Thilak Raj Rao

I’m 18 years old, and I live in Mangalore, India. Being an internet addict, I love to keep myself updated with new technology, connect with other people and learn a lot from their experiences. I’m a little adventurous, so I get to travel a lot. My portable lifestyle allows me to travel, but work to make a decent living.

Tell us about your main website, tech-buzz.net. Why did you start this website up and where are you with it now?

I used to sell stuff on eBay, but as I stepped into college that became really hard for me to manage. I started Tech-Buzz.net in 2006, but I really had no clue about what I was doing. Back in those days, internet was slow (56kbps) and costly. Internet was primarily meant for emails only. Few months later, My mother got me a broadband connection and that’s how it all started.

Why do you think you have been so successful as a blogger, do you think age comes into your success at all?

They say internet addiction is bad, but I think I got a little lucky. I believe that age doesn’t count as long as you are knowledgeable and you understand what you are doing. Unfortunately, some people don’t agree with this point, so that a major drawback of being young, I guess.

I understand that you are just 18 years old, what effects does running such a large tech blog have on your social life and education?

I dropped out of college early, but my social life remains pretty much intact till date.
 
What advice would you give a young entrepreneur trying to earn a living online with blogging?

Most young entrepreneurs are highly ambitious, but they quickly get distracted and loose the steam. Realize what you are doing, and try to visualize a long term picture of you in your 40s. That’ll actually
motivate you to work harder (and smarter as well).
 
You were voted one of Retireat21's Top Young Bloggers Under 21, how hard do you think it is to become a top young blogger.

It’s not that hard at all. As a college dropout, I faced a lot of criticism, but I didn’t let it handicap me. Instead, I took it as a challenge and tried the best I could do. Guess, it paid off really well.

Is there anyone that you look up to and model yourself on? (You can name
more than one)

A lot of people have influenced me throughout my life. As far as blogging goes, Pro-Blogger Darren Rowse and Pete Cashmore are my gurus.

I think having good social contacts definitely pays off. Maintain health contacts, and have faith and patience in what you are doing. Quality over quantity, so work smarter!

If the Internet had not existed – what do you think you would be doing?