Social Media Experts That I Trust

This post is adapted from an article that I wrote for The Bloggers’ Bulletin

When I embarked on my journey as a blogger last year, I began to search out sources of information and inspiration on the web.  Over time, I discovered a number of people who, by most accounts, are considered social media experts on blogging, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  I get feeds from most of them and I also regularly visit a number of other social media sites.  Read on for my list of favorites.

A lot of these mavens can be found on “best of” lists.  But my choices weren’t just because everybody else said so.  Please note, these are authors and sites that I consider most useful for business bloggers (there are many other blog categories).  I’m sure I’ve missed experts that other readers follow and I’m aware of experts that I don’t follow because I only have so much time.  If you’re so inclined, please add to the discussion by including your favorites in the comments section.   Here we go, in no particular order –

Seth Godin – Seth Godin’s Blog

One of my favorites because he has a way of putting a new twist on ideas.  His posts come into my mailbox everyday and I almost always find something I hadn’t thought about in just that way before.  He also publishes Squidoo, where you can create your own “lens” or article to promote yourself and earn a royalty for you or a charity.

Darren Rowse – ProBlogger

Excellent tips on blogging.  He is also very open about his own challenges and sharing the mistakes he’s made on the way to becoming one of the best-read blogs on blogging.  Along with Brian Clark, Chris Brogan, and Sonia Simone, he just started a new paid membership organization called The Third Tribe, to build a community of internet marketers and others who use social media for branding and relationship building.  Will offer courses, seminars and a forum for discussion.

Chris Garrett – Chris Garrett on New Media

Also writes about blogging and is the co-author with Darren Rowse of  “ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.”

Michael Stelzner – Writing White Papers

He’s considered the guru of white papers and how they can grow your business.  Last summer, he organized the highly successful “Social Media Success Summit 2009” featuring well-known social media experts, as well as this past fall’s “Copywriting Success Summit 2009.”  Now, in February, he’s organized “White Paper Success Summit 2010” on how white papers can generate quality leads for your business.

Alex – Blogussion

Alex (no last name) owns this site with “blogging discussion, tips and tricks.”  He’s the principal author and destined for big things because he’s still a teenager.

Denise Wakeman – The Blog Squad

Considered a leading authority on blogging.  Author of “Build a Better Blog: The Ultimate Guide for Boosting Your Business with a Professional Blog.”

Mari Smith – Social Media Consultant, Speaker and Trainer

Considered the leading authority on FaceBook.  Recently launched the membership organization, International Social Media Association (ISMA) which offers training, seminars and certification program.

Dave Kaminski — Web Video University

Offers tips on creating, generating traffic and getting paid from web videos.

Dan Schwabel – Personal Branding Blog

Considered a leading personal branding expert for Gen-Y. He writes the Personal Branding Blog and “Personal Branding Magazine.”

Brian Clark – Copyblogger

One of the earliest social media experts with a huge following.  Tips on copywriting and social media.

Peter Cashmore – Mashable

Mashable is the world’s largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and Social Media news.  I don’t have a particular expert on Twitter, but Mashable does so check out http://mashable.com/2009/08/10/twitter-usability/.

Chris Brogan — New Marketing Labs

President of his own social media agency.  Runs the Thesis theme for WordPress.

Jason Alba – JibberJobber.com

Leading authority on LinkedIn and author of “I’m on LinkedIn – Now What??”  Jibber Jobber is a networking site designed to help people in job transition, which he founded when he was in the job market.

Guy Kawasaki –  How To Change The World

Tips about blogging.  Also owner of Alltop, a site that collects the headlines of the latest stories from the best sites and blogs that cover a topic and aggregates into individual web pages.

Joost de Valk Yoast – WordPress Newsletter. Contains general WordPress news, information on new plugins he’s found and ones he’s invented, SEO, etc.

Toma Bonciu – Optimizing the Web

Lots of good SEO tips.

The LinkedIn Blog – Various authors

Tips on leveraging your knowledge and use of LinkedIn.

I look forward to learning about the experts you favor (and, yes, I know that I’ve probably left out social media experts that you swear by).