Talk Time is a weekly online TV talk show co-hosted by Shawna Randolph and Sean Burke. Together they, along with guests, cover a variety of topics, from pop culture to healthy living. This series introduces the team. Today, meet panelist Mike Morrison
Mike was an early pioneer in the blogging world. The site he started in 2005, Bloggity, is still going strong today. Visit Mike’s Bloggity Blog, become one of his 40K+ followers on Twitter, and use @mikesbloggity to find him on social media platforms.
Why did you launch Bloggity?
The blog started long before social media was really a thing. It was a way for me to stay in touch with my family, keep up with entertainment news and flex my writing muscles. Now the blog is really just a fun place where people can learn about pop culture, travel news, and stories about Canadians.
Have you always been a writer? What got you started on this path?
There were so many signs when I was a kid that I loved writing. My parents would find notebooks all around the house filled with creative story ideas. In junior high I would sell short stories to my classmates because they didn’t want to write them for their assignments. But during high school and university, I didn’t write much because I didn’t think there was much of a point. All I ever heard was that writing isn’t really a job.
But the internet changed that completely.
What are some of the contributing factors to your success and how do you stand out from the competition?
Not to diminish what I do, but it definitely helped to start at the ground floor of blogging back in 2005. I absolutely loved doing it and I think I went seven years without ever missing a day. I wrote every day and it opened up so many different opportunities for me. I think I’m also myself; I don’t really try to project something I’m not. I’m just a normal guy, and since most people are just normal people, it tends to be relatable and fun to read.
What is your greatest challenge at the moment?
I think for me it’s creating content on all the changing platforms that is both fun for me, and interesting for the audience. Some days, weeks, and months I rely more on something like Twitter, then I love the blog the most, or Instagram. It’s trying to stay on top of them because audiences are scattered more than ever.
What do you love the most about what you do?
I think the unpredictability of it all. Depending on the news story or opportunity, my days are never the same. Writing the blog has brought me all over the United States and Europe, and I’ve explored every corner of Canada – all because of a blog I started in 2005. It’s been an incredible experience and I’m so lucky that people are receptive to it.
What do you love about your blogger community?
What I love about the blogger community is that there is a voice for everyone, especially people that wouldn’t normally get a voice. Traditional media can be pretty cookie cutter, but you can be whoever you want on the internet and learn that while you’re unique, there’s also people like you, and you can build a community that’s caring and supportive. It’s quite incredible!
What’s next for you? For Bloggity?
The blog has expanded to many different opportunities. Notably, I now run a series of digital marketing conferences across the country. SocialWest in Calgary is the largest digital marketing conference in Canada. While that’s on hold until the pandemic is done, we have moved online with SocialAtHome and have already welcomed more than 1,500 Canadian marketers. Our next event is in September.
