Mayura – My Interview with the King of Tech
If you have been following Inspire to Thrive for a while you will know Mayura, the king of tech and commenting. Mayura was one of the first bloggers I met. I was on the Blogger platform where he is today still. He probably has the best website on Blogger. He is the most polite person I know on the internet. I have grown to know and love Mayura, my king of tech as I call him. He is so smart with all things tech. He has done a guest post here on how to make your computer last. I had imagined he was around the age of my sons and he is. He is truly an amazing young man!
Why did you start blogging Mayura?
Actually, I had no WHY when I start trying out blogging platforms and fell in love with Blogger. I was not aware of blogs at all. But I was bit familiar with forums and been answering questions based on computer problems.
I really loved the idea of blogging as I could have my own little space with more control over it. Plus, I feel it’s productive, as I don’t want repeat the same thing over and over again as like I did in forums. Now it turns out to be an informative resource that people can make use of.
How old were you when you started to blog?
I was 23 years, 1 month, and 16 days old. I can’t recall the seconds though.
How did you learn so much tech stuff?
Enthusiasm drove me all the way 
Are there many bloggers in your country of Sri Lanka?
Yeah, there are many of them and most of blogs I came across were written in our native language. They are very creative bloggers who possess different kind of talents. I was amazed when I found so much engagement happening over there even though their blog posts were not written in English.
How is the internet in Sri Lanka – Are many people online? And what about cell phones and smartphones? I know you mention outages a bit, that’s why I ask.
As affordable smartphones hit the local market, Internet became very popular among younger generations here. Prior to smartphones, we weren’t using mobile devices to surf Internet as much as we do now. However older generations are yet reluctant to embrace the new technology.
Right now, wireless mobile network connections are very reliable in urban areas. But we were experiencing some outages time to time, as we are bit away from urban area. Anyway it’s getting better with the competitiveness of telecommunication industry.
I’m always fascinated about your country Mayura, can you tell us more about it and where is it?
Just imagine the area of West Virginia Lisa 
Sri Lanka is a small island and mostly admired by travelers around the World due to natural beauty, and the heritage enriched by the Buddhism. It was called as “The Pearl of the Indian Ocean” too. The native ethnic group living here is Sinhalese, but we have a multi ethnic, multi religious and multi-cultural society.
I don’t think few phrases itself can make you feel about Sri Lanka. Just Google for it and I’m sure you would be fascinated by what you see 
Can you receive payments by PayPal in Sri Lanka yet? If not how can you accept payments?
Not yet Lisa. PayPal has been restricted as a way to receive payments, but we can send payments through. As a freelancer, I had a hard time accepting payments from clients live in overseas. Not everyone comfortable in using other payment systems as most are fond of PayPal.
The best alternatives are Skrill (Formerly known as Moneybookers), Western Union, MoneyGram and Bank Wire.
Do your folks and other family members read your blog?
My parents don’t know about it 
My siblings and some of my cousins were dropping by on my blog time to time through the links being shared on Facebook and other social networks. I’m grateful for the support I’ve been getting from my family as I’ve got enough freedom to keep on blogging.
What do you like best about blogging Mayura?
The best I like about blogging is BLOGGING itself. The whole process of researching and writing, connecting with bloggers / readers, tweaking the design, experimenting, blah blah and even dealing with spammers don’t make me overwhelming. It’s something I’ve been enjoying and feels a part of my life by now.
I see in your portfolio you’ve done other websites – What formats do you do them in?
Well, it depends on the client requirements. Most clients prefer building their websites on Content Management Systems such as WordPress, Drupal etc. for the ease of management. But if I’ve got to build it from scratch, I’ll go for it too. As a service provider, I believe I’ve got to be ready for all the possibilities and hence I keep learning. Mostly I’m getting requests to redesign and resolve technical issues on blogs / websites / social profiles.
I love your support center Mayura. Did you do that all in Blogger?
As I was fond of forums, I thought of having one for my blog too. It’s powered by Get Satisfaction, but linked directly with the blog.
Further, it’s about being organized. Personally, I’m bit uncomfortable of having off-topic queries as comments beneath posts as I find comments alone can be helpful for future visitors. So I’ve found it’s a great way to address other type of questions that visitors have and helps the content including comments of the blog to be more relevant to the topic.
What do you plan to do with all your amazing knowledge in the future?
It’s about doing something worthwhile. Knowledge doesn’t hold any value unless we use it. Isn’t it? Currently I’m on a personal goal to learn few more technologies to offer more services for bloggers and businesses in future by going beyond the freelance web designer / developer title.
Anything you would like to add Mayura?
I’d love to send you a virtual hug for having me here and running through a pretty interesting interview Lisa 
I appreciate the opportunity on adding something out of the questions too.
“Blogging is a wonderful experience when you believe in yourself and follow your style”
Don’t you AGREE?
Have you come across Mayura in your blogging circle yet?
