MIKESTOPFORTH

In a recent Direct Message exchange with Casey Monteiro (@Casey_ek_se) on Twitter, he referred to the social media presence of a prominent brand as “lipstick on a pig”. The brand he was referring to was FNB – the bank I’ve just switched my main account to based almost entirely on the advocacy of my peers [...]

It’s a gloomy Monday following the loss of the Springboks to the Wobblies in their 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter-final. As is typical of Springbok ‘fans’, abuse is being hurled at the coach, senior players and of course the ref as we attempt to assuage our grief. I won’t speak much about the game. We [...]

[Disclaimer: Turner Broadcasting and TCM are Cerebra clients] I love film. I actually studied film for a year or so before, ahem, dropping out, but my passion for the medium remains. My favourite past time, when I have the time, is to pop past the Absolutely Fabulous DVD Nouveau store down the road and pick [...]

Soon, Nelson Mandela will die. As I write this post traditional and social media channels are rife with rumours of his ill health and deteriorating state. This day was always going to come. When he dies messages of condolence and sympathy will flood in. Wreaths will be laid, memorial services will be held and millions, [...]

Twitter is abuzz today with retweets and jokes in response to the press release published on the ANC Youth League’s website by spokesperson Floyd Shivambu titled “Youth League concerned by creation of fake Twitter accounts in the name of Youth League President Julius Malema”. Smacking of the Metro Police department’s slamming of the now infamous [...]

I’m speaking at the Strategic Media, Branding and Public Relations seminar hosted by ASM Communications and Training Solutions, alongside an impressive array of guests including IBM’s Nicholas Maweni, Nokia’s Tania Steenkamp, Fearless Executive MD Terry Behan, television presenter Freek Robinson, broadcaster Adrian Steed, journalist Louise Marsland, entrepreneur Greg Mason and more this coming Wednesday. The [...]

When is it ok to turn a customer – a customer willing to spend significant amounts of money that is – away? A bigger question; when is it RIGHT to turn a willing customer away? I am a golfer. Well, not really. I am a guy who owns golf clubs, who tries relentlessly to play [...]

I’ll be updating live from the CSA Awards in Sandton. Just arrived and the venue looks great, I’m seated with Vincent Hofmann, Shaun Custers and no doubt one or two other cricket geeks. Ok so my hopes of being able to live blog the event were dashed by a lack of space on the table. [...]

One of the more interesting people (and public speakers) I met at SXSW earlier this year was a chap by the name of Lane Becker (website and Twitter). Lane is one of the co-founders of Get Satisfaction – there’s plenty cool info on what Get Satisfaction does here. His presentation included a reference to a [...]

The Mother City’s very rad blogging community has rallied around the Cape Town City Ballet in it’s moment of dire need. Sue Rutherford and friends have put together a website and campaign to encourage people like you and I to give a little bit towards saving the arts in Cape Town. We are appealing to [...]

Yes, you heard me right.  I am a racist.  And I venture to suggest that you might be too, if you’re honest with yourself about it. Recent events in South Africa have, to borrow Jenny Crwys-Williams of Talk Radio 702′s phrase, “lanced a boil” filled with putrid racist muck, and the contents are spilling out [...]

I wonder if this is a South African thing, or just a South African boomer thing that is rubbing off on younger generations, but I just DON’T get why we all think we have to rush to the garage to fill up with fuel at the first sign of a petrol price increase. I mean, [...]

Not only has Dion Chang forged an enviable reputation as one of South Africa’s leading fashion authorities but since breaking away from that industry and into trend forecasting and commentary a few years back, he and the brilliant team at Flux have set the benchmark in strategic thinking for the future of and in South [...]

Earlier this year I wrote about how impressed I was with the RAMP foundation and their efforts regarding the 2009 Net Prophet conference. Considering that, and how blown away I was with the second annual Bookmark Awards evening held last night at Movida in Jozi, it’s clear that digital in South Africa is definitely growing [...]

Last night marked the 44th iteration of the 27dinner social networking movement, held at FTV in Village Walk. With the dinners reaching unparalleled popularity (numbers peaking at 170+ on the attendance list at 27dinner.com), it is becoming increasingly challenging to organise and execute an event that now has some pretty high expectations around it in [...]

Matthew Dawes is organising Mobile Web Africa 2009 on the 13 and 14 October at the Michelangelo, and has kindly offered a range of freebies and discounts for me to promote to you, the cream of South Africa’s technology crop! I will certainly be making an effort to attend – the speaker line-up and agenda [...]

Yep, I know – plenty of noise and hype and buzz around District 9 already. I’m not hopping on the bandwagon though – I am genuinely excited about what this movie means for Johannesburg, South Africa and South African cinema (which I’m sure you’ll agree could use a kick up the butt). My 9 reasons [...]

I’ve been offered 10 tickets to the Comedy Heavies gig happening at Carnival City next weekend and am giving them away to 4 lucky people (yes, I’m keeping 2 for me monkeys) who post the best jokes in the comments section of this post by 8PM Sunday 28 June. MY decision is final… here’s the [...]

This afternoon, away with a few friends ‘freebording‘ just outside Krugersdorp, I witnessed one of the most bizarre, frightening, freakish things no doubt I’ll ever see in my entire life. I watched a single prop (updated: Piper Cherokee) plane crash head-on into a bakkie (or pick-up for US readers). I watched it happen from about [...]