Bored? Uninspired? Going out and looking for interesting news stories is SO last year.
Just think how much time you’ll save, how much noise you will filter out, and how up-to-date you will be if you let the news come to you, as it happens. Add to this, up-to-the-minute insight and insider knowledge, and you’re guaranteed to always have something interesting to talk about. Awkward silences will be a thing of the past. Dinner party conversations will flourish. You will become even more intelligent. You will be more popular. It can be all yours for free!
We have put together a list of some of the most useful (and interesting) Mail & Guardian-related Twitter accounts. Follow these, and you’ll never miss out. Money back guaranteed. No, really.
@mailandguardian
This is the account we use to let you know when we put up new content, and to tell you if there’s a feature piece worth looking at. If it’s interesting and new, this is where you will find it. Forget automated news site feeds, @mailandguardian is all personal.
It’s where we tweet our most interesting headlines. It’s also the account we use when we are tweeting live from an interesting event. If a reporter is using his or her own Twitter account to tweet from a trial or conference, we will let you know who to follow.
@NicDawes
Our glorious leader. Following him is a great way to get the inside track on what’s happening in the newsroom. He’s been known to tweet in depth about the paper’s legal battles, when someone tries to prevent a story from making it to print (not uncommon around these parts). He often offers insight on the latest news, and sometimes gives a sneak peek of what to expect in the paper each week. And he tweets about food and wine too, when he gets a chance. He IS from Cape Town, after all.
@ChrisRoperZA
The editor of the M&G Online doesn’t only tweet about the news, and that’s a good thing. He also tweets about music, art, the media world and why online is better than an Apple product that slices bread, as well as the day-to-day trivialities of a jobbing online editor. And it’s often very funny. The M&G stories he recommends are definitely the ones to look at first. It’s also a good place to let him know what you think of the site. He always responds. He’s very chatty. Maybe a little too chatty.
@MandyRossouw
As a print journalist who has really embraced the power of online media, reporter and deputy political editor Mandy Rossouw is a great person to follow. In an interview with the Media magazine on the topic recently she said, ”My first day as part of the Twitterati was nerve-wracking.”
Having quickly overcome those nerves, she can now often be found tweeting from conferences and similar events, and gives a great mix of moment-by-moment events coverage and insight. She promises, ”little incidents that will never be the front page of a newspaper. But gives those outside the conference an insiders’ view of what happens there”. And she can also tell you the best place to get a coffee near Luthuli House.
@TrevorNcube
The M&G owner and media mogul has a great deal to say about the world of publishing in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Africa in general. He offers an insight into the difficulties and pressures facing the free press. He also offers running golf commentary, as a bonus.
But wait! There’s more.
@MGThoughtleader
Following this account is the best way to receive notifications on the latest blog posts on Thought Leader, the M&G’s blogging platform.
It soon becomes pretty clear which topics are being debated and discussed by online opinionistas, so it’s a useful way to gauge what issues matter most to South Africans. It’s a mix of humour and serious insight plus a vibrant community where you can sharpen your debating skills without fear of internet comment trolls, thanks to our fearsome moderating skills on this platform.
So there you have it, folks. Follow one M&G twitter account and get a bunch more free. Because we’re generous like that.
