Recently, I had the great honor of appearing on a list called 200 Fearless women online and in Social Media. As I scanned the names, I had two sensations. First, I could not believe my great fortune in appearing on such a list. It was a humbling experience. But I also lamented that so many wonderful women so seldom get their own credit. I want to highlight those women here. Follow them on Twitter, get to know them, and you’ll see why they’re on my list of top women in the world.
[Incidentally, I’m sure the formatting on this will not look quite right, and I do apologize. These kinds of posts are difficult to get to look good – at least for me. It’s the content that counts!]
1. Chanelle Schneider (@WriterChanelle): 
Chanelle is warm, friendly, talented, intelligent, and passionate. She founded and runs GenYChat and is a wonderful person to talk to on Twitter
2. Dawn Westerberg (@dwesterberg): 
Dawn was one of the first people I befriended on Twitter. She is a certified Duct Tape consultant, she is business savvy, and she is always one of the top contributors to any chat in which she participates.
3. Jeannette Baer (@myagenda): 
I met Jeannette when I started participating in Twitter chats. She seemed to be in every single one I checked out (which was a lot). In every one, Jeannette offered excellent perspectives, astute observations, and warm friendliness. Over the last year Jeannette has also offered a steady dose of support and friendship to me that is priceless and valuable beyond my capacity to explain.
4. Cate Colgan (@CateTV): 
There are a few people in the online world who can make you feel their warmth and the depth of their soul through your computer screen. Cate is that kind of woman. She has words of love for everyone she meets, she offers no bitterness or pettiness, and takes great pride in introducing good people to each other. She brightens my online world on a regular basis.
5. Sandy Hubbard (@sandyhubbard): 
Sandy and I have something in common in that we both dwell in the world of traditional media. Sandy is in the print business and in our agency, we often work with magazines and printers in various capacities. Beyond that Sandy is bright, always has a kind word, and seems to know a great deal about any subject you toss her way.
6. Debbi Morello (@debmorello): 
You’ve gotten to know Deb a bit from the post she wrote here, but what you need to know is that Debbi is a well-respected photojournalist. While a lot of us were sitting comfortably, tweeting away, Deb was visiting and recording the damage in Joplin, Missouri. So it always is with this woman. She dwells in the real world and brings it home to us online.
7. Sam Parrotto (@qstreet): 
There are few people who are more full joy online than this lady. She is warm and outgoing, energetic and optimistic, funny and deeply intelligent. Sam is one of those people who can make you feel like you’ve known her forever five minutes after meeting her, and that’s a great trait in the online world.
8. Ivonne Vazquez (@Vivassistants): 
Ivonne is one of those people who just makes you feel warm and at home when you see her in the Twitter stream. She works hard, keeps her head on straight, and lights up the path wherever she is. She also makes a mean cup of hot cocoa, or so I’ve heard 🙂
9. Heidi Cohen (@heidicohen): 
Heidi continually pushes out some of the best actionable blog content I come upon (you’ve seen her, I think, in almost every #30Thursday round-up I’ve done!). Heidi also participates in I think more chats than I do, and she is always a leader wherever she goes.
10. Daria Giron (@mominmanagement): 
To say that Daria is a mommy blogger doesn’t really cover it. Daria can blog on anything from marketing to self-improvement, and she does it all with a distinctive charm that is enviable and wonderful all at the same time. Daria brings innovation to the online world as well as friendliness and support.
11. Lisa Alexander (@LisaNAlexander): 
Talk about a woman who does everything well, Lisa Alexander is a marketer, a pastor, a mom, a wife, and a wonderful woman. How does she juggle all that she does? I haven’t a clue. But I am sure glad I know her!
12. Tori Pimentel (@OpSweet16): 
I just met Tori recently, but what she is doing is spectacular. Tori has the goal of raising $16,000 for our troops by the time she turns 16 in March. We need to shine the light on great young women like this. Your efforts are appreciated and admired, Tori!
13. Amber Cleveland (@AmberCleveland): 
I’ve told you about Amber before on this site, but she deserves to be spotlighted again 🙂 Amber is highly intelligent but not at all snooty. She is helpful, friendly, warm, supportive, and has a special place in her heart for animals and cars 🙂 You will not regret getting to know this lady!
14. Lisa Barone (@lisabarone): 
I’m not sure why people do not fall down and worship at Ms. Lisa’s feet. It continues to puzzle me. Lisa is an SEO expert who can explain complicated concepts in ways that are impossible to not understand. She has a biting sense of humor and a good heart. What else do ya want?
15. Beth Harte (@bethharte): 
Beth is a woman whom I admire a great deal. Her passion for customer-centric business and integrated marketing is unparalleled in the online world. She runs a fantastic #IMCChat every other week with Anna Barcelos and manages to create great content whilst avoiding all of the drama that seems to plague so many in the online world.
16. Kat Caverly (@KatCaverly or @Greetums): 
I’ve introduced you to Kat before and she has written a post here, but the smiles this woman brings to my stream are hard to match. The fact that she is a multi-talented, warm, charming woman is just icing on an awfully good cake!
17. Nancy Davis (@nancyd68): 
Nancy is another person who I’ve introduced you to here, but what she is doing with her blog just awes me every day. You can tell from her exchanges with people that she is the real deal through and through, and I just feel very privileged that I have gotten to know her!
18. Dr. Susan Giurleo (@susangiurleo): 
You just saw a post from this fine lady here yesterday, so it should be fresh in your mind how awesome she is. I met Susan primarily through our interactions on Third Tribe. I run into her from time to time over at Chris Brogan’s blog, and now I always get to see her at KitchenTablecompanies.com. Everywhere I see Susan, she is offering thoughtful advice and support. How she does that in addition to her career continues to be a mystery to me!
19. Dr. Krupali Tejura (@Krupali):
Krupali is another person who I enjoy following because her tweets keep my life and my online world in perspective. Krupali is a radiation oncologist, and often her tweets involve inroads in curing cancer. Like I said – hello perspective. Through it all, Krupali remains a fun person to tweet with. She greets everyone warmly and doesn’t present herself as someone who is above anyone else (even though I think she is) 🙂
20. Becky McCray (@beckymccray): 
Becky is an expert in small business promotion and development. She has a huge following on Twitter and is extremely well respected, and yet I’ve had the pleasure of discussing the delight of ice cream as a snack. She is another outstanding woman who does not maintain a distance from people but rather always greets people warmly. I admire her a great deal.
21. Sherree Worrell (@sherree_w): 
I met Sherree for the first time while I was cruising several different chats. She always had something intelligent to say, and as I ran into her more and more often and then started interacting with her in the #usguys stream, I saw that she was another woman who is genuinely kind and also very very smart. Sherree offers a quiet strength that I find indispensable.
22. Jill Manty (@mantywebdesigns): 
I can’t remember if I first met Jill at the MarketingProfs chat or at Leadershipchat, but she and I started talking right away. I immediately noticed two things – Jill’s immense fount of knowledge and her awesome sense of humor. As I’ve gotten to know Jill better, I have also found her to be extremely kind and an excellent friend.
23. Carol Roth (@caroljsroth): 
I first heard of Carol Roth when I was exploring SOBCon last year. I thought, “Wow, a woman in the M&A sector – she must be tough as nails! Then I started seeing her talking to great folks like Lisa Petrilli and Lou Imbriano. And then I read Entrepreneur Equation and became a fangirl 🙂 Despite her hectic schedule and her continued rise to stardom, I have found Carol to be an excellent friend and mentor. You need to get to know this woman!
24. Lisa Petrilli (@lisapetrilli): 
Speaking of Lisa Petrilli, although her star too is beginning to rise, I think it has more to do with, perhaps, her skills in counseling the C-Suite or her blog posts on leadership. However, Lisa is also a great friend, seems to never run out of sweetness, and is a great inspiration for people who are still rather new to this here online world.
24. CD Vann (@thatwoman_is): 
If you heard a lot of buzz in May about UnGeeked, then you’ve seen the handiwork of Ms. CD Vann. CD is a driven woman, another woman who exudes strength but not in a flashy or obnoxious way. She has a quiet strength that is admirable, and her UnGeeked success is just the tip of the iceberg of why she is awesome!
25. Liz Strauss (@lizstrauss): 
Speaking of women whose handiwork is readily evident, you probably also heard a great deal of buzz about SOBCon this spring. That is in large part thanks to the fantastic efforts of powerhouse Liz Strauss. I have really enjoyed Liz’s posts over at MyEscapeVelocity.com, and again, despite her powerhouse status, I have always found her friendly and approachable, which is awesome for the online world! 🙂
26. Ksenia Coffman (@kseniacoffman): 
Ksenia does a great job running #b2bchat every Thursday night at 8 PM EST. She is a smart woman and often offers her support to people in her online community. She also possesses a charming sense of humor!
27. Nicole Fende (@bizfinanceforum): 
I had the great fortune of meeting Nicole via my blog. Nicole is another numbers woman, but she is as kind as can be and offers a great sense of humor via her blog posts and her tweets. Follow this woman, learn, and enjoy!
28. Allen Mireles (@allenmireles): 
I’ve sung Allen’s praises here before, especially around the time she was getting ready to host Jason Falls in Toledo, Ohio for his Exploring Social Media Business Summit. Allen is endlessly supportive, incredibly brilliant, and she loves nature just as much as I do 🙂
29. Michele Price (@prosperitygal): 
Michele hails from Texas, and her big personality makes loads of sense when you consider her where-abouts. Michele is a power-house who runs #speakchat and who seems to be everywhere at all times. She also promotes other women via her radio show, Women in Business Radio.
30. Ingrid Abboud (@nittygriddyblog): 
A few months ago, I started noticing this very kind woman was tweeting out my posts. We exchanged a few tweets and she seemed very funny and kind, so I decided to check out her blog. Wow am I glad I did that! Ingrid Aboud’s blog is superior stuff. She has a voice and is not afraid to use it! So glad I met this lady – now I want you to meet her! 🙂
31. Lisa Johnson (@lisajohnson): 
I also met Lisa via 3rd Tribe. Lisa is a fitness expert, but yet again I must say that this lady is not the kind of person who beats you down with her knowledge. She is passionate, helpful, but respectful of what you may or may not know. Get to talking health and fitness with this fine lady and you will not be sorry!
32. Judy Helfand (@JudyHelfand):
I met Judy via Chris Brogan’s blog. We both started liking each others’ comments, then started talking on Twitter. Judy is a woman full of wonderful insights. She is a good listener, a good writer, and a good person to have on your team. Go say hi to her!
33. Gini Dietrich (@ginidietrich):
A few months ago, I started regularly visiting blogs that I still visit regularly today – blogs like Mark Schaefer’s, Danny Brown’s, and Geoff Livingston’s. All of these guys kept mentioning this Gini Dietrich. Then I visited Mitch Joel’s blog and he had a post that mentioned Gini. Well, I figured that Gini must be something if all of these guys respected her, but I also though she would be kind of inaccessible. Not so. Gini has many guest posts on her blog, and she is fantastically out-going. The real deal. Check out her blog and her Twitter stream!
34. Marsha Collier (@marshacollier): 
Speaking of the real deal, that would be Ms. Marsha Collier. Marsha co-hosts #custserv every Tuesday night (9 PM) so she is easy to find. Marsha is an accomplished author and is another one of those women who seems to do everything well, from writing to her techy radio show. Plus she’s kind and supportive. Get to know her!
35. Judi Knight (@judiknight): 
Judi can often be seen contributing great thoughts to #blogchat on Sunday nights. She is a master of wordpress and let me tell you, when you are working on a project she is a superstar! Judi helped me with the #care4Japan effort after the Japan quake and tsunami, and her efforts were incredible. She is a great lady!
36. Linda Machado (@lindamachado):
I met Linda when I was still pretty new to Twitter. She was participating in #imcchat and was offering extremely good insights, then worrying that because English was her second language we might not get what she was saying. Then she invited us all to visit her in Madeira, which still sounds good to me! Linda supported my first twitter chat attempt, so she will always hold a special place in my heart.
37. Debra Leitl (@mentormarketing):
Debra is another person I met on the chat circuit when I first started doing the whole chat thing. She was and continues to be everywhere! I love Debra’s site – the amount of content she puts out is absolutely crazy. Debra also has a personal twitter account @debraleitl.
38. Debra Ellis (@wilsonellis):
Debra is another person I met at #imcchat. When I first met her I thought, “Holy smokes, this is one of the smartest people I have ever met and I feel like my IQ is nothing when she is talking! I still feel that way but what I have discovered in the meantime is that Debra is really nice, so you feel kind of happy for her that she is so much smarter than you! An expert when it comes to integrated marketing, Debra Ellis is a great person to include in your online community!
39. Caroline Di Diego (@CASUDI): 
Caroline and I bonded first over the fact that we could recognize each other in the Twitter stream by our hats. Later, I got to know Caroline because she frequented a lot of the same chats (noticing a pattern yet) and always had great insight. She is supportive, funny, and rather wise, too, which is a fabulous combination!
40. Kathryn Siranosian (@corpwriter4hire): 
Kathryn is a delightful woman whom I met rather early on in my Twitter career. She is eager to learn, eager to participate in interesting conversations, and even created a Twitter virtual holiday party for all of the folks who work from home. Kathryn also monitors my blog and lets me know gently and with kindness about various mistakes that would drive me crazy. You need a lady like this around!
41. Maya Paveza (@mayaREguru): 
The Social Media world tends to look at real estate agents as people who just post house listings. Maya is trying to change that facet of the real estate industry and teach agents how to engage in Social Media in ways that can help them. Founder of the Hip Roof, Maya is definitely making a splash in the world of real estate and in the world of Social Media.
42. Estrella Rosenberg (@charityestrella): 
What Estrella does when she is not on Twitter is absolutely beyond words. The fact that she has time for Twitter given what she does is also absolutely beyond words. If you have not checked out what Estrella’s organization, Big Love Little Hearts, does, you really must. When you see how charming this lady is, you will be glad to know her as well as know of her.
43. Dianna Zheng (@diannazheng): 
I met Dianna because Chris Brogan tweeted out a link to her blog one day. Her blog was about advertising, so I thought, “Hmm, better see what this lady is up to!” Again, rather glad I did so. Dianna is another young woman who is going to make big waves wherever she goes. She’s a smart cookie and sweet as a cookie too. Watch this one and offer her support – she’s a new college grad!
44. Suzanne Vara (@suzannevara): 
You’ve heard quite a lot about Suzanne here on this site, but it never hurts to reiterate. Suzanne has one of the top small business blogs going, she’s got a good brain for business in her head, and she loves helping figure out business problems. What more could you want, eh?
45. Deb Weinstein (@debweinstein):
I first met Deb in #mmchat, which is Monday nights at 8 PM EST. As soon as she said hello to everyone, there was a ton of excitement. “Oh boy, Deb is here!” I soon discovered why. Deb is another woman who combines sharp business acumen with a soft and squishy heart. She put that all to work when she helped create the first “real life” #usguys conference called #usguyseh. Deb is a lovely lady and a great addition to any online community!
46. Karima-Catherine Goundiam (@karimacatherine):
If you have not yet met Karima-Catherine, you are sorely missing out. A Parisian living in Canada, I’ve watched Karima-Catherine’s star continue to rise for as long as I’ve been using Social Media sites. She is highly perceptive, extremely smart, pleasant to talk to, and she seems to know everybody! You won’t regret conversing with this awesome lady. In fact, you’ll wish you had more than 140 characters to do so!
47. Susan Fox (@gagasgarden):
Susan is an absolute delight to get to know. Her voice in her blogs is unique, charming, and engaging (and it’s not just because of the amazing flower photos she always has over there!). She is one of the most warm-hearted individuals you’ll have the privilege of meeting. So meet her!
48. Mary Biever (@marybiever): 
I met Mary because one of her posts was recommended to me for a #30thursday round-up. I was immediately a fan based on her writing, but over the last several months I’ve also gotten to see how awesome Mary is beyond blogging. She is always teaching, always helping, and always posting pictures of things she has cooked that make my mouth water. What could be better? 🙂
49. Molly Campbell (@mollydcampbell):
Molly is another woman I met while working on my #30thursday write-ups. You may have jumped over to some of her posts from here. If not, you really need to. Molly’s blog posts are sublime – they are like the finest silk and you want to read them slowly and multiple times. Add to that the fact that Molly is fun to talk to on Twitter and you can see why she is on this list!
50. Rose L. Jones (@maximumharvest):
Rose I got to know through #tweetdiner. She is wonderfully supportive and carries a tranquility with her that is downright contagious. I’m bugging her to start blogging so that we can hear more of her lovely voice, and she says she is on the way there – so get ready to support her in her new blogging efforts! 🙂
51. Gloria Wilson (@grandmaondeck):
Gloria lives up to her Twitter handle in a lot of ways. She offers great bits of wisdom via her Twitter feed that you love to hear from your grandma, but she also offers support and a kind word just when you need them. I have been watching Gloria develop her Twitter skills for quite a few months now, and she will only continue to grow her following as she continues to meet people who appreciate her presence!
52. Megin Hatch (@megin):
Megin is a charming woman who has done great things with the Elolam foundation. She is also a great photographer and fun to talk to. Get to know her!
53. Janice Person (@jplovescotton):
I have gotten to know Janice through #blogchat and she also helped support the #care4Japan project. Janice is a warm, inviting, and caring person who always seems to have a smile to give or create. I enjoy talking with her and reading her blog, so get to know her in both places!
54. Miller Finch (@millerfinch):
Miller is a lovely Atlanta lady who is extremely knowledgeable about, well, just about anything you could want to know. She works diligently not only on her own business but also on helping people with their ventures. Her sunny disposition does indeed remind me of those lovely little finch birds. You can also follow Miller’s business tweets @millerfinchsm
55. Renee DeCoskey (@WritingRenee): 
I met this fine lady through my work with Brian Rice and the BusinesstoCommunity.com crew. Renee is a great writer, a great thinker, full of energy and smarts, and is going to do great things over at the BusinesstoCommunity…community. Brian has done a great thing by working her into his crew, and I promise you’ll think I’ve done a great thing by introducing you to her 🙂
56. Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys):
Brandie is a new addition to Sensei Marketing, a company started by friend Jeff “the Sensei) Wilson. With the brutal task of keeping Jeff and Sam Fiorella under control, Brandie has remained a funny lady with a bright outlook. Of course, any person so respected by Jeff Wilson would be a winner in my book, but having gotten to know Brandie myself, I can whole-heartedly concur!
57. Paula Lee Bright (@childwillread or @almost60really):
Paula is an amazing woman not only for what she is doing but also under the circumstances under which she is trying to do it. Bothered with health problems and new to the world of Social Media, Paula has steadily been building an online presence that she wants to use to help children learn how to read. She also wants to help parents get better educated on how to help children learn to read. Paula is a warm human being, passionate about what she is working on, and is a great person to know.
58. Liz Stewart (@lushbeads):
Liz Stewart may be the great unsung hero of the Social Media world. Part of her life’s work is to keep Chris Brogan under control! Liz is a valued member of Human Business Works, and if that wasn’t enough, she also owns her own bead shop. Liz is a delightful person despite how busy she must be – she is one of those women who seems to make it all look effortless. Don’t you hate people like that? 🙂
59. Kristi Hines (@kikolani): 
What can I say about Kristi Hines? She has had her praises sung in other places before, but I feel it’s necessary to point out that Kristi inspired the #30Thursday concept here with her Fetching Friday posts, and Kristi taught me the value of passing on great resources as I watched her do the same time and time again. Her own blog, of course, is not too shabby either! None of this is enough though. Kristi is now pursuing photography too. Another woman who can do it all.
60. Ellen Cagnassola (@sweetsoaps):
When I was very very new to Twitter, it seemed like no one would ever talk to me. Then one magical day, I got a reply from this lady named SweetSoaps. Did I start to follow her? Heck yeah! Ellen, amidst her tweets about her amazing products (which will soon be available in stores), offers warmth and support to folks who are new to Twitter like I was. She keeps in touch with everyone too, and she still offers me as much encouragement as she did a year ago. She is an amazing woman, and having her last her certainly does not make her least!
So these are 60 women that came to my mind. Who do you see working their tail off that never seems to get any of the glory? Let me know who I missed!