Interesting people to follow on Twitter (and beyond). 8/6/2010
I've always been against the Follow Friday activity (tradition? custom?) on Twitter. All it seems to produce is massive lists of Twitter handles without any context as to why you might be interested in following the people behind them. Is the recommended "follow" the tweeter's brother-in-law? Are they good for a luagh? Are they a new marketing star? It's up to you to figure out.
But Phil Buckley has a better way. He uses Posterous to give context to those recommended follows. To jargon up the idea a bit, he made his recommendations "opt-in" rather than "disruptive." So I'm ripping off his idea. (In return, he's a part of my inagural list below…though that's not the only reason he deserves it).
Here's five people I follow—both on Twitter and beyond—and the reason why:
Phil Buckley - @1918
I've never seen Phil without a smile. I'm sure it happens…I've just never seen it. Even when we're debating Flash versus HTML5, or the merits of the iPad. He's got his reasons for being on the iPad and HTML5 side—his roots are in web design, and he organizes (among other regular events) the SEO Meetup in Raleigh. His blog does a better job of telling you how he brings together development skills, social media know-how, and real-life event organization…but in short, he's the king of paying it forward and is a natural Twitter-conversationalist. So follow him.
Brandon Watts - @bwatts
Brandon has been a close friend for a long time, and he's now my partner on The Brand Aperture Blog—a spot where we explore the intersection of market research and creative marketing implementation. And he's one of the smartest people I know, far beyond his formidable talent in market research. (Really…how many other people do you know that have an MBA and a Masters in Geology.) On Twitter, he passes along even more knowledge on research and consumer insights, but will also be talking about University of Tennessee Basketball (UT Football is currently not worthy), good food and drink.
Jason Pyle - @jmpyle
And speaking of food and drink...Jason is the best person to go to for advice. Specifically when it comes to bourbon. Even though he's the COO of an IT/Professional services staffing firm, he still finds time to run the best bourbon blog on the web—Sour Mash Manifesto—where he does video reviews of top shelf stuff. As for Twitter—go ahead and ask him about a bourbon recommendation. After 140 characters, you'll have the perfect bourbon solution for your palette. (He unfortunately chooses gin over vodka in his martini…but we've been friends for far too long, so I'll forgive that one flaw.)
Sara McGuyer - @sara_mc
In stark contrast to the previous two recommendations, I've never met Sara in person—and finding incredible people that you've never met is what Twitter is all about. Sara is one of those people who seem to be able to pack more in a day than there are hours for. She's a talented designer (Sara McGuyer Designs), an account strategist (Wise Elephant), rouge knitter, and a writer (Sundayed, among other spots). I also think the way she uses Posterous to document life in pictures is brilliant. (That's another idea I'm going to steal.) All of it comes together on Twitter.
Stacie Holyfield - @holyfieldtv | @WRAL
Stacie is an incredibly talented communicator. One one hand, she's a Promotions Producer for WRAL, meaning she can write, shoot, edit and add graphics to make the pieces that pull you into the news (the "I gotta know more!" effect). On the other, she's also leader of the Social Media Task Force at WRAL, too, meaning she can turn the news into engaging conversations. You should follow both of her Twitter accounts. (She's also my sister-in-law.)
