I think #followfriday is a great idea, I just have a problem with it in it’s current form. No one puts WHY you should follow someone. Most people just create 140 characters of @usernames.
Seriously. What does that do for me? Nothing. I don’t know who these people are or why I should care. Part of what’s to blame here is the 140 character limit. So my follow friday is going to be a blog post, that I will update as I add people.
This is a two part list. The first is my “hotlist.” I use Hootsuite as my Twitter app. It’s web-based, supports multiple accounts and has a grouping feature. I love it. So one group that I monitor first is my Hotlist, my favorite Tweeters. Then I have “Tier Two” which are those Tweeple I’m vetting for addition to my “Hotlist.” Tier Two also hosts some very active accounts that would monopolize my hotlist, such as @myrssbuddy which I created to tweet my favorite blogs and rss feeds. The Tweeps I follow in my hotlist are in my opinion, the best of the best. I will provide reasons why I follow those on my hotlist. Don’t forget to follow me: @jgibbard.
If you have someone just getting into social media, and they ask…”who should I follow?” Please feel free to give them this page as a starting point.
Without further delay, my #followfriday:
MY HOTLIST
If I could only follow 10 11 people, they’d be…
@chrisbrogan: lives and breathes social media, relationship-building, authenticity and high quality content. He is a must-follow, everyone on Twitter either knows him or should. His blog is also on my blog hotlist.
@conversationage: the most under-followed person on Twitter in my opinion. No joke. Valeria’s blog is a must-read and her “voice” in all of her social media activity is sage-like. She knows what she’s talking about and isn’t afraid to speak honestly and authentically.
@mashable – The #1 source for what’s happening in social media.
@mayhemstudios – Design info, and he’s got a good sense of humor.
@problogger – the #1 spot to learn about blogging. Check the blog too: http://www.problogger.net
@buzzedition – I vote her the nicest person on Twitter. She is a great example of how to succeed at Twitter by being yourself and being passionate.
@guykawasaki – Posts tons of information. One of the first places to find out what’s happening.
@jowyang – Social Media/ Web strategy guy wth his finger firmly on the purse…in fact, sometimes he IS the pulse. Great blog too! http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/
@murnahan – I’ve got a special place on my list for Mark Aaron Murnahan. He’s an exceptionally nice guy, he’s authentic and he’s one of the few important people on Twitter that will actually engage in a conversation. He’s responded to every DM or @mention I’ve ever sent and he seems like he’s always willing to help in anyway he can. Highly recommend this follow.
@cheth – I only recently spoke with Cheth, but he was quick to respond. He posts frequently about design and tech-related news.
UPDATE/EDIT: I can’t believe I forgot him but @perrybelcher has been one of my favorite people on Twitter since I signed up last year. He constantly puts out great info on what’s happening in the world of design. Definitely another must-follow.
The rest of my hotlist…
@arrington – While I’m lukewarm about TechCrunch in general <cough> twitter internal memo> I still think it’s a great source of what’s happening.
@benparr – Works for Mashable.
@zaibatsu – Lots of retweetable links and info.
@biz – Co-Founder of Twitter, worthwhile to follow.
@bwana – Gaming, podcasting, blogging, usually posts interesting tidbits.
@christineg – Philadelphia self made social media consultant. She’s authentic and sweet AND she’s always got the scoop on interesting info.
@cnetnews – Another good source for tech info
@copyblogger – Great Blogging resource
@dom – Another founding member of Twitter and he makes iPhone apps. Seems like a cool guy.
@michaelhyatt – Incredibley nice guy, one of the first people I interacted with on Twitter. Humble, gracious and he’s a great writer.
@engadget – tech news
@ev– CEO of Twitter, worthwhile to follow if you want to potentially hear about Twitter news before it happens.
@gizmodo – tech news
@gloriabell – Another Philadelphia social media gal. Between her and @buzzedition it’s a toss up between who is sweeter. Gloria is quick to engage in conversation, always willing to help. She’s authentic and hard working. Give her a follow.
@harvardbiz – Harvard Business Review Account. It’s still one of the best places for content.
@imjustcreative – mainly post design links.
@jack – Another Co-Founder of Twitter, worthwhile to follow.
@jason_pollock – This guy Tweets ALOT! But he’s one of the most generous and active people on Twitter. He was one of the most instrumental people in the green icon movement for a Free Iran. If you want to know what’s happening on Twitter, follow him.
@jerseycoach – Philadelphia PR/Communications Firm, Tara Communications Founder. Tweets about a variety of stuff, politics, tech, and all manner of other stuff. He’s a great guy and always fun to talk to.
@minervity – He and @MayhemStudios are the starting points for most design related info on Twitter.
@pogue – NYT Writer, with an amazing knack for simplicity. I think he’s great.
@sacca – He advises Twitter and 900,000 people follow him…you might want to know what he’s saying.
@scobleizer – Even though I cannot get him to respond to me, I can’t deny how important it is to know what Scoble is talking about. He’s a tech geek from the west coast, he works for Rackspace but he’s been all over and EVERYONE knows him.
@thisissethsblog – This is a just a feed of Seth Godin’s blog, which is, in all seriousness, the best thing I read on the internet on any given day. The guy is just brilliant. So I follow this account to know when he’s posted a new blog entry.
@timoreilly – He founded O’Reilly media..are you a nerd? Then follow this guy
@waltmossberg – Writes tech reviews for the WSJ. He gets the inside scoop on gadgets.
@waynesutton – Newly added to my hotlist for high quality tweets. Tweets about social media. Haven’t tried to engage in a conversation with him.
@mengler86 – One of my closest friends. He tweets about all sorts of stuff, mainly sports and he’s starting to gain traction with some big names in sports on Twitter. Some things he posts are funny and every once in a while, in spite of my RSS intake, he alrets me to something I hadn’t caught. Well worth a follow.
Tier Two
@ross
@zadi