I got the domain name, I might as well have a website.
Here’s the stuff I’m loving this month!
This gif:
…what?
This gif:
Speaking of Kevin Spacey in House of Cards… House Of Cards.
If you haven’t seen this yet, what the frick and frack? The whole first season is available, legit, on the TV3 website for the next couple of weeks. Yes, my friends run that site, but it doesn’t change the fact that this show is the business.
Broods – Bridges
THIS AD!
Now give the website a go! http://www.singitkitty.co.uk/
Compiled by Troy Rawhiti-Forbes
Hello, New Zealand! Can you believe it’s March already? I can’t, and that’s entirely February’s fault. Shame on you, Febbers, for being so short. Not only did March catch me unaware, but if you’d hath’d 31 days like some of the other months, then I could have just filled this wrapup with Oscar tweets.
I jest. February is the official month of Twitter, according to a royal proclamation that I just made up. It’s the shortest month, but the perfect length for the Twitter wit. Let’s get into it!
The fuzzies are warm
Becs: Did I tell you I had a fan girl moment the other night when Margaret Atwood replied to one of my tweets? *swoon*
beekaynz: I just slipped on wet grass in my jandals to get a photo to make @TroyRF smile so let’s agree Twitter isn’t just for bullies.
mikekilpatrick: I’m happy to say I don’t know the Twitter that’s been written about over the last week. But then I don’t follow assholes, so that helps.
Gut feelings
rmi: Ate my own bodyweight in pie. It’s fair to say, I have regrets.
kittengloves: “You’re too big, lose weight, lose weight, lose weight, lose weight. Wait. Stop, stop, stop! That’s too much! You’re crazy!” -Mass media.
petrajane: You’re right, stranger, i probably shouldn’t be eating this empty-calorie-laden iceblock. But the dairy doesnât sell G&Ts, so here we are.
Kiwi_Chatter: I may have to start a lobby group called C.A.S.T. Cyclists Against Sugar Tax. #sugartax
Laura_Craig: Wow KFC Panmure has the best customer service! Highlight of my hangover @kfcnz
Roses are red, violets are… dead
PaulTheAmos: Today is the only day you can say “Valentines dinner with my girl tonight” and not sound like a cheap ass.
takapunani: Any of you bitches twitpic your bouquets of flowers on #ValentinesDay and I will seriously cut you #stabbyneshy
Spazophie: Roses are drunk, Violets are drunk, Can we get drunk please, I’m very alone
BridgetRailton: Flatmate has 3rd girl in 3 days over. They’re giggling and stuff on the couch. Tempted to ask her if she was the 1 from sat or sun #bitter
KimberleyMat: Husband had good poisoning, therefore Valentine’s Day consists of watching the @BLACKCAPS while @stevendillon & @JoseCoaching talk football
KimberleyMat: #rpt that’s FOOD poisoning, not good poisoning. Nothing good about it
At one with our machines
VickyRF: âYour sister said she used the apps. How do you get an apps?â #MomTweet
toryhipster: Giving up marine science to write a dissertation on Flappy Bird as an allegory for the female orgasm #APlus
liamdann: Will Whatsapp still be cool with the kids tomorrow after it’s downloaded by the old people (like me) who’d never heard of it until today?
brendongreen: Point and Click works for both cameras AND cool guy hellos.
AnnaGConnell: Already hate Siri. I asked her to play Beyoncé. She did. But there was no high five or validation of my excellent choices. Useless.
farmgeek: That thing where you are clearing space on your phone and it defaults to ticking every app for deletion? Shit.
That’s entertainment!
jamaine_ross: Thank God Odd Future isn’t coming anymore. I hate all the things that they do, that all other rappers do too
antsgardiner: I’d like to see a reality show for reality show hosts. It would basically be an 8 episode long dramatic pause.
MisterKrister: In the pair’s luge, who drives? The big spoon? #Sochi2014
Naly_D: Between the Nines and Eminem could Auckland break the world record for bourbon and coke consumption this weekend?
richirvine: Hope everyoneâs been working on their âI donât understand the Super Bowlâ jokes. Youâve had 12 months, todayâs the day people!
Top Town
honorarykiwi: You know you live in Wellington when you judge how nice a day it was by how often you had to fight the wind for control of your skirt.
CateOwen: For a laugh I looked at properties for sale in Auckland in my price range. You know what came up? Carparks.
UrzilaCarlson: You can’t beat Wellington on a good day that’s for sure! But today anyone can beat it, a wet fart in your good white pants could beat it
PirateBurns: Never mind Auckland’s instructure today, Napier’s crumbling under the crippling weight of Billy Ocean, Ronan Keating, Sporty Spice & a Corr.
Special hugs
manikpixi: Just told Miss 18 and her bf I’m proud of them for saving water by showering together. Glad to see my eco teachings have sunk in.
Xenojay: People must hate themselves after they ask me what one of my favourite songs is, and I respond with “I Just Had Sex”
annebilek: Ever since the roosters departed, Iâve seen a lot of hen-on-hen stuff going down.
jamescardno: Spare particular thought for hotel cleaning staff tomorrow, the day after Valentine’s night.
Take me! Take me now! (Don’t be gross. These are transport tweets.)
NickGibb3: Well Professor X, my mutant ability is that I am coolly unaffected by inertia on a bus or train that is stopping. Where are my tights?
2TAPU: Guy on Train turned on his Laptop, should have kept Mute on as everyone got to hear what heâd last been watching. Awkward Train Silence.
Our nation’s watercooler
S_a_m_W_a_r_d: Got called a “C**t” multiple times this week – a great success in my line of work.
MaryFrances110: Workmates arrive. 30 second courtesy waiting period. Then, “WHO WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT MY MEERKAT ENCOUNTER???” Correct answer: everyone.
HayleyHeartbrk: “You know what, maybe I should take a decent profile shot of a newfoundland puppy” – said no stock photographer ever #illustratorproblems
Aylon133: Just had a customer yell at me for over a minute, without pause, & never actually told me what we did wrong. I still don’t know why he’s mad
Thanks to our friends at Z Energy, we have $40 worth of vouchers for petrol/coffee/slushies/pies/adult magazines. This month’s winner is @KimberleyMat! Please email your mailing address to [email protected] and she’ll get the good medicine out to you ASAP. No poison here!
[Thanks Troy! There’s some Z Energy vouchers in this for you, too! – Cate]
Welcome to 2014: A year that has already bought us the joys of #NZFacts, Lorde’s global domination, and some random dude getting his willy electrocuted. More on that later.
And so a New Year begins, and like all New Shiny Things, we tweeted about it.
VaughnDavis: “Hey bro how was last night?” “Yep, we revelled.” “You what?” “Revelled. You know, me and some of other revellers. Did some revelling.”
We also revelled in Lordeâs Grammy wins.
Hilary_Barry: I think I just got over the America’s Cup. #Lorde
RohanAdarkar: Well getting married at the Grammys is probably better than a drive thru
And in Twitterâs superiority:
_surlymermaid: Everyone on Facebook is all commenting about the Grammys HELLO WE COVERED ALL THIS ONÂ TWITTER 7 HOURS AGO AND IN A MUCH WITTIER FASHION
dawgbelly: Sometimes you see things on twitter you never expected to see ever, like a dog mowing the lawns or a man with two dicks for example.
We made observations about the other media
DavidSlack: Worst thing about this restaurant so far: waiter has come over 5 times and said “nzherald wants to use this as your current location ok?”
Lillith_Grace: If I wanted talkback radio, I’d listen to talkback radio
ghettoanger: SPOILER ALERT: Everyone dies and therefore Shortland Street is finished forever. Watch something else instead.
richirvine: Any MasterChef contestants wanting a harsh lesson in the importance of just getting things on the plate can come and cook my kidsâ tea.
Two hashtags rocked the nation: #BuzzFeedNZ and #NZFacts
peopleofnz: Due to heavy govt. regulation, NZ news media can only report on a global story if it contains some kind of NZ connection. #NZFacts
peopleofnz: In the wild, kiwis hunt larger prey by climbing up onto high rocks, and then leaping off and spearing victims with long beaks. #NZFacts
peopleofnz: The Pavlova is NZ’s national dessert, made famous in experiments where the Pavlova Response caused people to reflexively eat cake. #NZFacts
peopleofnz: Giant wetas are also easily trained as guide-bugs for the blind, their large size & friendliness making them excellent companions. #NZFacts
peopleofnz: The All Blacks are NZ’s single biggest revenue stream, with Richie McCaw sippy cups contributing 23% of the country’s GDP. #NZFacts
vinlew: You’ll Never Guess How Long These Guys Spent In A Leaky Boat #BuzzfeedNZ
vinlew:Â 5 Times You Shouldn’t Take Your Scooter To The Dairy #BuzzfeedNZ
TroyRF: 12 possible names for the dog from Footrot Flats known as “Dog” #BuzzfeedNZ
nl2nz:Â These Driving Dogs Make You Want Own A Driving Dog #BuzzfeedNZ
irfrazer: You’ll never believe how many of these single policy parties got into a successful coalition after an election #BuzzfeedNZ
We also observed other things about kiwi life
kittengloves: Went to pull a car’s windscreen wipers out to let them know their parking is appalling. But somebody had put a note there already. #Auckland
lmfbs: That one was an #EQNZ not wind. I could tell because the wrong window rattled.
Better living, everyone
syxseed: Always begin a 40min walk with a full bladder. Nothing is smarter than this.
_surlymermaid: i just want to eat all the things. but only very specific things. very specific things that are not in the house.
josiecampbell: Think Iâve turned into Alf Stewart. Just poked my head out the door at neighbour hammering & said âItâs a bit late at night for that, mate.”
emjaybeeeeee: Just sat next to a car with topless Warrior’s players dancing. FRIDAY ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED.
VickyRF: I dropped my phone while Instagram was open and the dog stood on it and somehow liked a photo of someone I don’t follow. Now I’m a stalker.
And finally, a special keep it classy, New Zealand
gurrlwithacurl: Guy at work electrocuted self while removing clothes from washing machine. He was naked & first body part to touch machine was penis.
Thanks to our friends at Z Energy, we have $40 worth of vouchers for petrol (and coffee, and pies, and slushies, and everything else they sell!) for the best Kiwi tweeter. This month how could we not award it to Megapope for his service to @PeopleOfNZ and #NZFacts? Mr Pope, email your mailing address to [email protected] and I’ll get them out to you ASAP.
@BeeKayNZ there’s also $40 of vouchers for you, too! Thank you for curating January for us.
Here’s some things I’m loving this month!
Maincare Moisturising Nail Polish Remover Pads
I wrote about nail polish last month, and this month I’m writing about getting it off. I found these Manicare Moisturising Nail Polish Remover Pads in a pharmacy and I am sold for life!
They’re perfect for travel, and the coconut smell is a huge win over the traditional pink acetone.
While a little more expensive than the more traditional methods, at $4.99 for 32, they’re well worth the investment for the convenience. One wipe will do both feet or both hands in a couple of minutes. No more spilling acetone all over the furniture, these things are my new best friend.
This Kanye gif
Rose & Thorne lingerie
Here’s to good-fitting, well-priced, NZ designed bras and knickers!
With a wide range of sizes (10A – 20G), cute designs and free delivery in NZ, I’ve been enjoying R&T a lot since I discovered them a few months ago. The company is 100% employee-owned, they create new designs around customer feedback, and they’re doing nice things on social media, too.
Nice Cream
Nice Cream is pricey, but as far as dairy-free* icecream goes: It is the business. Like Rose & Thorne, Nice Cream’s producer Tommy & James is a Kiwi company. Vanilla Bean is my favourite – there’s just the right balance between the coconut cream base and the vanilla. Mango is also a goer.
*and soy free. And gluten free. And vegan.
Deleting Candy Crush
I recently deleted Candy Crush and that was an awesome decision.
Willy Moon: Here’s Willy Moon
I heard Willy play live during X Factor NZ and really liked him, but never bothered to listen to his album. Big mistake. You’ve probably heard his track Yeah Yeah, but the whole album is full of 1950s infused rock pop running samples that sound vaguely hip hop. I swear half of them sound like Kanye had a baby with James Dean. Or, what I think that would sound like.
Here’s an example – Railway Track samples The ARC Choir’s Walk With Me, which Kanye used on Jesus Walks.
Here’s the ARC Choir
And classic Kanye
I know I’m really late to this party, but Kiwi kid dun good things.
A few Twitter accounts have started to get some special features, which others are missing. It looks like Twitter are rolling out partial web updates to various users as a trial.
Here’s an example of the new layout for the web homepage:
It’s running a white menubar on top, whereas the previous one was black. The bio, header, and username now display in a box on the top right, and the tweet button is more prominent. Â The icons on the right have been updated, too. Overall it’s a cleaner interface, and very nice to use.
Meanwhile, I’ve started getting popups in the bottom right corner for everything appearing in the Connect tab.
It gets a little annoying. Good notification system, but you need to be able to control what’s popping up – when you get it for every single RT and favourite, it’s a bit overwhelming. Customisation please, Twitter!
DMs also show via the popup and you can reply straight from that screen – good stuff!
The changes seem to be user focused, attempting to make Twitter web a cleaner interface, and bringing in some of the real-time functionality we see in clients such as Tweetdeck. They just need to get the balance right, which I’m sure will come from beta testing and user feedback.
Have you seen any changes to Twitter web lately?
Check out New Zealand’s most googled topics last year!
Top topics
Most searched TV shows
Trending New Zealanders
Most searched news items
Most searched digital lingo
What is…
Commscore have released this tidy graphic around who is using which social media platforms in New Zealand.
ComScore say 1.9 million people in NZ accessed Facebook that month, whereas Facebook says they have almost 2.5 million active NZ accounts (active meaning participated on the platform in the previous 30 days). Why the discrepancy?
It’s also interesting to see the age splits between platforms – this seems to confirm that teenagers are using Tumblr in greater numbers, and that Twitter seems to be more popular at either end of the age spectrum.
I find the number of people using Blogger surprising. It’d be great to see this study extended to WordPress, and see the split between desktop and mobile, too.
Anyway, hope you find this interesting!
As part of my day job, I advise high-profile people about their online presences. Their positions mean they come with greater risk, but the same principles apply to you or I.
Decide what lives online – and what doesn’t.
The first thing I usually get clients to do is think about where their boundaries are. Some people are comfortable talking about their children, some are not. Some are happy to talk about where they are holidaying, others refrain from the details. If you’ve got no clear boundaries, then you won’t know when you’ve crossed them.
Location, location, location
With a lot of social media taking place on our phones, location data is usually overlooked. Sure, we do things like not check in to a place until we’re leaving it, but have you thought about the metadata attached to your photos? Confused? When GPS is enabled on your phone or camera, often the location of the photograph is right there in the data attached to an image (along with things like capture method, time and more. Google Exif tags if you’re interested). Disabling unnecessary location services can save you a lot of heartache.
Regularly check your accounts!
Social networks have a funny way of changing your privacy settings on you. Check your Facebook ones, your Facebook apps, your Twitter apps, LinkedIn settings, and any other accounts you have. Set a reminder to do it every few months.
Different platforms for different purposes
Twitter is, by its design, a public forum, so unless you’re sitting on a locked account and only add people you know, you’re going to be interacting with strangers. Facebook, on the other hand, is mostly used for existing relationships, so it can be fine to be a lot more personal there, and keep it to friends only. LinkedIn is for business, so it’s not appropriate to post about your heartbreak or dog. Sort out the platforms and their purposes before you start adding everyone.
Different passwords, security checks
Facebook allows you to register specific computers or phones, and remotely log out sessions that seem suspicious. Google use a two-step verification system via a text to your phone. Twitter allows you to block browsers via it’s official mobile apps. Don’t use one password for everything, tempting as it is. Once a person gets access to one account, it’s on like Donkey Kong.
Even by doing these things, there’s no guarantee you won’t say something silly and get screenshot, or get hacked by some jerk, but if you’re aware of what’s going on, you can better arm yourself.
The medium of TV is changing really quickly. Social TV, user generated content, citizen journalism, YouTube, and many other evolutionary things are bringing about significant change.
The next step on from standard social TV and user gen is, in my humble opinion, user remixes and actual show content creation.
But what if we were to leapfrog that, and go straight into a collaborative TV show?
That’s exactly what actor and producer Joseph Gordon-Levitt has done. Starting collaborative production house HitRECord in 2005, a website was created that was part social-network, part peer review, part remix/creative DJ outlet for writers, musicians, filmmakers and other creatives.
“Having someone take creative liberty with what I’ve done, it’s just fascinating. It’s like, ‘Wow they really got it.’ Or they didn’t get it. You can really tell, based on the art that they make.”
They went on to create a “professional production methodology”, which allowed contributing artists to be paid for their work, and some of that work to be shown at festivals such as Sundance.
Now the HitRECord team have moved the website into a skit-like TV show – and it’s magical.
One member will supply the story; another the voiceover; others will act; others will design. It’s crowdsourcing at it’s finest.
And in the spirit of openness and internetness, the first episode has been made available online. So watch it; and know that this is the start of something amazing.
It feels like I discover useful and fun stuff all the time, so I’ve started a new feature – the stuff I’m digging each month. It could be movies or books; music or a new gadget; an app or some miracle make up. So here’s the inaugural edition!
Wet Wipes
An oldie but a goodie. You don’t need to shell out $10 for 30 make up remover wipes: Baby wipes are about 80 for $3. I keep a couple packets around the house, one in the car, and a small packet in my handbag. They demolish spills, cool you down, clean your hands in a pinch, and get rid of stray makeup.
This gif
USB plug for your car
I picked one up for $8.99 at a service station and I haven’t looked back. Now I can charge my phone/kindle/friends phone on the go. It just fits in to your lighter/electrical point, and charges pretty quickly. If you see one of these for sale somewhere, grab it! In the same vein, if you have a chance to buy a solar powered USB charger, don’t even think twice, just buy that thing. My friend’s one saved me this summer.
L.A. Colors FlashPop
How can something that is $3 from The Warehouse be any good? Well, I don’t know how, but this nail polish is a bit of fun and actually decent.
This double-ended… thing… has the base colour at one end and a sparkly overlay on the other. Unless you’re like me – I painted four nails on each hand the base and used the sparkles for just one finger.
For a proper review – and where I ripped this images from, check out Breezy’s blog.
Linden Leaves Lip Balm
This balm has organic white tea, almond oil and manuka honey. It’s super-moisturising without being sticky, and isn’t tinted or shiny. Aaaand it is NZ made! Love love love! I won this from a raffle at the RSA at Christmastime (thanks, nana!) and I know it’s going to become a staple.
Beyonce – XO
The song of the summer, I reckon.
Great Barrier Island.
Read my post on the awesome Great Barrier.
If you’ve got any suggestions for things I should try, leave me a comment!