snowgoose

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You may have heard the rumour that it is my mission to convert ordinary people into geeks. Even though my hatchling series is temporarily absent, I still believe firmly in this. I don’t intend to make every person on the planet into a mac-toting, publicity loving, browser aficianado – What I want is for every person I meet to see the internet, and her possibilities, like I do… limitless. The only problem with my passion is that geeks are a tiny subsection of society – less than 2%, so… how do we spread our message? We’d need someone to create some sort of recognised internet marketing course. Not a 3 day conference, an actual, affordable, certified, supported course.

It seems that Quirk and GetSmarter have done just that. Between them they are presenting an 8 week, distance learning course in eMarketing. The course is based on the super-easy-to-read Quirk eMarketing textbook, already in it’s 2nd Edition, it’s the only eMarketing textbook in South Africa and one of only a handful in the world. (just ask Seth Godin). The cool thing about this course is you actually learn something. Too many certificate courses (and even some degrees!) in South Africa teach you absolutely nothing and have no practical application. So you have a masters in Philosophy? Whoopdie frikken doo. And you can apply what you’ve learned immediately, and you can see the results almost immediately too.

Another cool part is it’s cheap: R5 600. Now I know that sounds like a lot of money but education is expensive, there are some 2 day courses out there that cost twice that!! (no kidding, I checked). You could get a loan if you can’t find the cash – it’s your education so it’s borrowing money to gain a valuable asset.

Have I convinced you? Will you become part of the Geek-squad? (how flippin geeky am I?) Learn more on GottaQuirk or GetSmarter’s website.

Lastly, I am not writing this post because Quirk asked me to, they didn’t. I have been passionate about Digital Education for a long time, Quirk shares my passion and it is one of the reasons I chose to work here.

I mean, c’mon… what other agency do you know of that has written a 400 page textbook?

My drinking buddy Zahira (a.k.a @zk) is the Momma of this week’s victim. (I say drinking buddy cos she doesn’t drink, so she gives her free drinks at 27Dinner to me!). I haven’t met Kay “in real life” yet, but after reading about her, I sure want to.

So without further ado, I present you Kay – a Hatchling that’s out of this world!

Real name (or “Earth name” if you come from the planet Zigort):
erm… my passport says Khadija Patel but I think the goons manning the immigration desk up on the Earth-Moon border, meddled with that.

Where do you live? (Besides the 5th solar system, down the lane from the Xreton star):
Joburg/Jozi/Johannesburg, nestled behind electric fence, a boom gate and sluggish security guards, somewhere between the mine dumps (there was a time I thought they were mountains) and the FNB stadium.

Twitter URL:
http://twitter.com/kayenchante

Blog/website URL:
http://kayenchantey.blogspot.com

Tell us a bit about yourself. Include something that we dont know, like when did you land on earth or are you related to Kevin Bacon?
I speak copious amounts of Pig Latin and am quite fluent in Garbeledygoo. I offer lessons if anyone’s interested…. Oh and I intend earning my Nobel peace prize by giving sign writers the world over free lessons in the use of the apostrophe.

When & how did you get interested in the Social Media community in South Africa (Facebook doesnt count)?
I started blogging on a lonely December night a couple of years ago, quite convinced that if I set up a blog and wrote a few lines the internet Gods would send adulatory readers my way. Hélas, my faith in the net Gods waned and so too my blogging activity. Then a friend started blogging and wondered aloud why I didn’t start one as well, I explained my love’s labour’s lost affair with the deities of the web and decided I would contribute to her blog instead. And then quite miraculously within that hour I received an email from a Ugandan sub-editor saying he quite liked my blog and politely asked why I hadn’t continued blogging. It was sign from above enough.

That I’m a Twitter addict I blame @zk. I first met her at a blog meet and then at a talk shop held by some previously grand empire nation and well Twitter should have her on their payroll, she extols the virtues of social media so enthusiastically, it’s rather infectious after a couple of sessions. Although, she’s quite adamant I’m now worse of an addict than her, I’ll give her the credit for that dubious honour.

What do you do when you are not tweeting/blogging (or abducting earthlings to probe)?
I used to quite enjoy doing nothing but blog and pretend to do an MA in a thing called sociolinguistics (not social linguistics like the nosy bank manager’s got in my file) and proudly brandish the cause of the gainfully unemployed, but then this thing happened, I started meeting these fantastic people and somewhere in the periphery of the hive started selling my words, I still think it’s a kind of prostitution, but the words are easier now. Currently, I’ve got an entire magazine to fill with prostituted bits of language, so while the MA is still a work in progress, it’s on the backburner while I peddle the words on a street corner near you.

What is the one thing in your life you simply cannot live without?
I don’t think there’s any one thing I could point out, there’s so much that contributes to a complete life (even an alien one).

In 20 words or less, why should people follow you on Twitter/read your blog?
I am, because of everyone. And I live (and twitter) so that I can contribute, in turn, to everyone. (as per my spindoctor @mirfaan)

Well Kay, welcome to Earth. And thanks for making me paranoid about my incorrect use of the apostrophe.

P.S. If you have recently introduced anyone to the twitterverse or blogosphere and want them to be a Hatchling, email me.

The second hatchling, I cannot lay claim to. That honour belongs to Nic Malan. He managed the near impossible feat of turning his mom into a geek! I kid you not. I struggle to explain where the “start” menu in Windows is to my mom and he’s got his tweeting! Kudos to you dude… and she’s interesting too!

See for yourself…

The second Snowgoose Hatchling.

Real name (or “new” name if you are in the Witness Protection Programme):
Virginia Malan

Where do you live? (so we can tell the Mafia bosses who are looking for you where to find you):
Tongaat, north coast

Twitter URL:
http://twitter.com/geekmommie

Blog/website URL:
oops not that geekie yet   (Nic, get your mom a blog! )

Tell us a bit about yourself. Include something that we dont know, like are you The Stig or a secret ANC Youth League supporter?
I am an absolute housewife, I was retrenched about 6 years ago after about 20 years doing various jobs in retail. Then an rs (repetitive stress) neck injury slowed me down and I had to stay at home for a while- that’s when  I discovered I enjoy not working. I am happily married to Adrian, a pharmacist. We love holidays in the bush and he loves bird watching- I take magazines.

When & how did you get interested in the Social Media community in South Africa (Facebook doesnt count)?
I have been watching Nic’s blog (Nic Malan- son extraordinaire, geekissues.co.za) for about a year and learning how to follow links etc. Then I decided to try facebook but felt it was a little bit voyeurish, and I wasn’t to keen to share with everyone. Then when Nic came home for Xmas I got to learn about twitter and really enjoy it. I still feel I look far more than I write, and I think its because I have a very low key life, but that is who I am. I enjoy following social and political issues and funny stuff and general news.

What do you do when you are not tweeting/blogging (cos we are all so nosy and need to fulfill our voyeuristic needs)?
Meet girlfriends for coffee or lunch, Pilates- the best way to stay fit and mobile, play with my dogs and computer, a little bit of gardening. Watching sport, that’s what you get for bringing up 2 boys- TV on sports channels all the time.

What is the one thing in your life you simply cannot live without?
chocolate

In 20 words or less, why should people follow you on Twitter/read your blog?
Because I live an ordinary life and that’s ok- took a long time to accept it.

I hope you found value in learning more about the coolest geek-mom in SA. If you didn’t, well then “pfffffffft for you!”

P.S. If you have recently introduced anyone to the twitterverse or blogosphere and want them to be a Hatchling, email me.