Who was the most influential person on Twitter for you in 2008?
- fish school from Images
It’s that time again! The end of year Best of 2008!
I wanted to take a slightly different angle and ask this question:
Who was the most influential person you met through Twitter in 2008?
I don’t mean who has the most followers or RSS subscribers I don’t mean who has the biggest income etc etc…
Who’s value to you on Twitter, Who’s advice be it personal or business has had the most impact on your life in 2008!?
For me I had a turning point about 2 weeks ago, Twitter for me was a fun side sport as was my blog but upon reading Guy Kawasaki’s Twitter as a Twool and also reading points of the webinar (via hashtags as I couldnt get up and running) from Chris Brogan and Duct Tape Marketing I decided to try and take my side passion and see if 2009 could really be about some business.
I for one value amazingly highly the connections and friends I have made in this past three months on Twitter.
Darren Rowse recently had an article on Twitip 10 Twitter Agendas – What’s Yours?, where I arrogantly declared myself as a Combo Meal…
Are we all thing’s to all Men and Women? Do the people (pals) who listen to our updates have the same impression of there usefullness as we think we give?
Twitter was and still is a personal communication tool for many but it’s plainly obvious that it has now been embraced as a Marketing tool, some people use it in a Caped Crusader-esq manner and some turn it into the Joker but it is a Business Tool and those who deny or condemn its use in this fashion are not seeing the wood for the trees.
I still like to think I’m a Combo Meal but this post was not to discuss the merits of our percieved value to our twitter pals this was to define ONE thing.
Who was the most influential person you met through Twitter in 2008?Please make a nomination in the comments I’m not going to turn this into a poll as polls are messy and ambiguous, just state who (The One) and Why?
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So, that’s a very tough question Roger :)
I’ve a lot of people that influenced me through twitter but since my interests are between Technology, Blogging, Politics, and Design, I would pick Robert Scoble, @Scobleizer.
He is one of my role models when it comes to blogging, his job is very interesting and through the year 2008 he manages to give us important news about almost everything, beside that he really gained my respect when he actually managed to spend a lot of time with his family and still be productive and powerful through social media tools like twitter and friendfeed, I’m always respectful to people that have the time for their families and the world, I also love his coverage of tech conferences like Le Web and Techcrunch.
Hi Ahmed Yes I understand putting the ONE is difficult but I think if we don’t worry about offending others and look at the positive aspects then we could all happily name THE one ;)
I would have to say Gary Vaynerchuk has had the biggest influence on me via Twitter. Garyvee is one of the most inspirational people on there and actually does interact with his followers, unlike many of the ‘big boys’.
If you want to learn how to improve your personal brand then Garyvee is definitely one to watch.
Easily Gary Vaynerchuk, no doubt about it.
For me, Jeremiah Owyang was the most influential person in 2008 from a business perspective. He interacts personally, he listens and he writes an extremely useful blog and ALWAYS goes out of his way to point us to what we need to know. He also gives a nod to his competition which is so rare. He is, for me, the real deal. I trust him.
From a personal perspective, @sashakane was the most influential. She taught me about the importance of being genuine and authentic and transparent on twitter. Had it not been for her early intervention, I don’t think Twitter would have become what it is for me today..a network of supportive, loving people connecting to laugh, support each other, and, occasionally, help each other earn a living. Sasha rocks.
And, when I was a brand new peep, @chrisbrogan and @jimconnolly both took the time to listen through DM and help me. That showed me something about both of them. I had almost no followers, but they still took their time to help. I will not forget either.
“Who’s value to you on Twitter”
Kinda hard take THE ONE if you ask us that question, I include in my twitter just graphic-design-related people, some friends and family. I think the twtitterverse is more than this, so if you want to be just ONE left yok have to ask less subjective questions.
BTW who I value the most in twitter is Jacob Cass (@justcreative).
Marcos´s last blog post..Gran Concierto de NIN
Andrew from MyInkBlog convinced me to join Twitter so I’m going to go with him. Joining was a good decision.
Colorburned´s last blog post..50 Snowflake Scatter Brushes
Darren Rowse has been my most influential twitter member this year. I had been really neglecting twitter until he put up twitip.com In a week I was back to using it regularly and went from 25 followers to 400+ and increased my blog traffic almost 15% by posting the feeds to twitter.
Brad Hart´s last blog post..Judge Not
I would have to agree with you regarding Darren Rowse. He had the foresight to publish my article, “10 Twitter Agendas – What’s Yours?” as referenced in your post. Yep, that’s me — Snow Vandemore, the one and only that coined the Twitter user profile, “Combo Meal.” I don’t think many would have wanted to risk upsetting the Twitter elite — especially if you are writing about twitter tips, but he took that risk, just as I did. It is paying off for me in traffic, I must say. I trust it is doing the same for Twitips.com.
Thanks for the reference to my article. I appreciate it.
This is an easy one for me, for that I give credit to Glenda Watson Hyatt, @GlendaWH. Glenda was the one who introduced me to Twitter, helped me through the early days of trying to figure it all out and gave me suggestions on who to follow. For me, Twitter is the great watercooler that I could never access in groups face-to-face, so I appreciate the conversations that I can join in on a daily basis.
Karen Putz´s last blog post..The Mom Song–A Guaranteed Belly Laugh
I would have to say Darren Rowse would be the person that has influenced me the most.I joined twitter not really seeing just what it could do for one,and quickly found the importance of it through Darren Rowse,and what he shares about it.
stevenwilson´s last blog post..Import Export for Blogger Blogs
I was most influenced by Guy Kawasaki this year for one very important reason. He articulated the importance of following everyone who follows you. Now, there are people who I won’t follow. But, for the most part, I follow every single person who follows me. And I’ve found that less people “qwit” me now that I have a relationship with them. It’s easy for people to dump you when you’re not following them.
Jennifer James´s last blog post..Parents of Biz Kidz
@juliejulie was my first Tweet and my 1,000th Tweet. She introduced me to a whole network of really interesting women in tech, besides.
I’d have to say @lisarokusek was most influential for me this year. I followed her because of her funny avatar eyeball and she’s turned into a business partner and a dear family friend. Through her suggestions, I began following people who who’ve taught me about the wild wacky world of tech startup companies and global PR, all in 140 characters or less.
juliejulie´s last blog post..Paper Airplane Contest
@chrisbrogan has been a big influence for me. By watching him, I’ve learned how to use Twitter. He is a master at interacting with his followers. My biggest influence was @davideckoff because he sold me on signing up for an account!
Mary-Lynn´s last blog post..Do You Make Your Friends Happy?
First and foremost, Katie Delahaye Paine (@kdpaine), a personal and professional icon. If she hadn’t talked about it to me, I would never have ventured into it, and missed out on this amazing new extension of our selves and lives.
Darren Rowse @problogger has been the most influential for me. His post on Problogger introduced me to Twitter and stay with it until I understood it. Then his Twitips has been very helpful for me. I originally found ProBlogger because I read a great cooking blog, Coconut and Lime, and became interested in blogging as well as cooking. That lead me to ProBlogger, which lead me to Twitter. I now follow @coconutlime on Twitter too. If you had a 2nd most influential person on Twitter, I’d pick her.
ChrisBrogan has been the biggest influence for me and many others. Some provide excellent information on twitter and in their blog but they don’t personally interact or communicate with as many people as Chris does via direct messages, emails, chatting, phone calls and in person via meetups and such. Many preach from a mountaintop it seems while Chris is in the trenches with us all. Big difference.
Pai
Paisano´s last blog post..7 Facts About Pai
I really got into the swing of Twitter this yea after initially giving it a miss. I have to give credit to Liz Strauss – though she did not directly tutor/teach me how to use Twitter per say, she was very influential.
Watching her twitter feed it amazed me how she reached out to so many of her followers and took the time to acknowledge them and say hello. This made an impression and helped me see a value of Twitter that was beyond just shouting a message.
Great question, Roger! Especially at the end of 2008. The most influential people for me in “order of chronological influence” are
1) @ArtistTaraReed – Thank you for writing “I’m on Twitter — Now WHAT?” and being in Alex Mandossian’s mastermind group
2) @Pistachio – Thank you for doing Ashtanga yoga and your integrity
3) @guykawasaki – Thank you for Tweeting this site
Phil
Jeremiah Owyang has definitely been the most influential, insightful and educational. Other influencing twitters include David Armano, Chris Brogan and Guy Kawasaki. They are all right on the pulse.
@jayrosen_nyu for sure. he is sharp and succinct and an unrelenting force for excellent journalism in all media.
Like you, Roger, I was just sort of floating along my first several months on Twitter (I joined last February); I really didn’t know how describing ‘what I was doing’ in 140 characters or less could really benefit me or anyone else. It was more a curiosity than anything else — and one that I didn’t put a whole lot of effort into, either.
Then a few weeks ago I stumbled upon (pun intended) ProBlogger Darren Rowse’s TwiTip blog and read his post proclaiming the Ten People All Twitter Beginners Should be Following. Well that changed everything.
Soon after following folks like Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan, and Robert Scoble, the light bulb went on. I’ve been slowly building my personal brand through Twitter since; I’m not exactly sure where it will go from here but I’m excited about the possibilities, but mostly, about the exposure to so many great and interesting people I’m enjoying on a daily basis.
So, if I had to pick one MOST influential person on Twitter, it would definitely have to be Darren Rowse.
Thanks, Darren!
AJ in Nashville´s last blog post..November Remembers
It would have to be @RobMcNealy . Not only did he introduce me and so many others to Twitter, but he also explains how Twitter is about who you are, and the conversations you are a part of.
Roger,
One of the most influential people on Twitter has been Satish Talim. He is not a Twitter celebrity, but seems to constantly offer an absolutely unbelievable amount of value.
He has always taken the time to answer questions I’ve had about Thesis, html, CSS and has never asked for anything in return.
John
John Haydon – CorporateDollar.Org´s last blog post..Social Media Just Killed Your Non-Profit’s Mission Statement (and that’s a good thing)
Garyvee, Chris Brogan or @Problogger.
Kishau´s last blog post..10 Basic Components that Every Small Business Website Needs
This is an interesting list! Here is my 2¢:
1. @payobryan and @craigperrine who got me on Twitter in the first place. I love it for so many reasons!
2. @PhilJohncock – who liked my eBook, “I’m on Twitter? Now what?” and is having me look at Twitter in new ways.
3. Of course, all I’ve learned from everyone else too!
Oh wow this is a hard one! I follow lots of people who I value, and I use Twitter as a social exchange, although I like people who can teach me things and who I can share things with.
I don’t follow everyone, I have no interest in the person who tweets in Japanese because I can’t understand any of it, or in the lady who keeps pushing her novelty tights business.
Top person: @Divinewrite for making me laugh, for his funny and interesting replies. Thank you Mr Divinewrite :)
CJ´s last blog post..TGIF – terrific!
Surely it’s @styletime! ;)
Ben McKay´s last blog post..Is Semantic SEO the Marketers SEO?
Great post and discussion – my theme for 2009 is all about influence!! My power question for the year: “Who and what am I allowing to influence me?”
For 2008, the most influential peeps I am honored to include in my network: @GaryVee, @GuyKawasaki, @ChrisBrogan, @jowyang, @tferriss, @alibrownla. Each of these fine folks has impacted my life and business in various ways – mostly I deeply appreciate their commitment to contributing massive value with authenticity and commitment to making a difference.
Mari Smith´s last blog post..Facebook Groups vs. Facebook Pages – Which Is Best?
I have been on Twitter for over a year, so many people have been helpful. But the most influential person has been Guy Kawasaki. After following him last year, and then being able to help him with a few questions he had, I have discovered the new uses of Twitter as a branding tool.
Anita Cohen-Williams´s last blog post..Google is a Big Bully
I can’t pick one. I consider people “influential” if they impact my life. Personally, that would be a) @LizScherer, a steadfast friend who is there every morning to wake up with me while I drink coffee at 6 am, b) @avflox, whose posts are not about engaging with others but about poetry & baring oneself completely (she’s fearless!), and c) @LilPecan who never says something to make laugh at least 5 or 6 times a day and laughter is what I’ve needed the most the past few difficult months of Fall (life has been hard, damnit!).
Professionally, I can’t single out anyone. I’ve learned so much from people sharing links as well as their opinions with me. I tend to shy away from the most popular Twitterers to people who aren’t too busy to respond to my Tweets and who are honest about their lives. You probably aren’t familiar with any of their names but, to me, THEY are Twitter, they are my community and I hope I’m part of theirs. And somehow it all works even though its membership changes every single day!
You know I’m a rebel. I’m going to rebel against the question.
For me it’s been a whole bunch of individual people, not one influential person- I know posts like this help people know who to follow, but I like Twitter because it makes it possible to converse with lots of people, not just find pundits to listen to. I like people on Twitter who talk AND listen.
I could name some names, but I’d leave somebody out… so not gonna do it, wouldn’t be prudent.
@chrisbrogan has been the most influential for me. i’ve only been on Twitter for about 4 months. During that time I ran across http://www.chrisbrogan.com and found him on Twitter. Through his web site and interacting with him on Twitter i’ve learned a ton – being a beginner i had a lot to learn :)
–
http://twitter.com/franswaa
Frank´s last blog post..franswaa: Reading: "Lessons in Starting Over" … do you put out your best work (Quality) every time? thx @leelefever ( http://tinyurl.com/5jkgc7 )
ARGH! Always proofread before posting!
I MEANT to say that “@LilPecan never fails to say something that makes me laugh”…but my fingers didn’t cooperate!
Also, @Matik72, @JeffPulver & @MikeG1 are part of the early bird Twitter club (people who post between 5-8 am). Saying good morning to them is part of my daily routine now and to me, that’s a great influence.
Liz´s last blog post..When the other shoe doesn’t fall…
My friend @jamietie was one of the main reasons my Twitter experience evolved into something beyond “just another social media.” Through Jamie I’ve met many people in the Twitter and local community and have had a wonderful experience, including planning a local tweetup. Thanks @jamietie!
hidama´s last blog post..10 Reasons Why I Might Have Unfollowed You (or never followed you in the first place)
@guykawasaki first. He’s a friend, mentor and told me to get on Twitter. I follow his advice in many things, not quite all!
@JimConnelly second. He knows a lot, shares a lot, and is perhaps ‘newer’ to Twitter than many others mentioned. But I know of no one who continues to connect with all his “associates” – or at least works hard at it.
Bert Decker´s last blog post..Blagojevich – Communications of The Pursuer and the Pursued
I have to say that everyone that I follow or who follows me has influenced me. I love twitter and can not believe how helpful it has been for connecting during our open ended world tour!
So many influential people have really touched me deeply in many ways including:
@GuyKawasaki, @Pistachio @ChrisBrogan, @GaryVee, @jowyang, @Lizstrauss @Geekmommy @sarahmorgan and more!
If I must narrow it down to one it would be @Guykawasaki
because I have learned so much from him and enjoyed conversations with him on twitter ( something that never would have happened any where but on twitter). I get annoyed at people who say he does not converse!!
Twitter has allowed me to connect and talk to so many people that I would other wise never have known.
I also must say that the travel writing community on twitter is phenomenal and I can not name them all because there are just too many. They have all touched me, but meeting @wendyperrin ( an icon at Conde Nast Traveler) on twitter and then spending Halloween with her family via a tweet had to be a highlight and greatest influence. ( She also tweeted about it and posted the story and pictures on her Conde Nast Traveler blog!).
Twitter influence has allowed us to have a twitter-around-the-world trip while we travel around the world!!
Soultravelers3´s last blog post..Where in Heaven is Mozart?
I’ll nominate @michaelhyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson. In addition to persuading me to give Twitter a week through a blog post earlier this year, he’s on a very, very short list of “must read every tweet” twitterers.
Dahna Chandler was the most influential for me because she helped me get started on Twitter.
Name @dahnachandler
Location Digital Nomad
Web http://www.socialmediasavvyblog.com/
Bio Social media blogger, award-winning business journalist (www.probusinessjournalist.com) and A&E media relations strategist (www.thesavvypublicist.com)
I recommend @coreyhaines for the most influential tweeter of 2008 for me.
He is a very talented developer, I value his opinions, and he has a great grasp on the best practices of software development.
I highly recommend any developer following him on Twitter.
Elijah Manor´s last blog post..Shorty Twitter Award Recommendations
@garyvee is the one that got me into Twitter, but his influence mostly occurs outside of Twitter. About 60% of his Tweets are used to gage the effectiveness of deals he’s working on, about 30% are telling people to watch him somewhere. Leaving a small amount of actual dialogue via Twitter.
The most influential people I follow are the people of @carrotcreative @carrotcrew @mopostal @mikegermano @chrispetescia
Not to mention @whitneyhess is quite influential as well.
As for links to marketing, designers, PR, etc type people, @megmroberts always provides great stuff.
Paul Stonier´s last blog post..Yulia Brodskaya
Twitter is definitely the best thing that happened to me professionally this year as no where can one learn so much. If i have to pick one though it would have to be Chris Brogan, if only for the amazing people i now follow thanks to him.
I think @Endtherobocalls was influential in showing me every day how Twitter is used as a method to a total media outreach that goes mainstream. Watching his tweets gain followers, who looked at the site and then took political action was a treat and a real lesson I use now with clients to show the importance of social media as part of their efforts.
Thanks George.
I'd put my most influential Twitterer as the man behind @TweetDeck –> @iaindodsworth. While not an "influencer" in terms of Tweet content, he created the most useful Twitter Tool of the year. I think about 10% of daily Tweets go through TweetDeck as of last week.
Shaun Dakin
CEO – StopPoliticalCalls.org
@EndTheRobocalls
So many of the people on Twitter make a powerful difference in my life. If I had to pick one which is difficult, I would say @marismith because she is warm friendly and is so willing to help. She follows back everyone who follows her and she answers every response made to her.
Dawn Abraham Business Coach´s last blog post..Twitter Contest
There have been many, many wonderful people that have influenced me, especially over the last month or so.
If I only get to choose ONE person it would have to be @ChrisBrogan and only marginally ahead of a whole bunch of loving hearts and brilliant minds.
May peace and peace and peace be everywhere…
For me it would be @aeioux he is a guy going places and he’s taking people along with him. He’s got ideas and turning them into reality. He’s creating a community of bloggers, tweeters and creative geniuses (geniui?) around him and firing off ideas into the blogosphere. He (and @dubber) are going to shake the city of Birmingham, and I’m going to do my best to help them.
Ben Whitehouse´s last blog post..An elephant and a bear feed the ducks.
John Byrne, since he shares cutting edge news stories with analysis. He also shares observations and answers questions now and then. I enjoy his steady, generous nature in Twitter.
Robyn McMaster´s last blog post..Obama’s an Avid Reader – You?