It seems like a lot of people are making lists lately. Not wanting to miss a hot trend, I thought I would follow suit. I am going to tell you about 20 people who helped me get to the point where I am today, which is a place of deep contentment. All of these people are teachers of some sort. If you start following these 20 people right away, I can guarantee you your Social Media experience will be enriched and enhanced.
Lisa Alexander (@LisaNAlexander): Lisa taught me in the beginning how to keep plugging away, how to look on the brightest side of people and this crazy Social Media world, and how to not give up. I probably would have quit Twitter if Lisa hadn’t been there cheering me on!
Tristan Bishop (@KnowledgeBishop): Tristan is a master teacher when it comes to how to be a great leader, which includes customer service. Because really, isn’t good customer service about leading people to buy from you or your company?
Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan): You may have heard of this guy. He’s pretty well-known. That being said, I don’t have him on this list just because it’s a given. Chris teaches a lot via his blog, his e-newsletter, and his 27 million (oh, it just became billion) other projects, but most of all, and more than anyone I can think of, Chris teaches by example.
Amber Cleveland (@ambercleveland): Amber is a great teacher when it comes to exuding passion and intelligence via a Twitter account. She is bright, intelligent, and is not afraid to show that she offers those traits, but what she taught me is that you can share your knowledge while keeping your personal core intact. Amber’s personal core is warm, friendly, and supportive.
Cate Colgan (@cateTV): Cate is a teacher of how to network. She is always introducing people to each other. She is always promoting other people, and she doesn’t promote herself nearly enough in my opinion. Cate will bring you the warmth in Social Media that might be eluding you.
Mack Collier (@mackcollier): The king of blogchat, Mack is also a great Social Media teacher. He is kind and patient when it comes to helping people get plugged in at blogchat, which is a great resource for anyone, no matter how long they’ve been in this crazy world!
Marsha Collier (@marshacollier): Marsha is another warm human being. She has taught me a great deal about customer service and the inner workings of corporations that need to provide customer service. She also has a great sense of humor, which makes learning fun.
Mark Dykeman (@markdykeman): Mark seems to be everywhere I go. He’s a fellow Third Tribe person and he really shines as a teacher there. He always has a great advice for people. Even more, Mark is a teacher of mind mapping, which I think is such a great thing to be teaching people right now.
Cristian Gonzales (@galactic): I only met Cristian recently, but he has already taught me a great deal. He has taught me about personal courage, showing your true heart on your blog sleeve, and he has been another great teacher in the ways of networking, promoting, and supporting via Social Media. I am so glad I met him. I wish it had happened sooner. Follow him as soon as you sign up!
Ann Handley (@marketingprofs): Even if you are not a marketer, Ann is a great person to follow on Twitter. Ann shows you how to represent a company (MarketingProfs) while still maintaining a very personable, approachable Twitter persona. She also is a great resource for links to the most up-to-date research on Social Media.
Beth Harte (@bethharte): Beth’s teaching specialty (since she actually really does teach it) is Integrated Marketing & Communications. What I have learned from Beth includes and extends beyond that topic. She has taught me how to be passionate about a subject in Twitter, which is really important. It kind of throws out the idea that Twitter is just about what people had for lunch.
Fred McClimans (@fredcmcclimans): I met Fred when I first started expanding beyond Blogchat to other chats on Twitter. He is a great teacher when it comes to the role of analysts in marketing, customer service, Integrated Marketing, and being personable on Twitter.
MentorMarketing (@mentormarketing): I met the folks at Mentor Marketing through several chats – it seemed we ran into each other everywhere we went. I have watched their Twitter feed and their blog evolve into a massive source of information on all sorts of topics, from Social Media to various “how-to” articles.
Maya Paveza (@MayaREGuru): I met Maya one day when Twitter still wasn’t really clicking for me. She made a reference to Monty Python & the Holy Grail and I thought, “Wait, you can do stuff like that on Twitter?!?” From there, Maya has taught me a great deal about how to be accessible yet informative throughout Social Media. Her catch phrase, if she were a character on a tv show, would be “Own it.” Maya’s specialty is Real Estate, but anything she teaches can be used by anyone.
Michele Price (ProsperityGal): If you want to learn about Social Media etiquette, Michele is the person you want to follow. She hosts a weekly chat called #SMManners, and when she’s not chatting, she’s chatting it up. Michele has a daunting intelligence. She says what she means, but she shows you how to be focused in what you say without being sharp or unbending.
Stanford Smith (@pushingsocial): Well gosh. What can I say about my Blog BFF, my #tweetdiner co-conspirator, and my good friend that hasn’t been said already? Stan is a teacher of blogging, but to leave it there really sells him short. Stan is a teacher, period. If you are new to Twitter or to all of Social Media, talk to Stan and he will help plug you in.
Suzanne Vara (@suzannevara): Suzanne will teach you how to build a community. What she has taught me has been indispensable. Suzanne has taught me what can happen when you promote other people ahead of yourself. She has taught me how to introduce people to each other. She has taught me how use passion as an engine in Social Media.
Tommy Walker (@tommyismyname): I met Tommy at a chat on Twitter. I think we started out kind of disagreeing and maybe even arguing a bit, but after a few minutes of that it became clear we were going to be buds. Tommy is carving a niche for himself as a Facebook teacher, but following him on Twitter reveals that he is also a teacher of how to network and share on Twitter. He’s a great dude.
Dawn Westerberg (@Dwesterberg): Dawn teaches via her blog with clear, concise posts about many different topics – I’m a big fan of her PR series, for example. Dawn also teaches how one can use Twitter to promote and support other people, how to be friendly yet smart, how to be funny yet not too far over the edge.
Jeff Wilson (@jeffthesensei): I noticed Jeff at some of the chats I was attending and I thought, wow, what a neat and friendly guy. Then Jeff did a post that showed me that the waters ran much deeper. Jeff is truly one of the most brilliant people I’ve had the pleasure to meet, but again, like so many of my teachers, he has taught me how to balance knowledge with heart, the cerebral with the “howdy” part of Social Media.