Random follow #265 - @john_holley

There are some people who give so much of themselves in this lifetime that they really deserve to have a least two because one life is not enough.  They might be completing tasks for the government, volunteering their time to assist others who have needs greater than theirs or just being a really good parent.

Todays tweeter is just one of those people.  @john_holley lives a life that is bigger than just him.  Reading his twitter bio is quite astounding (in a really good way).  The only way to really honour him is to show you his bio here -

"NZ Army officer currently with UNMISS, CIO on sabbatical, ChildFund NZ Board Member, Geek, Husband, Dad, All Blacks/Blues/Auckland Supporter. Loves Kingsland!

Auckland · childfund.org.nz"

Whatever I write from here on will focus just on his twitter presence.  There are no words I can muster that could explain or capture the sense of humility I feel being able to honour a man such as John.  So from here on we will discuss what he does on twitter and his approach to social media.

To describe him in 10 words or less - patriotic, eyes wide open , global view, opinionated, balanced, caring and aware.  And here are a few tweets to give a feel for how he tweets - 

"Today was one of those days that made me real proud to be a Kiwi and part of Ngāti Tumatauenga #justsaying #fb"

"Task for night done. I think I am following all the @BluesRugbyTeam players with twitter handles - at least I can live vicariously from afar"

He also has a knack for finding quality content online and shares great articles and news items that cover a multitude of topics and areas of life.  In conclusion @john_holley is a bloody good guy who has chosen to share some of his time, passion and expertise with the wider world through the twitter platform.

I can't recommend him highly enough and totally give him my full support in a social media setting.

Random follow #263 - @alanhsmith

Patience, commitment and focus are the three essential ingredients to success both in business as well as in sports.  @alanhsmith is both a sports fan and a sports man.  Not only does he sit on the couch and cheer on those teams that he barracks for you will also find him out on course giving it all he has got.

Living in Christchurch isn't easy.  Not only from a post earthquake perspective but also by way of finding both the time and the ability to train. If you're a triathlete training in the snow isn't much fun.  Especially the swim.  Running is okay because your body is in a constant state of movement and its easier to generate warmth.  Swimming in ice cold conditions while good for your circulation isn't so good for your mental faculties.

Alan is somewhat of a contrarian but that is brought about by his sheer passion and enthusiasm for life.  he knows what he like, he knows clearly who he supports and he certainly knows a classy rugby team when he sees one.

This husband of one and father of four is someone who supports his family and his family support him.  His tweets are just like his relationships.  Encouraging, supporting and more focused on others than himself.  They are also lighthearted, good fun and easy to get along with.  Such as -

"Why did the chicken cross the road? Probably to get away from the gang of ducks!! #oldjoke"

Whats really neat is that almost none of his tweets are stand alone broadcasts.  And that is why I have only put one in my examples.  (Note - for #RKT I don't show tweets that are part of a conversation).  Rather Alan is constantly jumping into conversations, engaging with others and letting the world know that Christchurch is such a beautiful city to live in.

If you're looking for a tweeter who is a bit light hearted, a whole lot of fun and an all round good person then I recommend @alanhsmith as someone definitely worth following.

Even the kea run in New Zealand!

Random follow #152 - @blairdrysdale77

The best part of this project has been the chance to discover everyday real people who use twitter both as a tool for communication as well as for learning and general entertainment.  And whats even better is that geographical boundaries don't exclude anyone.

@blairdrysdale77 is a good bloke who lives south of the Bombay Hills somewhere in the deep south at a place near Hauraki.  Being a farmer and having quite a broad range of interests and hobbies makes him even more interesting.  He is a husband, dad and volunteer firefighter.  "Vollies" as they are affectionately known fulfill one very important role in the community.  They pretty much do everything.  Be it cleaning up after a car accident, fighting fires, draining floods - these guys are usually the first one's on the scene so they deal with a lot.

Blair is a tweeter who doesn't take either himself or social media too seriously.  He has a healthy relationship with his twitter account.  and isn't too over the top about telling people what he is up to.  When he does tweet it is either in reply to someone who asked him something or he jumps into a conversation that is underway already.  Here are some examples of his straight up tweets that you will recognize come from the farm - 

The weather  "Today will be a day of preparation on the farm for the impending snow. Sounds like mother natures going to throw the shit against the fan."

The economy "Why is it that housing intetest rated are so much lower than agricultural rates that have productivity behind them. The solution=house %↑."  (Yes - the spelling mistake was already there.  LOL)

Home life "Wifes gone to Tuppaware party. WTF? I mean how do you have a party with cake tins?"

Life on the farm "Sweet. Kids in bed, beer in hand, home made pizza in the oven. Watching Country Calendar and then the ABs v France. Life is good."

And I've yet to meet a decent farmer who can't go a day without some sort of complaint - 

"For everyone on here that dislikes X-Factor so much, heres a hint, STOP f*en watching it! All the tweets are p*ing me off."

If you're looking for an honest, down to earth and straight as they come tweeter then @blairdrysdale77 is the account for you.  He is a good kiwi bloke who loves his wife, is kids, his work and being able to sit down put his feet up and watch the All Blacks belt out some decent footy.  

And the last word goes to Blair who shares his philosophy on social media which I believe sums things up nicely - 

"Twitters like a newly built bridge and road beyond not yet traveled. You never know where it might take you or the opportunities it brings."

 

Random follow #125 - @bobsyauncle

It takes all sorts to make social media tick.  @bobsyauncle is one sort that makes the wheels of twitter keep spinning in  forward motion.  He is a slick tweeter who is happy to tweet and not to tweet depending on how his day is going.  When he does tweet he lifts the overall intellectual level of New Zealand twitter.

Bob is quite a conversational chap and enjoys talking to a wide range of people from across the social media spectrum.  He doesn't RT rubbish but does share the good stuff.  And he also has very eclectic taste from art through to politics and occasionally X-Factor.

Here are the top 5 reasons you should follow @bobsyauncle -

1. He is a pharmacist (and therefore knows lots about drugs). #winning
2. He tweets funny stuff  "Just landed at Mosgiel International Airport" 
3. He has a cat as his avatar.  Okay that's not such a great reason but hey - what would social media be without cats? Right?
4. He has an ear for fine music "'Share a Coke and a Song' from 1995 is bringing up some classics from Pulp, Weezer, Wet Wet Wet, The Cranberries, Portishead, Sonic Youth..."
5. He is one intelligent character "Well, another day has passed and I didn't use algebra once"

What I like about Bob's tweets are that they are a healthy mix of both the funny, the curious and the sublime. He changes it up often and no two tweets are alike.  Some of the best one's are the comments made by customers who struggle to understand the instructions that relate to their prescription.  Why are they so funny?  Because these are people you live with, work with and see every day.  Case in point - 

"How could I possibly take one tablet three times daily? It's really hard to cut one tablet into three parts!"

And to end this recommending blog post I share with you what  could quite possibly be one of the BEST tweets of all time - 

"Half price beard trimmers at the Farmers Mothers Day sale. Not sure that would go down too well"

So there you go.  "To follow or not to follow?" isn't really the question in this case.  Its just a matter of hitting the follow button and enjoying the tweets that will start flowing through your time line.  

Cheers.

Random follow #74 - @millionleaves

"Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art.
* Charlie Parker"

Music appreciation is the way that I first made contact with @millionleaves.  With a diverse taste in music that goes from hip-hop to jazz, dance through to indie rock David is nothing short of a man after my own heart.

Yes he does fall outside the boundaries of this project in that he has so many twitter followers he doesn't actually need much of an introduction to most people.  Then again he is also a person whom I have found has an ability to sit underneath the twitter radar of most people.

And not only are his music interests very diverse so is his ability to find random facts and tweets that make your brain sit up and take notice.  And there are no limits to the various areas of subject matter that he will tweet about.  For example -

Movie trivia.  "If Harrison Ford is set to return in the Star Wars, I'd bet my lunch Han Solo will have a son too http://n360.to/VZPWmg"
Music legends.  "R.I.P. Jazz Trumpeter Donald Byrd: http://bit.ly/XrpL7K"
The weather.  "Signs of summer #46: the tent at Brewers Barn in Mt Maunganui is being set up ready for the new year concerts. Nice."
Tech stuff.  "The Google Maps app for iPhone is insanely great: http://bit.ly/Zm8GSw  How ironic." 

Don't sit by your computer waiting for @millionleaves to tweet.  He uses twitter only when he has something that is worth saying.  He doesn't rush to share his opinions or thoughts all that often.  But when he does his tweets are worth taking a look at.

There isn't much more I can say aboiut David in recommending him to you but I shall leave the closing words to him.  His twitter bio sums him up perfectly -

"Kiwi. Web sales and consulting for Totali.co.nz, father, husband, teacher, music lover"