Random follow #299 - @iofthetyger

There are plenty (like HEAPS) of really nice people who are on twitter.  Random Kiwi Tweeter extraordinaires.  @iofthetyger absolutely fulfills this definition absolutely.  Many people would go so far as to utter the words "what a lovely man he is" and I have to agree with them totally.

Chris is a cricket loving, vocal supporter, full time dad and part time employee for the good folk at Vodafone.  Yes he does work in their social media team but everyone who is a parent knows that just cos you walk out the door in the morning and go to work that your parental duties are done with.  They aren't.

There is a lot to like about Chris and the way he tweets.  He reminds us all of what its like to be a parent sometimes - 

"It's 10:30 time to exercise my paternal duty and turn off the mind numbing and pointless kids TV,and switch on the cricket #unpopulardad"

He also shares with us some very funny views on the Christmas holidays

"Its just occurred to me that the increase in local dog walking is probably to do with the increase in mother in law visits,-as I walk my dog"

And it look slike his role with Vodafone also allows him (from time to time) special access to the @NZWarriors rugby league team.  That fact alone is one which causes me to be jealous and wonder what it would take to attain that sort of privilege......

Chris is an amazing tweeter who doesn't take himself or the internet too seriously.  His ability to have a laugh and share items from the brighter side of life on twitter make him really endearing.  With a warm personality and charming sense of humour I am sure Mrs @iofthetyger got it really right when she chose him :)

Chris is a kiwi through and through and his better half is most definitely English.  I have only just added Chris to my follow list and I genuinely wish I had of found him earlier in the year to have had the pleasure of his company.  Oh well, now's a far better time than never.

So @iofthetyger gets the final words in this blog post.  And just like we all do, he shares a very funny insight into the world around us - 

"I probably shouldn't,but I make a lot of judgements about new neighbours when I first see their wi-fi networks name".

Random follow #273 - @LeighboNZ

A good and happy life is all about balance.  For @LeighboNZ that balance is sought between being a father and also a leader in the world of finance.  Trading off time in the office with time spent with the kids and the enjoyment of sports and having a chance to sit back and barrack for his sports teams takes some effort.

Leigh is a gentleman and a scholar.  An enjoyer of fine beer and good times on the cricket pitch he is constantly seeking new challenges and opportunities in life.  He isn't a person who sits around waiting for things to happen but rather he seeks that which he wants in life.  Again though - with balance.

Here's another thing.  Its all about the pitch.  Be it a sales pitch, a motivational pitch, a cricket pitch or a football pitch - the skills needed to bring success are very similar.  Communication, optimism and an ability to inspire others while also being a team player.  Thats the kind of tweeter that @LeighboNZ is.

Here's what you'll find online for him -

"Just saw a piece of writing with a politician called a 'cockwomble'. Good insult. Can we get it trending? #cockwomble" <-- brilliant.

"Wow. I'm SICK of staying up to watch CrapCaps performances. #HessonOut #BanvNZ" <-- agreed.

"Had a wonderful endorsement direct to my Outlook Inbox from my current boss late on Friday. Really made my weekend. #newjobjoy" <-- nice guy, see.

So with Leigh you're going to get lots of sports type tweets.  More often than not football or cricket.  And usually the tweets are quite interesting.  Not the standard score updates which you can get from any run of the mill account or website but rather his point of view and opinion on things.

When I first followed @LeighboNZ he tweeted me with a disclaimer that he might be boring.  Well it hasn't happened yet and I have been following for a wee while now.  So there you go - its all about balance.

Random follow #140 - @robrendell

In the 1970's and early 80's the highlight of the movie was the car chase.  It is the point in time that everyone looked forward to because you it was the crux of the movie.  It quickly spawned a saying which I like to use a lot - "cut to the chase".  In other words hurry up and get on with it.  Quit mucking around and say what it is you've got to say.

That is a pretty accurate way to describe @robrendell.  He doesn't fluff around with his tweets.  He calls it like it is and hardly ever actually hits the 140 character limit that is imposed upon us all by twitter.

Here a few tips if you decide to hit the follow button - 

• read every tweet twice - "thjis is a typo."
• keep up to date with current events - "What is your beef w/ Miami?" - or read his tweets in series and not standalone
• make sure you like sports 'cos in another life Rob would make a fantastic sports commentator - "Brilliant! Form has returned it seems. #nrlbriwar"

So what are you going to get if you follow him?  Its like having a mate over to watch sports with.  He sits at one end of the couch and you sit at the other end.  You can chew the fat, toss around facts and figures, argue over whether or not that was or was not a forward pass and then walk away after the final whistle and still be mates no matter which team you were cheering for.  The good part of this is that he won't eat all the chips but then he won't get up and get you a beer from the fridge when you're out either...

When he isn't tweeting or watching sport (both of these things tend to be simultaneous) he is a dad.  Rob has a healthy number of twitter follows and followers which is good to see because he deserves them.  Rob is a good bastard who hardly ever has anything bad to say about anyone.  I have no idea what he does for a real job but I do know that if he could combine his passion for sport and social media then he would be on to an absolute winner.  Maybe Radio Sport or Sky TV have need of a live tweeter commentator?

And so @robrendell gets the last word - 

"Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight tweeps!"

Random follow #103 - @nikbol

@nikbol is a young man on a mission.  Well I'm making a huge assumption in writing that statement but hey when you're 18 who isn't on a mission?  18 is the year you can legally do pretty much everything.  It used to be 21 which was lowered to 20 and now its 18.  Kids sure do grow up sooner these days than we did. 

Nick is a tweeter based out of Dunedin.  Tbh I have no idea what he does as far as making a living and I'm sure that really matters.  What really matters (for the sake of this blog) is what he does as a tweeter.

Be it Arsenal (editor - cough, choke), Wellington Phoenix (huge applause!) and supporting cricket you quickly get an understanding that Nick does enjoy his sports.

One really cool thing about Nick is that he is interactive.  You tweet - he replies or says something witty.  He doesn't post too many tweets that don't involve or aren't focused on others.  And when he does they are usually something good.  Like -

"Finding 20 euro cents in my wallet was not something I planned to do today." or
"Cats are the backbone of the internet economy."
"So leaving the o out of the word 'Count' while in a facebook conversation isn't the best Idea..."

And for a young fella he has a very keen sense of humor and excellent perception of current events -

"Build a stadium. Contribute 90% of your GO money for the rest of the game and halfway into the next. #DunedinMonopolyCards"

Here are the top 5 reasons to follow @nikbol -

1. Football  tweets
2. Funny tweets
3. Sports tweets
4. Comic and movie tweets
5. Some of the best ReTweets on the internet

Oh and by the way.  he has a ratio of follows to followers of 9 to 1.  So I think he would appreciate having a few more twitter friends if you know what I mean.

That's about all I know about Nick.  And I think thats about all I need to know to be able to recommend him as a good tweeter to follow.  You're welcome.