Nurudin Jauhari is arguably one of the most productive Wordpress theme maker, not only in Indonesia, but in the world as well. His works and ideas my be seen in his personal blog, his Bahasa Indonesia blog, and his professional website. Followings are the excerpts of my interview with him :
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Q : What is your general view about Internet trends and related developments in general ? What things in particular are actual and need keeping up with ?
A : I personally think that especially in the last 10 years, the Internet has grown more than twice the scope it had when it was first introduced in the 80s. So many new things came all of a sudden, created a boom and became a trend. We now have so many alternative sources of information, including blogs which are getting more and more acceptance from the general public. Also, in various ways, the business aspect has started to kick in : people are now selling things online, the online-advertising field is growing, and the genesis of social media / website, web 2.0, AJAX and Flash. These things might well be unthinkable in the early 90s. In fact, if I remember correctly, I read somewhere that Bill Gates himself once expressed his lack of faith of Internet. In the end, he changed his mind and joined the crowd.
Q : Specifically, what about the related development of things in Indonesia ? Is it moving in the same direction as global Internet growth ?
A : Technologically speaking, our country is in the same road with the global trends. What remains high for now is the cost, which somehow limits the growth to Java, Bali and several big cities in the other islands. I think the government needs to help to introduce the technology to broader audience and society. On the other hand, when we talk about software implementation, I think our country can be considered advanced enough. There are a lot of excellent designers and programmers from our nation. I even recall that some of our college students have won several times the contests in Google Code.
Q : As one of the most productive Wordpress theme maker in the field, how do you view blogs as a form of media ? What are its potentials and weakness ?
A : Blogging, which started as a somewhat narcissistic kind of media, has evolved to be a business in itself. This business opportunity enticed a lot of people to try their hands at it. Even Kompas ( a famous Indonesian newspaper ) and Detik ( a prominent Indonesian news portal ) have launched their blogs. This implies that blogs enable people to read an issue from various viewpoints. I think it’s understandable if a lot of blogs are written subjectively. On the other hand, I think blogs could be a lot more productive and supported the real, social life. Just like the recent Blog Action Day with its poverty theme, bloggers could explore ways to help solve the problem. Of course, weaknesses are always there, but it will get better over time.
Q : Elaborating more on what you mentioned, do you think blogging is still relevant to be a focus in, say, 5 years from now ?
A : Yes, I feel so. Probably there will be changes in the form or methods, just like Microblogging as we know now, – Twitter, Tumblr, Plurk, Jaiku, etc. It is actually a blog platform where people can blog by brief messages, usually limited below 150 characters. It’s also accessible via various mobile medias like mobile phones, Blackberry, iPhone and other gadgets.
Q : Can blogging be an earning profession that pays ? What are your suggestions to people who wants to blog professionally ?
A : It really depends on the person. A lot of bloggers write just because they want to write, others do it because they want to extend their contact networks. Still, others have pure business motives, offering useful services and all. My personal suggestions for those who want to make blogging an occupation, be a unique blogger, write everything tied in a theme. For example, if you want to write about mobile phones, do it without spilling into laptops. Similarly, focus in design if that’s your niche, this will gain you loyal readers who are getting real benefits from your blog. Most importantly, avoid copy/pasting from other sources and be original. Get into the network by leaving positive comments in other blogs or joining forums like wordpressrepublik.com.
Q : What’s the role of public enthusiasm in the future of blogging ? How could such enthusiasm be nurtured ? What about the government’s part in this ?
A : I think the enthusiasm is quite high. Indonesian bloggers seem to have a good position, – both in quantity and quality. If we’re talking about comparison, we are on the same level as our counterparts in Australia ( info from Metro TV, e-lifestyle, Sunday 19 Oct. 2008 ). Almost in every town there is a blogger community, – in my city it is BloggerNgalam.com. Some of them are quite active, even involving themselves in social activities. I feel that this method works well in igniting strong interests to blog. As to the government, they can take part as long as it will not be spun into some projects with unclear directions. Like for now, we can see some schools have started to require their students to have their own blogs. I think it’s a good idea.
Q : What is the correlation between blogging and the proportionally-low internet coverage in Indonesia ? Which should come first : blogging to incite interests, or infrastructure building ?
A : I think they should run simultaneously. Just like the way both of our feet walk harmoniously, they should go together. They are closely related to each other, in spite of the different frameworks. They do not need to “agree” with each other, but have to work in one agreement.
Q : What sparked your interest to Internet and blogging at the first place ?
A : All I wanted to do was documenting my daily life. Then I started to share what I can do, which is Wordpress design.
Q : What are your daily activities beside blogging ?
A : I am currently still working as a staff in a property company in Malang. I wish to be able to devote my time totally to blogging and freelance work in the year 2009. Apart from that, I am also an active member of my company’s futsal squad.
Q : How do you do your time management between blogging, work and your personal life ?
A : I only keep one thing in mind, – to act professionally. When I’m at work, I work as hard as I can ( Though I may steal some time to read several blogs in my feed reader ). For blogging, I don’t have a specially-defined schedule. Usually it’s done in the morning before office, – or in the afternoon in between family time. My special time for family is in weekends, holidays and when we dine together. I try to keep them balanced.
Q : Apart from designing free, downloadable Wordpress themes; what business model do you adopt ? Any suggestions in layman terms ?
A : I sell services. They could be design, programming, content-writing and affiliates programs. You could also sell stuffs online, like books, clothing, household equipments and others. There is no secret success recipe in the Internet. All you need to do is doing your very best and believe that the success is within your reach.
Q : What about the role of community for Internet practitioners like you ?
A : I actively engage in several forums, both domestic and international. We also have regular lively discussions via Yahoo Messenger or GTalk.
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We thank him for this interview opportunity. Any translation mistake is mine, and mine only. We wish him the best for his future endeavors.
It reported that Indonesia ranks first in SouthEast Asia (and second worldwide) in usage with almost 330% user growth and 827% page view growth in 2008. Followed by Malaysia with 462.6% user growth and 474.5% page view growth. Obviously, more Indonesian mobile subscribers are using their phone to go online today.
