Five people to follow on Twitter in 2009

UPDATED 02/01/09: The list has now become six names.

Just as there are five people I am no longer following on Twitter, so I would recommend five people to follow on Twitter in 2009. 

My criteria for following are these

• they are all in social media marketing/PR or new media journalism. They are all collaborators, sending out Tweets linked to good ideas, blog postings other than their own or interesting websites.
• I want to learn from those I follow. Some are stars of early adoption, social media but some of the best leads come from people with far lower profiles in social media.
• they put in every effort to garden their community recognising others’ value and work by retweeting   
• they update regularly but only when absolutely necessary.
• you won’t suffer too many insights into the minutiae of their personal lives. They use their Twitter feeds for professional reasons.

 So who would I recommend?

1. Jeremiah Owyang. For any starter in social media, Owyang’s Tweets, along with his blog, are an essential guide to what you should be interested in. Though he has gone on a break recently “trying some other technologies”.
2. Jay Rosen. The head of NYU’s head of journalism is from an era when reporting was not about celebrities but rather integrity, ethics and sheer bloody-mindedness. Pity he does not keep his blog as up to date as his Twitter feed.
3. George Hopkin. One of those great reasons for social media – unknown to me until recently but someone who seems to spend much of his day helping his followers with answers, ideas, retweeting their best moments. He should put some of the energy into his blog. Just imagine how good that would be if it were similarly updated.
4. Tom Chapman. Another great discovery but one whose intelligence comes across not just in his blog but also his considered and crafted Tweets.
5. Ben LaMothe. As UK newspaper and magazines come under increasing pressure, it is useful to have a US student studying journalism in London who has seen it all before in his home country. 

UPDATED 02/01/09: Just had to add another name.

6. Paul Walsh. Full of useful stuff (plus a great blog) but also a class act in how to weave the private into the public/professional (despite my criteria above). Perhaps it is the way he manages the former with humility and humour. Lessons learnt. Do I dare?

Whom would you add to the list and what is their Twitter URL?