Let’s talk to Charl Norman

This week I Let Charl Norman Talk to me about Blueworld, big media and his goal to work in Silicon Valley.

What exactly do you do Charl?

I’m a internet strategist with a variety of skills for every aspect of a internet business including search and social media marketing, project management, business strategy, user interface design, public relations, product development and public speaking.

I apply these skills as Operations Manager at Blueworld Communities (BWCOM) which I co-founded with Brad Voges and Brendt Brooks. BWCOM owns some of the leading local social networks such as Blueworld and Zoopedup.

Are you a global citizen or made in SA?

I love South Africa and would like to contribute to our online community as much as I can. However, I want to travel and work in technology cities around the world.

What is your favourite can’t-live-without-it gadget?

I managed to get my hands on a 16GB iPhone which has become my favourite gadget. If I have to hop on a plane tomorrow I can watch the latest episodes of Entourage on my iPhone or listen to 16 gbs of my music.

Is web 2.0 going to burst like its late sister, web 1.0?

Most of the investment around web 2.0 startups have come from private sectors where most of the investment which fuelled the web 1.0 crash came from public markets. There are great examples of 2.0 startups with positive cash flows which proves there’s money behind all the hype. Each market has their winners and losers so there will always be startups that fail. More so in our market because its relatively easy and low cost to create your own Myspace of Facebook. However, scaling your business and infrastructure to a mass audience is another story.

Are you nervous at all about giving your information to Google?

I’m a total Google fan boy, I use Google apps daily such as Analytics, Reader, Trends, GDocs and Adwords. It’s likely going to byte me in the ass in future having so much information about myself online but for now its a part of being a web professional.

BlueWorld recently sold to 24.com. How did that go down?

The relationship with 24.com opens a lot of doors which normally would not be accessible at all. It was one of the first web 2.0 acquisitions in South Africa and a huge step for us as a company which really propelled our business to the next level. Closing the deal took some time as there were a lot of variables to consider.

Why a media partner? Why not angel investment or a Venture Capitalist?

There’s not a lot of confidence in the South African internet market and any form of investment is hard to come by. Partnering with 24.com did not only mean funding but also collaborations with some of their print and internet properties.

What are the benefits of being a part of the Naspers family?

They have internet and print investments all over the world and a wealth of experience and infrastructure which we can tap into. We’ve had the opportunity to meet with some of the great minds at Naspers such as Elan Lohmann, Russel Hanly, JP Farinha and John Kotsaftis who helped us with strategic decisions around our product and business model.

Building technology in South Africa has its challenges – the audience you build web properties for is small, quality engineers are hard to come by and relatively few advertisers are willing to spend their ad budget with smaller publishers instead of the big media houses. Doing business online in South Africa is a lot harder then you think. The 24.com acquisition gave us credibility in the industry which means we can attract advertisers and potential partners a lot easier.

Did you struggle to adapt to working within a major corporate framework?

They give us freedom to move and don’t corporatise any of our movements. One of our advantages are we can build new functionality on our platform very quickly. Keeping this synergy is very important to 24.com.

You’re a young guy, ambitious and clearly achieving your goals. What are the plans for BlueWorld?

We want to create more value for our users by partnering with strategic companies to create niche areas within Blueworld. We will also use our platform to roll out a few niche social networks in emerging markets that hold value for us. If you want me to be more specific – Blueworld is launching in London within the next week to try reach the expats that stay in London.

How do you manage a team of young online enthusiasts? The old-school corporate structure goes out of the window, but what is left behind?

It’s essential to create a exciting startup vibe and motivate the staff that they are a part of something exciting. We have a very chilled working environment in our office. The guys can come and go as they please, listen to tunes and even now and then we play Nintendo Wii office tournaments.

Do you find it difficult to manage everything that you do? We all know that it’s hard to keep a good business person down but you push the limits of a 24 hour day.

Prioritizing my time is crucial and I have a few basic rules to help me focus on work and not get distracted with all the cool stuff on the web. I normally stay off instant messenger till after 1pm and almost never take lunch!

Do you plan on staying with BlueWorld for the foreseeable future?

I don’t think I will be leaving Blueworld anytime soon for a variety of reasons – our platform is really becoming a hot piece of tech and we have so many exciting opportunities to explore. Although, later in my career I would definitely like to work in Silicon Valley living the dream as part of some hot US startup.

Thanks again for the opportunity Nic loved the interview.