SA Rocks

I decided on whim to purchase my ticket to CT and will be leaving at 5pm today to make the incredibly long and difficult journey to the Cape whilst sitting in a seat, on a plane, watching “Bones” on my laptop.

I decided that after many years (in the only world, 4 counts as “many” years) of blogging it was about time that I head down for the Blog Awards this year. There are many people that I can finally meet in real life, really. And I think that all-in-all it will be a great party if nothing else.

I am not expecting and awards and am merely making the trip for the experience. If I win, that’ll be cool but I think it’s more about meeting many people and getting down to CT for me.

To every SA Rocks reader who voted I’d like to say thank you for firstly getting this blog through to the finals and past the nomination phase and then for voting for SA Rocks (if you did).

I will be sure to post all of the pics and vid that I manage to take on my Zoopy profile as well as here.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I met this WebAddiCT on June 16 2006 in a freeeezing old school.hall in the middle of who.knows.where. It was South Africa’s 1st BarCamp organised by Geekspin & the Marketing Geek. I think that BarCamp was critical to the evolution of our little geek/blogging/socialmedia community >> so in some sense this is an anniversary post of that tipping point too.

Dave had been raving about this respected blogger Rafiq Phillips of the legendary Web Addicts was going to be there – the man now also known as trafiq (because if there is one thing that the Web AddiCTs know how to do : it would be driving digital traffic to their site) – SEO with its ever.changing algorithms is their speciality. But oddly enough it’s not the only traffic they’re into. Rafiq and his equally bright business partner Miguel Dos Santos run a business called iDrive. It’s changing the way driving schools work, but has the genius seed other service industries can learn from & use.

The innovative concept behind iDrive has been their ticket to the African Innovator of the Year award, and more recently to TED Global (oh the envy!!). They’ve been working with Mxit and mobile applications for a while now & have no doubt that mobile’s the future of technology best suited to Africa: lightweight, low.cost, massive reach and doesn’t rely to heavily on fixed infrastructure.

Rafiq believes that getting web-enabled mobile phones into the hands of other young Africans will unleash a wave of innovation throughout the continent. [Creativity is always sparked when a new tool is combined with limitations and curious minds]. There’s a really easy way you can help begin that process right now BTW: head here and vote for Rafiq to donate a phone to a Tanzanian student.

He’s passionate about helping to build African tech without a dependence on external aid. About solving our own problems in a fresh & innovative way without cloning. Unlike a lot of our brilliant young tech minds, he has chosen to stay in South Africa:

3:47 PM Rafiq: what makes me stay in za (cape town)?

the ppl
the beauty
my family
za is a 1st world county
compared to rest of africa
we have 3rd world problems
only solutions & business opportunities waiting to happen

Love it!
Go celebrate the brilliant people you know who are using their talents in South Africa, helping to get this place rocking! See you next week with yet another of the geniuses I have the pleasure of sharing with SA Rocks.

*respect to our own Google Summer of Coder Charl van Niekerk who’s also holding his ground here in ZA – thank you guys!

Popularity: 11% [?]

Big Blog Directory and SA Rocks are co-hosting a South African Blog Roundup. Any South African blogger can participate and I hope that many will.

Between May 25th and 30th write a post on your blog with something like the following (please link to both blogs):

“Big Blog Directory and SA Rocks are co-hosting a South African Blog Roundup and I am participating…”

Next answer the following three questions:

1. Why does South Africa “rock”?
2. Why do you blog?
3. What are two of your favourite posts?

Once you have written your posts leave a comment here with a link. If your blog is listed with BBD leave a comment there otherwise leave it with SA Rocks.

Thanks everyone, I think it’ll be an interesting experiment to see who participates and what the answers are to some of these questions!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Join SA Rocks in Walking the Talk with 702. All proceeds made by the SA Rocks team will go to a Charity selected by SA Rocks (help me decide a suitable charity, comment and let me know which charity you would choose)!

SA ROCKS and family are going to be taking part in the 5KM fun Walk. This is not a competitive event, SA Rocks wants to show the real world that bloggers and their family and friends care about SA. Don your South African colours and paraphernalia to show your support for our country and a ROCKING SA!!

Entry costs R50 for the 5km fun walk, any and all donations are welcome on the day. To secure yourself an SA Rocks T-shirt donate R100 before June 1st.

Entries close on June 15th so hurry and get yourself entered. Please follow the steps below to successfully join the SA ROCKS team. Please leave your name and the names of your friends and family in the comment section or email editor@sarocks.co.za so I am aware of who is entering!

Steps to follow:
1. If you have entered before, provide you ID number and register for this years walk. If not, register as a participant and then register for this years event.
2. Ensure that you specify your Discovery Health membership number so you get your Vitality points.
3. Enter as a bulk entry and provide your family and friends details too.
4. Indicate TEAM entry and then indicate 5KM RUN.
4. Enter SA Rocks (typed as is) as the team you wish to join.
5. Join us on the July 22nd and have some fun.

The Details:
What: 5km walk
When: July 22nd
Time: 10:30
Start: Judith Street off Beyers Naude.
End: Marks Park.

Map:

Popularity: 4% [?]

Bullard’s heated sideswipe blistered the blogosphere ..and just blasted home another powerful reason why SA ROCKS! what?! Why in the world would I claim this as a positive about South Africa?

The constitutional right to freedom of speech that each of us enjoys today has been exercised. Regardless of whether that opinion is one we share or rail vehemently against – the RIGHT to express that opinion is something we enjoy in this country. For now.

Set in a global context, there are people are being jailed in Iran, Egypt, China, Zimbabwe for the rights we enjoy here. (For those impassioned enough to write in response consider lending your voice to the greater force for good, bloggers & ‘real‘ journalists lives are at stake for the right to banter as we do). Even if it’s hate speech or degrading polemic humans have a birthright to rant.

I heartily agree that most of the blogosphere is bogus bollocks – it’s reflective of life.

“The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter.” -Winston Churchill

But thanks to search engines and RSS I don’t need to come into contact with unnecessary swill enroute to the good stuff. We have choice what to pay attention to, rather than being offered a slim filter of what is deemed acceptable by those who know better than you (you swarthy heaving masses who need your untamed minds tranquilised for civility).

Like Wikipedia you have the right to put up whatever crap you like, but eventually knowledge neutrality smoothes out what is flaming unsubstantiated bullshite ..and oddly enough the result is an increasingly accurate view of reality to date.

So I have the right to be irritated by the article, but the only thing that could have done with editing was the peculiar association with the Virginia Tech massacre. The right to free expression had Seung-Hui Cho flagged by his professors for his violent and malevolent spewings in creative writing classes. He was a writer but not a blogger, and that fetid association sparked the flame of fury online because it was baseless.

I do certainly agree with the headline that cowardly cowering behind anonymity online allows for the depraved and sexually-frustrated to exercise their power to disseminate fear. But oddly very FEW bloggers take the route of anonymous expression – particularly because they AREN’T paid. Humans always have to have a What’s In It For Me angle. Like David Bullard, the majority of bloggers are out there to get attention. Within an Attention Economy this can translate into being paid if you prove your expertise. Most drop their blogs when they don’t get enough attention in reward, because they’re braindrainingly dull. Natural selection. But I digress.

We are so damn lucky to have the window of opportunity to evade being muzzled in this playground of paperless publishing. Policies of control instituted when people are reacting out of fear plays right into the hands of unhealthy dictatorship – political, religious or corporate. 1 order of thought-leadership not thought-control please.

This is not about oldskool journos vs bright young bloggers, it is about seeing the potency of words to shift attention. Those with the most power are those with the biggest audiences, simple. This is why entertainers & sportstars can command surreal salaries – they can capture and sustain attention. Traditional media has earned its sway. It is evolving, but still commands the lionshare and its effect proven today.

Bullard trippingly set a trap to test the bloggy waters & found his bait handsomely rewarded. It would have been a wonderful time to translate that attention: but wait, hark! ..you think Groogle hasn’t been sharing a tip or two with the man. LOL!! Ray and teamsters have been hard at work, and no doubt delighting in David taking on the bad cop role so eagerly. Sun Tzu, nay Machiavelli would be glowing with pride.

David Bullard is a court jester among the finest of the archetype, sparing no sacred cow.

Give thanks that you woke up in South Africa today, and blog for all you’re worth. Rock your bullhorn boys & girls. Who knows, you may even refine your skills and one day rise to the hallowed domain of the pressroom, I know you all secretly long for it, now dontcha?!

PS. check Bullard’s response on video (sorry bandwidth starved South Africans, but this one’s worth it)

PPS. use your powers for good and support freedom of the press, or join ISOC’s policy-making committee on digital freedom – one day this may affect you.

Popularity: 3% [?]

It has been a while since I explained to readers how they might be able to contribute.

The main and easiest way to contribute is to email me your story, photograph, word or any other sort of contribution: editor@sarocks.co.za.

You can also visit the SA Rocks Flickr Group, Digspot Group, or Facebook Group and contribute to any of those.

It would also be great if you stick up the SA Rocks badge in the sidebar of your blog or simply link to SA Rocks. This way you are added to the SA Rocks supporters list.

However you want to do it, just do it. Contribute to SA Rocks and get your name on the supporters list!

Popularity: 5% [?]

When I started SA Rocks I was surprised at the lack of positive online presence and press South Africa was receiving. I stand corrected and I am so glad to say that.

Here is a list of sites I currently subscribe to containing SA info and outlooks:

Homecoming Revolution Blog
Algoa Bay Yacht Club
CapeTown Blog
Notes From The Cape
South Africa Blog
South Africa.info

There are so many more that I know I haven’t located. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep on top of all of the news happening on all of these sites. The competition is fierce, the players are tough and the subject matter is brilliant! I am loving the fact that there are so many sites trying to say so much about our country. Do yourself and these sites a favour and visit them regularly, in fact subscribe to their RSS feeds and support.

The latest in this long line of sites is Go2SA.

Stii has blogged about the project already so I wont try to better his words, I will simply quote:

Its been a loooong time coming and is finally here! Our latest project is in a final Alpha stage ready to go beta! And since everybody else launches at this time more or less, We though “Why the hell NOT?”. So here is one of the reasons for my lack of blogging…

Go2sa.co.za is a community driven tourism portal. By that I mean that content is generated by the members. The members is all tourism related service providers like accommodation establishments, activity providers, restaurants, etc… everyone that service the tourists.

Stii was gracious enough to ask for SA Rocks to feed stories to Go2SA. I accepted without a moments hesitation. I think that any and all help that our beautiful country can get is welcome a million times over.

I implore you all to get over to Go2SA and the other sites I have listed and show your support today. Blog about them, blog about the subject matter, contribute to their sites and their causes. Contribute to SA Rocks too, of course!

Popularity: 5% [?]

Graham from Stormhoek has just told me that Stormhoek will be offering 6 bottles of wine and 2 T-shirts to the SA Rocks Badge Competition!

So now ladies and gents who aren’t too excited about the rugby jersey as first prize can now opt for the 6 bottles of Stormhoek Wine. Second prize will then be the alternate, either the Jersey or the Wine, followed by third and forth coming away with Stormhoek T-shirts!!

Thanks to Graham and Stormhoek for their continued support of the blogosphere! Great stuff!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tertia of So Close fame is doing phenomenally well with her blog and her book. She talks to me about raising children in SA, her book, her blog and much more:

You have the most read blog in SA, how does that feel?
It feels completely strange. That so many people seem to care about what goes on in my seemingly mundane life. It also adds a certain amount of pressure on me to update often (I update daily, and if I don’t, I will get at least a few emails from strangers asking me if I am ok) and to write in an interesting way

What do you think makes South Africans read your blog?
I must say here that most of my blog readers are not South African. Around 50% of them are from America, 30% from Europe, 10% from Asia Pacific and only about 10% from South Africa. Why do people read my blog? Well, hopefully I have a way of writing that makes people think, or entertains them, or challenges them. If they weren’t interested in reading what I wrote, they wouldn’t come back again. There are literally hundreds of thousands of blogs out there – what is going to make someone click on your site again? You have to entertain them or inform them and you have to write in a way that they feel a connection to you or to your story. I hope I achieve that.

Are you a proudly South African blogger?
I am very much a proudly South African blogger. I am immensely proud of my country and love talking about what it is like to live here. The good and the bad. Because most of readers are not South African, I often feel a little ostracized by the local blogging community, as if I am not ‘local’ enough, which isn’t fair. I write as a proud South African, I just have a broad readership base. But that feeling of being ostracized is changing though. Wonderful people like Mike Stopforth, Dave Duarte and Max Kaizen have done amazing work in bringing the local blogging community together in a way that embraces all flavours of SA bloggers. Mommy bloggers such as myself rub shoulders with Geeks, Marketers, Web 2.0 experts etc. Rock on South African bloggers! Check out the 27 dinners vibe.

How do you feel about raising children in SA?
This is the country where I was raised. I know it has its faults, but I love my country. I love the feel of the African sun warming my arms when I walk outside. I love the smells, tastes and textures of this beautiful country. I couldn’t imagine living any where else.

Your book is doing incredibly well, tell me a bit more about that.
Yes, I am really lucky. The story behind my book is that in October 2005, I got an email from a publisher telling me that they had read my blog, liked the way I wrote and thought that I had a story worth telling (my infertility journey). They asked whether I would be interested in writing a book, I said yes and my book was published in August 2006.

I’ve had the most amazing response to my book. Hundreds of people from all over South Africa have reached out to me and shared their stories with me. It has been a hugely rewarding experience. And it all came out of my blog!

The Lulu Blooker awards hey…What’s all that about?
The Lulu Blooker Prize is the world’s first literary prize devoted to “blooks”-books based on blogs or other websites, including webcomics. (http://www.lulublookerprize.com/)
The prize aims to encourage cutting-edge literature, more of which is beginning life in the blogosphere.

I think they had around 60 odd entrants and I was short listed with 5 other bloggers in the Non Fiction section. It is a huge honour, and I am on the list with some seriously big international blogging heavy weights like the guys from Daily Kos, Seth Goldin, Frank Warren from Post Secret. I don’t have a hope in hell of winning against those guys, but it is such a huge thrill being in their company.

Continue Reading

Popularity: 2% [?]

So Close author, Tertia wrote a book titled So Close: Infertile and Addicted To Hope, The book has done incredibly well. In fact it has done so well that it has been short listed for the 2007 Lulu Blooker Prize. Tertia herself believes that this is an incredibly huge step forward for the SA Blogosphere and I agree 100%! This is amazing and Tertia’s blog rocks SA (if it hasn’t rocked your SA, then it’s about time you checked out the blog).

SA Rocks is trying to get an interview with Tertia about her experiences with the book, the shortlist and her blog. lets cross fingers and hope she chats to us about her SA experiences!

Popularity: 2% [?]