Random follow #182 - @WardrobeFlair

Taking a risk and pursuing your dreams and passions is something that not everyone has the ability or the courage to do.  Some people stop at the point of comfort and enjoy their day to day employment.  Other people see an opportunity to do something they love, something that inspires them and makes them whistle and sing as they think about the tasks that lay ahead of them for the day.


@WardrobeFlair is a very attractive, bright, beautiful and bubbly lady whose job allows her to work in an area of complete passion for herself while also helping others to better themselves.  One garment at a time.  And the twitter name really does say it all - try adding some flair to your wardrobe.

A few years ago when I first joined twitter there was a lot of conversation about 'your brand'.  Making sure that you projected yourself as a brand and that professionalism always shone through etc.  And most of those points are true.  But social media is about more than a sales strategy via tweets.

And @WardrobeFlair proves that you can have both a professional brand while also engage with real people in the real world with real tweets and stories.  And she totally does it with style! (of course).  

Lets have a brief look at how she accomplishes this through her tweets -->

"Always have 1 dress that makes you feel a million bucks in yr wardrobe"  Pure wisdom.

"Random thought 378 - I need some rugby players on my LinkedIn to counterbalance the mix of media, fashion, CEOs and Defence Staff! #eclectic"  Pure work.

Of course having a job like styling people and helping them to spice up their wardrobe cant occur in a place with no shops or style.  And in all of New Zealand there is one city that (in my mind) absolutely rocks it out when it comes to shopping.  

"Took the out-of-towners round Wgtn today. Brilliant. Makes me remember why I love this little city. #IloveWelly"  Pure Wellington.

She is also a mum and a partner to a very, very lucky man. And alongside her home life she has HEAPS of friends who love and support her.  Both virtually and in real life as well.  So if you're in Wellington, are a legitimate tweeter and person and would like to meet one of the absolute superstars of lovely 

@WardrobeFlair is a lady in high demand.  Both on twitter where she spends so much time interacting and conversing with others and also in her day to day business practice.  And in reality there is very little difference in what she is able to achieve between the two.  In both she assists and encourages people to add some spice, change up their views and see themselves in a different way.  

Random follow #180 - @MinxOnehunga

Shoes, boots, bags and jewellery.  Those are the core products that @MinxOnehunga sell from their wee shop based in Onehunga, Auckland.  And to many people (like all the men) that is probably not that appealing an idea for a twitter account to follow.  And for the ladies they may think - "YES - all my dreams have come true! A twitter account that sells everything I love and need!"

What I can tell you is that both of those reasons for following (or not) don't stack up when it comes to the ladies at Minx.  This group of ladies tweet about so much more than just the items they sell or have in store.  The twitter team bring much more depth and fun to twitter.  Their twitter presence captures the fun and bubbliness that you will encounter in person should you go in store.

The twitter team have lots and lots of fun engaging with their followers.  And to say that the team are interactive would be a very fair statement to make.  By my reckoning there are more interactions with tweeters than there are stand alone tweets.  Yes they do tweet about the shop (thats what the account is about) - 

"lots of ladies rifling through the sale stock today...get in quick if you want to get a bargain!!! up 50% off EVERYTHING #sale"

But they also have diet tips - 

"wanted a pie. Ate an apple instead. Feel virtuous. And hungry."

And of course good ideas for gifts - 

"My Mr15 wants me to take him shopping for his gf's birthday pressie. Shes turning 16. Wonder what shoe size she is?? #EasyPresent lol"

This account is also about supporting the twitter community.  If you look through their timeline you will see a number of retweets of articles, blog posts and other bits and pieces from friends of the store.  The curators of this account understand that social media is about more than just your voice or the promotion of your own product.  A great twitter presence is about supporting your friends, family and the community as well.

This account is an exemplar of what makes a fantastic account for a shop or business.  It is about creating a personality, building a community of followers and engaging with your clients.  I for one know that if I engage with a business online then I will always go there first for a purchase before anywhere else.  Because at the end of the day its about people connecting with people.  And the ladies in the @MinxOnehunga store and the best example of what it means to be people people.

Having just recently cracked the 300 followers mark this twitter account totally deserves more twitter love from all of us out there.  And you don't even have to like shoes.  If you like fun times, great tweets and a brilliant sense of humor then you've hit the jackpot with @MinxOnehunga.

Random follow #144 - @LifeOfTheRiley

International world traveler, fashionista and ex-pat kiwi are the first three descriptions that come to mind for @LifeOfTheRiley.  Now it is a bit of stretch saying Riley is a kiwi tweeter given that she has been living in the UK for over 10 years but hey - if you spent any time at all growing up in New Zealand then we'll happily let you say you're one.

@LifeOfTheRiley is a twitter account that through humor and honesty gives you some insight into how life works in the great metropolis of London from the perspective of a professional young lady.  She is honest, open and really funny.  Oh and engaging too.  Really engaging.  I believe with her that the maxim of 'once a friend, always a friend' rings true for her.

Whats really nice about this twitter account is that she is totally engaged with people here in New Zealand.  Okay so she may have been living in England for 10 years but on twitter its like she lives just around the corner from you.  And that's the absolute best bit.  Knowing you can log in to twitter see whats going on and have a friendly face tweet to you like you've known each other since you were kids.  It makes the twittersphere a much nicer place to play.

Riley is not one to shy away from sharing on twitter.  With over 30,000 tweets that's quite some record.  What I struggle to understand is how so many people on twitter haven't discovered her yet.  Her insights on life can be hilarious - such as musings about men in suits, men in uniforms and men in general.  Well not general men but good looking one's!

And shoes.  She LOVES shoes. Shoes of all shapes, colors, trends, whatever.  As soon as you mention shoes her radar flicks on and she is in like a shot.

@LifeOfTheRiley is the quintessential girls girl.  Fashion, beauty, make up, clothes, lip gloss, nail gloss - if its a girl thing then Riley will know about it.  And if she doesn't know about it yet you can bet your bottom dollar that she will start researching straight away to find out what it is you're talking about.

So if you are looking for an attractive, young, jet setting, girls girl, professional tweeter then @LifeOfTheRiley is just who you are looking for.  I leave the choice of whether you will go for it or not.  I did and it has proven to be a fantastic choice!

Random follow #139 - @littlemisspie

Learning more about people is an important of life.  The more we can learn from others the better our life experience will be.  One of those people who walk the face of the planet that we can all learn something from is @littlemisspie.

Kate is a very, very, very pretty lady (as per her twitter photo), she is also a little bit fierce (as per her twitter bio) and she is a little bit cool (opinion of the writer).

So whats to like?  Well actually that question needs to be reversed and the real question is - whats not to like about her?

• Kate enjoys the little pleasures in life - "Tucked up with a rooibos, GoT, dog and a roaring fire."

• She ACTUALLY GETS TWITTER!!!!!  - "Sometimes I wish I had somebody who knew nothing about me I could just explode my life into."
  
• Watch out she's a detective too....  "Instagram is so dangerous. One slip of the hand and I've double tapped and they know I've been stalking their year old selfies."
  
• Boys - she's taken - "Decided that if Alex and I ever get divorced I'm getting half his beard. I'm calling it Alejandro."
  
• The incredible romantic - "Fell asleep on Alex's chest last night and dribbled on his shirt. Who needs kids?"

What do I really like about @littlemisspie?  I really like that she takes the time to talk to people.  I really like that she tells you how it is.  I like that she doesn't over share.  I really like that in a few weeks time she is coming to town and I might just get the chance to meet another really cool twitter person.

A couple more things - she LOVES shoes.  And her dog.  Her very cute dog.  And food.  Not just any plain old food.  But nice food.  Anyway enough of that.  

Kate will keep your timeline bubbling along nicely if you choose to follow her.  She tweets a fair bit and when she does it is usually something quite appealing to read.  With 25 thousand and something tweets she is well on her way towards twitter glory.  If there were social media awards then @littlemisspie totally deserves one.  Which category?  I don't know.  But she totally deserves an award.

If you roll the dice, take a punt, go out on a limb and follow her - you won't be disappointed.  Well that's what i reckon anyway.  And I as much as I would like to take the credit I don't think this tweet describes me (but I'll take it anyway - LOL) - 

"Just found out somebody I talk to on twitter is ridiculously good looking. Gosh."

Random follow #119 - @onceautumn

Going off the beaten track can lead you to some amazing discoveries.  For it is when you get off the beaten track that your senses coma live and you are better able to appreciate the world around you and the beauty that it beholds.  The same applies to social media and people.  When you get off the beaten track and seek out new people and new adventures then you discover some of the real beautiful people of the world.  @onceautumn is exactly one of those people.

She doesn't tweet all that much.  In fact twitter appears to be more of a hobby and a sideline rather a lifestyle which so many if us twitter users have it as.  Amanda's profile picture really is quite something to behold.  It has a 1930's art nouveau feel to it that makes her even more attractive in a renaissance kind of way.

Whats nice about people who occasionally use twitter is that what you see is what you get.  There are no hidden agendas or funny things going on.  Amanda simply drops in every now and then and quietly updates you about anything that she considers worthy of tweeting about.

Examples of this are -

"Looking forward to my baking day tomorrow""

"I need to buy couches with more comfy arm rests for resting my head on."

If you choose to follow @onceautumn don't hold your breath waiting for a tweet.  And I in no way mean any offense but that statement at all.  Rather I say if you happen to see Amanda pop up in your timeline then appreciate her tweets for what they are.  Simple in their approach and beautiful in their delivery.  Even this one - "Georgie pie!!!!"

And I leave the final description of @onceautumn as per her own words - 

"Adores photography, books, shoes and anything that sparkles. Opinions are mine."