Why I started PigSpotter…
I started PigSpotter to alert fellow drivers where the cops are speed trapping and setting up roadblocks. I chose the name purely for comical reasons. A friend did warn me and say, “maybe it’s a little too in your face”, but I thought, hell, what are the chances they’ll EVER find out?? Boy was I in for a wake-up call.
I started tweeting to all of 3 followers that I had on day one, asked a “high profile” friend to retweet one or two tweets, which she did, and that brought my following up to about 40 by the end of the 3rd day. As I continued to make the tweets comical and lighthearted, so the following grew. On Fridays the Twitterverse has a ritual, #FF, where you tag a person you think people should follow. Initially I set a target for myself, hoping to reach 3000 followers, so I would then be able to have a reliable network, small, quiet and under the radar. Like a subculture.
So I started on the 28th of July at 15:47, with 1 follower, my private Twitter account, Sandbrat__. Just before I hit the news, I had 5547 followers on the 15th September. Now if my maths serves me correctly, that was 49 days until I was discovered. My following grew at an average of 113 per day at that point. Within 2 weeks from the national and international broadcastings, I gained 15000 followers, that’s something crazy like 1071 followers per day. I was getting messages from Brazil, the UK, Tanzania and even Australia, all of support. Of course no “hero” would be complete without the occasional death threat right? I had the occasional email detailing the exact location and description of my house. Luckily I guess, it was an old house’s address…so I feel sorry for the poor guys who live there now. Probably had these psychos stalking outside their house without even realising it. Currently while typing this blog I have just hit 40 000 followers. Beyond my wildest expectations! Growing again at about 120 per day. Actually, truth be told, I lose about 40 a day and gain 160 requests to follow. Protecting my tweets has enabled me to track this.
In the above paragraph , you’d have noticed I’ve described myself as a “hero”. Reason for that is I am NOT a hero. I simply came up with a new way to inform friends of traps and roadblocks. With the increased following I became aware that I actually have quite an amazing tool with which to do some good in South Africa. If out of my currently 11712 tweets, I managed to have made one speedster slow down which avoided a death on the road, made one lady driving alone at night observe a criminal who was approaching her car and drive off unscathed, managed to get paramedics to an accident scene JUST in time to save a patient’s life, then this all becomes worth it. I have at times become despondent with a poor turn out when it came to helping the general public to learn about their rights at roadblocks and traffic fines, and of the 3 evenings we held, a total of 80 people arrive. Ok, the advertising was only via tweets I put out 4 days before the evening, and the cover charge was R50 for the venue. So perhaps that played a role in the dismal attendance. Well, either way, I will strive on and hope to save a life, prevent corruption, prevent a smash and grab, spot them porkers hiding and educate as many people as I can along the way.
23 comments:
Well keep on going "hero", we need you on a daily basis
amen to that!
great blog bud! And now onward and upward. Pigspotter to the rescue. mrDickens
Thank you for what you do. There have been plenty of times where as we come home late at night and go a differant root (saftey reasons - ur advice). And i thank you for that coz i dont even want to think about my kids getting hurt coz of a hijacker. Keep up the good work
You doing a great Job, Keep it up !!
I personally want to thank you for making my driving live easier! Every time I need to go to a meeting all I need to do is check out PigSpotter to know which roads to give a miss! Keep up the good work, you are appreciated!
Great job ur doing, keep up the good work.
I'm always on the look out for ur tweets.
I use to be a dick on the road. Getting fines, not caring, talking my way out of sh!t. Till i started following you! Im looking at what im doing these days. Sticking to speedlimits and thinking about other road users. Thank you for being you and changing my life and my way of driving. If only the goverment thought of something like this they could have the credit. Lucky for us them porkers aint that smart!! Keep it up bud! Thanx again!!!
As with most of your followers I can't picture myself driving somewhere in Gauteng without checking your updates first. Not only for the cameras as I rarely drive over the speed limit (my husband calls me a lazy driver) but primarily for the accidents which can cause chaotic delays!
Thank you for your hard work and all the effort you put into every tweet (and for correcting our grammar errors before reposting our tweets, lol!)
did no-one else catch the article in the fhm? keep on keeping on @PigSpotter; as a new follower, i find what you do invaluable, and your approach balanced (where applicable). long live the PigSpotter! many followers may he/she/it garner, and much may we all benefit from this unique idea...
This a great initiative coming from you. But it sadden me when some of your followers play a "race card" and don't see any positive things from Jhb metro and Police In Gauteng.
Great to hear the history behind the story. Everything worthwhile is no easy road to travel. Each one of us is like a wave - when we rise and crest and reach our peak, we are able to see the ocean. The view is spectacular and life is great. However that same wave has moments when it is crashing on the shore and then it is not so comfortable! The reassuring thought is that we will rise and crest and peak again! Keep up the good work and when you are faced with challenges and disappointments like the poor turnout at public event or the odd negative comment, just look forward to the next crest experience.
I will admit, i only heard about pigspotter via the news and wondered what the fuss was all about. Thanks to some "free publicity" you have made me a safer, more aware and more considerate driver..turning to see your tweets before i embark on the roads is as second nature as putting on my seatbelt!!
There certainly has been a lot of controversy. When the police were "searching" for you, my personal opinion was: Can't we put all that effort into finding rapists and murderers?
People need to be responsible...not speed, wear their safety belts, not talk on their cell phones, strap their children into proper car seats and so on ... LEAD SA!!
Your efforts are certainly appreciated bud. Keep up the excellent work.. Looking forward to the web site.
I like what you are doing and I'll never stop to tell others about your tweeter account, but Im just wondering Are'nt you afraid you are gonna get caught?
I personally love what you're doing. You'll have plenty of critics in life. As long as you believe in what you're doing, then I say carry on. The things I've seen in South Africa are shocking. It's nice to see citizens taking control of a situation that seems to have taken on a life of its own
Keep it up. Stay safe.
Thanks Pigspotter for doing a great job. I am a careful and considerate driver. I don't break the speed limit - but I do check where the cameras are before I head out to do the school run. Speed traps are just money making schemes - I get really mad when they hide in the bushes. I also think that several speed limits are wrong. In Randburg on a double lane road (rebublic) it is 60kph and on a single lane up near Kyalami (main) it is 100kph - go figure!
At first i thought u were helping criminals escape from the pigs when it is actually the biggest criminals of all... It almost makes some real criminals look like amateurs...! EXCELLENT, GOOD JOB PIGSPOTTER!
Filho. Keep it up and be smart about it.
You are a great son and I love U.. DAD Spotter
Some say "Lead SA", I say you have been doing that way before the concept.
Currently we're 52419 followers, 16528 tweets and 10 months into it, and them cops are still looking for a reason to charge me. Apparently they're trying to get a new law passed, a "Stalkers" law, which prohibits the ability to inform electronically the position of someone who may be in danger of getting harmed. There is a possibility they will use this angle to try charge me, but my lawyer feels this is a long shot, and may never come to pass. Thank you to everyone for the support. It is much appreciated!
still in two minds about your posting about roadblocks, they are a very necessary crime prevention tool. i understand if it's two dorks on the side of the road, but a full-blown roadblock? dunno dude, it doesn't sit easy ...
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