Charl Norman

I’m an internet strategist with a variety of skills for online business .

Currently I head up operations and tech related stuff for Blueworld Communities (BWCOM), a company I founded with partners. BWCOM operates online communities in South Africa and was acquired by Media24 in a land mark local internet deal early in 2008. BWCOM’s stable includes leading locally owned social network Blueworld and Zoopedup, a motoring enthusiast network which boasts high user engagement metrics. BWCOM’s internet technology also powers internet properties within 24.com such as Speakerbox.co.za.

BWCOM is also behind the widely acclaimed Afridoctor, the medical application that won the Nokia Innovation competition.

I blog on my personal online presence and own a blog network including titles such as Carblog which is consistently ranked in the TOP 3 blogs in Africa (chart) and a tech blog, BandwidthBlog, which was nominated for Best Technology Blog in the 2007 and 2008 SA Blog Awards.

I have 10 years of online publishing experience and started my first website while still in high school. I was also runner up for ICT Young Entrepreneur of Africa 2008 and nominated for Top 30 entrepreneurs under 30 in Africa.

In my spare time I guest lecture at the UCT Graduate School of Business and CPUT, do public speaking on internet strategy and write technology focused articles for Leadership Magazine, Intelligence magazine and TechLeader.co.za

Referrals from my Linkedin profile

“Charl is a tenacious, talented young entrepreneur that boasts business savvy well beyond his years. He understand how people interact with the Web and has the resources to make his visions digital realities. He’s a pleasure to work with.” - Mike Stopforth, Co-founder, Afrigator.com and Cerebra.

“Charl is an incredibly dynamic and innovative web entrepreneur, with a action orientation. Furthermore, he is a good communicator, and his willingness to share his lessons and insights with other people in educational environments shows foresight and generosity.” - Dave Duarte, Programme Director, UCT Graduate School of Business

“New/social media is my main focus as a new media lawyer so innovative developments like Blueworld pique my interest pretty quickly. Charl’s work at Blueworld and elsewhere on the Web astounds me. It is truly remarkable that someone so young has innovated so much in the South Africa social Web and has accomplished such success. His successes bode well for his future and I am looking forward to what Charl comes up with next.” - Paul Jacobson, Attorney, Jacobson Attorneys

“I’ve rarely met anyone as passionate about and skilled at their job. In fact “job” isn’t the right word – Charl simply does what he loves, it just happens to also be work. Whether he’s brainstorming new features for one of his sites, speaking at a conference, coding like a madman or writing in his blog, Charl breathes, eats and sleeps the web. This is a guy who walks the walk as well as talks the talk. He’s an old fashioned entrepreneur in the body of a tech genius.” – Alistair Fairweather, Social Media Manager, 20FourLabs

“I’ve asked Charl for advice on several occasions, as well as invited him to speak at our Heavy Chef Sessions. Charl never ceases to surprise me with his hyperdriven smarts – his knowledge and tactical nous within the social media environment is certainly up there with the top minds in SA.” – Fred Roed, CEO and Co-Founder, World Wide Creative

“Charl is determined, thorough, highly focused, and committed to everything he takes on. He puts in the highest quality of work and I would not hesitate at all to hire him for any position he has shown interest in. There is no doubt in my mind he will make a huge success of any challenge he takes on.” – Neville Newey, Senior Software Engineer, Stanford University

“Charl is an astute business man with a keen eye for great ideas. His entrepreneurial spirit and knowledge of both the online and offline market space is what sets him apart from his peers.” – Catherine Lückhoff, Owner, MANGO-OMC

“Charl is a highly motivated and bright individual that is constantly at the forefront of the Web 2.0 scene in South Africa. He lives and breathes blueworld.co.za and is constantly pushing the boundaries when it comes to niche social networks and social media in South Africa.” - Jason Bagley, Digital Strategist, Bean Bag Media

“Charl Norman can be described in the following few words: Genius, Entrepreneur, Visionary, Fun, Marketing Genius and Web 2.0 Guru. If you are looking for someone who knows his stuff and are passionate about the Internet and Business … look no further than Charl.” - Albert Bredenhann, Managing Director, Jump Internet Technologies (Pty) Ltd

Work portfolio -

Freelance Journalism

Auto industry:

Speed and Sound magazine

District Mail

Road Magazine

Daily Voice

Tech industry:

Intelligence magazine

Leadership Magazine

Blogging:

Bandwidthblog.com Founder, Editor

CarBlog.co.za Founder, SEO