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 #37 - @firemanian and @maddythebeagle

Every so often on twitter you uncover someone who is 'outside of the box'.  The unconventional person.  the person that can't be described in 10 words or less because they are so full of life and adventure and exploits that no words can simply sum them up.

That person today, ladies and gentlemen, is @firemanian.  Without a doubt he is a very interesting and fun person to watch tweet and to communicate with.  he is so interesting that he even has a twitter account setup for his beautiful and gorgeous dog Maddy the Beagle.  You can check out her account here - @maddythebeagle. Maddy tweets occasionally and when she does it is something quite hilarious that will make you LOL.

When a person has a broad experience of life and has been able to live in various places they have a greater breadth and depth and understanding of life than your usual punter has.  Additionally they can also pickup some of the eccentricities of an area and take them with them.  I think that would be the best way to describe how @firemanian tweets.  With eccentricity mixed in with reality and very little self absorption.

Here are the types of tweets you can expect from Ian -

"I love running in the rain! Just completed a 4km hilly x-country trail, I'm soaked but still smiling! @Wgtnroundthebay @74Running"  (Editors note - GOOD MAN!)

or this one -

"Went to the gym this morning, and just as I started my run, the fire alarm sounded! #notagoodstart"

Ian is one of those good guys in that if you tweet him then he will tweet you back.  So from what I can see Ian is the kind of guy that absolutely sucks all the juices out of life.  Never one to miss an opportunity and always ready to say yes to a challenge.


When @firemanian's days come to a close in the future I have no doubt that he will be able to sit back and think "that was a good life. A life worth living".