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Blogging & Micro-Influencing is all about responsible content: Judy Morris

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From starting a lifestyle blog ‘The Other Brain Inc.’ as a medium to rekindle the passion for ‘writing’ to directing the blog’s core philosophy towards ‘Sustainable Travel & Lifestyle’, Judy Morris, is a popular blogger & micro-influencer. Her travel photographs & articles have gained recognition from many national & international entities.

In a conversation with QNA, Judy talks about her blogging journey, balancing personal life, collaborations, and more…

How has blogging changed your life?

Judy Morris: ‘Creative Writing’ per se was, is & will be my calling. I remember contributing short stories & articles for school magazine etc. in childhood days. However, professionally, writing happened on a rather high note. During my college days, I became a freelance contributor with a leading print newspaper which spanned for about three years. Then the passion got sidelined in the pursuit of building a steady career. It was when maternity happened, I decided to take a break from the dream MNC job and rekindle the passion of writing. Blogging has added a fresh perspective in the way I think and look at the world and people around. Obviously, I simply love working for myself and doing what I am passionate about. 

How do you balance your professional and personal life? Has blogging ever affected your kid?

Judy Morris: Blogging today by & large is seen to be a very fun and easy job. Sometimes I come across people who do not even consider it as work but trust me being a blogger & a micro-influencer is quite demanding. More so because you are the boss here and so what is okay and how much is enough such parameters are to be defined by the blogger only. Well, like any working mother, I too strive each day to balance out my professional & personal life. So there are few perfect days where I give a pat on my back and feel happy about accomplishing something equally good professionally & personally.

Yes, blogging has affected my son but positively only. As I work from home, he gets to spend more time with me. Gradually, he is developing the sense that I have assignments to complete so he has become quite independent and helps me with daily chores so that I get more time for work. He has grown fondness towards camera and travelling. He loves posing for shoots and he is already trying his hands on my DSLR.

We see you are into much collaboration with different brands. How do you choose the collaborations? How do you think it helps you?

Judy Morris: I have been blogging from the time when digital marketing was just budding. Initially, I and many fellow bloggers pursued it just for the sake of our passion for writing. In due course of time, sponsored collaborations started happening and I did them with an open-to-all mindset. However, I have started taking more conscious decisions in terms of brands collaborations.

I strongly feel that bloggers & micro-influencers are an integral part of digital marketing and so one should only endorse a brand or a product which they are open to use for themselves. Being honest to readers and followers is the key here. For example, I do not promote nutraceuticals as I don’t use it myself or I won’t promote a XYZ baby care or beauty brand just because I am getting paid a handsome amount for it. Similarly, I wouldn’t mind writing about any awful experience during my domestic & international trips. (Thankfully something as unpleasant has never happened as yet!) Since my blog is about sustainable travel & sustainable lifestyle, an irresponsible collaboration will dilute the purpose of the same. Working on my set terms keep my integrity high.

How often do you come live? How important or not important is it for an Instagrammer?

Judy Morris: I have gone Live on quite a few occasions. Especially, when I am travelling and I see a beautiful landscape or anything awesomely overwhelming I go Live and share with my followers. I feel it is one of the ways to get connected with the followers but then it has its own pros and limitations.

What is new for your audience this year? What all places are you planning to travel?

Judy Morris: Honestly, there are many resolutions done to myself for this year and I want to go places.. and take my blog to places (read more and more number of readers nationally & abroad). I have just redesigned my website to make it more user-friendly. I am planning to put content that will be helpful for readers and will inspire them to travel & live sustainably.

Travel, well, we are sitting in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic so for now travelling internationally is on a hold. My plan of travelling to Vietnam & Cambodia has already been stalled. Nevertheless, I will start travelling domestically once things get better obviously with a lot of caution. A few days back, I was in Jodhpur and it was a great experience.

Vipul is a qualified IT professional with over seven years of active working experience. He is a trained web technologist and a certified Ethical Hacker v8 security analyst, under the EC-Council; a global leader in InfoSec Cyber Security certification programs like Certified Ethical Hacker and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator. Vipul has also been a consultant with the detection and prevention of cyber crimes, with the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC) of Rajasthan State Police.