As the marketing and PR manager for Mainstream Village and Malls, you'd think Kerry Redelinghuys would have her hands full. And she does! But not so full that she can't spend her time getting involved in passion projects that show off her talents, and support good causes.
Kerry has launched the online presence for Gaven Sinclair, a crazy/inspiring man on a mission to cycle from Cape Town to Cairo for the Red Cross. The catch? He's supported solely on the kindness of strangers. So, Kerry has made sure that we all have a chance to show him kindness, and shared his story - and ways we can support - on social media. It doesn't get more inspirational than that. Get yourself on Gaven Pedals and show him some love. Meanwhile, we've asked Kerry the five social media questions we want to ask everyone.
Kerry was born and raised in Pretoria and moved to Cape Town 7 years ago
Who is your biggest inspiration on the internet?
My biggest inspiration is also a project I am busy on called Cape to Cairo for the Red Cross. Gaven Sinclair in currently cycling to Cairo from Cape Town to raise money for the Red Cross. He is doing the trip completely solo (without a support vehicle) and if that is not challenging enough, he is also doing it with absolutely no money and surviving purely on the kindness and generosity of others (that takes guts). Myself and a friend have very recently taken control of his social media as he needs to concentrate of the journey ahead. It is really an incredible thing that he is doing and I want to help to communicate this to the public.
When was the last time you read really good content online?
I love that information is so freely available. But with all that 'good' comes the 'bad' and sometimes one can get soaked up in sifting through tons of time-wasting drivel. Personally, I have a short attention span and tend to bore easily so I like short bursts of logical information. But my biggest love is human connection, so I would have to say that I love Humans of New York. I love the commentary. It's so interesting to see other peoples opinions and reactions to stories and generally the comments are so positive and uplifting.
Support Gaven as he pedals from Cape to Cairo for the Red Cross.
Which is your your favourite social media platform?
I think all social media has its pros and cons and specific platforms lend themselves to specific needs. Its important to figure out who your audience is and what you are trying communicate/achieve and then take it from there. Personally, I absolutely love both Instagram and Facebook because they both give me the opportunity to connect with people far and wide but also it has a personal feel to it and makes it easy to open conversation and engage.
What is your biggest social media pet peeve?
Sharing horror images of abused children and animals to 'raise awareness'. I find this to be massively counter productive and really does NOTHING to help the cause, the constant stream of shocking images also just desensitizes people to the harsh reality. Does this whole "share this post if you are against animal abuse" actually help in any way? If you want to help then you need to actually get involved and help, sharing a picture does not do this.
If you could have a Twitter Q&A with one person living or dead - who would it be?
I know this is a controversial one but...Jesus. Now THAT would be epic! Also, Theodor Seuss Geisel (AKA Dr. Seuss)