"Relationship Marketing Guru". "The new Einstein of Marketing". "Genius". "True Artist". "Leonardo da Vinci of the Internet". These are some of the titles people have bestowed on me in the past. Flattering as they are, they show that you are not dealing with your average Management & CRM Consultant here. Involved in Database Marketing and Relationship Management since 1993, my skill set combines extensive management, marketing and IT experience - both at strategic and front-end level. I've travelled the world from Bangkok to San Francisco, from Dubai to Asunción, presenting my 'Diamond CRM' business transformation model at marketing conferences. Companies all over the world utilise it as a guideline in their quest to become more customer-centric. My articles have been widely published online and in print.
Having developed my own Internet presence since 1995 and client projects since 1997, I've developed way over 60 websites. I use PHP, MySQL, Javascript and CSS. I have designed anything from 'quick and dirty (but pretty)' to complex database applications, e-commerce and content management system sites. On the design side I am capably assisted by Solveigh Thude and other select designers. As you may have guessed, this website is also a product of mine - line by line hand-coded - giving you more than a good idea of what I can do for you!
Photography is but a feeble attempt to capture the transient, the fleeting moments. It has always been a passion of mine. I took my first pictures in Grade 2 at the tender age of 6. In 1980 I got my first SLR, a Yashica FR-1. In 1992 an upgrade to a Contax RTS III threw me into a different photographic orbit. I left it in 2003 when I went digital with an Olympus C-5050Z, only to return to it later when the Oly hit the ground and died a sudden death. Right now I'm using a Fuji F30, waiting for the release of the new Olympus E. Despite it being only a hobby, my photos have made it into books, onto CD covers, Youth Hostel ID cards, hotel and golf course brochures and many other places - even turned into paintings! Obviously, all pictures on this site are mine, so... enjoy!
Ever since I set up my own shop I have done major startup work for companies like Opera Software and Sonork SRL. On the side I have been involved in the GEOS and BeOS operating environments. I work on the Net. As a result, this section deals with my personal software recommendations. The products are all non-mainstream, which pretty much by default makes them superior to the more popular choices. The products include Opera (browser), Becky (email), Edit+ (Text/Programming Editor), TotalCommander (File Manager), Outpost Firewall, IrfanView (Image Viewer), Canvas (Image, Graphics and DTP Editor), the Zeta OS (ex-BeOS) and many others. Rest assured taat my recommendations will make your computing experience more productive, safer, faster and less expensive. What more need I say?!
Since 1999 Inspired Mind has helped thousands to live a better life. Originally conceived under the name "Mindshift" as part of Opera Software ASA, it's a portal of sorts that contains content you'd normally have to look hard for. Categories include Business, Community, Education, Environment, Health, Home & Garden, Technology and more. Here you will also find various book recommendations and an immense number of links to other sites on the Net. A real treasure chest for the inquiring mind!
Vuvu is an ambitious project, if there ever was one. I've lived in South Africa for more than a decade. After witnessing the first 10 years of the so-called democracy, I've come to realise that 'democracy' the way it's implemented and practiced in this country has simply formed another form of apartheid. It's only that political oppression has made way to economic oppression, which in many ways is far more insidious. Vuvu - short for 'vuvuzela', the infamous horn ubiqutous at local soccer matches - aims at putting together a masterplan for a new South Africa, a compendium for a decent life for all, not just the old white rich and the new black rich. Your participation is encouraged and appreciated.
Asiyoyiki inyoka! - 'we don't fear the snake!' Lumkela inyoka/inja - Beware of the snake/dog!
Marketing Competence was founded in order to provide a resource for CRM students and managers alike. It's been online since 1997 as an Internet resource on Total Customer Management. Prior to that I founded and managed the world's first mailing list on Database Marketing and Relationship Management, DM-Digest. Neglected of late because it had outlived itself, it has now been redesigned and incorporated into this site. Enjoy!
This section is my personal blog on current affairs in South Africa and beyond. Don't expect daily postings, but I am sure you will find something of interest in it. At the very least it may plant a seed in your mind, that may one day grow into something big. Welcome and enjoy!
Coordinates
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Name:
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Helmar Rudolph
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Nationality:
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German
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Current Residence:
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Cape Town, South Africa
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Age:
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gave up counting
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Zodiac:
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Libra & Fire Horse
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Phone:
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+27-21-713-0022 / mobile: +27-73-228-7667
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Motto:
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"Trust no one, believe nothing, question everything - then make up your own mind. Do good, but don't suck up!"
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Raison d'être:
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First I thought capitalism was the holy grail: making lots of money, getting rich, spending as if there's no tomorrow. Got bored with it, because everybody else is following that path - hardly ever with positive results.
Then I thought relationship marketing was the holy grail: looking after customers' interests, only to see them abused and mistreated for the sake of making even more money.
Then I thought the Internet was the holy grail, but there too I found out that the same old forces that ruled the old economy were at work in the new economy, spreading their tentacles in their insatiable drive to dominate, monopolize and exploit.
Now I know that neither are, but that each still play a crucial role in reversing the alarming trend of abuse, exploitation, pollution and manipulation that is currently ravishing this planet. With my passion, energy, insight and experience I am doing my best to assist my clients while staying true to myself and those around me.
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Hobbies & other interests
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This is what makes me tick or what I do when it's "time out".
Languages
Fluent in English and German; French is good but a bit dusty; Spanish I can understand very well and speak ok - practice is lacking a little. Portuguese I understand well, but am beginning to speak more. Russian and Italian are ready to be revived; Afrikaans has a special status. ;-)
Computers
Since 1988 - need I say more? GEOS, BeOS and Windows. dBASE, HTML, CSS, PHP, Javascript, MySQL - some Perl. Tons of other applications. Provided feedback to Opera, Sonork, Gobe Productive, Total Commander, IrfanView, and other developers of first-class software. Wrote my own relational Customer Information Management System (in dBASE) to prove that I can code what I preach. Must have been the first software application ever to include customer management, sales/order processing, campaign management and lifestyle analysis in one package.
Hobbies
Sports, astronomy, good company, Maserati cars, alternative health, music, walks along Noordhoek Beach, playing beach volleyball in Camps Bay, gardening, cooking, wine and good food, travel, reading, as well as testing and improving software.
I make my own Kombucha tea, so if you would like to obtain some cultures or feedback, please let me know. I also dabble with things like Colloidal Silver and food-grade Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) to see what's behind the claims. I prefer hemp clothes to the traditional "shirt and tie", which here in South Africa is probably the most inappropriate dress imaginable.
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How may I help you?
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Extremely quick in grasping, analysing and assessing situations, plus providing practical and affordable solutions, I can assist you or your company in becoming more successful yet less stressed, while doing good to society at the same time.
If you'd like to find out more, feel free to contact me. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
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About Canopus & Argo Navis
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According to Greek mythology, it was after the battle of Troy that one brave Captain managed to sail his fleet back to safe Egyptian waters. There, he died on the shore. In his honor, King Menelaos named the bright shining star just above the horizon after him: Canopus.
Today, at a distance of about 300-odd light years and far away from the Ecliptic, Canopus serves as a navigational aid to inter- stellar probes and is the second brightest star in the sky.
Canopus Marketing is the name of the company I founded in 1993. When I created my first website in 1995, canopus.com had already been taken, so I chose argo-navis.com - Argo Navis being the large constellation that the giant star Canopus is part of.
Argo Navis in Greek mythology is the "great ship", with which Jason and the Argonauts sailed through stormy seas in their quest to retrieve the "golden fleece". I guess this pretty much sums up my life and career, too. :)
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About this website
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Why all this on helmar.org rather than argo-navis.com? Well, the site is essentially about me, while Canopus and Argo Navis are some abstract constructs around me. The former is my registered company, the latter the handle I use for my CRM consultancy. But at the end of the day it's "the brand called Helmar", hence the domain.
Its first incarnation went online in June 1995. Since then all the sites that you now see combined into one had their own domain and existence. Different layout, different backend, different everything. Eventually I sat down and wrote the code for this site on my own - every single line hand-coded, except for the XML Writer Class that is courtesy of and copyright © Manuel Lemos 2002.
The site obviously uses PHP and a MySQL database on the backend side. Although it hasn't been written for use by 3rd parties, I am quite open to sharing the code with others, but first I need to ensure that it's all clean and to my liking (update: - which I have now done). I don't claim it's been done in the most advanced fashion, but on the other hand it combines elements of a number of different site structures, which should make it quite appealing to those who want a powerful and flexible, yet easy to read and administer website.
I really like what I've done here, design, content and structure/code-wise. I hope you agree.
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Disclaimer
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There are a lot of links to other sites and pages on this website. A link is simply a way of saying "Look, there is something you may be interested in - here's an easy way to get there". Now some moronic judges in Germany have ruled that you can be made responsible for linking to other content on the Internet, if you don't explicitly distance yourself from it. This is a blatant violation of free speech, but that's another story. However, it's also obvious that a link doesn't approve or endorse or support anyone or anything. So for anyone (or rather "anything") who thinks I support or approve of or endorse the sites/pages I link to... I don't.
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