A funny thing happened on the way to compiling this list of digital media trendsetters.
I’d put out a call to writers and editors on LinkedIn asking for names of industry folks I should include. But instead of news industry luminaries, I kept getting social media trailblazers. Wait a minute, I wanted to say, you don’t understand – social media isn’t the same as online news.
Then I started using Twitter. It didn’t take long to figure out that for the people who hang out on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other online networks the social media hotdogs and digital media trendsetters are one in the same. They’re the ones people friend, follow and read. They’re the ones broadcasting the news of a US Airways plane going down in the Hudson River and Barack Obama’s inauguration – regardless of who they are, where they are, their day job, their background or experience.
That meant I had to rethink my definition of trendsetter.
Here’s what I came up with. It’s totally subjective and different from what I would have picked six month ago, and probably what I’d pick six months from now. When possible, I’ve linked their names to their Twitter IDs or websites.
The Old School
- Bill Keller – Executive editor of the New York Times, charged with bringing the Grey Lady into the 21st century. Appointed paper’s first social media editor earlier this week.
- Jonathan Miller – Former AOL chief recently hired by Rupert Murdoch to run News Corp.’s digital interests, including MySpace and Hulu (minus the Wall Street Journal).
- Russ Stanton – Los Angeles Times editor. Figuring out a way how to stay relevant – and solvent – in the Internet age.
- Dean Singleton – Head of MediaNews Group, which owns the Denver Post and 99 other media properties, and leader of the charge to help newspapers monetize the Web.
The New Wave
- Tina Brown – Proprietress of The Daily Beast, a cross between the Conde Nast glossies she used to edit and a daily politics and gossip column.
- Arianna Huffington – HuffPost founder; gadfly turned new media publisher.
- Hyperlocal news bloggers – NeighborsGo, NewzJunky, SealBeachDaily.com, WestSeattleBlog, Neighborhood Notes, the list goes on and on
- Josh Marshall – Creator of Talking Points Memo, political blog that won a George Polk Award in 2008 for reporting on the firings of US attorneys.
- Paul Steiger – Former WSJ managing editor and current editor in chief at ProPublica, another high-profile online-only news outfit doing original investigative journalism on a non-profit basis.
The Professors
- Jeff Jarvis – J-school prof at City University of New York, Buzz Machine blogger, author of What Would Google Do? and former magazine and newspaper reporter, columnist and editor.
- Jay Rosen – NYU journalism prof, PressThink blogger and director of NewAssignment.Net, “an experiment in open-source reporting.”
- Sree Sreenivasan – Tech evangelist and professor at Columbia Journalism School, know for his extensive new media workshops.
The Promoters
- Seth Godin – Author, viral marketer extraordinaire, quipster.
- Guy Kawasaki – Entrepreneur, author, social media guru, proprietor of AllTop “online magazine rack” and blogger at How to Change the World. On Twitter at @guykawasaki.
- Peter Shankman – PR guy and founder of Help a Reporter Out crowdsourcing service for reporters.
The Pundits
- Paul Gillin – Social media expert, author and chronicler of newspaper hard times at Newspaper Deathwatch.
- Mark Glaser – Columnist for PBS MediaShift, “Your guide to the digital media revolution.”
- Alan Mutter – Newsman turned venture capitalist and blogger at Reflections of a Newsosaur.
- Jeremiah Owyang – Forrester Research social media analyst.
The Tech Geeks
- Chris Brogan – Mr. Social Media. Read and learn.
- Matt Mullenweg – Founding developer of WordPress blogging software, used by newspapers such as the New York Times, and head of WordPress’ parent company, Automattic.
- Dipchand “Deep” Nishar – Former Google exec who became LinkedIn’s v.p. of products in early December and has since rolled out a bevy of service upgrades.
- Darren Rowse – The Aussie blogging mastermind behind ProBlogger.
- Robert Scoble – Uber tech geek. Former Microsoft tech evangelist and Fast Company videographer blogging at Scobleizer.com.
- Biz Stone and Evan Williams – Co-founder and CEO of Twitter respectively. Reportedly turned down a $500 million buy out offer from Facebook earlier this year.
Know other new media pioneers I should include? Leave a comment. If I get enough I’ll re-post an expanded list.
Thanks for the link. We’re on Twitter as @westseattleblog with a human-powered account (high volume sometimes, watch out), @westseattlenews with automated links to our articles, @wsblive when there’s something to tweet about frequently as it happens (political candidates’ forum, for example). Facebook as WS Blog.
Holy cow. With the exception of Tina and Arianna, they’re all men. Ladies, represent!
You ought to list Craig Kanalley (@ckanal on Twitter, can also find him on Facebook and LinkedIn). He’s the founder of Breaking Tweets, an agregator that is revolutionizing the way journalists use Twitter as a part of their reporting. The site is getting international attention and visits from many major media outlets. Check it out at http://www.breakinstweets.com or @breakingtweets on Twitter. The site is continuing to expand through the use of niche sites; surrently, it puts out a Sports and an Entertainment website.
Craig is a journalism graduate student at DePaul University and was recently named one of the top 100 student journalists in the country by UWire.
Wow, great list! I’m a writer, author, journalist and ghostwriter, hoping to blaze a trail with my website http://www.helengrant.co.uk and opportunity blog http://www.famebrain.com. My stats are pretty good, but there’s always room for improvement, so any tips kindly pass them my way!
Helen
So, these are the social media hero’s. Love it. Wow, ‘trail blazer’? Ok, ladies I am jumping in. I am a woman and am doing some trailblazing of my own in social media marketing.
http://INDIEMarketingGenius.com
Great List Michelle – social media has become so important in today’s digital age.
Jonathan Jarvis
what trends are being set by some of these folks?
Hi Michelle, in response to the “Ladies, represent!” comment:>) I’d like to nominate Alexandria Brown for your list. Ali began teaching about ezines in the late 90’s when many people didn’t even know what an ezine was… Today, she is “CEO of Alexandria Brown International Inc., a multimillion dollar company…”
Ali is a leader in online marketing and information marketing formulas, and according to her website, “has over 30,000 subscribers around the world, and she currently has more than 800 solo-entrepreneurs enrolled in her high-energy coaching programs. Her Twitter following is over 5,000, and I’m certain her Facebook following is similar…
I’ve found Ali’s content to be well worth the investments. Most importantly, she continues to evolve (digitally and otherwise), grow and succeed- definitely a digital trend-setter.
Linda Braun – digital media in education & libraries
In additional to being mostly male, they’re also mostly, if not all, white. That’s pretty sad.
You may want to check over your list as well. There’s at least one known racist as well on that list.
This is a very interesting list, and I will certainly be looking into some of the folks you have mentioned. I am currently taking a social media course for my Masters of Public Relations at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I will be sure to share this posting with my classmates!
I would have thought Steve Rubel: http://www.micropersuasions.com would have made it onto the list?
Kudos for putting fellow Melburnian Darren Rowse onto the list – the only non-American to make it.
Hello Michelle,
Interesting list and quite the mix.
Someone that deserves to be considered is Danny Brown. He’s one of the most engaging people around and lives and breathes social media. Funnily enough, Chris Brogan recommended Danny as “One To Watch in 2009” (which is how I found him).
He also uses social media for good with his 12for12k project, leading the way for how non-profits can use the space.
Worth checking for any social media list.
http://twitter.com/dannybrown
http://dannybrown.me
Thanks,
C.
Michelle,
I would add to your list Dave Winer – Who developed RSS and has been blogging since the start of time at http://www.scripting.com
Val Cohen pointed me at Winer’s writing & views back in the 90s.
The standout female digital trendsetters I know of are the women behind BlogHer, Mom 2.0, and Kirtsy. Sure, you could call mommyblogging (yucky, but unavoidable word) a ghetto. You could also call it a powerful, growing segment of the online world.
Hey Michelle you forgot me! Well, I’m not surprised since I’m a legend in my own mind right now. But not for long. I’m determined to bring nonfiction literary style online. I do not want online journalism to be the death knell of well told stories – stories as quick as instant but as flavorful as Ethiopian coffee. When you find some hip me to them!