owlolive

Everything that matters to me (and maybe you as well)

Archive for the tag “money”

05 May 2012
11 Comments

In Defense of Danderma (and Every Other Money-Making Blogger)

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Look, this blog has only been active for around 6 months now. I created it in June but only really started posting in November (plus I took a month off from mid-January to mid-February). And, even though I now have a good handle on the blogging routine and have cultivated a respectable readership (not very huge but respectable nonetheless), I still consider this blog in the beginner, formative stages.

Point is, I still don’t know anything about what it means to have such a large scope of influence and a huge, loyal readership that I can begin to use those wonderful resources to pool in some income from things like advertising or sponsorships.

And you know what? I can’t wait till that day comes. Seriously.

Now, if you follow the Kuwaiti blogosphere you will have doubtlessly heard Danderma‘s name thrown around once or twice. For those of you who live underground or out of human touch, Danderma is a wonderful Kuwaiti blogger (and author) who has been personally delighting me with her long, original, insightful, funny, and meaningful posts for years now. Her readership is huge and well-deserved.

One year ago, Danderma made a smart, practical move and decided to harness the power of this large, loyal fan base for the purposes of advertising. She made a wonderful and comprehensive post about this experience right here.

Now, I’m not going to talk about the blogging-advertising experience because, for one thing, I wouldn’t know anything about it and, for another thing, Danderma has already pretty much covered everything you need to know.

The reason why I brought up Danderma and this specific post of hers is because I’m about fed up with this notion that so many people in Kuwait have about blogging.

That false notion being that making money off your blog is wrong, deceitful, unworthy, disloyal, or selling out.

People who do make these criticisms make them without realizing a very important fact about blogging: It can be very hard work.

Making a meaningful post about something people care about and in a tone that both reads easily and is personal to me is hard work. If a blog looks easy to you then the blogger deserves a whole lot of credit because they were talented enough to make it look that way. The reality of the matter is that most bloggers have an outside life and plenty of responsibilities just like everyone else which include jobs, families, and a social life.

Oh yeah, and we’ve all got finances too.

That’s right. On top of toiling endlessly for several hours a day in a regular job, we take the time to blog on a daily basis to our readers who, in the case of someone as successful as Danderma (for example), can number in the thousands. As a single one of those thousands I can say without the slightest bit of hesitation that I personally would be very heartbroken if Danderma decided to stop blogging because it was weighing too heavily on her other life responsibilities.

And, God, for all the hard work that she and countless other Kuwaiti bloggers (myself included) put into making their blogs special and worthwhile, don’t you think some of us might deserve to have even a little bit of that weight removed by generating a slight income from something as harmless as advertising and sponsorship?

I mean, after spending all that time (we can be talking years here) and energy to create something that our readers could enjoy, relate to, or learn from, what’s wrong with a blogger getting something back for all that work?

In her post about her advertising experience, Danderma sounded a little apologetic about making just an “extra 50 KD” and that the money she was making wasn’t enough to buy her a Ferrari. I see no reason for Danderma, or any other blogger who makes money off things like ad placements, to make any such apprehensive explanations. There are bloggers out there in the world who are talented, well-loved, and who make enough money through their blogs to live off of (here they are).

Now, I’m not saying that this is the amount of money that any blogger in Kuwait makes but I see no reason why Kuwaiti bloggers can’t aspire to those standards themselves. And, I also see no reason why they need to apologize or cower away from starting to make steps towards achieving those standards (no matter how small the income actually is).

I hope to God that Danderma eventually ends up making enough money off her blog that she can retire from her actual job, buy a Ferrari, and make her wonderful, one-of-a-kind posts about it all day long.

And as for me and this tiny blog of mine? Right now I’m just focusing on cultivating my readership and making a real, distinctive voice for myself. If I am blessed one day with as much of a fan base as some of my favorite bloggers then great! Cause then their awesome loyalty can help keep OwlOlive.com up and running through helpful resources like ads and sponsorships.

Not that my current readers don’t already make me beyond happy, of course. My readers are so awesome they could all run for president and win.

All my love!

Posted in Blogosphere, Kuwait, Musings, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
03 May 2012
2 Comments

Priorities Make The World Go Around: Why Marriages in Kuwait Keep Ending

Well, it’s official: the odds of your marriage working out in Kuwait can no longer be determined by a coin toss. Now you can have the reassuring pleasure of knowing that a damning 60% of all marriages in Kuwait end in divorce.

Shocker.

Look, let’s not beat around the bush here: we all know Kuwait has something of a problem when it comes to domestic management. The problem has now grown into a festering, contagious sore that has worked itself into a lot of societal aspects that are both inside and outside the home. These problems can all probably be summed up concisely in the following word: misprioritization.

As in we have completely missed the priority train. Especially the ‘Marriage’ trolley car. And, yes, I’m totally committing to this train metaphor.

Point is! These horrifying statistics for failed marriages in Kuwait are not a surprise and, really, will only continue to increase unless we wise up and cut it out with the harmfully pressurizing, and, let’s admit it, pretty damn annoying social habits. The most annoying of which include:

  • Making women feel like they have an expiration date and so they MUST marry by a certain age or else, I don’t know, their milk will go sour?
  • Choosing your future spouse based upon how fancy-shmancy their car is, the amount of money they have in the bank, their last name, THEIR RACIAL LINEAGE. You know, your basic pointless and borderline elitist/racist stuff.
  • Women making money their end goal, and men making, well, as the article put it, “physical intimacy” theirs.
  • The belief that two people don’t need to be engaged for an extended period of time before tieing the knot. A year is about as acceptable as it usually gets. This is especially harmful in traditional marriages in which the two people don’t really know squat about one another.
  • Men being expected to afford a wedding and a forthcoming lifestyle that is fitting of freaking royalty. Therefore being forced to take out loans and bury himself in debt from the get-go, and basically starting the marriage off on a wonderfully easy, carefree, and so not bitter note.
  • Having babies a second after you get married.

Obviously the list is a lot longer and, of course, does not apply to every single married couple in Kuwait. These are just a few of the problems that I’ve heard of and witnessed for myself a number of times.

But here’s the bottom line: the culprit behind that sad statistic is undoubtedly our severely misplaced priorities.

Married couples (or people thinking about becoming a married couple) need to get one thing straight: marriage is not a game. In fact, it’s more like a freaking battlefield. A lovely, exciting, and worthwhile battlefield (for some), but a battlefield nonetheless. Just because you have money or status or physical attraction does not mean you’re going to survive the war.

And if that’s ALL you have then forget about it.

Contrary to what a certain government campaign will tell you, marriage should NOT come first. What should is education, independent life experiences, career development, emotional and intellectual maturity, living compatibility, and about a hundred other things.

Once all of those little tidbits are worked out completely THEN we can start considering something as serious as a total life commitment to a single person every day for the rest of your time on this planet.

So, for all the sacred, beautiful bonds (and immense responsibilities) which marriage represents, please get your priorities straight, guys. And maybe don’t listen to the government all the time.

All my love!

Posted in Kuwait, Musings, News, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
29 Apr 2012
1 Comment

A Question for the Spendthrifts and the Frivolous: The Point Behind Spending Pointlessly

Look, I own designer stuff. Designer bags, designer clothes, designer accessories–I pretty much have a good chunk of assorted designer loot in my closet. I am totally for high fashion and, in fact, find it kind of annoying when people whine and moan about how expensive something like a Louis Vuitton purse is. I know that these luxury items are expensive for several, arguably valid reasons. They’re timeless, well-crafted, artistically wrought creations that are made out of some of the best materials on this earth and under the best set of hands. If anything, some of these items can be considered as a real financial investment if you take proper care of them.

So, please understand that the forthcoming criticism is not of high fashion nor of its duly expensive brand of luxurious products. This post actually has nothing to do with luxurious things whatsoever.

This post is about that one person that everyone knows if you happen to live in a place like Kuwait (or, really, anywhere abundantly wealthy). You know the one. She’s the girl that has about a hundred pairs of Jimmy Choos that she’s only ever worn once. Or the guy that collects super-pricy Rolex watches only to wear each of them once in a blue moon.

I know one, you know one, we all know one (at least). That’s right: I’m talking about the spendthrifts and the frivolous group of people that always seem to emerge out of every financially blessed population. The only reason I’m using Kuwait as an example here is because its the only place where I can draw from actual experience–but I’m sure this is not a Kuwait exclusive deal.

Now, before I start, I know a lot of you are going to ask: “What’s it to you? It’s their money. They can do whatever they want with it. How is the way that anyone chooses to spend their money any of your business?”

And here’s my answer (put as briefly as possible): It’s not.

I’m not here to tell anyone how to spend their money, give my opinion on wise investments or, really, anything to do with the way that anyone chooses to manage their property (financial or otherwise). That kind of talk should be reserved for your Mommas and Papas–not me.

All I’m here to say is, if you do happen to know someone who mindlessly spends bucket-loads of cash on a whole lot of luxury items just for the sake of owning them and not really using them (or even if you happen to be one of these people), then you would probably benefit yourself and so many others if you take the time to perhaps ask a few questions about why people in rich societies do this.

I mean, when you choose to buy, for example, 20 Chanel purses and then chuck them away in the back of your closet, only to be seen on select occasions and worn, on average, a small handful of times throughout the year (before you go out and buy 20 more new ones), what’s the point?

This is really what I’m trying to understand here.

As a person who does indulge in high fashion and luxurious things from time to time, I honestly find myself very baffled by this question and this mode of behavior that I’ve seen so many times in Kuwait.

Is there some kind of cathartic benefit to spending so much money on things that are considered luxurious just for the sake of it? Like you think it could possibly console any feelings you might have about your financial or social security?

Do you feel that your reputation and the public opinion of you depends on the amount of expensive things that you own? And so the more you accumulate the more people will respect you or speak highly of you?

Is it just some kind of compulsive, nearly addictive habit? Confessions of a Shopaholic, anyone?

I’ve talked about this behavior with some people and, for some reason, many of them just chalk it up to boredom, an overflowing trust fund, and a lack of character-building “life experience.” And, while I understand where they’re coming from, I think that kind of opinion is somewhat limiting cause it can really only be applied to adolescent, spoiled children at best. You can hardly say the same thing about, for instance, a busy mother of two who has an MBA and works a full-time job as a bank executive.

Because I know that mother and I’ve seen her, in all her hard-earned “life experience,” do the exact same thing.

So, really, what do people honestly think they get out of this insane level of spending which, for all intents and purposes, is actually pretty damn pointless? I’m not judging or anything. Just pretty curious.

The reason I ask this question is because, well, I feel like there is so much more to the people in Kuwait than the things they own and I really don’t like this notion of anyone trying to strongly define themselves through the amount of expensive stuff that sits in the back of their closet.

So, please, oh deep-pocketed souls (or their acquaintances), shed some light over here.

All my love!

Posted in Fashion, Kuwait, Musings, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
12 Apr 2012

The MintChip: The New (Dessert-Sounding) Currency

Word of advice for all my Canadian readers: Better hang on to your coins and your dollar bills! Cause it looks like they just might become a historical, collectable artifact sooner than you think.

So, apparently, The Royal Mint Company has come up with a brand-spankin’-new monetary system. Gone are the days of scouring the bottom of your purse  for those last 10 cents. No longer will you have to wonder which pair of pants did you keep that one 20 dollar bill in. Canada’s going digital, baby.

With this whole new, digital ‘MintChip’ arrangement the idea is that you would keep and transfer your money on a micro chip (or perhaps a USB?) that operates on an anonymous basis (which I’m guessing means it doesn’t link back to your bank account somehow) and that does not get saved on any central databases.

I’m sure hackers all around the world are cracking their knuckles in anticipation.

Now, I would personally take this whole “announcement” with a very big grain of salt. This is hardly the first time that Canada has come up with a new monetary ‘innovation’ that didn’t exactly take off. In fact the very same company that’s proposing this ‘MintChip’ deal just made a freaking GLOW IN THE DARK DINOSAUR COIN (which is worth 25 cents but will cost you 30 dollars).

So excuse me if I don’t prepare for “the evolution of currency” just yet.

All my love!

 

Posted in Canada, Everywhere Else, News, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
17 Mar 2012
3 Comments

Frugal Approval: A Worthy Criticism and a New Idea

A big part of the Kuwaiti blogosphere is product review. As well it should be. It’s important to showcase the great services and products that the local businesses in Kuwait offer. If you honestly took the time and effort to create something that is worth the hard earned money a consumer pays for it, then you deserve recognition and financial profit. And, with blogs becoming as popular as they are in Kuwait, its yet another great platform for people to know about great local businesses from voices they’re supposed to trust.

So, in theory, I’m totally on board here. In practice, I’m not exactly sure.

It’s disappointing for me to say this but I have read many, many blog posts in Kuwait which review a product/restaurant/event/whatever and give an absoultely stellar and raving review when, in reality, the item in question is nowhere near as amazing as they made it out to look like.

I’ve actually fallen for these kinds of reviews on more than one occasion. Friends of mine have also been fooled countless times. We trust the voices of the people we read on the blogs and we take their word that a certain product or service is worth our hard-earned cash. Then we show up, pay the big bucks, and are sourly disappointed.

That’s right. While the happy blogger gets freebies and cushy invites for the price of a biased, sugar-coated and, in some cases, wildly untrue review, the actual consumer bites the big one and is cheated out of spending their money on an unworthy business.

The lovely couple behind His & Hers Q8 made an awesome post about this issue. Basically, they pointed out the real flaws that exist in the Kuwaiti blogosphere today in which many bloggers, unfortunately, have taken to the habit of giving the most amazing reviews to the most undeserving products because of either greed, traditional ‘politeness,’ fear that they will lose out on sponsorships, or a mixture of all the above.

And, yes, I understand that turning your blog into a source of income is a good thing (and something that I personally hope for in the future), and I know that Arab hospitality and well-mannered traditions keep us from stating comments that are too negative. Especially if we were invited somewhere and given something for free. I get it. In fact, I would probably react in that same way if placed in that awkward situation.

But let’s be honest, guys: YOU WOULDN’T MIND STATING YOUR HONEST, SOMETIMES NEGATIVE, OPINION ABOUT SOMETHING IF YOU ACTUALLY PAID FOR IT.

And this is the reason why, up until now, I’ve been shying away from reviewing stuff in Kuwait. Not because I don’t have an opinion, because I do. But because I have no interest in leading a single reader on just because I felt bad about upsetting someone who gave me a free meal.

Example: a few months ago I attended the opening night of The Live Theater comedy club in Kuwait. I called to find out their timings and ticket prices and all that jazz. They asked why and asked if I was a member of the media and I said “No, I’m a blogger and I’m thinking of attending.” They happily and very nicely offered to give me free tickets and backstage passes to the opening night, but I respectfully declined because I didn’t want to feel like I “owed” them a good review.

And so I paid for my pricey ticket, showed up just like everyone else and watched. And, well, the review was not all that great. It’s wasn’t a complete blasting of The Live Theater, but I was honest. I talked about what I honestly liked and honestly didn’t. That’s because I paid my own hard-earned money to attend this event and I did not owe anyone but myself and the people reading the blog anything but the truth.

I later read posts by other Kuwaiti blogs who had attended the opening night on The Live Theaters dime and received backstage passes from them. They made the place sound like it was the most amazing venue Kuwait had ever seen. The reviews that I saw were so praiseworthy and complimentary that, to an unwitting and trusting reader, it would definitely sound like an experience worth spending your money on.

Well, as for me, I’m going to finally relent and actually start reviewing the products and services that Kuwait (and some other places) has to offer. But on one strict condition: I will only review things that I have paid money for. And that’s it. No matter how awesome and worthy the item may be, I will only review it if I forked over my cash in order to get it. No invites, no freebies, and no hidden motives or fears.

And this review section shall be called: Frugal Approval.

All my love!

Posted in Blogosphere, Kuwait, Musings, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
27 Feb 2012

If It Makes You Happy… – New Poll Reveals More Joy in Poorer Countries

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So apperently we have had it wrong all along. All the time we were trying to emulate the so-called ‘happiness’ of the people on the Forbes-400 list we should’ve been paying more attention to the people on the other side of the spectrum: the poor, impoverished, ‘less fortunate’ people in the world.

At least that’s what this new Ipsos poll seems to be hinting at.

Among 19,000 people from 24 countries were polled on thier level of happiness, and it seems that there’s the most joy to be found in the economically poorer parts of the world like India, Indonesia, and Mexico as opposed to the countries which are traditionally considered to be rich like the US or Saudi Arabia. Apparently after the onset of the financial crisis of 2008 “some 77% of respondents now describe themselves as happy, up three points on 2007, the last year before the crisis. Fully 22% (up from 20%) describe themselves as very happy.”

Now, it’s important to note that these polls are not detailing overall well-being or the quality of life of these people. They’re simply detailing how happy they feel about their lives and their state of affairs. And while you could probably argue against the accuracy of this poll because, at the end of the day, happiness does not have a fixed definition and one person’s idea of happiness could be wildly different from someone else’s, it does make at least one thing clear.

That, if even on a text book, superficial level (which is how we judge most of the glamorous and famous people who look up at us from glossy magazine pages, for example) money is definitely not the key to happiness. Hell, it’s probably not even A KEY at all (although I know there are people in this world who would be glad to fight me on that one).

If this poll reveals anything it’s this: that money actually only helps make you happy in as far as you truly and essentially need it, otherwise it could easily become a source of trouble and disruption because you used it to buy too much of what you already had to begin with.

WA-POW! YODA, WHO?

All my love!

Posted in Musings, News and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

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