Everyone comes out with top 10 lists for the end of year, but who really made a difference in what we do and what we use on line all the time? 2008 saw some very important people come out of the woodwork, or expand their reach into the social networks that I participate in and they deserve the kudo for being a VIP in 2008. These are people who made not just a difference, but in many cases did things that went well above the average call of people, and personally made a difference to many other people along the way.
Louis Gray – 2008 would not have been the same without Louis Gray, he has a sense of humor, he has a sense of honesty, and just generally one of the best people out there in new media right now. While he will disclaim all this and generally say that he is not the most important person in 2008, a few hundred thousand folks would agree with me on this one. Louis takes the winner circle for 2008 as the single most important person to explode on the scene in 2008. While the internet was made for Robert Scoble, social media was made for Louis Gray.
Mike Fruchter - Louis’s trusty side kick, but stands on his own as well, one of the more interesting people on the internet and as people discovered that uniqueness that he adds, he started racking up social media points right and left. Probably one of the best people to follow if you are interested in what is happening in social media, who’s who, and what’s what. Friend him on as many systems as you can, because he is everywhere on the net.
Jason Goldberg of Social Median – probably one of the more interesting systems to be adopted by the social media glitterati, Jason as an evangelist and rabble rouser has shown what it takes and what it means to be a corporate voice. He takes second place in the most important people in 2008.
The Owners of 538 – many thousands of people followed the entire election cycle using fivethrityeight this year, and showed that polling can be honest and mostly without spin. As a source of information for the presidential election, the owners of 538 showed that politics, polls, and math could be fun. This site grew mostly by word of mouth and towards the end of the election was being pounded on while they kept on delivering well-informed, timely, and excellent information about which way this one was going to go, and all without having to pull a fast one to keep traffic coming.
Chris Pirillo – while he is a staple on the internet, this year he upped his game, launched a number of well-received new web sites and over all out geeked Will Wheaton as a source of all things geeky in terms of what was happening. Life streaming, blogging, twittering, forum using, and convention developing person that he is, this year he really fell into his stride and just hit on all the numbers. There was no controversy at Gnomedex 08, maybe we will get this in 2009, that is all he needs to throw him over the top.
Marcelo Calbucci – Seattle 2.0 owner and operator, startup master with Sampa, kept everyone in Seattle up to date on what was happening with startups throughout the downturn. His list of the top Seattle startups is the definitive list of companies and people to follow.
Andy Sack – former startup CEO, now deep into Seattle’s VC and Investment Community, following him when he writes is something worth reading. If it is happening in the VC world in Seattle, Andy knows about it, and is not afraid to say it. There is a unique and interesting viewpoint from inside the VC world here and not one you want to miss.
Todd Bishop and John Cook – When they left the Seattle PI just about every blogger and startup company in Seattle almost keeled over. They are the ones to follow if you are interested in technology, Microsoft, startups, and general rumor mill news and information in Seattle VC and Startup Land. When they launched Techflash the collective “thank goodness” could be heard all over Washington. With both of them together, and blogging on their own site, if it is technology, this is where you are going to get good information about what is happening in Seattle.
These people all make a real difference every day, and are all worth following in your RSS reader, on their site, or otherwise just getting to know them.
Tags: 2008, making a difference, everyday, people, news, politics, technology, cool
Thanks for the list.
Interesting, though. Who follows more people on Twitter? On FriendFeed? On Dopplr? On Google Reader? On Upcoming.org?
Not many people. In 2009 you will see how I use social media to build a news network that’s unparalleled. Why? Because I have more people making me smarter than anyone else via social media tools.
wow this got stupid quick, ok, then who should be on the list? Who made a difference to you in 2008? What did they do to help you find a voice and otherwise help you through the social media morass that we have today? Your list, make a comment.
admin: it got my goat because I’ve trashed my blog this year and spent a lot less time on the general internet to invest a ton of time on social networks and you demeaned my participation there.
But, where’s Tim O’Reilly? He’s been doing better Twittering than anyone lately. Guy Kawasaki? His AllTop is pretty interesting. Gary Vaynerchuk? He’s using social networks to build a global brand around his wine store. Jim Long? He’s changing how I relate to NBC News through his work on Twitter. There are tons of congressmen. How about Obama? He used social networks in a very significant way this year. I could keep going.
Fantastic list. You really hit the nail on the head on each and every one.
Dan, thanks for taking the time to do this list, and for including Mike Fruchter, Jason Goldberg and others, who put a lot of effort into Social Media this year. I’m still having to get used to seeing my name in other people’s posts, but I am glad you found our interactions useful. I am lucky to have found some great networks and great people and tools that help us stay connected. Keep up your great posts. You’ve been on fire lately.