Partially inspired by my Twitter list of social builders, and empowered by web startup list.ly that enables anyone to create a list with any web data and to share that list with the world to be rated and liked, here is a list of the top 29 social media managers on Twitter.

This list is very subjective and is by no means exhaustive. Do you agree with my curated names above? (And if you can’t see it, you need to click here.) Would you add anyone? Delete anyone? Give a thumbs up or thumbs down to anyone? Give it a shot.

Create your own list on list.ly while you’re at it.

Please continue reading Top 29 Social Media Managers on Twitter and leave a comment if inspired.

Ari Herzog is currently searching for a full time position in communications. Connect on LinkedIn today.

• How Social Media Should Connect Us
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From her blog to her tweets, there is a down-to-earth quality that attracts me to Susan Murphy. I discovered her about two years ago and haven’t looked back. Her motto of creating, sharing, learning, and being brilliant — is amazing.

Maybe it’s the storyteller in her, an aspect she elaborates further down this Monday Muse interview.

As an instructor of a social media certificate, how do you define social media; and how has that definition changed since you first entered the scene?

I am an old timer when it comes to social media.

I got into the scene after attending Podcamp Toronto in 2007, where I met a few guys who, at the time, were relative unknowns, but were on the leading edge of this great shift in how people communicate. You might recognize some of the names: Chris Brogan, Christopher Penn, and Julien Smith. Not trying to be a name dropper, of course , but these guys opened the door to an amazing new world for me. I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for them. I’m incredibly grateful for their inspiration and support, especially in the beginning, when I was first trying to make sense of all this social media stuff.

I don’t know that the actual definition of “social media” has really changed over the years, but the media themselves certainly have begun to mature. Social media are kind of like rebellious teenagers now — shaking up traditional marketing — and forcing many companies to re-think the way they connect with people.

The social media bubble is still alive and well. As an instructor and coordinator of a social media program, I am finding that there are still so many people who are just trying to navigate these strange new waters.

People are not used to the fact that we are all publishers now. They are trying to wrap their heads around this ability they now have to share their unique perspectives and stories with the world, and what this means for how they communicate about themselves and their businesses. The term “social media” is still scary and unknown to lots of people, and to me, education is the primary way we can help people to overcome their fears.

As a teacher, TV producer, blogger, and other hats you wear, what do you like most about what you do?

I consider myself a storyteller. My original profession was as a TV producer, and it’s something I’ve been doing for a little over 20 years now – so I come by my storytelling bug honestly. We live in amazing times. The Web allows us to express ourselves in so many ways – through the written word, video, audio, or images (or any combination of these).

There has not been another time in history where we’ve had the opportunities to express ourselves freely that we do now. But self-expression is not something that comes naturally to a lot of people.

What I love to do most is help people to find their stories, and then find the best ways to tell those stories.

What is your daily routine?

I fell into this bad habit last year of waking up in the morning and heading straight to the computer to start working. I thought that hitting the ground running every day would give me an advantage. Instead, it was actually stressing me out. So I’ve been working on changing my daily routine, so that my days start out more peacefully.

I wake up around 5:30 a.m. I love the quiet of early mornings, before anyone else in the house is awake. I spend about 15 minutes in silence; either meditation or just simply sitting still. I usually will do some yoga or exercise next (getting the brain and body moving first thing in the day is essential for productivity!). Then I make breakfast and crack open the Kindle app on my iPad and read for about 15 minutes. Then I will flip over to check in on Twitter and Facebook and blogs for another 15 minutes or so.

Then, I always shower and get dressed. I work from home most days when I’m not teaching, so the temptation to stay in pajamas all day long is great. If I ‘get ready for work’, even if ‘work’ is in my home office, I feel more prepared to take on the day.

I use Leo Babauta’s method for organizing my tasks during the day. I always have my 3 MIT’s (Most Important Things) and those get done before anything else, even email. I batch certain tasks like phone calls and email, which get processed once my MITs are done. I keep a running list of upcoming stuff too, so that I have my expectations set and don’t forget things. I turn all notifications and ringers off on my phone and computer, so I am not tempted to be distracted by these things. Some days are meeting days – I try to group meetings together as much as possible as to not break up my dedicated work time too much.

Evenings and weekends (if I’m not teaching), are usually dedicated to spending time with family and friends, or working on personal projects and charity work.

Who influenced you the most growing up, and who is your internet influence today?

My parents are my biggest influence. They set the example for me and my brother for just about everything. They showed us that hard work is the secret to success, but that family comes first before anything else. They demonstrated that giving generously of your time and money to things you believe in, without expecting anything in return, is a secret to happiness. They believed in my brother and I and supported our choices (and have always been there to help pick up the pieces when we made bad choices too). They demonstrate every day how to have a happy marriage; they celebrated 50 happy and loving years last September. So, yep… Mom and Dad have been a primary influence on who I turned out to be, for sure.

As far as internet influences, I’m still heavily influenced by Chris, Christopher, and Julien I mentioned earlier. I’ve learned an awful lot from them over the past 5 years or so. It’s amazing how much information and advice they provide to all of us through their blogs and social presences, for free! They are incredibly generous people online and “in real life” and I’m glad to know them.

I would also have to say that professionally, I’m heavily influenced by Mitch Joel [and Monday Muse #1], not only for his dedication to publishing fresh new content every day, but also for his ideas. Every post he writes gets me thinking and pondering. Personally, my friend Jon Swanson has been a tremendous support to me. He is very wise and has helped me through many of those times when I am feeling less than confident or unsure.

What do you know now that you didn’t know at 18?

My first inclination is to say EVERYTHING, but I suppose I should give myself more credit than that. I was lucky to know from the young age of 10 exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up – be a TV producer. So I didn’t waste any time after I graduated from high school at 17; I jumped right into the TV Broadcasting program at Loyalist College that same fall.

To say I was young and naive at that time was an understatement; I was the youngest person in my class. But I was devoted to learning and working hard (something my parents taught me). My hard work paid off and I managed to land my first producing job upon graduation at the age of 19, working for the local community access channel. What I lacked in life experience I made up for in enthusiasm and boundless energy.

My first few months on the job, I was given some wise advice from my boss, Andre, who, to this day, remains a close friend and mentor to me. I was stressing out because I was working on a really challenging show and nothing was going right. I kept going to him and complaining that this was wrong and that was wrong. I was looking to him to solve the problems for me. In his calm and gentle way, he told me that even when faced with big problems, I needed to always focus on finding the solution, no matter what.

Nobody wants to hear your problems, and your problems are just that: yours. Complaining to people about them doesn’t do any good. Always work to find ways to solve your own problems, instead of pushing them back on other people. If you need help, ask. But always come to the table with some potential solutions. That’s advice that I’ve carried with me since, and it’s served me well.

Please continue reading Interview with Storyteller Susan Murphy: Monday Muse #3 and leave a comment if inspired.

Ari Herzog is currently searching for a full time position in communications. Connect on LinkedIn today.

Discover more articles on new and emerging media.

The following is written by Nick Sotos.

There is currently a huge buzz around blogging. A lot of people achieved tremendous success just by blogging about their interest; talk about Yaro, Seth Godin, and many other probloggers. However, while we look up to and celebrate their success, the happiness and growth is much felt in the climbing process and not while on the top. At first, with the fresh enthusiasm, the road seems clear and easier but after a while, we begin to see it dwindling and becoming clouded with self doubt due to the absence or negligible success.

Just like in mountaineering, first we have to write down a list with all the needed outdoor gear, then pack our equipment and then hit the mountain trail. The same preparation has to be done if we want blogging success too. With this in mind, let’s pack together our blogging backpack in order to hit the blogging trail with success.

How To Climb The Blogging Mountain

In order to make our blogging carrier a success, there are some factors that we must put to consideration. Whether you have started or you are about to launch a blog, you will at some point come to this if you want to enjoy long term blogging success.

You Can’t Blog about Everything: This may not be what you need to hear, but the truth is that you can’t tell everybody everything. Ensure that your blog is in a niche and best still, talk about a specific factor in that niche. Many people preach that we should blog about our interest which is a sure way to launch a blog, but you will reach success easier and faster if you find a common problem within your interest and offer solutions with your blog posts.

Know Your Audience: The world seemed already grouped. Just like you may prefer automobiles, software, or web designing and may want to take it up on your blog, another person may just love medicine, PPC advertising, kayaking or skin care products as much as you love web designing. Any post you write on your blog should be for those who share the same interest and you need to write in the language they will understand. Most times, using individual engaging words and statements which speak to each visitor directly tend to pierce the hardest hearts.

Are Your Posts Right To The Point?

I hate reading five paragraphs to find a point. If you write like this, chances are you will be losing audience instead of building a readership community around your blog. Be direct to the point; if the title of your post says they will learn the solution to a particular problem, give it to them first-hand and explain the details with the following paragraphs, This way, you will win their interest to drive them right to the bottom of every blog post.

Use Post Scheduling Systems

If you find the process of writing and posting to be tedious, you can use post scheduling systems to improve your productivity. With any of these systems, you can write and schedule about 3 posts over the weekend to be posted the following week and have the week for your other activities.

Respond To Questions and Inquiries

If I read a blog with queries and questions that were unattended to, I quickly lose interest, especially where those questions have stayed for a while. It means that the bog wasn’t profitable and the owner has lost hope which is discouraging. When readers ask questions with no response from you, they will gradually lose interest and you might lose more than one reader from such a mistake.

Please continue reading How to Conquer the Peaks of Blogging and leave a comment if inspired.

Ari Herzog is currently searching for a full time position in communications. Connect on LinkedIn today.

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Stephen Tiano, a freelance book designer, page compositor, and layout artist, wrote a guest blog post here in February 2009 about his blogging and tweeting and how both contributed to his economic success.

I introduced Mitch Joel last week and debuted the Monday Muse column. Here is Stephen for the second week.

What is your background and how do you participate in the world of the web?

I began writing fiction as a 4-year-old and gave it up in my early twenties having failed to write a great novel, but only two-and-a-half bad, unpublishable ones. Within that time I majored in English in college.

I started working in publishing as a copy editor and proofreader, though mostly the latter, at a small legal publisher. Then I moved to a computer typesetter, first as an in-house employee proofreading and then as a freelance proofreader. It was at this place that I really learned about how pages of books should look.

This place was a mom-and-pop operation that got too big without professional management, making me think that with the right equipment, I could do what they did: typeset books if I remembered to keep it in proper scale. As personal computers got powerful and PostScript made typesetting possible on the desktop, I hatched a plan to design and lay out books myself. Noodling on my first Macintosh, starting in late 1989, to learn to work with type on the printed page led to a freelance book design practice.

The web has been a major part of my finding work, connecting with prospective clients, promoting myself, and being found by potential clients. My website regularly attracts people interested in having books designed and prepared for production. I blog to present my “take” on book design, what I do and how I approach such work, and hopefully to give those interested in publishing books reason to consider my services.

How do you define social media, and how has that definition changed?

Social media are simply different venues in which people congregate online for whatever purpose. The trick for me has been to find ones that are most appropriate for presenting myself and my book design practice.

Early on, I admit I didn’t necessarily see the value in social media. Twitter, for instance, was—I thought—about telling people what I had eaten for lunch. I stayed away until it occurred to me — sometime after tweeting became famous for the guy who announced his arrest in Iran —- that Twitter was a live opportunity to engage with people, particularly those in publishing and making books (from writers to editors to designers and artists), to learn and exchange ideas about these things that interested me so much. And I ended up being contacted by people who hired me.

Some social media sites are better than others in the sense that there are more professional people there than elsewhere. Surprisingly, tweeting as @StephenTiano has been the most productive. I’ve gotten more paying project interest and actual paying projects — after my own website and blog — from my Twitter presence. And I’ve developed new and grown already existing professional friendships there.

Another positive is that in working the late, odd hours I do, Twitter has enabled me to have contact with other people late at night in my time zone, when just a little conversation can recharge my batteries and allow me to continue working.

How is the book design field impacted by the web?

Purely from the finding/paying projects perspective, the web has been great, instrumental to my growth, both from the creative and business points of view. I write, of course, as a freelance book designer who’s always interested in finding the next book design and layout project. But I don’t imagine I am unique in that respect.

On the other hand, the web really lowers the bar for entry into the field and looking for projects, just as the proliferation of personal computers — and especially the Macintosh — made it easy for so many more people to decide they were graphic designers and artists.

Its responsible for a great increase in the competition to find creative employment and paying freelance book design projects. And that’s not to mention the lowering of the lowest common denominator of crowdsourcing efforts, contests, and these job bidding boards that encourage freelancers to leap frog over each other in reverse to see who’s willing to work for the lowest rates.

How do you decide blog content to write?

My influences vary. Sometimes a book design project I’m working on will present certain issues that need to be handled in the layout and that will prompt me to discuss such issues. Then there are different things I seem to think about every so often: upgrading hardware and software, or my goals for the upcoming year, or even what I accomplished the past year. Mostly, though, I like to talk about the mechanics of designing the pages of a book.

The thing is, I have no illusions about ever having a wide following. But I write the blog for people who are somewhat like I remember being when I started out, with curiosity and questions about just what to do and how to do it to try and be a freelance book designer.

My decisions on what to blog about are guided to a great extent by what occurs to me in relation to the work. Sometimes it is actually working on a book design or actually laying out and making pages. But other times it’s more esoteric, as I think about typefaces, which I think is kind of like the book designer’s candy store.

Then there’s the premise that I express fairly regularly: that at least half the job of being a freelance book designer is lining up the next project. Even with people often finding me, that means keeping my presence online relatively fresh and up-to-date, a very big part of which is blogging. And that is sometimes a bit of a job, as I can be neglectful of the blog when I’m working on a big project over a long period or, just the opposite, when I am between projects and feel a little underpowered. The latter happens because I find making books extremely energizing.

What is the biggest challenge the publishing industry will face in 2012?

The publishing industry tries to keep print book publishing a viable business, while at the same time maturing the ebook model. I think it’s important that both exist in a healthy, profitable way for all involved: authors, editors, illustrators, designers/layout artists, proofreaders, and marketers.

Print books are more than a container for words and pictures. They are often art objects in and of themselves. (Think of first editions of, say, Moby Dick and Huckleberry Finn; or a Guttenberg bible.) But there is no doubt that ebooks are attractive, too, and here to stay. I am concerned that making ebooks will become more the province of coders and that designers may become less important.

Hard to say yet whether 2012 will be the year that ebooks rise to a realistic alternative to print. I hope they don’t obliterate the interest in print books, much as I understand that textbooks are ideal for e-versions. Apple was wise, I think, to start with textbooks, as there will be demand for carrying around an iPad with one’s semester of textbooks on it, rather than 60 pounds of dead trees.

I hope that readers don’t lose that sense that the printed book is, all by itself and without regard to what the book is about or how “good” the book is, an art object when done well. And, in the spirit of self-interest, I am concerned that the economic model be such that it can support paying decent rates to book designer/layout artists.

Please continue reading Introducing Stephen Tiano: Monday Muse #2 and leave a comment if inspired.

Ari Herzog is currently searching for a full time position in communications. Connect on LinkedIn today.

Discover more articles on new and emerging media.

Photo by earl53.

In his expose on why bloggers should write guest articles for other bloggers, Christopher Roberts opines the advertorial aspect:

When you guest post on a popular blog, people get to know you.

People look out for you in the comments.

People follow your links and check out your other work.

Some bloggers that I met on the blogosphere have a fantastic and unique style, and it’s often through guest posts that I find their blogs. If someone likes your content and/or writing style, they will research you.

When I launched the Feature Friday series last year, I was unprepared for the initial surge of emails from people around the world eager to share their content and style with me and you.

@DannyBrown contrasted blog commenting systems, @Jeannie_Chan encouraged writing negative blog comments, and Marcus @TheSalesLion Sheridan argued why quality trumps quantity. Brandon Yanofsky, Tammi Kibler, Brianna Phillips, and many others shared their perspectives and you soaked it all up.

I’m looking for more bloggers and writers to bring back features every Friday. At the very top of this page, you will see a link called Contribute. This explains what I’m looking for and details the process to go about writing something. Interested?

Please continue reading Looking for Guest Bloggers and leave a comment if inspired.

Ari Herzog is currently searching for a full time position in communications. Connect on LinkedIn today.

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Fake currency by jdurham.

Fake Twitter accounts are nothing new.

An entrepreneurial soul creates one, tweets content in contradiction to whatever is being parodied, and gains followers. Look at @NotZuckerberg and @BettyFckinWhite for instance, parodies of the Facebook founder and actress, respectively. Or @Jesus_M_Christ for a different perspective.

You know they’re not real — and by their names alone you might be tempted to mouseover to view their latest tweets and maybe click to follow too.

Then there are the Fake accounts. It’s always nice when the imposter adds the adjective, Fake, before the name. Examples include @FakeAPStyleBook for not-so-proper writing tips, @FakePewResearch for not-so-accurate statistics, and @FakeAriHerzog for not-quite me.

Yep, a mysterious person created a fake version of me last fall. It apparently tweeted for a day or so and gave up.

I discovered it the other day. I tweeted its link to a few people and they responded with jealousy.

@ariherzog @KrisColvin and who wouldn’t be? Parody is the pinnacle. Congrats, man. You’ve made it!

— Kim Sherrell (@kim) February 6, 2012

Look Mom, I’m famous!

Please continue reading From Internet Fake to Real Fame and leave a comment if inspired.

Ari Herzog is currently searching for a full time position in communications. Connect on LinkedIn today.

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Ask bloggers to list other bloggers they respect and Mitch Joel’s name usually comes up. He’s the president of digital marketing agency Twist Image, and the author of Six Pixels of Separation, the name of his book, podcast, and blog.

I confess never listening to his podcast, but his blog is in my RSS reader for top-notch writing and a Canadian slant to controversial issues; and I’ve also read the book. He’s active all across the web including that little-known place called Twitter @MitchJoel.

I introduce you to Mitch below and launch a new blog series called Monday Muse. Every week you will be treated to a rotating set of questions asked to a different internet personality. They inspire me and through their answers I hope you too.

As “one of North America’s leading digital visionaries,” as Marketing Magazine once called you, what do you like most about what you do?

Growing the business of Twist Image. Without question. People know me for Six Pixels of Separation – the blog, podcast and/or book or from speaking, but everything shores up into Twist Image.

The business started in 2000 and for over a decade we’ve been growing and getting better at delivering great marketing results for our clients. We have a great team of over 100 marketing professionals in two offices (although we like to say that we have one office with a very long corridor). I have three great business partners who encourage me to do what I do, and it gives me great joy to wake up in the morning and think about the day’s challenges. None of that happens without the clients and we’re very lucky to be working with some of the most interesting brands that want to change, evolve and adapt their marketing.

I realize that a lot of what I’m saying must sound like an agency cliché — but there’s a reason it’s a cliché — because it’s true.

What is your daily routine?

When I am not traveling, my early morning is dedicated to my family (getting the kids ready and off to school).

I’m usually in the office by 8:30 am.

I do my best to have both breakfast and lunch meetings booked with either business prospects or business people I would like to connect with. Once I am in the office, I usually run through emails, check the feeds and make some “to-do” notes.

The rest of my day is spent on business development for Twist Image (either finding new clients on nurturing existing ones). I am often called into meetings to review our strategy and creative work. If I get a chance in the late afternoon, I will try to bang out a blog post or two.

I’m always home for dinner with the family, bath time, bedtime reading, etc. Once the house quiets down, I usually finish up some of the emails that require more attention and do some writing.

When I’m on the road, it’s a whole other story.

How have social media and digital marketing changed for you over the years?

My blog has made me (and kept me) very humble.

Every time I write and hit that “publish” button, my work is now left in everyone else’s hands. They decides what works, what they want to share, what they want to comment on, etc. It’s sometimes hard. I’ll often write something that I think is very compelling, but nothing happens. I get the social media equivalent of tumbleweeds.

I also can’t deny that the popularity of the blog and podcast has helped propel Twist Image forward in ways myself and my business partners could never have imagined. From speaking opportunities to a major book publishing deal to getting in front of some of the world’s most compelling brands. Yes, we need to do great work to really make things happen, but social media has opened up so many doors. As it continues to evolve, so too do our opportunities.

Who influenced you the most growing up, and is there a single internet influence on your life today?

My family and close friends provided me with most of my inspiration.

The one person outside of that would be Tony Blauer.

I’ve known Tony since I was about 13 years old. He was my martial arts coach. Since then, I’ve not only trained with him but became one of his coaches (and he is a close, personal friend). Currently, he lives in San Diego and is one of the world’s leading close quarter combative instructors.

Over the years, I’ve trained with civilians, military, law enforcement and even UFC athletes through my training with Tony. My training with Tony was less about the physical and the ability to protect myself, but much more about the psychological aspect of training (which Tony puts a tremendous focus on).

Fear is a mindkiller. Tony instilled in me (early on and to this day) to better understand fear, psychology and how it limits and paralyzes us. He’s probably one of the most inspiring and smart people I have ever met (and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the best in the world). The lesson I learned with him are actually more applicable to life and business than to training.

In terms of internet influence, I am still amazed and impressed with Seth Godin. He’s the real triple-threat. His blogging is smart, his speaking is on point and he walks the talk (Squidoo, The Domino Project, etc.). He’s also a true mentor to me (whether he knows it or not). When I’m about to publish, speak or pick up a project, I like to stop and ask myself, “what would Seth Godin do?” How would he attack this, what would he say about it.

I’m also a fan of Clay Shirky, Tom Peters, and Jay Rosen.

What do you know now that you didn’t know at 18?

That a great professional life is not linear. It’s very squiggly.

From being a music journalist to magazine publisher, to writer to dot com sales guy, to mobile data marketing person, to PR professional, to music label owner to Twist Image, it’s all very squiggly.

I also used to worry about my ability to generate a lot of money. When I stopped worrying about what would make me money and started focusing on the work, the money followed (another cliché, I know). There’s no doubt that money gives me tremendous security and yes, it does bring me happiness. But, I’m happier when I’m doing the work that I was meant to do.

At 18, I thought it was all about the right career path. There is no “right.”

Please continue reading Introducing Mitch Joel: Monday Muse #1 and leave a comment if inspired.

Ari Herzog is currently searching for a full time position in communications. Connect on LinkedIn today.

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Photo by taliesin.

I love reading your comments.

But I’m not vain. I know you’re not writing for me. I know you don’t care whether or not I see it and whether or not I reply.

I know you’re writing for you.

Your personal brand and your wanting to share that social identity with the world is the primary motivation for you to take time out of your day and write a comment. It’s the same motivation for you to do whatever you do on Facebook. You want to add your comment to the continuing saga of who you are online.

It’s not a bad approach. Any social media strategist will tell you that a simple way to get your blog known to other people is by commenting on their blogs. Being active in their communities, linking to their blog articles, and submitting guest articles are great ways to brand yourself. They’re easy ways for you to share your identity.

So go ahead. Say what you want. You know you have something burning to get out and onto the screen.

Don’t let me stop you. I’ll read it, but I’ll read it knowing you did it out of an intrinsic desire to write from the heart and share yourself with the world.

Please continue reading Why You Write Blog Comments and leave a comment if inspired.

Ari Herzog is currently searching for a full time position in communications. Connect on LinkedIn today.

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