Random follow #268 - @DrSJNZ

Smart people exist on social media.  Really smart people.  One of those really smart people is @DrSJNZ.  She comes at you on twitter out of Christchurch and totally rocks along with her love of for writing and science.

If there is one thing I have learned about doctors and people with PhD's this year it is that they have brilliant personalities and can share a really good anecdote with pure ease.  Sarah-Jane (SJ) is a woman whose determination to succeed is matched by her love of beer, motorbikes and the internet.  (Lets be honest - she isn't the only one of us who enjoys those things....)

As far as twitter goes SJ is pretty much a lot of fun.  Here is an example tweet to make you smile -

"Moved house two weeks ago, new neighbours have been pinching my newspaper. I'm getting pretty tweaky without my daily dose of newsprint."

What's really neat is that she tweets a whole variety of people!  For those of who have been around the social media scene for a while it is easy to follow the same peeps as our friends.  SJ though has a completely different set of friends from many of the usual suspects who I usually see people interacting with.

Tweeting is all about what you bring to the table to share.  Like a pot luck dinner what you bring is what others get to feast on and can interact with.  One way to describe SJ is that she brings the dessert.  Like the marshmallows on a skewer or the mousse that everyone smiles after they consume it -

"Probably shouldn't have allowed so many "on the mouth" kisses with my nephews on the weekend. #sick #kindygerms", and this one

"Trying to convince the cat to make the most of being outside, since she's about to go into "new home detention" for two weeks. Unsuccessful."

Sarah-Jane has a healthy relationship with her twitter account and puts only the good stuff out there.  She isn't one to sit around and let the grass grow under her feet or let an opportunity pass her by.  So you'll need to be a bit nimbe if you are going to keep up with this amazing and intelligent random kiwi tweeter.

And as if getting a PhD wasn't enough @DrSJNZ is now back at University studying towards another degree.  If you want to know more about her story have a look at her website http://drsjnz.wordpress.com/.  You will discover even more fascinating and new people over there too.  So go ahead - follow, follow follow.

Random follow #228 - @MattNippert

Business, finance and the art of making of money.  All noble goals and ways to have a career.  Some people do it well.  Some people don't.  Other people make a living out of being able to observe and keep track of what is happening in the realms of big business.  People like @MattNippert.  He has the role of being a journalist whose job it is to keep up to date with both the high rollers as well as the small mum and dad operators who work hard to make a living.

Matt plies his writing skills and trade with Stuff.co.nz.  Thats no little fish.  Having the opportunity to publish stories on such a major platform for current events and news in New Zealand is pretty special.  When it comes to twitter Matt writes his own tweets.  And they're his tweets.  Not RTs of his employer etc.  And to be fair - he tweets some pretty cool stuff!

Here take a look - 

"Fist-pumptastic: That moment when a source emails through an mp3 of hard-news comedy gold. #winning"

"New Kids on the Trot(sky) #LabourBoyBands" and,

"Downloaded free dinosaur app for 2-year-old to play with. Every three mins program exited to load Tui beer ads. Wtf? That's poor targeting."

Matt is also a man of many other talents too.  Most importantly he is a dad.  You can hear him on National Radio every now and then sharing his opinions and thoughts of current events.

There really is a lot to like about @MattNippert.  His ability to keep it real.  If tweets were able to be valued (like on the currency market) then Matts tweets would be a very solid investment with good returns.  His value doesn't wildly swing from one extreme to another but he manages to keep his value up through interaction with other heavy hitters in the journalism trade.

This well priced and high value tweeter is definitely worth following (and trading if that were a possibility).

It wouldn't be a blog about business if there weren't some sort of mention of business or a transaction of some sort occurring.  So I leave you today with this little snippet from The Godfather: Part 2.

Random follow #193 - @billbennettnz

Having the ability to think for oneself and to communicate those views and thoughts in a manner that is both accessible to the masses while at the same time challenging enough to keep the intellectuals on their toes is a skill that few have.  @billbennettnz is a holder of these skills.  As a freelance journalist he has the interesting predicament of writing stories that are provocative and interesting while also ensuring that he gets employed.

The good thing about freelancing is though that after you have put in as many years as Bill has then the papers are magazines have a fair idea of the style of writing and what the content may look like.  The other side of the story is that is takes years of practise, hard effort, along with blood sweat and tears to make in an industry like this one.

Bill is no stranger to a good conversation and he knows where to go looking to find a really great one.  Its no surprise then that he has such a great presence on twitter.  His cool, calm and collected style is appealing because he hardly ever gets into a flap about anything.  Apart from mornings -

""Mustn't grumble". How passive aggressive is that expression?"

And he also knows how to conduct a good debate without being drawn into pointless diatribe or circular reasoning.  he can string together a whole series of tweets but when they hit your timeline rather than having the crushing power of a tsunami they act more like the incoming tide at the beach.  Whats interesting though is that while he can spin together 10 or 20 tweets in a conversation they tend to be at times when I (the blogger) am not actually online.  Which makes me wonder if twitter is a distraction?  (joking)

And then there are always the communications industry usual stories - 

"Unnerved when a PR offers an exclusive, which turns out not to be an interview or hard news, just a boring product press release."

Bill is also a techie geeky sort of guy at heart.  Not one of the hardcore ones for whom writing screeds of pages of code is fun.  But a down to earth and fun guy who enjoys uncovering new technologies and developments.  And he enjoys having a crack at them too -

"Amused by Google Glass users being described as "Glassholes". Witty and appropriate."

As far as twitter goes Bill will engage with pretty much anyone about the subjects that are near and dear to his heart.  He is highly entertaining, super engaging and very energetic.  Go and follow him.  You might learn a thing or two.

And to end this post it is important that we acknowledge the important people -

"My tweets do reflect the views of my employer."

Random follow #129 - @misshollando

Meeting lovely people is certainly the highlight of social media and twitter for me.  When you get to make a connection with said lovely people then when you read someone else's tweets they take on a whole new magic of their own.

@misshollando is a lovely lady who lives in a lovely place - Rotorua.  According to her bio she has been lots of places all around the world but for a while has decided to call this lovely city home.  

Often times the way someone conducts themselves and the tweets they share online are a direct representation of who they are as a person.  And when you read Katie's tweets you'll soon discover that she is a little ray of light/  And her tweets are just the thing to bring some sunshine to your timeline almost every day -

"Taking a packed lunch on my shopping expedition to justify buying a really expensive dress #logic"

"Little Miss Sunshine"

Katie is one of the fabulous team who put together @TheDailyPost most days of the week.  In fact there are a number of reporters and persons from the paper who (sort of) engage with people on twitter.  And there are the funny, quirky tweets too - 

"Running out to the car in the dark in your socks.. what are the odds of a hedgehog on the bottom step?! #imeanreally?!"

"Thank you for my warning nice policeman on the motorway and I promise to never speed again. #phew #donttellmum"

Katie is someone who tweets her friends regularly.  She keeps in contact with those that she values and lets them know about the fun stuff she is up to.  I really like that a lot of her tweets are about the times and places when she is interacting with people.  Be it at pub quizzes, sports events or hanging out with the team from the 

@TheDailyPost Katie lets the people who she is with know that they are special to her.

In summary Katie online is a true representation of Katie in real life.  Someone who is thoughtful, happy and a friend of all those people that she takes into her circle of friends.  

And just for the record if there are any single farmers out there who are looking for a lovely lass to sweep off her feet - 

"Watching #countrycalendar and wondering how I could meet me a nice farmer #ragingsaturdaynight"

Then don't be shy - @misshollando is waiting for your call!

Random follow #111 - @BridgetRailton

Social media really is taking over the world.  And I don't just mean the cities and big places.  But even into the far reaches and small corners of rural New Zealand.  Even to the point where if someone is in a place even as remote as GORE they are able to share their tweets and contribute to the global conversation.  Okay so I am from the North Island and haven't actually been to Southland, NZ so throwing a joke or two at them is easy.  But there are some fantastic people down there.

One of those fantastic people is @BridgetRailton.  She is a journalist for a newspaper that is based out of the heartland in the deep South.  In my experience journalists and people connected to the media are the quickest to pick up on technologies and media that connect people such as twitter.  When people are connected then stories can flow.  And the ultimate purpose of a journalist is to share peoples stories.

Bridget is a down to earth, hard case, salt of the earth type of person.  Her tweets at the moment are quite interesting in that she is discovering and being introduced to some of the rituals and customs that mainly rural New Zealanders tend to take for granted.  Such as -

"Shot my first duck. Right in the head. Going straight to hell"
"Might become vegetarian #duckshooting2013"

Bridget is not a prolific tweeter.  She doesn't spend lots and lots of time keeping the world updated with what she is having for breakfast or any of the usual time filler tweets that we have all become accustomed to over time.  What she does have is a very sharp sense of humor. 

"Birthday. Can no longer sing along to Taylor Swift's "22", switching to Blink 182's what's my age again #nobodylikesitwhenyour23"

Is there a mysterious formula or a secret to success on twitter?  I say there is.  And the magic starts happening on twitter when someone can play with language, twist words and create alternate meanings that make people laugh out loud and think - "heck yes.  That girl is funny!"

"I just tried to FB stalk someone only to discover they're still on Bebo."
"Just got yelled at by a man saying I'm a bad reporter because I'm asking questions. The next question : what do you think reporters do? Dick"

or this one

"Awkward moment when your car is not where you originally parked it because you left the handbrake off and it's gone AWOL"

Just for the record Bridget is a VERY attractive young lady.  Just because she lives in the deep south shouldn't be a barrier to any interested suitors who are in search of a delightful, lovely, willing to have a go, roll up her sleeves and pitch in kind of lady.

There I said it.  Now go and follow her.  On twitter.  Please.

Random follow #80 - @Sportsfreakconz

"I love sports. Anytime I can combine sports with a film I'm a happy guy. It's such a natural fit, because sports always seems to be a metaphor for life. Always, always, always." Dean Cain

There are many, many, many films which tell the various stories of sports teams who overcame adversity, triumphed over evil, r just generally managed to beat the snot out of the opposition.  Here are a few examples that automatically spring to mind - Happy Gilmour, Mighty Ducks and Any Given Sunday.

Each of these movies has something in common.  The little guy, the one that can't win, the under dog or the dark horse come through and win.  There is something to both like and love about those stories.  But those stories occur far more than just in the movies.  They occur everyday in lots of places around the world.  

@Sportsfreakconz is one kiwi tweeter who has a HUGE interest in seeing those stories played out in real time.  He is to be fair - sports mad.  Not just one sport but all sports.  He is a man of varied taste who is happy to venture into a conversation about any sport, at any time with anyone.  Now that is no mean feat.  Discussing the virtues of NCAA lacrosse is probably an easy thing to do but if anyone can its him.

Here are a few (interesting) facts I have been able to piece together about the man and what makes him a good sports journalist -

A good sports journo has to have a long memory. "A goal for Judas".  To put some context around this tweet Judas is the nickname given to a former player for the Wellington Phoenix who decided that playing in Australia would be a better career move than playing on for the club that gave him a chance.  That event occurred some two or three years ago but football fans never forget.

@Sportsfreakconz is a blogger.  Any sports journo who is worth anything must have a soap box or platform from which to share their opinions of everything. If you head over to http://www.sportsfreak.co.nz you'll discover a treasure trove of thoughts, general knowledge and an endless barrage of personal opinions.

A sports journo isn't just about all the sports.  From time to time he is able to shed light on other topics of interest to him such as "#NW Jesus Christ Superstar. It really is one a fantastic time capsule. Some great licks though"  which begs the question - WHY was he NOT watching rugby????

A good sports journo has a story for every occasion. "Twice in my life I have been urinated on (deliberately) at a sporting event. 1983 and 95. Both times in Chch."

Every good tweeter, like every good sports journalist, has a brain filled with memories they can recall in an instant.  They have an ability to create an argument - settle a dispute - and negotiate a deal where no one else can.  They also are very personal, conversational and take the time to listen to others and consider their opinion even if they don't necessarily agree.  And those traits right there are what makes @Sportsfreakconz a bloody good bloke.