There are a lot of great thinkers and practitioners in the Enterprise 2.0 space that I follow for ideas, information, and advice. The space as a whole is still fairly new and there really aren’t THAT many folks involved in Enterprise 2.0 initiatives, especially when you compare that to the number of “social media experts.” Why? Well, quite frankly Enterprise 2.0 is a more challenging and strategic space which is precisely why I am so interested in it. In fact, at the tender age of 26, I’m pretty sure I’m the youngest person in the Enterprise 2.0 space. Once the Chess Media Group site is re-designed visitors will see that we have partnered with some of the leading companies and individuals in the Enterprise 2.0 space (to help us with client projects and strategy). So having said all of that here is my list of the top 10 people to follow in the Enterprise 2.0 space and why you should follow them. You can also check out this list put together by Cloud Ave on the most influential Enterprise 2.0 bloggers (of which yours truly is a part of).
Susan Scrupski
Susan writes the ITSinsider blog and is also the founder of the 2.0 Adoption Council. Susan is definitely one of the forward thinkers in the space that is always trying to move the industry forward. She doesn’t blog as often as some of the other folks listed below but you should definitely be paying attention to her community sites. In fact, I highly recommend you go to the 2.0 Adoption Community site and browse through their blogroll for some great E2.0 bloggers and analysts. Susan has done an awesome job of bringing together the E2.0 industry and has a lot of exciting things planned for 2010. Susan also puts together events and webinars (along with leading companies/individuals) to help guide and educate the industry. You can also find Susan on twitter.
Dion Hinchcliffe
I first met Dion in person during the E2.0 expo in San Francisco and then had some time to chat with him at a party hosted by Crowdcast and Andrew McAfee (I wonder if Dion remembers this). Dion writes in several places but his most prominent blog is on Zdnet. Dion has been around for a while and has a strong background in both technology and in dealing with enterprise size companies. His posts are always in depth and thought provoking, not to mention the fact that his visuals are fantastic and clearly explain concepts that can be a bit gray at times. I’ve learned a lot from Dion’s writings and from the content he shares. Although he does have a twitter account he reserves it more for posting links to quality content that he either creates or finds on the web. His twitter stream alone is enough to educate you on Enterprise 2.0.
Dennis Howlett
Dennis is another Zdnet blogger and he’s one of the guys out there that will tell you like it is. He’s been called the referee of the Enterprise 2.0 space not because he is a skeptic but because he is a realist and a pragmatic analyst. He questions thoughts, assumptions, and actions that are taken by companies and vendors in the E2.0 space. Is he always right? Probably not. Do I always agree with him? No. However, Dennis makes you think about issues in a critical way and usually asks some thought provoking questions. Dennis is also on twitter so be sure to say hello to him.
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Mike Gotta
Mike writes quite extensively on collaborative thinking and his posts are usually pretty comprehensive and in depth. I find out about a lot of my E2.0 news from his blog. Mike provides everything from commentary on E2.0 issues to product and tool reviews to strategic analysis of the space. Mike is currently an analyst over at the Burton Group (Gartner) where he works on content and collaborative strategies with clients. If you’re looking for some great insight into the E2.0 space then Mike is definitely one of the folks that you need be following and yes, he is also on twitter.
Gil Yehuda
I’ve had the opportunity to chat with Gil quite a bit over the past few months and I definitely believe he is one of the leaders in the E2.0 space (otherwise I wouldn’t be interested in working/partnering with him). Gil worked for Forrester as a senior analyst and also spent time work at Fidelity investments where he helped develop and implement various E2.0 initiatives. Currently is employed by Yahoo! as the Director of Open Source. Gil also wrote a framework for enterprise 2.0 adoption which is worth a read. Gil explores several issues in the E2.0 space and has diverse interests in E2.0 so one day you might how to get started with E2.0 and the next day you might read about measuring community strength. This make for a great set of topics so there is plenty of information to learn from. Gil is also on twitter.
