Every once and a while, possibly monthly I like to highlight the tweeple that make a difference with my expanded #ff list. In the past I have simply posted a special tweet about each person with a brief note explaining why I feel they made the list. It occurred to me that there must be a better way to create the list and publish it for all to enjoy.
Thus I have created the über Follow Friday list. I will try to complete the list on a more or less monthly basis and will of course include my usual reasons you should follow each person. On occasion I get asked, “Hey Mike, I am cool how come I didn’t make the list?”
The simple answer is either you probably haven’t very engaging. I apply the similar rules that I use to decide if I will follow a person to crafting this list. What I mean is mutual interaction. If you do not engage in dialog with me or the people I routinely follow how am I supposed to make the recommendation that others should follow you? What basis for my recommendation could I possibly give? In short if you want more people to follow you then give them a legitimate reason to follow you.
That said I am not at all about high follower numbers. This leads to my second determination about who’ll make the list. My golden rule of thumb is that follower quality trumps count any day. If all you are worried about is increasing your number of followers please do not hassle me. The people I recommend on this list are here because I find value in interacting with them. There is no rule that states if I recommend a person that you must follow them.
So let’s get down to business. I mean after all that is why you come here in the first place. Either you want to see if who made this months’ list, possibly even to find out if you are on it. All I can say is that anything can happen. One last caveat before we start. I generally do no recommend celebrities very often, therefore; when I do it is because they are truly special and deserve your attention for be exceptional people and not because they are celebrities. I myself only follow the ones that add true value to my life and that interact with me from time to time. You will likely never see Ashton Kutcher, Oprah or Lady Gagga on this list. I am not going to say it won’t happen but these people add nothing to my life currently so I shall not be parroting the global #FF.
Let’s get down to business shall we? I will start with the celebrity short list.
Since the anniversary of my mother’s passing as a result of pancreatic cancer is so very fresh I am highlighting two women that are truly helping to fight cancer.
The first is Jeri Ryan for lending her support fighting cancer in associate with the B+ Foundation.
Which leads me naturally to Christina Applegate, who if you’ve been living under a rock for several years happens to be a cancer survivor. She lends her time and status supporting so many cancer fighting initiatives it’s truly astounding. Besides this she is truly a nice person.
Moving on let’s take a look at some people that truly brighten any day.
Gina Stark a.k.a @SuuperG- Funny, insightful and a general delight to chat with.
Chris Luzader a.k.a @TechZader- Probably one of the only people who tweets more tech stuff that I do.
Chiako Taylor a.k.a @photocopied- A great communicator and a RT Ninja! She is also one of the great resources of inspirational information.
Simon Grant a.k.a @simonegrant- Proprietor of one of the most entertaining blogs related to life in NYC.
Brooke Farmer a.k.a. @brooke_farmer- Down to earth, witty, funny and insightful chatter. Knows how to tell an entertaining story.
Chris Van Dusen a.k.a @ifficiency- Another great resource of technical information.
Tracey Whitney a.k.a @PopTrashBeauty- An absolute delight to chat with and an expert on making people look fantastic. Not that I need this kind of help…;-D
MoZella – The only Musician to make the list this time. Mo is a long time friend and a fantastic artist. She has an absolutely unique sound that you must hear to believe. I honestly do my best to try catching all of her NYC performances.
So that’s the list for this month. If there’s some one you enjoy following perhaps you’d like to leave a comment here to let the rest of us know who and why.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mikel King has been a leader in the Information Technology Services field for over 20 years. He is currently the CEO of Olivent Technologies, a professional creative services partnership in NY. Additionally he is currently serving as the Secretary of the BSD Certification group as well as a Senior Editor for the BSD News Network.
What a thoughtful list!