#FollowFriday on Twitter is a great way to recognize and recommend people that you feel add value to your Twitter stream. However, I’m often more interested in why people follow those they recommend. For this reason, I’m explaining my recommendations. (For an introduction to #FollowFriday, see Mashable’s How #FollowFriday Works.)
Below are three people I follow on Twitter because I appreciate their contribution to the field of web publishing and I benefit from their tweets.
Kristina Halvorson
http://www.twitter.com/halvorson
Influence: Web Content Strategy
Who she is: Kristina Halvorson is the founder and president of Brain Traffic (@BrainTraffic), an agency specializing in content strategy and delivery. Brain Traffic describes quality content as "Useful. Useable. Contextual. Consistent." which illustrates their view on content strategy. Halvorson is a positive contributor to the "dialogue" on content strategy, asking good questions and promoting best practices.
Why I follow her: Being obsessed with content strategy myself I really appreciate Halvorson’s passion for the craft. I have a lot of respect for her perspectives on the need and role of content strategy in web publishing. I pre-ordered her book, Content Strategy for the Web, and really look forward to reading it.
Brian Hoff
http://www.twitter.com/behoff
Influence: Graphic Design
Who he is: Brian Hoff is a self-employed graphic designer and founder of The Design Cubicle, a blog focusing on "design, creativity and learning." Like all good users of social media, he opens the door to conversation through his blog and is very active on Twitter.
Why I follow him: Hoff provides a continuous stream of useful design-related resources and topics, but what distinguishes him for me is his endeavor to use web publishing for teaching and learning. His business is not quite a year old, but that’s actually an added benefit for his followers who are able to watch him develop his business and expertise. A good sample of Hoff’s approach is his blog post: The creative process for the Design Cubicle’s logo.
Erika Napoletano
http://www.twitter.com/RedheadWriting
Influence: Style & Voice
Who she is: Erika Napoletano is owner of RedheadWriting, a blog with "a candid view on writing, SEO and social media." The operative word there is "candid." Napoletano has a brazen assurance which permeates her writing on Twitter and her blog. Basically, she tells it like she sees it. Did I mention she’s candid?
Why I follow her: Napoletano’s writing style and voice. It’s a challenge to balance a social media presence professionally and personally. Most people are afraid of being too honest in their writing through fear of offending someone or being judged critically. While writers should be mindful of their audience, the tendency to censor opinions to accommodate the status quo can dilute the impact of their writing. It is refreshing to read unexpurgated views–it motivates me to write more transparent and honest. Napoletano is also a really good writer.
All three of these #FollowFriday recommendations are case examples of why I use Twitter. Maybe I would have discovered Halvorson’s book or Hoff’s and Napoletano’s blogs on my own, but their perspectives wouldn’t be as meaningful to me as they are when I follow them–follow their discoveries, challenges, accomplishments, and yes, weekend vacations and hiking trips. Twitter is social media, after all.