Hi folks. This is a test of the Socilalite plugin for wordpress, which generates updates for Twitter and FAcebook as well as bit.ly links, when posting from WordPress. So if you’ve made it this far, I apologize for wasting your time. Unless of course you are interested in the Socalite plug-in, in which case you can contact me in any number of ways to find out more!

Today’s Twitter Follow Friday (#FF) post is testimony to the “social” nature of social media. The two people I mentioned in this week are well known in Boston-area social media circles. After reading their tweets and blog posts for over a year, I finally ventured to the Boston Media Makers meet-up (first Sunday of every month at Doyle’s Cafe in Jamaica Plain) where both are regular attendees. Read on . . . .

Ari Herzog (@ariherzog) is a social media enthusiast who leveraged his presence on the web to a city council seat in the Newburyport, MA. As such, Ari has a unique few of the intersection between social media, online marketing, and local government. He reached out to me after I mentioned I was a resident of neighboring Haverhill, and since then, we’ve had spirited discussions on all topics digital. He also introduced me to an SEO professional who provided valuable feedback on some of my consulting work.

Adam Weiss (@adamweiss) is a Boston area podcaster, photographer, and digital media strategist. He podcasted regularly for Boston’s Museum of Science, and now produces and hosts the critically acclaimed Boston Behind the Scenes podcast. Full disclosure here: I’ve yet to meet Adam in person, but after mentioning at a Boston Media Maker meet-up that I was looking for a social media project to work on, he put me in touch with Jenny Attiyeh, producer of the Thoughcast podcast. I now work with Jenny as a social media producer for Thoughtcast, which includes serving as the Twitter voice of the podcast. Thank you Adam, for the great connection!

Thanks to both Adam and Ari for reaching out to me over the last few weeks. I hope I can soon repay your kindness.

I’ll point out again, that these two valuable connections were made thanks to social media. Both Ari and Adam are active tweeters and bloggers, and considered by many to be thought leaders in their respective areas. Had I never ventured into the world of tweets, blogs, and Facebook updates, or attended the meet-ups organized by other social media types, we never would have met.

And what about you? Do you have a connection or interesting story that had its advent in social media? Let’s here about it in the comments.

At the suggestion of master blogger Chris Brogan, I’m going to start linking my Follow Friday tweets to a blog post that explains why I think you should follow the persons in my follow Friday list. So, without further ado . . . . . .

Follow Friday for Apr 16, 2010

Thoughtcast Podcast (@thoughtcast) – This  podcast is produced by veteran reporter Jenny Attiyeh, and covers a wide range of intellectual thought topics. Many of the podcasts have been rebroadcasted on NPR stations throughout New England. While it is a great podcast, my reasons for including @thoughtcast on my #FF list are also a bit self-serving, as I am now the voice of the @thoughtcast Twitter stream.

Unhappy Hipsters (@unhappyhipsters) – A Tumbler photo blog that first appeared in January, this site gives me a daily dose of hysterics by adding a snarky caption to a photo from Dwell magazine, an Australian design magazine that features mid-century modern architecture.  Add it to your daily click, or wait until their tweets appear in your feed, and just click from there.

Carri Bugbee (@carribugbee) – Carri is a social media dynamo based in Portland, Oregon. She has an impressive list of Twitter followers, teaches social media at a local college, runs or is involved with several social media meet-up groups, manages her own PR firm, and is the Twitter voice of Peggy Olson (@peggyolson) of TV’s Mad Men. In her spare time she sings locally in area jazz clubs. How do I know her? Long before Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was even a gleam in his father’s eye, Carri and I toured nationally as members of a variety music show band. Read more about Carri’s award-winning Peggy Olson tweets here.

Wow! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, so I’ve decided to take a close look at the last five items I’ve added to my Delicious account. Click here to see the whole feed.

1. What you need to succeed in Social Media, by Chris Penn.

What can I say about Chris? Along with Chris Brogan and Amber Neslund, Penn is one of the web’s most prolific and influential bloggers. He built a nationwide community around one of life’s most painful and boring topics – college financial aid, and used that as a springboard to become a leading authority on all things web and social media. When he talks, I listen.

In this short but powerful blog post, Chris points out that media (social or otherwise) is only a means to help “communicate something fundamentally human.”

The lesson I take from this post is this: Be a great communicator about something you are passionate about. Use social media to help magnify that passion to an audience that benefits from your knowledge.

2. The reason your personal brand sucks, by Chris Penn.

I’ve always hated the term “branding,” but I’ve embraced the whole “personal branding” phenomenon. In this post, Chris urges the reader to “distill your essential quality,” the factor that makes you as an individual unique in what you do, and how you do it.

“Once you figure out your essential quality, your personal brand will take care of itself,” Chris writes.

I’ve taken this piece of advice to heart in both my day job, and my consulting activities, and it will guide my actions for the foreseeable future.

3. Eleven ultimate resources to help you become a WordPress champ, by Blog Design Studio

I loves me some WordPress, and this is one of many posts with links to WordPress info, tutorials, and plug-in data. Link number six on this page was of particular interest to me, a link to wpbeginner.com. I’ve used it myself several times already, and recommended it to friends and clients.

4.Why Flash should be open source – and why it won’t be, by AtomicPoet’s Blog

The lack of Adobe’s Flash on the upcoming iPad has spawned many questions regarding the viability of the RAM-hogging, browser-crashing protocol. This post suggests that by open sourcing Flash, it could be developed into a more reliable product, thus making it an appealing addition to both the iPad, and the iPhone.

The most ironic thing about this post? It’s posted on the most anti-Flash blog theme I’ve ever seen; a plain white page with black Times New Roman type text, devoid of any “gee-whiz” type of visuals.

5. Critic’s Notebook: Christopher Hawthorne on Unhappy Hipsters and the mystery behind it, by the Los Angeles Times

If you’ve yet to stumble onto the Unhappy Hipsters blog, you should take a few minutes to visit. Its author posts a photo of mid-century modern architectural design, mostly from Australia’s Dwell magazine, and adds a snarky comment. Very clever, indeed.

The mystery however, is that nobody has any earthly idea who is behind the new blog. Los Angeles Times architecture critic Chris Hawthorne offers his best guess, as well as a snarky-tinged review of the blog itself.

Last August I attended Podcamp Boston and resolved to start a WordPress Blog. Five short months later, my blog is up and running, has a few subscribers, and is powering a new life direction as a social media consultant.

This weekend I’m attending Wordcamp Boston, the Hub’s inaugural WordPress event. The buzz surrounding this event has been off the charts, with tickets selling out twice in the few short months they were available, rumors of black market ticket channels, and folks aching to attend.

I’ll be attending sessions in both the beginner and applied track, including Rock My Blog,  PHP & CSS, and Themes 101.

My afternoon program includes a session on plugins,  SEO Analysis,  and Media 101.

This conference offers great opportunities to network with other bloggers, and I’ll be in attendance with a client whom I’ve been helping set up her own WordPress website. There are also several other attendees that I have met through various other social media events, including Podcamp New Hampshire and Nashua Tweet-up.

Check back over the next few days for a full report on the activites.

The last two follows I’ve received on Twitter, are both businesses. They use logos in their profiles, and have profile links to their company website. They are New Hampshire-based companies, which is cool because I live near the Granite State, and some of my social networking and consulting activities take place there.

Both companies offer services related to what I do. They are either monitoring my feed as competition, or they value, in some way, the thoughts I express through the various channels.

What bugs me though, is that there are no personal faces on these two Twitter profiles. No faces, and no names. This is a bit shocking to me. If someone is passionate enough about their business, brand, or work, to make the effort to build a Twitter following, why wouldn’t they want their name and face associated with the business?

To me, the strength of the Twitter meme is the personal connection; I don’t care if I’m one of 5000 followers, when I read your tweet, I feel like you are talking to me. And because I can see your smiling face when I read your inspirational message, I feel a connection.

The blogosphere is filled with advice on how companies can adapt and use Twitter as a customer listening medium, marketing tool, or conversational channel. Millions of pixels also shout out the branding advantages that Twitter offers. Most opinions I’ve read say that a company should send tweets under the company handle, but place a picture and name of a live person in the profile, or vice-versa. This seems like an excellent practice.

The two companies referred to here are Micro Arts, and Boost Training. I mention their names with the hope they are monitoring their names using Google alerts, and will find this blog post.

I’m not mad or upset at them for not associating a live personality with their profiles, but as I move forward advising individuals and small business on social media trends and practices, I’d like to know their reasoning, if any, for not doing so.

So what do you think? Should a company associate a face with their Twitter profile? Have you ever advised against this practice? Lets hear about it in the comments.