Make the Jump: Aggregate Love, Organize Thyself, Goodbyes & Hellos

My Twitter favorites and del.icio.us bookmarks are filling up, so that must mean it is time for a Make The Jump post!

AGGREGATING!
I love sites that aggregate, through block-and-tackle research or through a wiki. Thanks for taking the time to pull together the lists, data and info I look for! Not saying I’m lazy – but with the plethora of information in the world swirling about and changing daily we can all use some help pulling it together. Two of my favorite aggregator sites of late:

Muck Rack’s Journalists on Twitter page. A lot of sites are popping up to provide the ultimate list of this group or that group on Twitter. This is my favorite so far because it organizes journo-twits via organization (and with logos for those who like visuals). And, in another great feature, shows the twitter-stream from the journos of that news organization. Pretty slick. Thanks @julierose78 for sharing the link!

(Think I’ve also mentioned the wiki Media on Twitter from the minds of @prsarahevans @skydiver @briansolis @melissahourigan and @edunigan)

Twibs helps you find businesses on Twitter

And for those interested in what is your electeds and tax-supported agencies are doing on Twitter – check out one of the many sites with listings – the GovTwit Directory site and TwitterStream

Organizing Your World

Contrary to the subheading – this is not about the ubiquitous moleskin Although I do feel that owning one, or two or three helps drive creativity!

This is about all of the places your personality, business, and/or aura lives online. How do you keep them all updated and relevant? Better yet, how do you keep yourself sane? I get the question a lot about how to maintain/update/utilize the various social networks I belong to. The reality is – I don’t belong to that many – but it can be overwhelming. So, my advice is to dip your toes in, try what is out there, discard what doesn’t work, keep looking for what works for YOU. Because every situation is unique, what works for me (TweetDeck, Feedly, iGoogle, Friendfeed) may not work for you. And just because I’m using them now – doesn’t mean I will be tomorrow. Needs change, and so should our tools.

Entrepreneur had a great piece on ‘Managing Your Social Networks’, full admitting “An aggregation tool that will let you manage all your sites seamlessly is still a ways away. Developers are still defining what a social media aggregator should do because people use social sites in different ways…” Even so, the article lists some great apps that have come on the scene that are helping people get a handle on their networks.

Sidenote: Have you seen the new format for PitchEngine? If not, go check it out. And if you are in PR and haven’t given PitchEngine a whirl – go do it! Kudos to Jason Kintzler for a great SMR platform and for constantly reworking it and improving on it every time.

Goodbye & Hello

If the brave new world of communication has taught us anything, it is that leaders can arise and gain a following and respect for their voice not only in their physical location but on a global platform. As I shared with Tim Walker at Hoovers.com, I truly believe – “...the beauty of social media is that, unlike other networking, there are no geographic boundaries. We are all on a virtual level playing field where my thoughts and opinions hold the same weight as those [of someone] in a larger city. It is about the quality of the conversation — not the size of the population… the world is now without borders. ”

Case in point – Tac Anderson, a good friend and leader in Idaho who is moving on to a new opportunity at Waggener Edstrom’s Studio D in Seattle. For years Tac has been at the forefront of business and social media, working most recently at HP, and a cornerstone of the tech and entrepreneur community in Idaho through his TechBoise site and work at Highway12 Ventures as Entrepreneur in Residence.

Besides being one of the sharpest people many of us will ever know, Tac is able to combine those rare qualities of an early adopter with an approachable evangelist. Someone who points the way towards great finds, new ways of doing business, and opportunities to raise our level of conversation and interaction – but he does it in a way that doesn’t alienate/intimidate/put off those of us running at a slightly slower pace

So while this is goodbye to my favorite pizza lunch buddy, and a true leader in our community, it is hello to the new paths he will blaze and discoveries he will make (and hopefully share!) in his new role. Highly recommend a follow if you don’t already!

- Jess