FollowFriday Rockstars May 1, 2009

One of the things I love most about Twitter is how it can bring out the best in so many people. In my tweets I use "rockstar" quite a bit. I also blip a few songs about rockstars going out to my tweeps. To me a rockstar is someone who simply shines. Something beautiful and wonderful comes out from them. It is not about follower count. It's not about how often they tweet. It's not even really what they tweet about. It's about people that really help make Twitter what it is by simply being who they are.

Each week I try and share with everyone some people on Twitter I think are worth following & getting to know better. I am doing it this way because I think that a simple 140 character recommendation isn't enough. Like many others that use Twitter, I believe in quality over quantity. I hope that some quality contacts come from this. That you personally can find one or more people from this list that you can also become friends with, network with & maybe get to know a little bit better.

Tommytrc - Tommy is a genuine sweet guy. He tweets about a variety of subjects - with a nice mix of something for everyone. He also has to be one of the politest people on Twitter. In spite of having almost 9,000 followers, he really takes the time to show his appreciation to people. He's all about sharing and having him around, you can't help but feel good & smile. This father of 4 with one on deck due May 22 has worked in digital prepress for the past 20 years. Tommy is self taught in the printing industry as he went to college for business administration. When not chasing around his 23 mo old Emma or beating his other 3 kids, Tommy likes to do freelance web design, dote on his very pregnant wife and serve others through his church activities. His twitter bio says it all "Tech Geek, Prepress and Printing Guy, Mac Head, PC Guy Too, -- Overall Troublemaker - His motto to live by - Find out what sucks and don't do that!"

JeffreySummers - If you do business in any niche area and want to find out how Twitter can be used in an optimal way, Jeffrey is the best example I can think of following. For a consultant who is passionately focused on the restaurant business, Jeffrey is a very fun and accessible guy to talk to on just about any subject. You will find him tweeting or retweeting everything from a great recipe for someone’s favorite dish handed down from their great-grandmother to sparring with some of Twitter’s best and brightest marketing and blogging minds. Jeffrey is also extremely easy to talk to and openly follows everyone back that follows him and has an intriguing policy of answering every @ reply or DM sent to him by anyone – follower or not and with over 6,400 followers, is no easy feat! It’s also not uncommon to find Jeffrey satisfying his addiction to Twitter at all hours of the day and night. Some wonder if he ever sleeps. Whether it’s getting advice on operating a successful restaurant or small business or just trading really bad jokes, Jeffrey is a great guy to follow and hang out with around the Twitter water cooler.

KristofCreative - Kristof (first name Michael) is on the list of those whose tweets I read on a regular basis. Although he tweets on a variety of subjects, he is really good about finding links on SEO & web design. Kristof's agency provides businesses throughout the U.S. and abroad with successful advertising, design, marking and social media solutions. With over 18 years in the business, Kristof’s marketing and advertising work has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades, and drawn an international clientele including everything from Fortune 500 corporations, to Internet startups, from international venture capital firms, to sole proprietorship's. Kristof has an uncanny knack for merging his comprehensive Interner marketing, social media, and SEO techniques into a powerful tool which allows him to transform his client's websites and blogs into effective traffic and money generating properties.

OwenGreaves - Owen is from Abbottsford, BC and has a passion for technology and how it impacts our society. He tweets about these subjects, some social media topics and lots of general talk. He's a warm, open-hearted guy you can't help enjoying connecting with. Owen has over 15 years experience in management and technology consulting. He got his start in the technology field in the 80's when he was responsible for supporting an automation system for a radio station. After 12 years of Radio & Telvision in various roles including managing his own radio station, he left to pursue his passion of technology and ventured into consulting. He has worked in key verticals such as Manufacturing, Transportation, Music, and Retail. He is currently researching and writing a series on Nanotechnology. He also provides Social Media consulting, I.T. strategic planning and does some public speaking.

JoshuaDenney - Of everyone I'm including today, I'm struggling the most on what to say about Josh. If you already follow him and/or know him at all, you'd understand why I say this. Josh has a great sense of humor, enjoys a wide variety of music and has a brilliant mind. He makes music, has worked as a talent agent and now does kick ass web design and strategy. He's a fellow #nightowl and currently lives in Nova Scotia. To me, Josh is simply Superman. :) Follow him & you'll see why I recommend him.

BradGal - Ingrid is not only simply stunning but a wonderfully sweet woman. She tweets a lot (much retweets of interesting things she comes across) but also a good deal of conversation too. Professionally, Ingrid is an electrical engineer. She lives in WV. She loves cats & dogs, computers, entertainment, high tech, iPhone and poker. Ingrid's also a huge Brad Garrett fan :)

RoseHwang - Rose is like a rainbow in Twitterville to me. I love people who are genuinely about giving and making others smile. This is Rose to a tee. Rose is in Taiwan but wherever you are in the world, she will succeed at making you smile with something she says. She's just really good people and any words cannot do justice to the joy she brings to others. Rose works in International trading, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Events and she is also working on Social Enterprise.

Reddsmitty - Kim is someone I'm just getting to know myself. Most of our exchanges have come about so far because of music. She's a very friendly woman with a mahvelous sense of humor.Kim is a sales & marketing diva with 10+ years experience helping businesses grow through better understanding of their customers, their brand, and their locations. Kim has experience helping businesses market more effectively across every channel (including social media!). Mom to three boys 4 and under this road warrior keeps a very busy schedule and still manages to blip, blog, and tweet. I'm not sure how she manages to do it all and keep those of us that follow her smiling :)

There are many other people I wanted to include on this list. But there's always next #FollowFriday for that :)

Of course, you're more than welcome to follow me too :) I tweet a lot. I try to interact with followers to the extent I can. I spin tunes at Blip.fm. I share links I think are interesting. I'm a news junkie, voracious consumer of information - much of it useless but that which amuses me in some way.


For information on what #followfriday is, you can read here.
For information on why I do this weekly list, you can read here