On March 21st, I completed the process of setting up a domain name and hosting for a brand new website I was calling “Tech Nova”. I had some pre-written articles and everything was set up on WordPress for my content management.
I clicked a button and soon enough, Technovagh.com was live.
Today is the official first birthday of Tech Nova and boy, it’s been an interesting journey.
After 380 written articles, live blogging and tweeting different technology event coverages and writing tech reviews, let’s take a small look back to see how far we’ve come with this website and how it has taken a chunk of my life.
Trying To Change The Narrative
Tech Nova was created out of frustration. Ghana’s media scene doesn’t do whole a lot of media coverage on technology in Ghana. You would get the occasional news story about a politician using “ICT” or “technology” as a buzzword or the occasional news article about the commissioning of a new computer lab for a school.
But there was a lot missing in terms of telling stories about the entrepreneurs and tech startups trying to make a difference with their products.
So instead of continuing to whine about the absence of something like that, I decided to do something about it. So the concept of Tech Nova was born. A platform where I could write about technology in Ghana, review products in the Ghanaian setting and tell stories about the people in the technology space.
Personal Perspectives, Stories And Reviews
So, how do you come up with stories about technology in Ghana? You observe your surroundings.
I pay close attention to the use (or lack thereof ) of technology in people’s day to day lives.
- Why are we still using timer traffic lights when the traffic in Accra keeps getting worse?
- How is the government leveraging technology in increasing healthcare in Ghana?
- Has anybody created a Ghana “Kickstarter” application?
These are the kind of questions I ask before researching to find out what is out there.
Is Anybody Reading This?
Sometimes when you write a well-researched article and the word count is approaching a 1000 words, you ask yourself: Is anybody going to read this?
Fortunately, there are a couple of folks interested in technology content in Ghana. Since last year, Tech Nova has seen steady traffic. We’re not doing major numbers but for a small technology news platform which doesn’t do much with huge advertising, it’s doing quite well.
As of now, we are averaging close to 3000 page views and 2000 visitors every month. It’s not bad but getting more exposure would be great. But for now, I like that we have a small audience which checks out the website.
Does This Thing Make Money?
So guess what? Tech Nova doesn’t make money. Well, technically it makes a bit of money but not much that puts food on the table.
We’re looking at different ways to monetize on Tech Nova (because there’s nothing wrong with getting paid for doing good writing work). Areas we’ve explored include banner advertising, payments for covering events and sponsored posts.
Right now, this site is primarily run through personal funds (mine!). But we do have a donate page if you’re feeling philanthropic and want to help out.
Looking For Writers
So I’ve been pretty busy, working here and there. I occasionally post articles when I can.
In the beginning, writing articles was a bit difficult because finding content can be hard. Nowadays, I spend most of my time editing articles sent by third parties.
But Tech Nova is looking for writers. We put out a small post stating that we’ll accept writers and articles and will pay for those articles. We’re always looking for different perspectives and tech stories we may not be able to write about.
Where Do We Go From Here…..
So where do we go from here?
I’ll admit, my schedule has become very busy. There’s a lot of stuff to be done. I still need writers and at this point, a social media manager and a copy editor would go a great way to help.
But I’m glad with how far Tech Nova has come. It’s only a year and a lot has been accomplished. Here’s to many more years. Happy birthday Tech Nova!
More information about Tech Nova, check out our 2017 Media Brief.
