Q. What is DIGIACS?

Digiacs are people who are digerate, they are digital maniacs,  they have a comprehensive view of all things digital, they are sometimes called “Computer Literate” – which is a ridiculous misnomer, because Computer are not (and cannot be) literal, only digital!

In May 2011 I created DIGIACS – an independent consultancy dedicated to help my clients manage their reputation. I used the model I built for (now long abandoned) PhD thesis to create a viable, effective and (hopefully) commercially viable proposition.

Q. What is reputation management all about?

One’s reputation is the sum total of the ways others think of him/her, of his/her services, products, actions, values….. This can be observed and managed through specific, premeditated content!

Q. Sounds like ‘spin’ to me

Reputation management practices stand on the shoulders of giants – marketers, public-relations wizards and spin doctors. The main difference is in the philosophy – marketing, PR and Spin ‘pushed’ information towards potential customers, while Reputation Management aims to become a contributing part of various social networks – that is the reason DIGIACS strap line is “Don’t push! Listen!”

Q. So, what is ToingToing?

ToingToing.com is Digiacs’ public face and content repository, an online portfolio, a shop-window, a beacon, a personal blog, town crier – - -

Q. What does ToingToing mean?

ToingToing describes the rousing sound made by an item of knowledge we’ve understood and internalised, as it gets stored in our brain. ToingToing is a cognitive triumph.  ToingToing is also a placeholder. According to Wikipedia, “Placeholder names are words that can refer to objects or people whose names are either irrelevant or unknown in the context which it is being discussed.” So, Whatchamacallit and Whatshisname are placeholder names, as are gizmo, Joe Bloggs, zillion and umpteen. (Go to Wikipedia for a fascinating discussion about placeholders.)

Check, for example, this riddle:

You are trapped in a room. The room has only two doors. Through the first door there is a room constructed from magnifying glass. The blazing hot sun instantly fries anything or anyone that enters. Through the second door there is a fire-breathing dragon. How can you escape?

Answer: Wait until night time and then leave through the first door. (ToingToing!! Did you feel it!?)

Q. Why can’t I comment?

No time to moderate… I’d rather ask you to write a new piece and send it to me.

Q. Who are you?

Rudy Nadler-Nir. I have been passionately immersed in the interactive world for 23 years.

Notable stomping grounds: GM, client experience (aka CRM) for Internet Africa, founding member of leading portal iafrica.com and strategic director for advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather’s OgilvyInteractive and Korbitec.

Sweetspots: search engines (as semantic networks, how to write content for best optimisation, using search engines to assess trends, needs, expectations, pressure points and general Zeitgeist.)

Occasionally I teach, lecture and guide training workshops around the country, as well as write and comment extensively on a variety of socio-digital / MarkCom (Marketing as Communication) subjects. I have a Master’s degree in Adult Education and did research on digital communities, with special emphasis on the way young adults use cellphones.

Cape Town based since 1984, married and father of two.