Project Me

There are many reasons for social networking but one of my favourites is meeting people who inspire me to do more, try harder, dream bigger. It has become my joy to share those people with all of you and I have been waiting to introduce you to Fred.

Here’s his story and my answers to the 10 questions he asked me. I got to ask Fred my curious questions too … so check them out on his blog (after you’ve read my answers of course! )

It’s Q & A time:

1.  You are quite the blogger.  What is your advice for someone starting to write a blog for the first time and which blog sites should they use?

Write about what you want to say and not what you think people want to hear. There are more blogs than stars in the sky most probably and in order to be unique and stand out you have to separate yourself from the collective and shine through with the uniqueness of who you are.
I am the greatest fan of WordPress because it has so many brilliant features that help your blog become very socially versatile in the networking sphere. You don’t have to know much got go far with it! Join blogging communities … lots of them … and make friends because you never know who knows who out there

2.  Sea or Forest?  And Why?
The sea! I have a very special bond with sea even though I don’t live close to it. My novel (that I am in the final stages of editing) is based on a woman’s journey to self discovery when she moves to live by the after she falls ill! Ironically … I’m scared of the sea and like to splash in the baby pools that the gods have created for kids and scaredy-cats like me!

3.  If you could take one book with you to a deserted island which one would it be and why?
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It’s the most powerful book I have ever read and there are so many profound statements that I could read it forever and never get enough of the lessons and messages within this incredible story.

4.  Tell us about the latest film you just saw?
I watched Tangled last night. I’m still in awe at 3D and took my glasses home because I know that eventually we’ll own a pair. Maybe Dolce & Gabbana will bring out a range of them. It was a gorgeous movie, but then Disney always is.

5.  Why is twitter so amazing?
I have made some of my dearest friends through Twittering. Beyond the sphere of the power that it has a social networking tool, it turns the world into one big cocktail party and I could mingle all day. Well, it introduced you and I, didn’t it Fred?

6.   What is your advice to writers?
Just write! Don’t ever delete anything you have written and don’t underestimate the power of returning to a piece of writing at the perfect time in your life.

7.   Why is South Africa such a beautiful place to live in?
As much as I envy those who have white Christmas’s and get frustrated that American Country music is not beg enough here to ever feed my thirst for it, I love being South African beyond words. The vastness of cultures, most beautiful sunshine, rainbow nation and eternal hope of the people are the roots that ground me.

8.   What funny things have you have seen in your neighbourhood?
I live a few blocks from Wanderers cricket stadium so I have the time of my life after a cricket match. Drunk girls and boys staggering down the road, singing songs that make no sense and shouting for the winning team even if we got our ass whipped.

9.   What is this Project me all about?
It started as a daily blog that I needed to drive me to never give up on my dreams no matter how tough life got. However, project me has been a part of my life for years. It’s my commitment to myself to live each day with courage, consciousness and a sense of humour. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that the blog would grow to what it is today and that my life would change with each passing entry. We all have a ‘project me’ and I have now expanded my blog to include a section called ‘Your Project Me Story; where others share their stories too because you never know who needs to hear exactly what you have to say. We are all that powerful.

10.  Give us 10 websites you like and why do you like them?
1. Obviously I’m on Twitter all day and use it as my tool to grow my following as well as interact with some of the most inspirational people in the world.
2. Facebook is my place to escape form it all and enjoy my time with my friends and followers. I can honestly say that it sits open at the bottom of my screen the entire day.
3. I’m a social networking tart and check my stats like crazy. I challenge myself to do better and so I am always on My Scoop which is a social networking aggregator. I can check my rankings on so many different platforms and it inspires me.
4. I use a lot of images for my blog and I’m always on Stock.xchng.
5. I follow a lot of bloggers but have some of my faves and the one dearest to my heart is my friend Nikki who has a blog called Lunatic Cafe. We met on a blog networking site and are the perfect example of the gifts of blogging.
6. My business partner, Greg Arthur, is an incredible writer and through is blog ‘Oh God Knows’ I get my inspiration to be that individual.
7. If you’re waiting for a news, sports or weather site, you won’t find it. I listen to the news once a day and then I got to my other fave places like Wisdom Quotes. I also like to drop a few of those into Twitter every so often!
8. She’s the geek is a blog that inspires women through technology. It is a South African award winning blog that motivates me daily.
9. Website marketing is as vital as it sounds. It is a blog that keeps up to date on all the tools and information about marketing on the web. With a blog, trust me I need it.
10. Youtube … I get my fix of Country Music there and have to admit that I listen to a few to many songs a day, but maybe that’s where all the inspiration comes from

PS … Fred, you’re up there with my faves but me thinks the peeps are going think I just said it as a schmoozling marketing ploy