When you think of a young entrepreneur, you usually think of someone like Mark Zuckerberg or maybe even my dude Michael Dunlop. How many people think of the really young people? The kids? I’m 16 myself, and there are probably hundreds of other 15–16 year old entrepreneurs. But how many of you would think of an 11 year old kid as a young entrepreneur?
I know first hand that it’s not always wise to judge someone by their age, but what were you doing when you were 11? I bet no one was doing the things my friend Gloson Teh was doing. He is a blogging superstar and yes, is only 11 years old.
He was willing to answer some questions for the Young Bloggers series I have going on Asnio, and he shares some very insightful and inspirational answers. Be prepared to be amazed.
To start off, can you tell us about yourself and your blog?
First of all, I would like to thank Alex for giving me the opportunity to be interviewed on Asnio. My name is Gloson. I’m 11 years old, and I blog on Gloson Blog.
I started blogging when I was 10 in July 2008. But I only got serious in November. At that time, I blogged about ‘Anything Interesting that I Learn’.
But since I found myself mostly blogging about social media, blogging, and tech tips, I decided to change the tagline to ‘Social Media, Blogging, and Tech Tips from a Kid’.
By the way, I’m also on Twitter.
What got you started in blogging at such a young age?
My mom heard about blogging because it was very popular. Since I could design websites when I was 8 (to promote one of my mom’s products) my mom encouraged me to start a blog as a new hobby when I was 10 because I was so free.
I decided to go with the flow and started a blog. At first I didn’t really know what to do. But in November, I read Problogger and DailyBlogTips. And so, I got inspired and started to blog more frequently.
Do you have more than just a blog? If so, tell us about it
Besides blogging, I am a funny poet who writes funny poetry for kids.Poetry Talents is my poetry website (that I created using wordpress) where I post my funny poems and news about it.
I have also authored and illustrated Creative & Funny Poetry for Kids (in May) and recently Creative Row Your Boats (in November). Here is one of my poems from my second book (To be sung to the tune of ‘Row Your Boat’):
See the raindrops fall
like they were ice creams.
Now I’m going off to bed to
eat them in my dreams.
In about a paragraph, what would you say your blog means to you?
Oh, it means a lot. Since I started blogging, my writing skills have increased and also my communication skills and people skills. I have also made many friends through blogging, and it also has gained me publicity on the web.
So, I will say that my blog is a tool for me to build my brand on the Internet and also a tool to explore, discover, and network with people from all over the globe.
I’ve also written a post called 22 Reasons for You to Blog, most of which are the reasons I blog too, and most of which are the reasons YOU should blog too!
How do people react to your age on your blog?
Well, usually people will say that they can’t believe that I wrote the articles on my blog. Some say that I’m an inspiration. I want to say thank you to those guys because they are the people who encourage me to keep on blogging. =)
What limitations do you face as a blogger well under 18?
Well, I need help from my parents to pay for my hosting and domain because you need to be older to be able to pay for it yourself.
Are your parents aware of your blog? If so, what do they think of it and what impact do they have on it?
Yes, my parents are aware of my blog, and they think that I do a very good job. My parents help me to pay for my hosting and domain, as mentioned above.
My mother also frequently encourages me to do research for my posts. My parents sometimes even help me to promote my blog to other people.
What are the advantages of blogging young that “older” bloggers don’t have?
One advantage is people will be amazed by the fact that we, young bloggers, are young and successful and so we’ll get more attention from other bloggers.
Another advantage is that we are starting young and so, we will have more knowledge of blogging when we get older because we kids learn very fast.
Because we are young, we are also an inspiration to many that ‘if we can, so can you!’
What is your biggest accomplishment as a young blogger? What kind of things do you see yourself doing by next year? How about 3 years?
One of the many newspapers Gloson has been featured in
I also went to a blogging carnival in Malaysia. I joined a quiz contest about Internet security and blogging, and won the 1st prize! — An Acer Aspire notebook!
On 10 July 2009, I met the Prime Minister and the First Lady of Malaysia, and the Prime Minister read my post, A Beginner’s Guide to Getting the Most out of Twitter. He also read my first poetry book, Creative and Funny Poetry for Kids.
I also got a lot of Stumbleupon traffic to my blog post, My Former Blog Host ‘Accidentally’ Deleted My Blog (and How I fixed it).
And well, by next year, I would have probably wrote an ebook or a book about blogging.
And by three years, I would have probably earned some money from Gloson Blog (because now I don’t really focus on making money from it) and also have started another blog.
What is your one best piece of advice for those under the age of 18 who are looking to start their own blog?
Firstly, stop procrastinating on whether you should blog or not and start a blog right away! Age is really a huge advantage for you and you should start as early as possible because you will learn a lot of things on the way.
Blogging has many benefits too. I have written a post on 22 Reasons for You to Blog. Please read it if you are still not convinced 
.
Then, be patient if you don’t succeed immediately. When I started my blog, I got only a few daily visitors. But now, I get a lot, about 70–150 daily (According to Google Analytics). And I’m sure, the number will go up as I focus more and as time goes by.
A big thanks to Gloson for taking the time to answer a few questions. I hope you guys learned something from him, and have found inspiration from his answers. You can read interviews from past young bloggers, or if you would like to be interviewed here — contact me.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Once again, thank you very much, Alex, for giving me the opportunity to be interviewed! I really appreciate it!
No problem man, you deserve it! I’m totally impressed with your work so far, and can only imagine what you will be doing when you’re 16.
Alex´s last blog ..Didn’t you have something teux deux today?
Holy smokes. You sure you’re just 11 Gloson??? Wow.
Gee Alex, looks like we’re getting old. Hahaha.
On a serious note, I’m very impressed with what Gloson had accomplished in his very, very, very young blogging career. There’s still more to look out for, and I’m pretty sure Gloson will make it big… well right now, he already is!
My best of luck kiddo!
Liane´s last blog ..Mash-up: Selling the BloggingTips Blog and Stealing Shoemoney’s Brand
With his (Gloson) young age, I can’t deny that he has actually won a lot of readers across the region and as well as international.
Simon Liew´s last blog ..Google Wave Overview
Hello,
This is a very inspiring post. I have just featured a very young, newbie blogger too in my blog. She does not know this , but if you visit her blog and perhaps leave a comment for an interview she would definitely be motivated to aspire for more.
Thanks for this wonderful post. Kudos to you!
Jena Isle´s last blog ..A Gifted and Talented Blogger in Our Midst
Thanks Jena! I have visited her blog and left some comments for her
. I love the way she writes 
.
Thanks for the heads up Jena, I need to find more young bloggers to keep this series going!
Alex´s last blog ..Didn’t you have something teux deux today?
Entirely inspirational — what a healthy and productive hobby for such a young person.
Amazing job, Gloson!
Asnio, thanks for interviewing the very talented Gloson.
everything I learnt about blogging I learnt from him.
he is going to be one of the leading technology expert
in Malaysia in the near future.
Gloson has inspired me so much and now I read his blog more frequently even I have limited time. Congrats to Gloson and keep doing good work!
Tinh´s last blog ..Thanks to HostGator for Both Reliable Service and Money
I’m not surprised when he got talent in blogging because it’s familiar with kids that understand how blogging works, but if there is an old man live in the jungle without computer but understand how to make a “link”, I will surprised. For now, everybody can access internet so easily so anything will become easier.
Reza@Blogging Guide´s last blog ..100 Adsense Tips — Part 4
The Internet is getting older, but the ones who are making an impact on it are just getting younger and younger. Just wait, in a couple of years an 11 year old blogger may not be that uncommon.
Alex´s last blog ..Didn’t you have something teux deux today?
Wow, thats incredilbe! Makes me feel like nothing lol. Happy holidays!
It’s an amazing story. I keep telling my kids they should get into the internet biz when they get older, but I always had 14–15 in mind, not 11. Which brings me to my question — are you a native speaker of English? With my kids, I feel this will be the main obstacle for them. We’re native speakers of Hebrew and I doubt their English will be suitable for blogging anytime soon…
Anne @ b6s.net´s last blog ..Web News & Views Roundup #3
Well, no, I’m not a native English speaker. My first language was Mandarin.
But when I was 5, my mother shifted my house and because most of the people there are English-speaking, I had to learn English to make friends.
So I learned English, and gradually, it became better and better.
And when I started blogging, my English improved so much, because I was writing articles and reading others’ blogs.
So my advice is to let your kids speak, write, and read English more
. It’s as simple as that.
Thank you so very much Stacey, Carl, Tinh, and Ben for the kind comments! I really appreciate it! You guys really encourage me
.
And Reza, it’s glad to see another young guy blogging like you! I have to agree with you though, that kids today are very tech savvy and can get familiar with blogging fast.
But the point is whether they are successful or not — Whether they blog well, drive traffic, make an impact, and write high-quality articles, which I think you did a great job in your “100 Adsense Tips” series
.
BRAVO!!! Gloson… Always remember this frace,
Try Hard, and you will suceed…!!
NEW BLOG POST:www.jestarzexplorer.com
Nice Achievement Gloson
SmashinGeeks´s last blog ..Torrent Fetcher – Fetch Torrents from a Simple Software
It shows that why most of the entrepreneurs are young. If you see the stats then you will come to know that those people who are making money on internet are too young.
Travel n Tourism´s last blog ..Sexual Massage for Women
Wow! That is very cool! Imagine what the blog will be like in 5 years at 16 if he continues?
Tom — StandOutBlogger.com´s last blog ..Merry Christmas! (+ Exciting News)
Exactly my thoughts Tom. He already is getting media attention, which is quite an accomplishment. Who know what will happen?
Alex´s last blog ..Didn’t you have something teux deux today?
ya man its really impressive post i personally like it a lot as every one did! i am new to this site i found this site pretty good interesting topics going all around and i hope i will continue in the future as well thanks!
Great interview! I started online when I was young as well, but then again, Wordpress, Twitter, Facebook, and whole host of other information and tools were not around.
After looking at Gloson’s blog I can see that he puts quite a bit of effort and attention into his posts. However, I’m wondering as time goes on if he will decide to monetize his blog. I’m sure right now that isn’t possible given his age.
Holy cow, at 11 and already an established blogger…Gloson, I’m 35 and yet still learning the ropes. Can I be your friend?
Muzi Mohale | AlreadyInspired.com´s last blog ..My blogging workstation at home
Wow! This kid is really going to go places. I didn’t think they came that young, but it seems that they do. Good work Gloson!
Nicole Dominguez´s last blog ..SoDevious Forums!