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.