Dan's #FollowFriday Blog

“Follow Friday” (#FF, #FollowFriday) is an established part of the twitter week whereby users of the micro-blogging service recommend people that their own followers might like to follow.

It started for me with just a #FF tag followed by a list of names, but since so many other ‘tweeps’ were doing the same, the chances of anyone clicking onto any of these names and investigating them further seemed slim. I know that I was certainly reluctant to click on many of the large seemingly random names that I was presented with without a compelling reason to do so.

Then, one of my photography (and indeed #FF) friends came up with/discovered the idea of linking to a blog post of his where he could explain in a little more detail who he was recommending and why. Thanks Glyn! This immediately seemed more sensible to me, and so I’m pilfering re-using his idea.

My Follow Friday recommendations will be broken down into categories and I’ll add to (or even remove!) them as time passes. One of the joys of Twitter is its fluidity & social nature and the fact that you naturally meet interesting people in the course of a day’s tweeting.

So – here we go:-

PHOTOGRAPHY:

@GlynDewis – The UK’s equivalent of @Strobist (but with better shorts), The UK’s answer to @zarias (but with less hair). Glyn consistently gives more than he receives and his blog is rapidly becoming “the place to go” for off camera flash users this side of the pond. A consistent source of ideas, advice and encouragement. Oh and his photoshop retouching tips are worth a look too!

@Noel_Hannan – I met Noel on one of Glyn’s tester workshops. He’s got an eye for colour and composition and being Irish(!) his conversational style makes for a worthy friend to follow on Twitter and his blog.

@zarias - gets a mention for his epic workshops (often streamed live online) and no nonsense style of imparting advice

@MancTog - despite his Man Utd affiliations Neil is one of Manchester’s most interesting photographers and twitterers, his blog frequently giving detailed descriptions of how he gets his great landscapes. He also has the humility to admit to his mistakes – allowing all of us to learn from his experience.

@Richard_Hales – is another twitter friend and wedding photographer who’s blog contains enough to keep fellow ‘togs happy and isn’t just an additional selling vehicle for his business.

@MattSando – Matt has his fingers on the pulse of the “blogesphere” and his recommendations are always worth reading.

@tpphotography – Greg is a friendly & inspiring wedding photographer in beautiful Dorset.

@derekpye – occasional tweets only but undoubtedly “The world’s greatest living wedding photographer” (!)

CHELSEA FC:

@chelseayouth – Simply insanely dedicated follower of Chelsea FC, gives absolutely the best coverage of the club at Reserve and Youth Level and a thoroughly nice bloke too.

@OfficialCFCnet – the most complete independent Chelsea site in the universe.

@SouthernLatic – another Chelsea Nut with his own, frequently updated site.

@CFC12 – Yugam joins the list of Chelsea twitters with eyes on more than just the first team.

@rickglanvill – Chelsea mad journalist and author with the sense of humour that all Chelsea Fan’s need to have.

@TheChelsOrg – The new kid on the block but already a comprehensive CFC resource.

@CFCJourno -The man behind the ChelseaMad website.

OTHERS I KNOW & RECOMMEND:

@DeanoDV8Create - one of life's hard workers delivering exceptional design, copywriting and more.

@MyCoffeeStopUK - the best coffee in Enfield, bar none – a friendly welcome, fast service, fair-trade, f’ing awesome really! Find them on the London bound platform of Enfield Chase station.

@markhillary – Little could I imagine when sitting next to him in class twenty (or more) years ago that Mark would become one of the most interesting commentators on social media and users of blogging in the UK. An expert on outsourcing, IT, globalisation – it’s just a shame he’s got such a ropey portrait on his homepage!

@jwhairandspa - Stunning men’s & woman’s haircuts from James & Donna, great beauty treatments and happy times in the Enfield salon.

@keshmorjaria – inspiring and giving. Marketing for the modern age.

So that's it - hopefully you'll find one or two of interest in that list. Check back in future weeks and see how my recommendations have developed.

Dan