Random follow #284 - @ninjabeanz1

"Faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a hundred wild horses, sexier than ice cream on a hot day, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound - is it a bird?  Is it a plane? No its @ninjabeanz1!"

People who give their time to help others are those people who you want to spend time with.  They are generous, warm, lovely and would help you out no matter how much of a pickle you may be in.  Nina is just one of those people.  She is resourceful, sharp and careful with her time.  So much so that she uses it in just the right way.

@ninjabeanz1 is a lady of many talents, tastes and tricks.  Being a leftie is the least of her many superhero abilities that will amaze and astound you.  She is also a whizz in the kitchen and the hostess with the mostest as well.  Being a chef there are few delights she can not whip up that will have your taste buds bursting with excitement.

But wait there's more!

Nina is also a fabulous tweeter.  She doesn't impose herself or views on everyone else too often but she shares a lot of laughs and humour with everyone.  Some original, some retweets, nearly always totally funny.

Nina is a kiwi through and through - "#proud_kiwi_moment!! “@robrendell: #Lorde picks up multiple Grammy nominations."

She has a great general knowledge - "Lego produce more than 306 million tiny rubber tires a year. #randomfact"

And she is funny "Haha "Don't Drink & Jump!" “@brianholland: Adult bouncy castle injuries on the rise say ACC http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8718067/Adult-bouncy-castle-injuries-on-the-rise …”

@ninjabeanz1 is a tweeter who from time to time steps away from the computer and gets some fresh air out there in the real world.  I really like that.  Like an old friend she pops up every now and then and quietly tweets something and you think - Yes! She's back!

Nina is a tweeter who is happy to do her own thing, in her own way, at her own speed.  Which ladies and gentlemen is a great example of not only how to do social media but also how to do life.  And I leave you with a quote, from the Facebook page of @ninjabeanz1 community group (Altrusa Auckland) -

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” 

― Eleanor Roosevelt

p.s. @ninjabeanz1 profile picture is one of the greatest super heroes of all time.  I have a feeling that Wonder Woman is not just an aspiration for Nina but an inspiration as well.

Random follow #260 - @Holla_Graphix

There is power in standing together as a collective.  Be it for a peaceful protest or to join together and support one another being with others of a like mind is the best way to make progress.  @Holla_Graphix are just that kind of collective.

@Holla_Graphix combine three of my most favorite things together in one place - art, creativity and collective.  Coming at you out of New Zealands capital of Wellington this collective is all about bringing together women who have a passion for creating the new.

At the moment this twitter account is a little on the light side when it comes to followers however quality always trumps quality.  But still its always good having a few more followers who engage with you and take the collective online as well as off.

The tweets you see are as eclectic as the art pieces that the @Holla_Graphix make and share.  A mixture of Facebook updates, Instagram pics and a few straight up tweets round out the mix nicely.  Here are a few tweets to wet your social media taste buds a little -

"MEANWHILE IN TAUPO.. The incredible xoehall making us super proud with this insane mural as part of… http://instagram.com/p/f9XhMOxmPM/ " and

"Part of a rad mural painted by xoehall for Electric Avenue in Wellington. Check out the vid of this… http://instagram.com/p/dxrcUvRmG2/ "

While this twitter account really is still in its infancy there is nothing babyish about the talent and mad skills these ladies bring to pop culture including body art, ink work and graffiti.  I am totally jealous of their skills and look forward to seeing more of their published work as the days go by.

peace.

Random follow #162 - @asheiBAND

@asheiBAND are a progressive rock band from Christchurch.  They have been around on the music scene for a while but they haven't yet found the magical formula that has launched them into the big time.  The thing with the music industry is that very few bands make it big straight away.

It takes blood, sweat and tears to make it in the industry.  It also takes years of hard work and practice.  There is no secret formula for success.  But there comes a point when a band reaches that sweet spot and they have their sound so perfected that you cant but help it.

Ashei (ash-eye) have been working their butts off for years.  They have been practicing, playing gigs and spreading the good word about their sound.  Twitter is yet another platform that they use to expose the world to what they are good at.

I am aware that their music is available online through iTunes and you can listen to it as well on YouTube.

But what do they tweet?  Well stuff like this -->

"Hi followers old&new! We've decided to give you a free download of one of our songs! PM or mention us in a tweet & we will send you a link x"

"New video from us! A cover of a @frank_ocean lost track "Eyes Like Sky"Hope you like it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq1JYqfyl4A …"

"If you're wondering what that's about and might want to support us too, head to http://tinyurl.com/ashei-EP for all the details #indiegogo"

And if you are wanting to see them play live you'll have to move quick because they are on their way to Australia in a couple of weeks time.  Just a quick heads up - the band have linked their Facebook account to twitter so most of their tweets now are links to their Facebook page.  I really hope that they start tweeting properly again but who knows.

And as always I try to give the last word to the Random Kiwi Tweeter of the day.  So here it is - 

Random follow #60 - @HassanahRudd

Almost all of my random tweeters so far have been fun, interesting and lovely people.  Today's random person certainly fits that description and more.

What I can tell you is that @HassanahRudd right now is a very busy new mum.  New from the point of view that she has both become a new mum but not for the first time.  Baby number three arrived this week and I have no doubt the Rudd family right now are super proud and super excited about the new addition to their family.

Tweeters you can mark this date in your calendar so you can plan ahead for birthday presents from now on "slow tweet stream from me. No Internet connection at Birthcare. Finally joined by our new baby girl late thurs night. Just got home#happy".

And it's really nice that she is able to find a balance between being a professional woman and a mum as well.  Being a parent has its fair share of ups and downs.  And it is the little things your kids do that can make you either burst out loud laughing or start beaming with pride from the inside out.

"Trying to read board papers whilst Miss 3 "sings" at the top of her lungs. She won't be auditioning for X Factor.. Off key.. Big time!"

In her "normal" (is there such a thing when you are a mum?) she is an advocate for people.  Usually such a job would be titled human resources professional.  But in Hassanah's case her official role is one of talent & sourcing expert and recruitment.  She is also a smart mum in regards to her ability to access technology - "The joy of twitter & smartphones; I can catch up on good blogs whilst waiting for Mr9 at his dentist appt".

There are a few traits that stand out about Hassanah.  For a start she has a beautiful name.  She is a mum.  She is also a very passionate advocate and voice for other mums and children.  It takes a certain type of drive, fire and passion for a person to choose to take up a role as an advocate for others.

@HassanahRudd is also a valuable member and contributor to the #nzlead discussions which take place every week.  If you refer back to this post here you can find out more about how #nzlead works.

One really nice thing I enjoy about her tweeting is that she will engage you in a conversation.  If a conversation needs more than one or two tweets she will happily talk away.  And the conversations add value.  Multiple conversation partners are welcomed and everyone gets either a reply or a friendly tweet.

As all new mums (and babies) need their rest I am going to sign off on this post a little earlier than I usually do.  But I did have a few unanswered quetions in my mind about her and with a little help from my friend google I was able to source the perfect ending to this post.

"Hassanah loves to talk but as her husband says “not everyone speaks Hassanah”, which is accented, fast paced and energetic (probably due to her many years working in the fast paced temp world). People tend to remember Hassanah because of her long red hair and unusual name. What most don’t know is that her parents met in a commune and married in a mosque which is why Hassanah was given an Arabic name."

(source: at http://www.frogrecruitment.co.nz/About+Frog/Our+People/HassanahRudd.html)

Congratulations Hassanah and all your family on your new addition.  x.

Random follow #45 - #thedp, @tdpfirst, @tdpsecond

You can imagine my surprise when about a month ago I was suddenly followed by two ladies with mustaches.  Real ladies but not with real mustaches.  My head spun for a couple of minutes as I tried to make sense of just what the heck was going on!  Anyway it turns out that two very smart, sassy and creative tweeters among us had devised a plan to take over the whole world - one tweet at a time!

But seriously what these two ladies came up with is a fantastic idea that is part of the Auckland Fringe Festival.  Proudly known by their twitter names @tdpfirst and @tdpsecond these two ladies have set out on a mission to perform classic pieces of movie dialogue while adding their own spin to it.

The project is less about using twitter as an art form but rather as a vehicle to expand the audience partcking of their creative talents.  Although I did notice that @tdpfirst and @tdpsecond were having an arty conversation on the weekend during which they conversed about love lost, love found and the many different virtues of romance.

If you are looking for a twitter account or two to follow they will inject some hilarity into your day - then I 100% recommend following either of these two ladies or set up a search for the #thedp.  And if those two characters don't tweet enough for you then you can follow the real people behind the characters - @josiecampbell and @annagconnell.

And if you are really sharp you will soon discover a few other arty, super talented and very, very funny tweeters such as @corinh.  But he deserves his own blog post on here.

You can keep up to date with the daily videos of dialogue which are being posted very day of the Fringe Fest which runs from February 15th right through to March 10th.  You can view the videos in their original form and format here.  Or you can watch the side splittingly funny first video here -

Random follow #39 - @DartelJ

There is no such thing as an overnight success.  Success takes time, hard effort and being in the right place at the right time.  Lots and lots of people do the first two but never quite manage to make the third.  Well that's how it used to be and it is still true to a point.  But with social media, twitter especially, the gap between you and the door of opportunity opening is narrowed by light years.

@DartelJ is a young hip hop artist who is working his butt off to get a break through.  An artist who is applying himself to his trade, writing tunes and rhymes, working with talented musicians and looking for the big opportunity.  Twitter is just one tool in his arsenal that he can use to reach out to the world and quietly display his talents, ambitions and drive.

He has a primo website with some amazing graphics that lure you in and, much like Hotel California, won't let you go.  His sound is very alluring in its subtlety.  The music is mellow, the rhymes consistent and the messages are clear.

Dharell is a prolific tweeter.  He tweets a lot.  Short, sharp and edgy tweets.Some his tweets were people in the street many of us would walk right by without noticing them.  But when you look closer at his tweets, when you stop and put yourself in his shoes and think 'what is this guy trying to say' then his tweets take on a whole different tone and meaning.  Take this as an example -

"It doesn't matter who you are. Somebody wants to take a shot"

To the average Joe this probably doesn't mean much.  But what I think is there is much more depth to this tweet than meets the eye and there is a story going on and we are being given a wee glimpse into @DartelJs world.

And then he also has a sense of humor.  Not a middle class white suburb type of sense of humor.  More like a Porirua or South Auckland kind of sense of humor.  Here's what I mean -

"Note to everyone. Want $$$ - go play slot machines with @NinjaSteps. I was going to say pokies but only if you're a girl Hashtag gang signs"

From what I have found in his press release and bio (http://www.dartelmusic.com/presskit.pdf)  2012 was his start out year.  I have no idea about anything else about who he is or anything but there are some giveaway telltale signs about his personality.  I will give you one insight I have picked up - he's shy.  Not shy like an introvert but more shy in that he knows he has some skills and he is starting out on this road toward becoming a career as a recording artist.  And so you won't see his face.  Not until he is ready for you to see him.  'Nuff said.

(Apologies to @DartelJ for borrowing this photo.  I

f there's an issue with me using it I am happy to change it up).