Franky Benítez

As you know, Twitter is a large place, and there are many who claim to be “experts” and “social media gurus.” We aren’t knocking the many talents of these kinds of people who have the large number of followers and have great reach and influence. However, we do think that if you are going to say you believe in the power of social media and are a top social media evangelist, you should practice what you preach.

That is, if people are engaging you in the conversation on Twitter, it might make sense to actually and consistently engage back. No excuses. In this spirit, we are recommending 5 of Twitter’s Best, people who actually have a very large number of followers, truly understand Twitter, and truly engage their followers (always), even when they are inundated with 100s of @ replies every day. We commend you all for doing this. We know how hard it is to constantly be in touch with your stream, but when you do, your reputation and class show with flying colors.

FOLLOW THESE TWITTER MASTERS

@earthXplorer: JD is the REAL DEAL on Twitter. I am always happy to see him in my stream, and he does share amazing content. He is the perfect example of someone who can get a large number of followers but still remember that numbers don’t matter: it is just about connecting here. JD is a MUST FOLLOW.

@RizzoTees: Full disclosure about the fabulous RizzoTees. I don’t work for them and I don’t get anything from. I just love their amazing tees (have bought 2!) and how Chris has been able to create a true “social media brand” for his company. It’s funny, when I first started following the Rizz (at 20K) I was afraid to reach out to him, since I was just starting at Twitter. But I said, wait, I love Chris’ vibe and I am so glad I reached out and connected. I have made a true friend. We are brothers forever.

@shellykramer: to one of my fellow “Overtweeters,” I salute you! Shelly is amazing, just amazing. She GETS it and has the uncanny ability to make each Twitter convo authentic, funny, and personal. One of the best!

@tommytrc: another one of the Twitter Greats! Tommy is always engaging and always providing amazing content to my stream. His tweets are interesting, fun, and pure. He also engages the right way with people. Go, Tommy!

@mattsingley: You know how people have required reading, like the Times or the Journal or the Huff Post? Well, Matt is my required reading. His blog on social media is EXCELLENT, but more importantly, Matt makes it a point to continue to connect with his base. Believe me, that is HARD to do as you keep growing, but Matt keeps it real, and we love him.