On this week’s #PRStudCast episode, I had a great conversation with Deirdre Breakenridge and Valerie Simon about how the execution of Twitter’s #FollowFriday must be changed.  It’s intent is to recommend Tweeters to your followers because of the content they provide or even a personal friendship you may have with that person.  I love the concept, but it has lost its value because it has just become a mass weekly shout out that provides no depth or substantial recommendations. So, I am following the lead of blogs such as Spin Sucks and Jason Mollica’s “One Guy’s Journey” and dedicating an entire post to a Tweeter that I think you should all follow.

My #FollowFriday for this week is Jeff Gibbard, the Director of the Social Media Practice Group at Devine & Powers (hell of a name, huh?) in Philadelphia. I must disclose that Jeff has become a great friend over the past year, but I still stand beside the reasons WHY you should all follow him. Not to mention he also went to both Drexel and Temple!

I don’t mean this in any demeaning way, but Jeff is a social media geek.  Whether you read his blog, Social Media Philanthropy or sit down and have a drink with him, you will instantly realize that he lives and breathes this stuff.  He understands the aspect of being social and how to utilize the available platforms and technologies to his greatest advantage.

Not only does he understand the power of being conversational and social, but he also understands the numbers game in social media that many (if not all) of us are still trying to figure out.  There are metrics and measurements to social media that cannot be overlooked and I feel that Jeff is going to be a leading voice in 2011 as we do figure out how to measure our social media efforts a little more.

Jeff always expresses his admiration and respect for industry thought leaders such as Chris Brogan (Jeff’s man-crush haha) and Jason Falls.  While those guys are clearly a big influence in Social Media, I think Jeff’s understanding and utilization of Social Media isn’t too far behind Chris and Jason.

So if you’re going to do one thing this Friday; other than listening to the #PRStudCast and watching the first episode of PR TV #shamelessplug, go follow Jeff. He is a great conversationalist and is always willing to share and learn from the Twitter community. I must say, if you want to find out who the real brains of the operation is, follow Jeff’s wife: Ellie Gibbard!

You can also VOTEfor Jeff in the Shorty Awards!

It’s been a great week of communicating and networking. Whether it was at PodCamp Philly 2010, heading up to New York for an incredible meet-up, or just on Twitter, I was able to communicate with some incredible people and minds. With so much interaction, it was near impossible for me to create a small Follow Friday list today. Instead of keeping it to one tweet, I figured I’d write this post about three PR pros who have truly influenced and inspired me.

Sarah Evans: I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah on Wednesday in New York at a small get together she planned for PR pros in the NYC area. At the meet-up, we all sat around and discussed everything from PR to Halloween Costumes. Regardless of the topic, I was inspired by Sarah’s ambition and entrepreneurial sense. She runs one of the fastest growing firms in the industry and is involved in a slew of amazing projects. She takes advantage of any opportunity and uses her growth to influence and connect others around her. As a young PR entrepreneur, she the type of person I am going to continue to learn from and I’m sure many are already doing just that.

Deirdre Breakenridge: Deirdre has been an inspiration to me since I’ve started my entrepreneurial venture. She was kind enough to write a guest blog post for several months back and has always been open to communicate with other pros and students. Deirdre and I are currently talking about a potential future project, and her willingness to communicate continues to ring true. In addition to the example she sets, she also has shared her expertise in several excellent books. She inspires me to be a better communicate and who knows, maybe write a book.

Gini Dietrich: I’ve been listening to “Inside PR,” a podcast that Gini co-hosts with fellow PR pros Martin Waxman and Joe Thornley. The podcast is a great weekly examination of the PR world and what is happening in it. I find that Gini has a wealth of knowledge from here experience that she expresses very effectively through the podcast. Not to mention, she is very entertaining while doing so! Gini has inspired me to take on podcasting, because of how well she expresses and shares through this platform. She’s a very active communicator on Twitter and sets a great example for the rest of us. Plus, she said I’m her BFF

There are many other people that influence my career and learning every day, but I thought that these three women needed special mention. Including them in a #FollowFriday tweet would’ve been pointless because most people already follow them. I wanted to use this platform as a way to express why they deserve recognition from not only myself but communicators everywhere. I have to say; with these three setting the example its no wonder women dominate PR.