Rafiq Phillips

Izimvo has the pleasure of introducing SEO specialist and popular blogger, Rafiq Phillips.

Rafiq, winner of the 2007 Top ICT Youth Innovator in Africa, works as an SEO specialist for Naspers as well as running iDrive.co.za and popular South African blog, Web AddiCTs.

Rafiq was featured on MNet’s Carte Blanche on the topic of Social Networking and Communication. Link to the video.

Website: http://www.idrive.co.za
Blog: http://www.webaddict.co.za
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rafiqphillips
Twitter: http://twitter.com/rafiq
Location: Cape Town

Rafiq was kind enough to answer the following questions for us:

Personal

Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event?  i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.

A: Rafiq Phillips, 26, work as an SEO specialist at Naspers’ www.mihswat.com consulting to some of the largest Internet companies throughout the developing wwworld during the day while at night my project www.idrive.co.za which connects learner drivers with the best driving schools in South Africa. I’ve been blogging since 1999- coding HTML in notepad.

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I do not eat butter or margarine, ever. Never have, never will.

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: I really enjoy fishing in the mountains just outside Cape Town. Do not get there nearly enough.

Blogging in South Africa

Q: Which local blogs do you read on a daily basis?

A: I usually catch up with blogs on my mobile phone using Google Reader mobile before I go to bed. There are too many to mention. Best see my Google Reader Shared items on my profile http://www.google.com/profiles/rafiq.phillips

Q: What advice would you give to South African bloggers wanting to turn their passion into a career?

A: Don’t give up your day job. It takes a lot of patience and consistency. I’ve heard many people talk about starting their blogs for many months even years and have not gotten as far as writing their firsts posts. Jut do it!

Q: There is a fine line between promotion and spam, how did you promote your blog in the early days?

A: I didn’t :) I used www.webaddict.co.za as a testing bed for seo and blogged about technology that I was passionate about or found interesting. There was a very small tech blogging community back in 2005/2006 and we just happened to stumble upon each others blogs while Googling.

Q: As a local technology enthusiast, which South African technologies have you the most excited?

A: There is not one specific technology that really excites me. Rather the way in which technology is used to solve South African problems. A few examples would be Reconstructed Living Labs http://www.rlabs.org/ who are using a host of technologies to battle drug abuse, gangsterism and raise HIV/Aids awareness.

Q: What are your thoughts on the Silicon Cape Initiative?

A: Any initiative that focuses attention on the local tech scene is a good one.

Q: Can you tell us about some of your most popular posts on Web AddiCT?

A: You are able to view the popular posts from any page on Web AddiCT(s); A post becomes popular once it receives continuous media attention or becomes mainstream. I didn’t really answer that did I?

Life in South Africa

Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?

A: I do not believe there is a person in any country that has not been affected by crime. You should always take precaution no matter where you are. A little common sense should keep you safe.

Q: Have you ever considered emigration? If yes, where do you think you would emigrate to?

A: NO.

Q: If you were given the opportunity to sit down with the president, what advice would you offer him?

A: Don’t preach what you practice.

Q: To which three attractions would you first take an international visitor?

A: Table mountain, Cape Point via Boulders beach and the Waterfront.

Life in Cape Town

Q: Favorite restaurant for a romantic dinner?

A: Tought one, there aren’t many Halaal restaurants in Cape Town that can be considered romantic.

Q: Who makes the best coffee in Cape Town?

A: Our coffee machine at the MIH SWAT office by far.

Q: Which of the various malls in or around Cape Town would you recommend for Christmas shopping?

A: The Internet. I don’t do Christmas shopping and am not a big fan of malls.

General

Q: If you could pick anyone as your mentor, who would it be and why?

A: MXit CEO, Herman Heunis. I Admire the way he runs his business.

Q: Favorite South African sporting moment of the last 10 years?

A: 1995 Rugby Word Cup final.

Q: One book that you would make required reading for all matric pupils?

A: Robert Kiyosaki’s Cashflow Quadrant. You’d have to read Rich Dad, Poor Dad too

Q: Where would you like to wake up tomorrow?

A: Where I’ll be waking up on the 21st of December: next to my wife :)

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo?

A: Gavin Marshall

A massive thank you to Rafiq for taking the time to answer our questions. We wish him every success for the future.

Reminder!
Don’t forget to enter our competition as announced on yesterday’s interview with Springleap.com co-founder, Eran Eyal. To enter, simply become a fan of the Izimvo and Springleap Facebook pages. Winners will be announced tomorrow morning at 9am. Good Luck!

Christopher Mills

Izimvo has the honour of introducing Christopher Mills, the man behind one of South Africa’s most popular websites, iMod.co.za.

Christopher Mills is an Operations Manager and SEO guru with an impressive track record in blogging, web design, development, web optimization, hardware, operating systems, programming and networking.

Christopher’s website, iMod.co.za, is an internationally recognised South African Blog with a strong focus on Technology, Industry News and all forms of Marketing. In just two years, iMod.co.za has emerged into the top 200 websites in South Africa and, in doing so, established a large following of men and women between the ages of 18 and 33. People visit iMod.co.za from all over the world, but predominantly South Africa, USA, UK and Australia.

Blog: http://www.imod.co.za
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/christopherm
Location Cape Town

Christopher was kind enough to answer the following questions for us:

Personal

Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event?  i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.

A: Christopher Mills or iMod, 27, best known for his blog, search engine optimization and inability to chill the hell out! Works for The Forge Web Creations and loves his job too much to have patience for recruitment agencies.

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I can’t live without my GHD ;)

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: Anything that involves being away from technology and preferably involves fishing.

Blogging in South Africa

Q: What was the impetus for starting iMod, your blog about life in Cape Town and what have been some of it’s highlights?

A: Honestly, it was to be a playground to explore my fascination with programming and attracting audiences on the Internet. Highlights, wow, there are just so many. I guess winning the blog awards for best technology blog 2 years running, being featured in The Big Issue and receiving my first 5 digit cheque.

Q: What advice would you give young bloggers wanting to standout from the crowd and make a name for themselves?

A: Pick your passion, get started and don’t give up. If your motivation is money or traffic, chances are you’ll not make it – I have seen this happen time and time again. I’m inclined to say, “THIS TAKES TIME!”

Q: Are you finding that local companies are using bloggers more and more to market their products and services.

A: There has been an incredible increase in companies engaging with bloggers over the past 18 months.

Q: What, in your opinion, makes a great blog post?

A: Something that offers value to the reader.

Q: Which techniques have you adopted for growing your readership?

A: Difficult question, but two factors which stand out most are search engine optimization and psychology. Believe it or not, I’ve spent a huge amount of time understanding my readers – On more than one occasion I’ve printed out a list of the readers who comment the most on my blog and spend hours finding out who these people are and what they do.

Q: Which South African blog do you read on a daily basis?

A: www.phuthu.co.za

Life in South Africa

Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?

A: I think everyone has been affected by crime, but fortunately nothing overly serious has been experienced by immediate family and I pray daily that it will stay this way.

Q: Have you ever considered emigration? If yes, where do you think you would emigrate to?

A: I’m a very loyal Capetonian, but I would be lying if I said I haven’t wondered about grabbing my British passport and heading over to the UK.

Q: To which three attractions would you first take an international visitor?

A: Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch and The Waterfront

Q: Where are you planning to go for your next holiday?

A: Zanzibar or a safari in Africa.

Life in Cape Town

Q: What do you think is Cape Town’s number one tourist attraction?

A: Table Mountain

Q: What is your favorite coffee shop in or around Cape Town for a quick business meeting?

A: Mugged on Roeland Street

Q: Where in Cape Town would you recommend for a romantic night out on the town?

A: Champagne at Planet Bar for starters, dinner and jazz at The Green Dolphin, finishing off with a drink/cocktail at 221.

General

Q: What are you going to buy yourself as a 40th birthday present?

A: Goodness me! Hopefully a holiday house or a yacht :)

Q: If you were able to pick anyone as your mentor, who would it be and why?

A: Interesting question, just last night I was chatting to a friend about this very topic and was saying that I’ve actually never had a mentor and wished that I did. I’ve learnt a great deal from my parents and close friends, and at the moment, my boss, Sue Rutherford is someone who I honestly feel inspired by (and no, I’m not looking for a raise, haha). One other person who has taught me a lot is Michael Rauch from Everything Web.

Q: One book that you would make required reading for all matric pupils?

A: I’m not a big reader, but Rich Dad Poor Dad is a good one.

Q: As a web developer, which current technology trends have you most excited?

A: I’ve been feeling an urge to watch the mobile space, and as much as I hate mobile phones, I think it is something to be excited about.

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo?

A: Michael Rauch.

We like to thank Christopher for taking the time to answer our questions. The manner in which he has grown iMod.co.za to one of South Africa’s most popular websites is a true inspiration.