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 #108 - @KirstiGrant

One of my earliest ever follows on twitter was a very lovely young lady who works in HR.  At the time I had no idea who she was.  I just thought - hey, here is this lady who seems to tweet cool stuff so I will go ahead and follow her.  The twitter account I was operating at the time (@everydaymanager) was focused on business and making contacts with new people in that realm.  So @KirstiGrant was a natural fit.

What I didn't know at that time was that -

• I would have the pleasure of meeting her IRL
• she has a taste for progressive dubstep
• and that she would go on a career journey that us twitter followers would be a part of as well

Kirsti is a very pleasant lass who has time for almost everyone.  What you see is what you get and she doesn't have a mean thing to say about anyone.  Hers is a drama free zone with very little given away when things may not be going so well.  And when things are going well she keeps a lid on things so as to avoid any  emotional extremes.

With her skills and employment being mainly in Human Resources (especially recruitment via online methods) then you are going to get tweets that look like these - 

"Who has had an amazing experience where they've gotten a job using social media? Cool stories only bro! We want to share your story."

But that is not all.  Kirsti is a lady of many tastes and talents -

"Okay the Game of Thrones Simpsons opening is amazing."

The little things in life are what she enjoys and loves to share with the twitterverse -

"A nice bottle of Pinot Noir, a lasagne & two awesome little boys (& one big one) to spend this lovely Friday evening with. Zero complaints!"

And then there is her talent for delectable cuisine -

"Pie, coke and a caramel slice for lunch. I belong in a construction yard, or in a truck. Or something along those lines anyway..."

Kirsti is someone who has managed to navigate her way through the complex and constantly changing world of social media.  And she has managed to sail her boat through a number of life changes and stay afloat.  She is a legend of twitter and just quietly goes about doing her own thing.  Which is just being lovely really.

If you are looking for someone on social media to emulate or look up to as far as providing a great example then you can't go too wrong with having a look at @KirstiGrant.