among other topics.
Blogs have grown to the point that they are now mainstream. Students would rather view blogs to get information or news rather than go all the way to the library in the scotching sun of Athi River just to read a newspaper.
Take for example the recently concluded DUSA elections. Some of the students got results from blogs, a clear indication that blogs offer a mix of information which more than fulfills the reader’s tastes.
Students who have blogs are first years to fourth years but the majority fall between third and fourth year perhaps because the first and second years are still in the tourist stage and are spending their time touring the school. The reasons they have for starting their blogs and how they started them is different.
Duncan tells me that his blog did not start as a passion, contrary to what I expected since he writes so well and is even writing a column for the school newspaper, Involvement. He was forced to start a blog by his friends and in particular Dan Mugo because he would often download cars and tag his friends on facebook.
He perceives a car in a very interesting way, as part of the family. He says that a car should be given enough attention like any other member of the family. By attention he means servicing it often, fueling it with the right kind of fuel and waxing it.
As we continue with our discussion on cars, he interrupts to show me the new Jaguar XJ telling me the functions that it has. Some of the jargon he uses is so new to me but I listen keenly and nod as if I understand every word he says.
 |
| Duncan viewing the latest BMW |
I ask him what his dream car is taken the fact that he knows the functions that almost all cars in the market have and without hesitation, he tells me that it is definitely the Mercedes S class. He goes on to tell me the history of Mercedes vehicle pointing out that Karl Benz called named the car Mercedes after his daughter. At that point, I am awed by how much research he has done on Mercedes cars. Before I wind up the interview, I ask him how long he will be writing and he tells me that he will be writing as long as cars are being manufactured.
Lawi Odera, who is in his third year, has a blog on poetry. He started his blog because writing is his hobby and because he likes playing around with words. For him, blogging is fun so he does it on weekly basis.
 |
| Lawi who has a blog on poetry prepares to recite a poem |
Odera views blogs as sites for extroverts because for him blogs are for those who love expressing themselves. When his friends comment on his posts, he is able to know if he is going somewhere with his blog or is stagnating. He says that blogging has improved his communication skills.
Mary Mukundi an advertising student in her fourth year is another student with a blog. Her blog ‘Shiku’s café’ talks about anything that is of interest to her. For her it is a passion and she blogs from Monday to Friday.
 |
| Mary Mukundi, a fourth year student who has a blog known as Shiku's cafe. |
On Monday she focuses on what others have written for example a poem, on Tuesday she blogs on serious issues and gives motivation, on Wednesday she focuses on relationships, on Thursday she posts anything random such as a cartoon and on Friday she shares on her Christianity. I cannot help but notice the names that she has assigned her days for example Random Thursday and Beach Friday. She tells me that she started her blog when her friends who had seen her writing advised her to do so and so far it has been good as she has already received 300 hits.
 |
| Mary Mukundi with her friend Lillian Koki who encouraged her to start a blog |
Some of the bloggers have advanced in blogging and now have more than one blog. One such student is Pauline Muindi. She has a blog on poetry, an opinion blog, a blog on issues concerning women and one on art known as ‘shape of my art.’
Her inspiration comes from seeing other bloggers doing their thing and advancing themselves. Blogging has helped her to write in different styles, a skill that does not come easy. She plans to blog for a very long time as she finds is fun. During her spare time you will find her at the EPD lab doing what she loves most, blogging.
The blogs have become part of the bloggers lives. What they are is reflected on the posts they make on their blogs. Blogs are fun and for any student who would want to start one, all they have to do is have something to write about, choose a website that can host their blog for free, read the user manual and start blogging. It is that easy to be a part of the Daystar blogging scene.
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