#followfriday

Recently I wrote why I was moving my #followfriday recommendations from Twitter to this blog. So, without further ado, here are my recommendations for this week.

I hope you check them out ? they?re all worth getting to know.

1. Community. Kim Woodbridge (@kwbridge). I use WordPress for my blog as I love the whole WordPress community, and Kim Woodbridge sums up why perfectly. Always sharing great blogging tips through her wonderfully named (Anti) Social Development blog, Kim is wise, smart and uber-friendly.

2. Ladies of Twitter. Libby Unwin (@LibbyUnwin). Libby makes me laugh. She always has a witty quip ready for you, and she’s such a “girly girl” that it’s refreshing (and I mean that in the nicest way!). She clearly loves her family and anyone that hates bad grammar but can consistently forgive my typos is always alright by me!

3. Gentlemen of Twitter. Jon Aston (@JonAston). Jon could easily fall into the Marketing category, but he truly fits into the Gentleman one. He’s a continuous source of support, inspiration, knowledge, smarts and wit. He has time for everyone, and I mean everyone, and he’s probably the best mix of a post-hippy punk you could ever meet!

4. Non-Profits. Lotay Yang (@Lotay). Some people might say that Lotay already has more than 50,000 followers so why add more. It’s not about the numbers, though, it’s the person, and Lotay is one of the best. A businessman that created the Black Card Circle Foundation, encouraging affluent business people to combine for social change, Lotay is a true leader in the non-profit field and a constant inspiration.

5. Marketing. Anne Sorensen (@marketingisus). I love Australians. They’re some of the most laid-back and friendliest folk around, after Canadians, and Anne is no exception. Yet she’s also a great marketer that founded Marketing Is Us, and is one of the best examples of marketing and new media/technology coming together.

6. Public Relations. Narciso Tovar (@Narciso). What can I say about Narciso? Okay – he’s an outstanding PR pro. He uses amazing music analogies to tell the? stories on his blog. He writes in capital first letters on Twitter (love this trick!). He is a bundle of fun and energy. He’s friendly with a capital “F”. And much, much more… Go check him out already!

7. Social Media. Sarah Evans (@PRSarahEvans). Yes, Sarah could have sat nicely in the public relations category, but for the way she’s using social media to advance PR and more, she definitely falls within social media smarts. Just look at how she’s bringing journalists, bloggers, PR and others together with #journchat as an example. Or her use of social media to raise more than $100,000 for a local shelter? Awesome.

8. The “Everyone Should Know” Wildcard Entry. Lee Safar (@leesafar). Hey, another Australian – cool! Lee is a singer/songwriter that I only recently got to know via 12for12k. She has a great sense of humour, a really cool voice, a very cheeky attitude and is quite simply a blast. Just don’t mention webcams and dial-up technology to her…

Cheers, guys, for being who you are every day of the week.

Recently I wrote why I was moving my #followfriday recommendations from Twitter to this blog. So, without further ado, here are my recommendations for this week.

I hope you check them out – they’re all worth getting to know.

1. Community. Khayyam Wakil (@iamkhayyam). Khayyam is an outstanding person and one that just keeps on giving. He’s one of these Twitter users that shares so much and never asks for anything in return. And away from Twitter he’s a pretty fine comedian as well – what’s not to like?
2. Ladies of Twitter. Mickey Gomez (@mickeygomez). One of the biggest hearts around, Mickey encapsulates everything that is right not just on Twitter, but the world. She offers unconditional support if you need it and anyone that plays a mean guitar like she does and is a fan of Joss Whedon is a-ok by me!
3. Gentlemen of Twitter. Matt Leonard (@mjleonard). To me, Matt is the epitomone of the phrase “gentle giant”. Who knows, maybe he’s only 5-foot but he looks like a big guy! This man is all heart – he’s an Internet marketer that doesn’t push, he wants to offer everyone a way to share their voice, and to Matt, family is everything. ‘Nuff said.
4. Non-Profits. Gabe O’Neill (@kidsareheroes). Simply put, Gabe inspires. We talk about heroes like our favourite sportsman, or actor, or musician. Gabe, on the other hand, makes every single child a hero. He shares their inspiring stories, encourages them to change the wold, and is a downright humble and awesome guy. Gabe, you rock man!
5. Marketing. Brian Carter (@briancarter). If you don’t already know Brian, you’re in for a treat. Not only is he an incredibly smart marketer who’s just launched TweetROI, he’s also an inanely funny comedian-type who thinks way outside any box. Check Google for his alter-ego Larry Possum to see the madness.
6. Public Relations. Heather Whaling (@PRtini). Heather is one of these people that sneak up on you and you realize you’ve been constantly learning from her without even knowing. She’s an incredibly smart PR gal that runs a great personal blog, and also one of the most engagingly chatty people I know.
7. Social Media. Brett Borders (@BrettBorders). Brett may not be as well known as people like Chris Brogan or Jason Falls, but his social media smarts are excellent. He runs the always entertaining Social Media Rockstar blog, and anyone that can be both a reformed hippie as well as lover of ambient music has definitely got my interest.
8. The “Everyone Should Know” Wildcard Entry. Avatar Koo (@avatarkoo). What can I say about Avatar Koo? Umm… she’s unorthodox; incredibly funny; entertaining; writes erotic romance stories; and for one hour in June, took 12for12k into the naughty side of life. Don’t take my word for it – go check her out now!

Cheers, guys, for being who you are every day of the week.

Recently I wrote about why I was moving my #followfriday recommendations from Twitter to this blog. So, without further ado, here are my recommendations for this week.

I hope you check them out ? they?re all worth getting to know.

1. Community. Seth Simonds (@SethSimonds). Seth’s an interesting guy. This is someone that shed 45,000 Twitter followers so he could concentrate on a lesser number and connect better. He tries video experiments to show his community the horror of waterboarding. He consistently has amazing conversations via the comments on his blog. He’s what I call a good egg.
2. Ladies of Twitter. Susan Murphy (@SuzeMuse). Sue is a bona-fide all-round megastar when it comes to multi-tasking. She’s a creative genius; video editor extraordinaire; voice of non-profits; geek; and one of Ottawa’s finest beer drinkers. She’s also writer of one of the best social media blogs period, without even being tagged as social media.
3. Gentlemen of Twitter. Iggy Pintado (@iggypintado). Iggy is one of these cool people that doesn’t only talk about stuff, he does it. He’s one of Australia’s most connected people; he’s written a book called “Connection Generation”; he’s an incredibly savvy businessman; and he still makes time for his family. One of life’s good guys.
4. Non-Profits. James Topham (@Topsatwarchild). I first met James when 12for12k supported War Child in January. Not only is he passionate about non-profits, he’s as unassuming as they come, which makes him great company. He’s also a fellow Brit, has a dry sense of humour and follows Toronto FC soccer club. What’s not to like?
5. Marketing. Sonny Gill (@sonnygill). Sonny is one of the smartest marketers I know. And what I like about him is that he doesn’t shout it from the rooftops. He shares great reads in his blog; he’s as sharp as a card on Twitter; and he and fellow marketer Scott Hepburn helped pay to fly a friend out to a networking event. Awesome.
6. Public Relations. Arik Hanson (@arikhanson). Speaking of flying out to a networking event, it was Arik who was that very person. Yet it was well deserved – Arik used his PR skills and networking to help land Sonny and Scott new jobs with communication firms. He’s also one of the most understated and underrated PR pro’s out there, and the founder of the Reader’s Choice PR Blogger Awards.
7. Social Media. Mark Horvarth (@hardlynormal). Mark could easily have sat in the non-profit choice, but I really like the way he’s using social media. He’s telling the story of homeless people through video, blogging and Twitter. He’s offering them a voice and allowing you to speak to them through him. THAT, my friends, is creative social media at its finest.
8. The “Everyone Should Know” Wildcard Entry. Michael Schechter (@mschechter). This guy is a star. He makes me laugh like a pig in mud whenever he starts ripping into my character. He’s a devoted dad and husband, is uber-friendly, and simply put one of these people that anyone would be better off for having him as a friend.

Cheers, guys, for being who you are every day of the week.