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Green Cleveland Tweetup #GreenCLEtweetup 9/14 4pm @TheGreenhouse

6 Sep

Cleveland #Green ‘Tweetup’ – #GreenCLEtweetup

(If you love #Eco, tickets to the EcoWatch Green Gala at the Rock Hall 7-10pm following the event are still available: http://ecowatch.org/2012/green-gala-sept-14/ )

September 14, 2012 4:00-6:00 pm at The Greenhouse Tavern, downtown Cleveland

Ready to have some great food and meet some Twitter friends IRL?  Join me, @CharityIdeas, and @KariMatsko at @TheGreenhouse Tavern (the first certified green restaurant in Ohio!) for a pre- @EcoWatch Green Gala Tweetup!

Date/Time:

September 14, 2012 – 4:00pm – 6:00pm

Location

The Greenhouse Tavern 2038 E 4th Street

Cleveland, OH

Please join us for fun- food – drinks while learning more about sustainability – twitter connections – and the impacts of ‘fracking’ in Ohio!

Discounted food and drinks are cash bar

Directions & Details: http://thegreenhousetavern.com/

About Us : www.ohiogasdrilling.com

Don’t forget the ECOWATCH Green Gala following! http://ecowatch.org/2012/green-gala-sept-14/

The #GreenCLETweetup is presented by:

People’s Oil & Gas Collaborative- Ohio (POGCO– aka NEOGAP)

An Amazing All-In-One #NPTECH Resource Page from @SocialBrite

16 Mar

This is an incredible set of resources from the one and only SocialBrite.org – one of my personal favorite sites for all things social media, nonprofit, and technology.  Thanks Team SocialBrite!

Visit them often!

Sharing Center

A free learning hub for nonprofits & change-makers:
Power guides, tools, tutorials, reports, resources & more

2nd Life

Power guides

Twitter icon by Matt Know

Twitter Guide

Facebook

Facebook

metrics

Metrics

social media policies

Social media policies

Video: Open Media Foundation

Video & media

  • Creating media: resources, tutorials on effective use of video, multimedia, audio, podcasting & more.
  • Strategy: Step-by-step guide to creating a media strategy.
  • Video skills: Guide to shooting better online video.
  • Video guide: Elements of a video project

mobile

Mobile

Gov 2.0

Cause organizations

  • A deep, timely directory of cause organizations making a difference in the social change & nonprofit worlds, with reviews

All of these guides, directories and tutorials live on the Socialbrite site except where noted. Please contribute your own resource listings! We share everything here under Creative Commons licenses.

Credits

Image credits for the rotating slide show for the Sharing Center navigation of Socialbrite.org (all photos are Creative Commons Attribution):

Only Hope by royryap
Andy at the Getty by Kevin Dooley
torraera (camels) by bachmont
Beautiful old lady from Darap (Sikkim) village by Sukanto Debnath
Muchilottu Bhagavathy Theyyam ceremonial mask by freebird (bobinson)
Blue (underwater statue) by John Carleton
One gear in a Clock by G & M
Untitled (flower) by josef.stuefer

Image credits for the rotating slide show for the Resources navigation of Socialmedia.biz (all photos are Creative Commons Attribution):

The oyster in the shell by on1stsite(comp broken and in need of eyesurgery)
Light Painting by Steve Jurvetson
look downstairs into stairwell whirl by quapan
Sarah Austin by JD Lasica
Time by John Morgan
Q-Park by Wolfgang Staudt

On this page:
Power guides image by Cambodia4kids; Monitoring photo by CaronNYC; Partners photo by Jemingway

With huge thanks to Click on the SocialBrite logo for the original page!

You can follow Team SocialBrite here:

And to get the latest and greatest updates in real time, here are several fantastic #nptech experts on Twitter SocialBrite recommends (and I do too!)

Twitter bird
Tweet-roll

@kanter
@WiserEarth
@care2frogloop
@ClaireD
@amanda
@pistachio
@cfnoble
@sloane
@amyrsward
@Philanthropy
@CauseGlobal
@fdncenter
@idealist
@TakePart
@scottyhendo
@Public_Citizen
@HandsOnNetwork

Social Good Stars: Mark Horvath (@hardlynormal) Gives a Voice to Our Homeless Friends

19 Jan

This article originally appeared in The Huffington Post.

Amy Neumann

Writer, Speaker; Social Media Consultant

Social Good Stars: Mark Horvath

Posted: 1/15/12 11:00 AM ET

This is the fourth installment of the Impact series, #SocialGoodStars. The people highlighted here are passionate, dedicated philanthropists, strengths to their communities, and social media masters. They also happily share their vast knowledge with others, making them shine as leaders in the Social Good world. You can read the third interview with Amanda Hite here.

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ~ Voltaire

Appreciation. When you think about Mark Horvath, it describes both the feeling one gets upon meeting him and hearing his tales, and also his compassionate view of the world. Through his documentation of the fascinating, sometimes heartbreaking, often inspiring, and always enriching stories of people experiencing homelessness in their own words, he helps us all gain a new appreciation of humanity and how similar we all really are. He’s broken the mold. He is not doing what makes sense, he’s not doing something that even pays the bills–he is living out his passion and doing what burns deep inside of him. Mark gives a face and a voice to homelessness, something he knows all too well as he once lived among them.

2012-01-14-MarkHorvathAnnMarie.jpg

Mark Horvath with Ann Marie (@padschicago).

How did social media influence your decision to travel the US and
Canada for invisiblepeople.tv, interviewing our homeless friends and
the compassionate people and nonprofits that support them?

Seventeen years ago, I had a very good job in the television industry. Sixteen years ago, I became homeless, living on Hollywood Boulevard. I rebuilt my life to a point where I had a three-bedroom house and a 780 credit score, then in 2007 the economy took a nosedive. Like many Americans, I found myself unemployed, living off my credit cards, and hoping for the best. The best never came, but several layoffs — along with foreclosure on my house — did.

By November 2008, I found myself once again laid off. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted and, to be honest, I was scared of once again living on the streets of Hollywood. I could see homelessness all around me, but I couldn’t bear to look.
I was turning away because I felt their pain.

Don’t waste a good crisis. It’s a simple concept and it’s how InvisiblePeople. tv started. For the most part I had lost everything but some furniture, my car, a box of photos, laptop, small camera, and my iPhone. After looking at what I didn’t have and all the problems that were stopping me, I decided to just use what I had. I registered a domain, changed the header on a WordPress theme, grabbed my camera, and started to interview people.

I honestly didn’t think anyone would even view the videos. I was really doing it to release something that was deep down inside me, and to be candid, to keep busy. It was a really dark time and InvisiblePeople.tv gave me a purpose.

I’ll never forget going into the first tent city. It was 400 yards in a wooded area where no help could easily arrive if I found myself in trouble. I questioned my sanity walking in there with a camera and a bag of socks. One smart thing I did was blast what I was doing all over social media so people could feel like they were right there with me. That day my life changed. People started to tweet me encouragement and all kinds of support. The InvisiblePeople. tv road trip was born.


What are some of your most memorable moments from your 2011 US/Canada Road Trip?

Getting to hang with Donnie in his apartment was a very powerful moment. It was so cold when I met Donny I thought my face was going to fall off. Donny had been homeless over twenty years. He had nothing but a blanket and the heating vent from a local business to stay warm. I honestly don’t know how he survived. Thanks to the power of social media and Youtube, the people of Calgary targeted Donny and got him into housing.

Terry Pettigrew was a sweet man dying of cancer I first met while visiting a homeless shelter in Calgary, Canada. I was really moved by Terry and put his video up that very night. The local news media was with me when I visited Terry and The Calgary Herald put his story on their front page. Terry’s brother, Larry, who he had no contact with for 34 years, saw the news story and the two brothers were reunited. There are no words to describe this miracle. I am so very grateful to have played a small part in Terry being reunited with his family for his last moments on Earth. Although homeless most of his life, Terry was able to spend 53 wonderful days with a loving family.

What also has me excited is the history we made with major brands and fighting homelessness this year. General Motors, Hanes, and Murphy USA, all had branded events in 2011 that helped benefit local homeless services, and this year, with @home being released, we will use what we learned in 2011 to hold events that are even bigger and will have more impact.

What advice would you give to someone who was looking to elevate their
social good efforts with social media?

Relationships are key. Story is everything. Communication is vital. Be flexible. Slow is good. Learn to be comfortable with insecurity.

There have been a lot of articles noting how important social media
and technology is to homeless people, to stay connected. Can you talk
a little about that? How did that influence WeAreVisible.com?

If you own a business, you better listen to your customers or you will go out of business. In homeless services, governments and nonprofits don’t listen to the people we serve as much as we might. The general public has received most of its homeless information from marketing materials. We don’t necessarily need another “expert” on homelessness… we need to listen to the single mom living in her van.

Social media can also provide much needed peer-to-peer support to homeless people and formerly homeless people. Most nonprofits do not have the resources to provide tangible social interaction with their clients. We cannot just throw people into housing. There must be community. Social norms are very powerful. We hope to launch the second phase of We Are Visible in early 2012 to help facilitate more social support.
2012-01-13-MarkHorvath.jpg

You can learn more about the two organizations Mark Horvath founded at InvisiblePeople.tv and WeAreVisible.com. Follow Mark on Twitter @hardlynormal.

Amy Neumann is a writer, speaker and consultant on social good marketing. Check out her CharityIdeasBlog and follow her on Twitter @CharityIdeas

Follow Amy Neumann on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CharityIdeas

Spark Positive Change 2012: 10 Tools To Make It Easy!

3 Jan

Make 2012 A Giving Year: 10 Creative Online Social Good Resources

This article originally appeared in the Huffington Post.

“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” ~ Aesop

A question often asked: “What are some helpful sites for helping online?” There are so many, it can be a challenge to select some choice ones for lists. We are all becoming more generous, in part because of online resources, as Forbes notes in “Today’s ‘G’ Generation: Replacing Greed With Generosity.

Blackbaud, a leading provider of software, services, and research for nonprofits, has illustrated a year-over-year increase of 10.6% in online giving as of Fall 2011, and that trend looks to continue. Because the “anytime, anywhere” online model is so convenient, here are a few useful resources to try that might be new or unexpected; they range across volunteering, fundraising, research, donating, pro-bono, mobile giving, and a couple very cool celebrity-backed ventures. All of them are excellent tools. Many of them require only a few minutes here or there… and every kind gesture, no matter how small, adds up! Just click on the name to pay them a visit, and start your New Year off on a Giving note.

Philanthroper

2011-12-30-PhilanthroperHP.jpg

The daily deals site for charity! Get introduced to a new cause every day and give $1 when you’re interested. Awareness plus micro-action! Making doing good an easy daily habit.
Sparked

2011-12-30-SparkedHP.jpg

An opportunity to micro-volunteer anytime, anywhere, online. Projects range from 2 minutes to 2 hours and include many fun, techie things like reviewing social media or translating documents.
Crowdrise

2011-12-30-CrowdriseHP.jpg

Ed Norton’s baby, Crowdrise leverages crowdsourcing for social good fundraising. Any site that uses the mantra “If you don’t give back, no one will like you” is on the right track! Look for their fabulous IYDGBNOWLY T-shirts and set up a fundraising site for your favorite cause.

Kiva

2011-12-30-KivaHP.jpg

Welcome to the world of micro-finance! Lend a global budding entrepreneur as little as $25 to provide an opportunity for sustainable business. Kiva supporters have already funded close to 600,000 businesses worldwide.

Catchafire

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“What will your Butterfly Effect be?” Catchafire helps you use professional skills like marketing and PR on a pro-bono basis, growing your own professional contacts and helping social good organizations at the same time. More probono opportunities can also be found at the Taproot Foundation.


Give.Mobi

2011-12-30-GiveMobiHP.jpg

Let your favorite charity know about this resource, and check who’s here that you support. Since give.mobi’s mobile donation platform works on any smartphone or tablet, it’s simple to set up and use to give a real-time mobile donation (or pledge). Perfect for nonprofit events or to call out on radio or TV interviews due to its easy-to-remember name.

KarmaGoat

2011-12-30-karmagoatHP.jpg

Free your stuff, shop from friends, do some good! This works like Craigslist, with all proceeds going to charity. Got something too nice to just give away? Some electronics? A gift you’ll never use? Create some good Karma with it. It will get a new home and love, and a great cause will get a donation.
CharityNavigator

2011-12-30-charitynavigatorHP.jpg

Along with GuideStar, this is a great site to research organizations. It’s similar to a Better Business Bureau, for charities.
SixDegrees

2011-12-30-6degreesHP.jpg

It really is a small world! A partnership between Kevin Bacon and Network for Good, Six Degrees helps you see what causes you have in common with friends and celebrities, and you can “pay it forward” with Good Cards that can be redeemed for charity donations.
VolunteerGuide

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Self-directed Ideas and resources for volunteering for 15 minutes, a few hours, or on a volunteer vacation. Includes many easy 15-minute activities. You can also search for specific volunteer opportunities locally with another great site, VolunteerMatch.

There are nearly unlimited ways to do good. These are a few easy, fun ones to get started with – how will you use them? Please let us know in the comments below!

Special thanks to Tony Hastings at The Top 10 Blog for the photos, courtesy of each site.

Amy Neumann is a writer, speaker and consultant on social good marketing. Check out her CharityIdeasBlog and follow her on Twitter @CharityIdeas.

Follow Amy Neumann on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CharityIdeas

Podcast (iTunes) #2: Amy Neumann and @CharityIdeas – on ClaireDiazOrtiz.com

5 Dec

Thank you to one of my favorite Social Good Stars, Claire Diaz-Ortiz!  This piece originally appears on ClaireDiazOrtiz.com – http://clairediazortiz.com/podcast-2-amy-neumann-and-charityideas/

The podcast is also available for free on iTunes – “The Claire Diaz-Ortiz Podcast” >> “Amy Neumann & @CharityIdeas”

Podcast #2: Amy Neumann and @CharityIdeas

December 1, 2011 By
Alright folks.  My second podcast episodeis live.  Join me as I chat with Amy Neumann (@charityideason the Twitters) about her passion for technology and how she got started in the business of world changing.  Here!

Click above for the podcast on ClaireDiazOrtiz.com or check it out on iTunes.

Twitter for Good #mybook

Filed Under: Blogging, Podcast

Social Good Stars: Twitter’s Claire Diaz-Ortiz (@ClaireD)

5 Dec

This piece originally appeared in the Huffington Post series, “Social Good Stars.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-neumann/twitter-for-good_b_1116429.html

Amy Neumann

Writer, speaker and social media consultant for nonprofits and businesses

Social Good Stars: Claire Diaz-Ortiz

Posted: 11/29/11 04:58 PM ET

Twitter , Claire Diaz Ortiz , Claire Diaz-Ortiz , Social Good Stars , Twitter For Good , Nonprofit Marketing , Social Media For Social Good , Twitter Claire Diaz Ortiz , Impact News

This is the second interview in a new Impact series, #SocialGoodStars. The people highlighted here are passionate, dedicated philanthropists, strengths to their communities, and social media masters. They also happily share their vast knowledge with others, making them shine as leaders in the Social Good world. You can read the first interview with Beth Kanter here.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”  ~Leo Buscaglia

The magic of Twitter lies in just that — the ability to connect with like-minded people in big and small ways, all over the world. And someone who knows all about that is Twitter’s own Claire Diaz Ortiz, who leads social innovation, philanthropy, and causes at Twitter since 2009. She is the author of Twitter for Good: Change the World, One Tweet at a Time, and is a frequent international speaker known for developing the TWEET model — a framework to help organizations and individuals best excel on Twitter. Claire holds an MBA from Oxford University, where she was a Skoll Foundation Scholar for Social Entrepreneurship. She is also the co-founder of Hope Runs, a non-profit organization operating in AIDS orphanages in East Africa.

2011-11-28-clairebioshotwebsmall.jpegClaire Diaz-Ortiz, Twitter’s own Force for Good.  Photo Courtesy of Claire Diaz-Ortiz

Since being panelists together at Dell’s Social Innovation Conference earlier this year, I have had the honor of speaking with Claire many times about social good and how Twitter has facilitated connections, awareness, action, fundraising, and the real-time flow of information globally. Here are a few key points of interest for anyone wondering how to get even more out of Twitter and social media for social good.

What do you consider most important for organizations who want to use Twitter for Good effectively?

First, developing a strategy is the answer to ‘What am I doing on Twitter?’ I created the 5-Step framework called T.W.E.E.T. to help with that and for using Twitter: Target, Write, Engage, Explore, Track.  It works because it’s simple.

What are a few examples of nonprofits really leveraging the relationships from Twitter to impact awareness and fundraising or other key goals?

Pepsi Refresh showed what it means to pique the interest of the Twitter audience, and draw them to a site to learn more and take action. Pepsi took $20 million, and later included another $1.3 million for the Gulf, and used Twitter to help local causes be broadcast across the nation and beyond to win grants to help their communities by voting.

Mark Horvath, well-known as @hardlynormal on Twitter and founder of InvisiblePeople.tv, is another brilliant example. He travels the U.S. and Canada interviewing our homeless friends on video and gives them a voice, a voice everyone can now hear because of the reach of Twitter.

Twitter does numerous internal philanthropy projects, including your pro-bono Tweets for Good program and numerous resources. Can you talk about those?

Within our advertising platform, we offer pro-bono programs for non-profits already engaged on Twitter. Promoted Tweets are a tool advertisers use to promote specific campaigns via Tweets on Twitter. The Promoted Tweets for Good programs is an application-based pro-bono program serving a number of non-profit organizations each year. We offer a second type of Promoted Tweets for Good ad hoc to organizations involved in disaster relief in times of crisis or civil unrest.
Another useful resource is Hope 140, Twitter’s hub for being a “Force for Good.” It highlights ways to use Twitter for Good, along with several causes and helpful case studies. We’re always looking for more case studies to share creative ways nonprofits have used Twitter.

What do you see as helpful concepts that apply not only to Twitter but also to social media in general?

As Biz Stone says, “People are basically good… When you give them a simple tool that helps them exhibit that behavior, they will prove it to you every day.” Make it easy for supporters to learn, share, help, and grow. Start connecting and creating individual relationships. Make sure that when you first hop on and seek support, make it about real relationships, and not immediately about fundraising. Most people in the world don’t like to be asked for money immediately (on social media or elsewhere). Are there new people you’d like to connect with? Reach out! Are supporters already on a platform? Deepen those relationships. It’s also important to some extent to let your guard down. Open a window into your organization with a unique perspective. Social media is wide open for any cause to participate and draw strength from supporters.

2011-11-28-clairedcraignewmark3.jpgTalking Social Good at the Social Media for Nonprofits Conference in San Francisco November 2011: Darian Heyman, Claire Diaz-Ortiz, and Craig Newmark. Photo Courtesy of Claire Diaz-Ortiz

“Be a Force for Good.”
~ Twitter’s operating principle

You can learn more about Claire at ClaireDiazOrtiz.com and follow her on Twitter @ClaireD. http://twitter.com/claired

For more details on using Twitter for Good, here is a short video of highlights from her book, and more tips and ideas at Hope140.org.

Amy Neumann is a writer, speaker and consultant on social good marketing. Check out her CharityIdeasBlog and follow her on Twitter @CharityIdeas.

Follow Amy Neumann on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CharityIdeas

39 Inspiring Men and Their Passion for Charity

5 Dec

This piece originally appeared in the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2morrowknight/38-inspiring-men-and-thei_b_956168.html

39 Inspiring Men and Their Passion for Charity

Posted: 09/16/11 04:50 PM ET

  Charity ,   Inspiration ,   Twitter , Feel Good Stories , Giving , Nonprofits , Passion , Slidepollajax , Social Good , Impact News

This is the latest post in our series, TwitterPowerhouses, which focuses on the contributions of people who’ve helped to expand, influence, and redefine how we view social networking.

A life of kindness and gratitude is tremendously powerful. And when applied to the charitable efforts making the world a better place, the results are often extraordinary. From across diverse backgrounds and all ends of the globe, these gentlemen exemplify a global view of sharing and helping others in their daily lives, and through the amazing networked nonprofits they support. They all embody the spirit of Booker T. Washington’s famous words: “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”

Reluctant to talk about themselves, they deftly shift conversations from themselves to other people, or to one of their many projects. They are dreamers and visionaries. They like to imagine vibrant communities bursting with culture — music, art, history, theater, film — and full of people realizing their potential. But they’re not only dreamers, they want people to be a part of their dreams.

Claire Diaz-Ortiz, leader of Social Innovation at Twitter Inc., and author of the book Twitter for Good, is brilliant in the international community of philanthropy and is someone all three writers on this post respect. Her ideas, and Twitter, have led countless people toward social good. The Networked Nonprofits we support – 2morrowknight with SeeYourImpact, Amy with United Way, and Yasamin with The 1010Project – are impacted by her work. And by Twitter. As are all of the men highlighted here. In fact, if it weren’t for Twitter, we may not have had the honor of talking with all of them and sharing their insights.

In a world that will soon have 7 billion people, these men understand how important it is to engage non-profits that help raise our standard of living, expand our worldview, and give us hope for the future. Indeed, together, we thrive!

Authors’ Note: In case you missed it, here’s Part 20 of the series: The Social Media Vision of Jessica Northey.

Click here for the original article SlideShow!

Social Good Stars – Beth Kanter (@kanter)

19 Nov

This post originally appears in the Huffington Post in my new series for Impact, “Social Good Stars.”  Thank you to the amazing Beth Kanter!

Writer, speaker and social media consultant for nonprofits and businesses
Follow Amy Neumann on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CharityIdeas

Social Good Stars: Beth Kanter

Posted: 11/18/11 12:43 PM ET

This is the first in a new Impact series, #SocialGoodStars. The people highlighted here are passionate, dedicated philanthropists, strengths to their communities, and social media masters. They also happily share their vast knowledge with others, making them shine as leaders in the Social Good world.

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it. ~Edith Wharton

Some people stand out as an example of a person who is indeed the bright candle, from whom others can help spread light. Beth Kanter, well-known in nonprofit and social media circles alike, is one of those people. She has been named by Fast Company Magazine as one of the most influential women in technology and one of Business Week’s “Voices of Innovation for Social Media.” She is the author of Beth’s Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media, one of the longest running and most popular blogs for nonprofits, and the book, “The Networked Nonprofit” with Allison Fine. She is also co-founder of Zoetica Media. Most importantly, Beth spends a lot of time listening to others, curating key information, and sharing it so other people can also be Social Good Stars.

2011-11-15-Bethkanter.jpg

Beth Kanter in Kenya with a winner of her book.

With 32 years in nonprofit social good, Beth is the perfect person to answer some pressing questions about current and future trends. Our interview is below.

You famously co- authored the book, “The Networked Nonprofit” with Allison Fine, and have worked with social good luminaries such as Claire Diaz-Ortiz of Twitter and Randi Zuckerberg of Facebook.  With such legendary background knowledge, can you reveal any social-media-for-social-good trends you see?

What’s top of mind at this moment is this stat:  In 2020, 40% of the world population will have grown up knowing nothing but the Internet and social networks.  Think about that. I’m a baby boomer and my first job was with the Boston Symphony in late 70’s, early 80’s.  I was in development and wanted to see examples of membership or annual fund brochures from other symphonies.  So, I wrote letters to about 20 of them, asking for a copy.  It took a month, but I then had a great collection of ideas — which was good because the annual conference when we could exchange that sort of stuff was six months away.  Now, we can learn in real time from our peers. Think how fast ideas are shared and copied from nonprofit to nonprofit.  I also watched my son last night do his homework.  He is 12.  He had to do a PowerPoint on Portugal.   He had a PowerPoint document uploaded into Google, was collaborating on it with two friends, and they were talking to each other on Skype. Our world is changing before our eyes and organizations really need to think about what this means for their work.  I think about the younger people in nonprofits — and those like free agents outside, and how important it is for nonprofit leaders to empower younger, millenials on staff and outside their walls.

Who is a personal  hero/ine in the social good space?  What makes them unique?

This is such a hard question — I have so many heroes/heroines.  But, I will name one.  Kristin Row-Finkbeiner the co-founder of Momsrising. “Where Moms and people who love them go to change our world.” They are such a fantastic example of working in this agile and transparent way and leveraging social media for on the ground social change.

 How important is “networking” to you in social media (and IRL)?  Has social media made it faster, slower, more or less relevant?

Definitely faster. I’ve always been a networker, before the tools — that is seeking people out, introducing people, and learning from the network/community.  The challenge when you add online tools is that you can connect to so many more people that you run the risk of having shallow relationships.  I have a lot of connections or friends, and I often feel that I don’t get a chance to just to chat and get to know people in a deeper way. These days I get a lot of requests for a lot of things. I find that introducing people to other people where there is a mutual need or potential for reciprocity is a good thing.

 What’s the “killer app” of social media right now?

Tools come and ago — and they change faster than humans.  Right now the killer app or type of app is content curation.  Less about the tools, more about the process.  I’m really excited about the whole concept of people whose job it is to make sense of information on the web. They used to be called journalists — but we have so much information available to us now that the sorting and making sense of it is a job in and of itself. This primer on content curation talks about why.

Do you have a favorite “social media success story” for this this year?

Yes, grist.org. They use a unique combination of entertaining content and environmental reporting, dubbed the “The Daily Show of the environmental movement.”  They have inspired a whole new generation of environmentalists who don’t take themselves so seriously while creating on-the-ground change.

What personal projects and charities do you love & support?

My main charity is the Sharing Foundation which helps kids in Cambodia.  My two kids were adopted from that country – and supporting the organizations is a way to give back.

I’m also on the board of Ushahidi , a non-profit tech company that develops free and open source software for information collection, visualization and interactive mapping. I support a number of other organizations in small ways.

2011-11-15-bethhat.jpg

Beth Kanter

You can learn more about Beth at BethKanter.org and follow her on Twitter @kanter.

Amy Neumann is a writer, speaker and consultant on social good marketing. Check out her CharityIdeasBlog and follow her on Twitter @CharityIdeas.


Social Media for Social Good

24 Oct

Thank you to Arizona State University for having me as a featured workshop presenter at your 19th annual Sustainability Conference!  Held at ASU Lodestar’s Dessert Willow Conference Center in Phoenix, Arizona, October 14, 2011, it featured some of the most brilliant minds on Collective Impact.  This year’s theme was “‘Go fast, go alone; go far, go together’: Collective Impact.”  Nearly 250 nonprofit leaders, community partners, students and professionals from across all sectors – business, government, general public, and nonprofit participated.

In the 90-minute Workshop, we covered a multitude of reasons why social media works so well for social good, and got many brilliant questions.  Although we can’t recreate the full session, the entire Keynote presentation can be downloaded for free  HERE.

[And I’m always reachable on amy@amyneumann.com. ]

Warren Buffett himself has quoted the wise ancient Chinese proverb — “To go fast, go alone; to go far, go together.” And it’s eloquently perfect for social media.

To put it another equally eloquent way, when thinking of social media:

“Luck is quite predictable.  If you want more luck, take more chances.  Be more active.  Show up more often.” ~ Brian Tracy

Essentially, that’s what social media is.  Conversations between people interested in the same things, in places convenient to them, when it’s handy.  If you’re in all the right places, at all the right times, with all the right messages, everyone will happily work together, almost instinctually.  That’s the message.  And that’s what I believe is the theme of social media, for Collective Impact, and for Social Good.

BitRebels – Twitter’s Top 75 Bada~s Women

5 Oct

When Diana Adams and Amy Howell wrote this piece earlier this year, I can’t tell you how  humbled and honored I was to be among such amazing women!  Diana and Amy are both famously well-known in social media, especially on Twitter, and to even be on their radar is incredible.  I am also very proud, after knowing them on social media for years,  to call them friends – initially through Twitter!  Thank you both for this list, which I must say is  amazing!  Even with me on it… LOL.  Also love that every woman’s Twitter, Facebook and site is listed, so you can connect where *you* spend your time.  Brilliant. Thanks Diana & Amy!

Original Article on BitRebels.com

Twitter’s Top 75 Badass Women – BitRebels

02/05/2011 – 10:00 am By Diana Adams

Awhile back my dear friend @HowellMarketing and I had a conversation about the influential and inspiring women on Twitter. We were both in awe of how many like-minded, talented, hard working, smart women we had become friends with as a result of Twitter. We talked about how we should write an article about such people.

Now, a year later, the time is right for such an article. We got together and compiled a list of the women who inspire us on a daily basis on Twitter. This list is different from most of the ones you’ll find. These aren’t the most popular women, or the women with the most followers. This is a list of women who are making it happen day in and day out, and they are tweeting their butts off in the process. They share and care consistently, and are always there to engage with their followers.

These women are all phenomenal at what they do. Whether they are known for being an artist, a photographer, a blogger, a marketer, a PR professional, a mom or even a celebrity, each person on this list is very special, and we hope you will take the time to get to know each one. And, before someone asks me, yes, there is even a dog on this list. You can read about her below.

These women are badasses because their style is instantly recognizable, and they exude confidence and humility whether they have 100 followers or 1,000,000 followers. Like a pair of good sunglasses or your favorite pair of jeans, they just feel good, and they know how to make others around them feel special. I listed everyone alphabetically according to their Twitter username; however, whenever possible, I listed their actual names here so you could get to know the person behind the username and avatar. Also, if you are new to Twitter, you might also want to check out my friend @HilzFuld‘s list of the first 99 people to follow. Thank you ladies for all you do to make the Twitterverse a fun place to hang out! @HowellMarketing and I had a blast putting this together, and we hope you enjoy reading it.

Twitter's Top 75 Badass WomenAdventure Girl

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Adventure Girl is known for just that… her adventures!  According to Twitter, she is known globally for talking travel.  She’s a media expert, journalist and morning show guest.  She loves to watch American Idol and Family Guy.  With almost 1.5 million followers, she’s definitely doing something right!

Twitter's Top 75 Badass WomenAlyssa Milano

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Alyssa Milano needs no introduction really. She sets a wonderful example for everyone on Twitter. She engages with her followers, and she is definitely part of the gang. When lots of tweeps got together to give her a special birthday present, she sent out this thank you video afterwards. Twitter definitely wouldn’t be the same without her. She is sincerely loved by many people.

Twitter's Top 75 Badass WomenAlys Drake

Twitter | Website

Alys is a Marketing and PR professional. She has lived in Memphis, Tennessee her whole life and is part of the Memphis Social Media Club. She has two little girls and she works for @HowellMarketing. She is known for engaging with her followers, and since she has sent over 11,000, I’d say she is definitely a Twitter addict!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenAmber Cleveland

Twitter | Website

Amber is a hard working, fun loving, creative, passionate leader. She’s a mover and a shaker in marketing, and she enjoys speaking French. It’s always a pleasure to see her in the Twitter stream. She is very well connected so check out the other people in her Twitter network for more great people to follow.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenAmy Oscar

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Amy Oscar is a very dear friend, and she brings tons of positive energy to the Twitterverse. Reading her blog feels like a ray of warm sunshine. According to her bio, she can find your lost keys, she saves spiders, and she talks to angels.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenAnita Nelson

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Anita Nelson is all about skin care as @ModelSupplies. She’s an eBay PowerSeller, a blogger and a radio host. She loves music, comedy and art. She calls Detroit, Michigan home and is a wonderful friend to many people on Twitter!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenAnne Deeter Gallaher

Twitter | Website

Anne owns her own PR and social media business. She has many high profile connections including Ford. She is fan of powerful language and smart marketing.  She is known for sending great tweets and engaging with her followers.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenAnn Tran

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Ann is so humble and gracious, you would never guess she has over 150,000 followers. She lives in Washington, DC, and also loves the beach. She is a spiritual seeker who is happily married. She is a generous RT’er on Twitter, and sends tweets full of love!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenAmy Reneau

Twitter | Facebook

Amy, Amy, Amy… where do we start?  She is from Texas with tweets bigger than the state.  She is the only person I know who loves the color pink and shoes more than I do.  She is also very good friends with a man who I wish could be on this list: @PaulBritPhoto Amy is known for all her RT’ing.

Twitter's Top Badass Women

Twitter's Top Badass WomenBridget Davis

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Bridget is a chef, food writer, geek girl, culinary craftsman, friend, and the better half of @Iconic88. She is also the founder of The Internet Chef.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenPatricia Wilson

Twitter | Website

Patricia is a brand marketer and media strategist. She has over twenty years of marketing experience. She is also the President of Brand Cottage.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenAmy Neumann

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Amy is known for her big heart and positive tweets, especially when it comes to charity. She is an eternal optimist, and a true Twitter addict. I’ve had the pleasure of talking to her on the phone, and he’s as nice to talk to as she is online. She is from Los Angeles, California.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenBella

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Bella describes herself as an obsessed blogger who loves fashion, glamour, celebrity, make-up and shoes! In my opinion, her blog looks like modern day Sex and the City style. I love it! She is good friends with someone else on this list, @JessicaNorthey.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenCindy Vriend

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Cindy is known for her consistent, creative, fun tweets. She loves design, illustration, art, photography, smiles, music, race cars, silly dances and her sweet dog. She lives in the Netherlands, and always has something nice to say.  I don’t think this girl ever has a bad day. :)

Twitter's Top Badass WomenCheryl Burgess

Twitter | Website

Cheryl Burgess is a power tweeter on a mission. She loves #FF and #MM. She is the Managing Partner and Marketing Technologist at Blue Focus Marketing. She is also the winner of a 2010 Marketing Shorty Award. She is described as being a super connector with a strong grip.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenKathy Meyer

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Kathy is such a wonderful Twitter friend. She is an eMarketing trends and technology enthusiast. She believes in balance. She’s also a mompreneur and a foodie interested in design, art, music, coffee and her iPhone.  Kathy is an influencer, and many people depend on her tweets for their information.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenChristina Kingston

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Christina is a writer, blogger and freelance hobo. Her blog is one of the spiciest you’ll ever read, and she knows how to write to entertain. She believes in perpetual laughter and beards.  She’s loud, she says what’s on her mind, she’s witty and people love her for it (including me).  She definitely has her own unique style.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenChristina Yow

Twitter | Facebook

Christina is a Signaporean Christian. She tweets everything, including lots of interesting pictures. She loves fashion, languages, music and traveling. She loves her job at Nike, and she is a huge soccer fan!  She is one of those people I’d like to meet in person one day.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenDiane Brogan

Twitter | Website

As @HowellMarketing says, “Diane Brogan keeps @chrisbrogan in line.” (wait, did we just type that?) Diane is a wife, mother, gramma, sister, aunt, niece, friend and lover of life. She also designs and creates jewelry!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenDawn Westerberg

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Dawn is a Duct Tape marketing consultant and tweeter from Austin, Texas. She is fascinated with how social media is transforming marketing. And, like most of us, she’s not a big fan of auto-DMs.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenElissa Freeman

Twitter

Elissa is a fast moving PR chick with a twist of foodie tweets sprinkled in with humor. She’s also a pop culturist and a mom. She is from Toronto, Canada.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenElizabeth Sosnow

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Elizabeth is a B2B PR girl who is a straight talker with a smart brain. She’s also a pop culture fanatic and mom to three mad men. Her tweets are fun and engaging.

Twitter's Top Badass Women

Twitter's Top Badass WomenErin Margolin

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Erin is such a wonderful friend to so many people on Twitter. Her genuine smile and helpful nature make her one of my favorite people to follow. She is also a fantastic writer, and her blog is a lot of fun to read. She’s a stay-at-home-mom with 5 year old twins.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenGiselle MacLean

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Giselle is a passionate blogger, wife, mother and friend. She works in the financial services industry. She was one of the first people I met when I got on Twitter in 2009, and we’ve been great friends ever since. She truly is full of endless possibilities.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenAmy D. Howell

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Amy, the co-writer of this article, hails from Memphis, Tennessee where she is always cooking up hometown southern food in her kitchen. She tweets the details and makes us all hungry on a regular basis. She is the CEO of Howell Marketing Strategies, a wife and a mom. She’s also a very special friend to many.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenMirijam Rosenast

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Mirijam is such a fun person to follow!  She has a lot of energy, and is always into something new.  She likes Anime/Manga, gadgets, design, stories and people. She recently started a new blog with @BarryckR called Xcaped Cat which is already on its way to being a huge success.  It’s a great resource and a lot of fun!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenSarah-Jayne Gratton

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Sarah-Jayne is an author and a screenwriter. She is currently writing a book on Social Media. She lives in the UK and she loves to RT on Twitter. Her Twitter username is @grattongirl, and she is married to @grattonboy! #really

Twitter's Top Badass Womenheykim

Twitter | Facebook | Website

I can’t imagine my Twitter stream without heykim. She tweets about social media, entertainment, news, sports, music, travel and people. Her blog oooozes with positivity and inspiration. She truly has a heart of gold.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenJazz Baker

Twitter

Jazz Baker is another brilliant businesswoman who believes in living the life you want and loving the life you live. She is a CNN media consulting and tech geek. She is interested in journalism, art and her iPhone. She is one of those people who has the cred to be snobby, but instead, she approaches the Twitterverse with her own style of joy, humility and happiness. For that, she is definitely a badass.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenJessica Northey

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Most of the time when we read “social media expert” in someone’s bio on Twitter, we roll our eyes. Jessica Northey is one of the very rare people who really is that good in social media. She teaches her clients how to leverage social media to fit their needs. She is also a country music writer/blogger, speaker, on-air personality and columnist for AllAccess.com.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenSissy Northey

Twitter | Website

Sissy Northey is the professional companion and one-of-a-kind accessory for Jessica Northey. She is 50% Pomeranian and 50% Chihuahua. She likes long walks, short goodbyes and boiled chicken.  Sissy is a badass because she’s the only dog I know that has sent over 5,000 tweets. :)

Twitter's Top Badass WomenJackie Bigford

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Jackie is very passionate about ending world hunger, especially for children. She is also a friend to the animals, and she has a rescue shelter in her home for cats and kittens. Right now her main focus is to save the dolphins in Japan from the brutal annual slaughter in Taji, The Cove. It inspiring to watch Jackie and join her by being a voice for the animals and the people that don’t have one.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenJoyce Cherrier

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Joyce Cherrier is a misplaced Maui girl living in New Orleans. She’s spunky, fun, and if you see her body, you will understand why all the who’s who on Twitter trust everything she says about health and fitness. She is a very dear friend of mine, and her new blog Freaking Fitness (link above) is an outstanding resource for anyone interested in living a healthy lifestyle.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenKarima-Catherine

Twitter | Website

Karima-Catherine is not afraid to speak her mind and challenge popular thinking. She is a social media practitioner, a business strategist, a foodie, a fashion observer and a Twitter addict. She lives in Montreal, Canada.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenKat Jaibur

Twitter | Website

Kat has a way of looking at life that is full of hope, happiness and possibility.  She has been around on Twitter for as long as I can remember, and her words of wisdom are always comforting to read in my Twitter stream.  She lives just north of Boston.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenLisa Kemp

Twitter | Website

Lisa is a marketing pro in the equine industry. She blogs for equestrian business owners and managers. Lisa lives in Chicago, Illiniois.  She obviously loves horses, and her spirit is as spunky as theirs!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenKim Sherrell

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Kim is a filmmaker and tech personality. Her interests are new media, art, design, film, culture, music and comedy. She is the founder of @ArtWalkTV and an inspiration to many people on Twitter. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenKrys

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Krys is very passionate about law, all things iphone, all things videogame related and social media. She is the ultimate geek girl and friend. Whether she’s tweeting music for everyone in the Twitterverse to enjoy or talking about her new gadgets, this girl’s got it going on!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenLaura Click

Twitter | Website

Laura Click is known as a marketer, a problem solver and an innovator. She is the founder and chief innovator at Blue Kite Marketing in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a dog lover, a runner and an avid Mizzou fan.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenLaura Duran

Twitter | Website

Laura Duran is known for tweeting about leadership and PR. She is a PR consultant and brand manager interested in social media, creativity, art, food, placemaking, infrastructure, historic preservation and sustainability. She lives in Philadelphia.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenLaura Walker

Twitter | Website

Laura Walker has got to be one of the nicest most sincere people on Twitter. She is a badass in her own right, but you’d never know it from her humility. She loves musical theatre and working with children. One of her favorite quotes is, “Anything can happen if you let it.” She is addicted to Twitter and television.

Twitter Top Badass Women

Twitter's Top Badass WomenLori McNee

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Lori McNee is an artist, a blogger, a poetic painter, a quote junkie, a novice photog, a friend to the birds and animals, and a busy mom. She lives in the mountains of Idaho. In my opinion, Lori tweets some of the most creative tweets I’ve seen. She is a very talented artist and a fabulous writer.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenLori Moreno

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Thank goodness Lori decided to leave her career as an attorney because now we get her on Twitter all to ourselves! She is all about spreading love and inspiration around the world. One her quotes is, “The more love you give, the more love you will enjoy!” She is the #LOVE Twitter badass that everyone loves! Thank you for being you Lori.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenLori

Twitter | Website

Lori’s blog called Oh, Shit… She’s Awake pretty much says it all. She is a sassy fun loving sweetheart that so many people on Twitter adore. He blog is hilarious and she is a great writer. Her positive energy has a way of transcending her avatar. She’s truly one of a kind!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenLynda Bruschini

Twitter | Website

Lynda is an Italian artist and illustrator. She creates designs for babies, kids and moms. She loves to draw, paint and laugh. When I went through some health issues last year, she taught me that I could be stronger than I ever knew possible. She comes a across as a subtle and soft-spoken tweeter, but underneath, she is one of the strongest women I know.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenMarcome

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Marcome is a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. She does a mixture of pop world music mixed with new age, jazz and ambient voices. Her name is pronounced Marko-may. She is good friends with @zaibatsu. Here is a sampling of some of her new age music to relax to.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenMarjorie Clayman

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Margie Clayman was recently named Twitter’s own “Mother Goose” of blogging. She represents the third generation of Clayman Advertising. Her motto is “Give to get and love every minute!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenDiane Meyer

Twitter | Website

Diane Meyer specializes in promotional products, corporate apparel, events/tradeshows and marketing strategies. She is a business owner, and she is very involved with branding efforts through promotional products and print media. She has a big heart and is known for her gracious RTs on Twitter!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenMary Sarah

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Mary Sarah, aka Mary Sarah Music, is more of what I would call a “badass in training.” She is only 15 years old, but she is rockin on Twitter everyday like a pro. She tweets before school, after school and during her performances. She is a country/pop music singer and songwriter who is passionate about life and helping the homeless. Those of us who know her absolutely adore her. This is a song of hers that I tweet every Sunday because it’s the perfect Sunday morning song.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenMeryl K. Evans

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Meryl Evans is the ultimate badass because he is known as an outstanding writer and editor, but she volunteers and referees the kids. She’s one of those people that you ask yourself, “How does she do it?” She still finds time to tweet everyday, which makes her even more special. The editor of PC Today Magazine wrote, “Meryl Evans has been an outstanding freelancer for PC Today Magazine. Her understanding of mobile technology has made her one of our go-to writers.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenMisty Belardo

Twitter | Facebook | Website

If I could, I would write an entire post about why Misty Belardo is a badass. Her close friends on Twitter know what she has been through over the past year, and yet, she remains strong, focused and positive. Just last month she moved from the Philippines to the United States to work in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is one of my co-writers here on Bit Rebels, and she is also my closest Twitter friend. I am excited that I get to finally meet her for the first time in two weeks!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenMichelle Mangen

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Michelle Mangen knows everything about Android. Period. If for no other reason, that is why she is a badass. She is also a social media virtual assistant who is a self proclaimed Excel Queen. She splits her time between Wisconsin and Florida.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenDebra Cincioni

Twitter | Facebook | Website

The name of Debra’s blog, Never Underestimate a Mother, is enough to keep me from misbehaving. She is a mom, entrepreneur, technology addict and musician. She works to unite moms of all kinds, and she reminds us that we are never alone as a mother.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenNini Baseema

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Nini is one of the most creative, talented photographers I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. Her one self portrait a day project, which she started on January 1, 2001, inspires me and many others on a daily basis. She organized many of her social media friends to join her in the fun, and they are creating something really special. You can check out all the deets at One Selfportrait A Day. There is a lot of inspiration that follows this girl everywhere, and I’m so glad she shares the love with us all!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenIngrid Abbound

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Ingrid is on this list for one main reason… she is a kick ass blogger. Her nittyGriddy blog reads like a social media journal, and it is always a pleasure to learn and engage with her. Her content and copywriting is always spot-on. She is also witty, fun and insightful.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenLucie Hys

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Lucie is another Twitter addict that is a wonderful friend and sincere positive energy in the Twitterverse. She lives, breathes and loves anything social media and technology, and it shows in her blog. Her online world is her real world (hey, mine too!). Her blog Social Media & Hospitality Under Microscope, has taught me a lot about the hospitality industry, specifically hotels.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenPam Moore

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Pam describes herself as half marketing, half geek, CEO, entrepreneur, social media speaker, best-selling author, coach, blogger, lover of brand, God, family, friends, beach and life. Wow, that is a mouthful of badass if I’ve ever heard it! She’s known as the “Marketing Nut” from Tampa, Florida.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenAllison Rizk

Twitter | Facebook | Website
Since I’ve been friends with Allison for a while, I’ve known about her badass-ness for a decade now. She puts her heart and soul into everything she does, and as a result, everything she touches turns to golden success. She is an incredible speaker and motivator. Her most badass skill though is her ability to spot talented music artists before they become mainstream. She almost always calls it. Yep, badass for sure. She is known on the web as the famous Radio Potato. Check out her blog for great music clips and interviews.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenErika Napoletano

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Erika’s award-winning blog bitch slaps have earned her a reputation as a hot-headed fricken brilliant blogger who speaks her mind and always, always has spot-on content written well. If you like rants about brands that miss the mark and ladies who don’t put the seat down, you will love Redhead Writing. Her blog is one of the few in my bookmarks.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenMilana Ryan

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Milana is a sweet soul that ooooozes creativity with everything she does. Whether it’s an illustration, a song, a photograph, she shares her love of life with us all. She was one of the first people I met on Twitter in 2009. I was inspired by her then, and continue to be inspired by her today.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenNicky

Twitter | Website

Nicky is another “badass in training” that is quickly transitioning into a full on badass. She is only 18 years old, but when you read her blog, it reads like it was written by a seasoned social media enthusiast. She is ranked in the top 64 Indian bloggers on Tech18.com, and she has guest posted at some of the most influential social media blogs on the net. She describes herself as an ordinary girl with extraordinary dreams. Nicky, your talent is so far beyond your years, and it’s a blast watching you grow.

Twitter's Top Badass Women

Twitter's Top Badass WomenHeather Ostrom

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Heather is a real-estate marketing gal who’s unique style and sassy humor make her one of my Twitter favs. If you are in the real estate industry, you can learn so much from Heather and how she incorporates social media into her work and her daily life. My favorite thing about Heather is how she so famously changes the color of her glasses in her avatar for each special holiday. Yep, badass all the way!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenSasha H. Muradali

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Sasha has always been a PR badass, but when she moved from sunny Miami, Florida to New York City, her career exploded and now she is truly a PR Queen. She was recently in Forbes Magazine because of her social media badass-ness. The thing I love about Sasha is that even with all her success, she still keeps it real. Also, she loves the color pink almost as much as I do. *wink*

Twitter's Top Badass WomenSara Hawkins

Twitter | Website

Sara knows a lot about a topic many people could use a little help with. She knows how to “save for someday” and make her dollars stretch so that she can fulfill all her dreams. Her blog, called Saving For Someday, teaches how to stop wishing and start doing. She teaches others how to make informed choices about spending. That’s one of the most badass things I’ve heard in a long time!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenSharon Hayes

Twitter | Website

Sharon Hayes is one of the first social media queens I met when I joined Twitter. She is a hard working entrepreneur, and she knows everything there is to know about the value of a domain name. She loves music, tech, fitness, coffee, travel, sushi and smiles. She is sincere and gracious. She is a badass in every sense of the word.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenEsta H. Singer

Twitter | Website

Esta is a passionate photographer whose work will blow your mind. She takes a lot of photographs out in nature, and those are always my favorites. She is a professional connector, a strategist and an author. I remember when Esta first joined Twitter about a year ago, and ever since then, she has been sending warm, positive tweets consistently. She has catapulted to badass status in a very short amount of time, and she deserves it!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenShelly Kramer

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Everybody knows a “Twitter Badass” article wouldn’t be complete without the famous Shelly Kramer. She is a brilliant marketing/brand strategist, and idea generator, a creator of buzz and awareness, a scribbler, a social media lovah and information junkie. She loves Milk Duds and beer. She is the social media “secret weapon” for her clients. I learn from her everyday, and I can’t imagine my Twitter stream without her.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenShilpi Bose

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Shilpi is a best known for being a sarcastic writer who always sends gracious tweets and engages with her followers. @HowellMarketing and I both agreed that she needed to be on this list because she has her own unique style of badass-ness. She describes herself as being independent, friendly, optimistic and almost perfect (except for her addiction to caffeine). Shilpi is also a wife and mom, and lives in Hong Kong.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenSima Dahl

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Simply put, Sima is one of Chicago’s most admired tweeters for her content and “Sway Factor” (the name of her book). She is a consultant, connector, communicator and social networking coach. She is a passionate blogger and the President of Parlay Communications.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenStaci J. Shelton

Twitter | Facebook | Website

In a word full of fast-paced living, fast-paced technology, and fast-paced social media, I’m glad I have Staci Shelton. She is a joyful evangelist full of gratitude. She is all about passion, purpose and productivity. As she puts it, she “changes the energy in the room.” I agree 100%.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenSusan Young

Twitter | Facebook | Website

When we were putting together this list, Susan Young was a person that @HowellMarketing instantly thought of. She inspires Amy and countless others on a daily basis. She is from New Jersey, but recently moved to San Antonio. She is all about news, PR and communications. She is an amazing connector and an amazing woman.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenGina Stark

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Gina, Gina, Gina… where do I start? Gina is a badass mainly because she makes up her own words and tweets them. Of course, being a talented belly dancer and having a rockin blog only add to her badass-ness. Gina is a very dear friend to many in the Twitterverse, and her I have a feeling she is a badass offline as well.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenTaryn Pisaneschi

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Taryn is the queen of creative marketing ideas. She lives right here in Atlanta, and she’s always cookin up a new networking event or marketing breakfast. She is also the founder of Women Intelligently Networking. She is a fun extrovert that I had the pleasure of meeting in person last month. She’s a badass all the way!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenTerri Nakamura

Twitter | Website

One thing a lot of people struggle with is finding great content to tweet. Terri obviously has that all figured out because every one of her tweets is pure gold. She is a Seattle based graphic designer who likes humor, Apple/Mac, interesting design, art, technology, weird pop culture stuff and breaking news. She RTs often and spreads her positive attitude about life to everyone she comes in contact with in the Twitterverse. She is also a very dear friend to many people, including me.

Twitter's Top Badass WomenCd Vann

Twitter | Website

Cd is the founder of #ungeeked chat on Thursdays at 8pm EST. She has her own very unique style of getting around the Twitterverse and collecting/sharing ideas. She loves coffee and purple martinis. She also believes in karma and faith. She’s a passionate advocate of intimate learning spaces. She’s also a mom, and a big talker!

Twitter's Top Badass WomenXan Pearson

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Xan, a VP of Marketing from Chicago, comes across as soft and sophisticated on Twitter, but underneath it all, this girl packs a powerful punch! She is a social media strategist who is interested in travel, reading, food and wine. She is a very genuine person who is a master connector on Twitter. She also promotes optimism and charity.

Update: Now that I have finished writing this, I can think of so many other women that deserve to be on this list like @beebow, @ellies58, @_Fleur__, and so many others. If you can think of some badass ladies that need to be here, please leave them in a comment below so we can check them out! :)

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