[Behind the Selfie] with... Liron Segev

Segev in his happy place, completely submerged in techie things. Well, almost...

1. Where do you live, work and play?

Segev: I'm physically based in JHB but I work online and from various coffee shops, and I play on the Vaal river.

2. What's your claim to fame?

Segev: Predicting the mobile evolution back in 2000, when I started my first bulk SMS company, which survived the dotcom bubble burst and is still running today. Writing two books on Twitter and Instagram was also pretty cool (Ed: These include winner of best SA tech blog 2012 and 2013 as well as best advice blog in Africa 2014 at the South African Blog Awards, so he really knows what he's talking about).

3. Describe your career so far:

Segev: I started my career as a techie with networking and programming in Durban where at a young age I headed up the IT division for a corporate. I worked in the UK for several years running a mail system for an international client looking after 110,000 mailboxes - loads of fun when mail viruses broke. I came back to SA in 2000 after seeing mobile SMS start to take off in Europe and predicted that it would only be a matter of time before it hit SA, so I started my first bulk SMS company. I then created a consulting company, as I realised that business and IT don't speak the same language, so IT projects are stalled or fail the business. Today, I run the consulting company which is an independent firm aimed at providing unbiased advice to clients who have IT issues, need to find a new provider, need to better automate their business and save money. I also run TheTechieGuy.com, which is a tech blog that translates the complex world of IT into simple English that anyone can understand. It's won several awards, which I'm very proud of. The media persona allows me access to technologies not out in the public domain yet, which allows me to offer my clients the best advice.

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things:

Segev: My favourite thing is that my work is not work but something I love, so that's pretty awesome. I also love the water, so I ski and wakeskate, which is a combination of wakeboarding and a skateboarding.

5. What do you love about your industry?

Segev: The change. It's constant. It's fast and you've got to keep up. As Barry Hilton said, "Fast food - if you're not fast, you're food!"

6. What are a few pain points your industry can improve on?

Segev: Technology companies love to come up with complex terms that confuse the public. Just say it like it is!

7. Describe your average workday (if such a thing exists)

Segev: There is no average and there is no work day. Technology never sleeps, so events happen at all hours, day and night, all over the world. 'Day' would start with the morning news and stories, followed by a marathon of mails. Client meetings or interviews scheduled for TV/radio/blog and then more social media. The evening is about monitoring the American news to see what's happening and what will affect us in South Africa.

8. What are the tools of your trade?

Segev: Blogging software for Wordpress, social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and loads of analytical and stats tools to understand trends.

9. Who is getting it right in your industry?

Segev: The blogging world is hard. While anyone can start a blog, maintaining the momentum and raising the level is hard and so most drop off. Being consistent is key. Blogging is also new in South Africa so there are no set monetisation options. This means a lot of work for no financial reward. Unfortunately, loads get into the industry thinking they will get "free stuff" but there is nothing free.

10. What are you working on right now?

Segev: Taking over the (blogging) world - well, maybe just SA. I'm working on my YouTube channel to make content more visual as we respond to videos. I'm also consulting to clients who are not getting it 100% right in their corporate world and missing some key trends.

11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself:

Segev: Techies are not short of buzzwords: Big data, the Internet of Things, cloud and agile network are just the tip of the iceberg.

12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

Segev: Everywhere - idea come in fast and furious, the hard part is filtering them. I love being disconnected from the net, like when I'm on a plane ride to Cape Town, where there is no buzzing of phones and just being able to focus on writing or filtering ideas. Coffee shops are also great places to tune out the world and focus.

13. What's your secret talent/party trick:

Segev: The ability to cut through the bull. The tech industry is full of smoke and mirrors and I'm able to see through it, which is what my clients want to make accurate decisions.

14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?:

Segev: Selfies are the worst "present" the mobile world gave this planet, haha!

15. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

Segev: Awesome stuff! I take pics of everything, from the funny, to my work, to new devices, to videos and bloopers of my reviews, to my kids, to the river activities.

16. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Segev: It's a job - take it seriously. If you think you're in it for the free stuff and overseas trips, don't even start. Making it here is like making it as a singer or an actor - loads will try, but only some will make it. Are you prepared to put in that kind of work?

17. Plug your contact details, punt yourself - list all the places people can find you/your work online...

Blog
Website
YouTube
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
Google Plus
Facebook

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.