SA Rocks

This competition has been running for a week or two over at Afrigator and now SA Rocks is jumping on the band wagon. And why would we not jump on board to help you, our loyal readers, win a dinner with the incredible band, The Parlotones.

Competition rules are below:

Afrigator / Parlotones Hands on Wine dinner competition rules

These rules (“these rules”) govern entries into the Afrigator / Parlotones Hands on Wine dinner competition (“this competition”). If you enter the competition you agree to be bound by these rules. Should you elect not to be bound by these rules, your entry will not be considered as a valid entry into the competition.

This competition is being run by Afrigator Internet (Pty) Ltd in conjunction with Hands on Wine (Pty) Ltd, A company called it and The Parlotones band (“The Organisers”).

In order to enter this competition and be considered for the prize, you must:

own a blog that you regularly maintain (“your blog”);
ensure that your blog has been registered on Afrigator.com;
create a blog post (“your blog post”) on your blog, before the closing date, that mentions the Giant Mistake wine somewhere in the content of the post;
post a link back to the Giant Mistake wine website located at http://theparlotoneswine.com on your blog post.
By entering this competition you confirm that you are at least 18 years of age.

This competition ends at midnight on the 31st of October 2009. The winners of this competition (“prizewinner”) will be selected on or before 7 November 2009 and will be notified by the contact email address supplied when registering on Afrigator.com as well as on http://blog.afrigator.com. If the prizewinner fails to contact us the judges will be forced to allocate a new winner for the competition.

This competition is only open to residents of South Africa.

There are two prizes available for this competition.

Dinner with The Parlotones band at a venue in Johannesburg
Dinner with The Parlotones band at a venue in Cape Town
Two different entrants are entitled to winning a prize. One prizewinner residing in Johannesburg and one prizewinner residing in Cape Town will be selected to attend the prize in the city they reside in.

Transport to and from the venue does not form part of the prize and is for the prizewinners own account.

Accommodation in Cape Town or Johannesburg does not form part of the prize.

The outcome of the competition is subject to the decision of The Organisers of the competition, whose decision is final, and no negotiations and or correspondence will be entered into after the fact.

Participants enter the competition at their own risk and The Organisers bear no responsibility for any loss, damage or harm suffered as a result of participation in the competition.

If The Organisers are unable to deliver a prize to a winner or if a winner fails to claim the prize then the prize concerned shall be forfeited.

The Organisers reserve the right to redistribute all unclaimed prizes if not claimed after one week after being given away.

Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or any other prize, nor are they transferable to any person other than the prizewinner.

No employees and immediate family of The Organisers nor their PR or advertising agents are allowed to participate.

The Organisers reserve the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend, alter, amend or close the competition as necessary.

The participants entering or taking part in this competition authorise The Organisers to publish any or all the details of the participant and or to take pictures of the participant without any liability on the part of The Organisers and or remuneration due to the participant.

If you are the prizewinner of the competition, you will need to make yourself available to attend the dinner (“claim the prize”) on a date specified by The Organisers. Should you not be able to claim the prize on the date specified then The Organisers will be forced to allocate a new winner for the competition.

No personal information will be disclosed to third parties without the user’s permission.

In the case of any disputes regarding these rules the decision of The Organisers will be final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into.

The laws of the Republic of South Africa govern this competition. You consent to the jurisdiction of a Magistrates Court in the Republic of South Africa, which has jurisdiction in respect of any dispute arising out of any aspect of this competition.

The Organisers may amend these rules from time to time in writing without notice to you. It is your responsibility to check for updates and amendments to these rules. To the extent these rules constitute an agreement between you and The Organisers, you agree that these rules may only be amended, in writing, by The Organisers.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I am a firm believer in turn the other cheek with a dash of eye for an eye (to be biblical). To explain that what I believe aids in change is the education to know when to stand up and fight, when to walk away, when to hold em or when to fold em – with respect to Kenny Rogers.

Without education all you have is emotion. Emotion can only get you so far.

Browsing through The Trust website I found an organisation that I can finally relate to. The Adopt a School Foundation. This is something that I think I could get behind, give money and time to and afterwards really feel as if I had made a difference.

Those that truly suffer in many if not most unfortunate national situations, wars, screw ups and historical misfortunes are the children of nations. It’s time that in SA we gave the children our country a fighting chance.

For a years I’ve said to people who ask me when things will get better, things will get better when my 1 year old cousin (who is now nearly 5) grows to be a 40 year old man and is colour-blind and has been taught from a schooling level what is right, what is wrong and what is moral we will be on the mend.

So why not kick that process off now? Any charity that is aiding the healing process, giving the citizens of our country a chance to make it in this life deserves a meager R3000.

My point is, R3000 might be used up quickly by the Adopt a School Foundation but in the long run their efforts will eventually start to pay. So R3000 now will mean paying it forward down the line and if every student, ±50 000 since the start of the foundation, end up giving back to their community then a difference will be made.

Let’s be more realistic. If 10% of the 50 000 children all grow up to be successful and decide to give away R30 per month to a charity of their choice then that will total R150 000 per month in charitable donations. THAT is a difference, it’s a long term plan but it is, in my opinion, one of the only ways we are truly going to heal this country, think long term, plan ahead and protect our youth.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I have just completed the SA Blogosphere Census called SPEAK UP! presented by 24.com, Afrigator and Amatomu.

Interesting concept this census is. I was asked for my input before the census went live. I think that there are some interesting questions that are sure to yield some VERY interesting results at the end of it all.

There are some questions that worry me and I am sure will worry others such as the finances, users, pageviews and that sort of information. I was reluctant to give away some of the information but at the end of the day, I’m not pulling in a million people a day on the site and everyone knows it, so who cares!?

So, do yourself and the rest of us a favour and let’s end the debate about blogs, how many, how big, how much etc etc, head over to the PushPlay sponsored SPEAK UP! census and get started now!

I’d like to also suggest that you blog about the census and tag people who you think should take the census and blog about it too!

So I am tagging Mike, Matt, Tertia, Cherryflava, Charl and Chris.

Popularity: 8% [?]

I think that this is something that is possible. For example, Afrigator received a great review on Read/WriteWeb (but more about that in a post I am soon to write). Why is it that local posts never get dugg, even just enough to provide some sort of traffic for the bloggers here in SA?

I think it’s simple. All we need to do is digg stuff. Not plot, not plan, just actively digg. I once read that when a post is initially dugg it take something like 25 digs in a short while to get the post on the digg homepage. After that it’s the posts job to stay up at the top if the content is worthwhile. So if you see something and like it, why not digg it?

Let’s start with the Afrigator post on Read/WriteWeb. DIGG IT HERE AND NOW!!!

Popularity: 4% [?]

There are many South African bloggers who have made and continue to make a great impression on me and the countries onlince scene. I have taken the time to compile a list of who I think are some of the most influential bloggers in SA.

Jon Cherry – has had his fingers in many cherry pies. He initiated the SA Blog awards which were arguably the best and worst thing to happen to the SA Blogosphere in recent history. His projects include: Cherrypicka, FeverPitcher, Jetstreaker and is one of The Times Blogumists. Jon’s all-round involvement in the local blog scene definitely makes him an influencial figure.

Dave Duarte – Might not blog very often but when he does it seems to be profound. Most of the time. Dave made this list because of his incredible demeanor towards all things techie, innovative, blog-orientated and fresh. His work at the UCT Graduate school of business and Technomadic Markets have brought the online trend to marketing mainstream of business elite. His involvement in Muti.co.za, iCommons, Cerebra and the 27 Dinners makes Dave an effective networker. I think it’s a toss-up between Dave and Mike Stopforth when it comes to networking whores!

Vincent Maher Maher has featured on Al Jazeera and CNN in his capacity as a blogger, this alone makes him influencial. On top of his television appearances he has, along with Matthew Buckland, helped Mail&Guardian become one of the forerunners in the online sphere in South Africa. His involvement in Amatomu and Thoughtleader have set him apart among local online innovators. He was also nominated for IT personality of the year.
Maher’s blog also helps to define his prowess in the online sphere. Whenever he blogs you can rest assured that something dramatic will be said or take place. His coining of the term “Bullardgate” in the infamous bullard-scandal is one of the moments that stand out in recent history. Maher was also one of the first local bloggers to land a sponsorship for a blog.

Keo – When Keo talks the country listens. Sports are an integral part of South African culture. Keo is sport online in SA. There are no two-ways about it. Keo says Jake is going to win, and Jake won. Keo says that Sports are thriving and they thrive. I really do wish that I had more information on Keo.co.za but it is very hard to track the man down. Keo editors, if you read this, email me and let’s chat! This blog currently sits at the top of Amatomu.com rankings and has done so since it joined the service. Killer.

Mark Forrester – The man creates pure design bliss. He has helped design many blogs that form the top of the SA Blogosphere. He had a hand in the So Close redesign and the HomecomingRevolution and Represent blog designs. His own blog has put him on the international design map and made SA a name in those circles. His involvement in the design of Afrigator is clear and present and has definitely assisted the website in becoming a force to be reckoned with in Africa and the world.

Tertia Albertyn – Tertia is the author of one of SA’s greatest blogging successes, So Close. She was one of the first, the biggest and the ones that have lasted. Her blog allowed her to become a recognised figure in a niche market in SA and the world. She was recognised for her writing skills in 2007 as a 2007 Lulu Blooker finalist. She was in contention for the prize with the likes Frank Warren from Post Secret, Seth Godin, Colby Buzzell, Kristin Espinasse, Jerome Armstrong and Markos Moulitsas from Daily Kos. Tertia keeps on proving herself as a niche force to take seriously in the local blogosphere.

David Bullard – Author of the now defunct Bullog at the Times blog. The reason that bullog makes this list is thanks to his baptism of fire entrance in to the blogosphere. He had other names on this list scrambling for a response to his brash approach to bloggers and blogging. Bullard is living testament to the open nature of blogs. He surreptitiously entered the sphere, made his mark and departed as a non-blogger who blogged his way to fame in a short period of time.

Michael Trapido – Mr Trapido is a very new addition to the South African blogosphere (I hate that word but can’t think of another one). He was asked to blog for MG’s Thoughtleader blogging platform and has excelled. The reason that he makes my list of influential bloggers is his content. He pulls no punches and calls a spade exactly what he wants to call it. Trapido is a specialist criminal attorney. He is a director of the firm Turnbull and Associates. He is, like Bullard, living proof that blogging is for anyone and anyone can succeed. He has been of Thoughtleaders top bloggers for a while now and continues to pull no punches with his topics and his approach to blogging. If you haven’t read his blog yet, I think you should. Get there now.

Jarred Cinman – The voice of the underdog on his Thoughleader blog, burningpaper. Cinman goes against the grain in ever way and never ceases to make waves with his blog posts. He is intuitive, factual, heavy into research and loves to stir the pot. I love his blog posts because he is very willing to say what others wont and back it up with some viable research. Research is something that is seldom used by many bloggers but often makes the best bloggers who they are. He is a software director at Cambrient, South Africa’s leading developer of web applications and co-founded Johannesburg’s first professional web development company. This means that he has bite because his bark is justified. Another blogger who is a rising star. Keep a close eye on him.

Special Mention:
Adriaan Pienaar
Justin Hartman
Mike Stopforth

This list could be longer as any list of this type can always be. This is a subjective list and I know that many readers will have their own opinions. These are my choices and I am proud to say that I know, have spoken to or have met many of the people on the list.

Add to the list if you like and let me know who you think does SA proud in the online market nationally or internationally.

Popularity: 14% [?]