The FCC recently launched a new Twitter account - @FCCDotGov. For those who may be unfamiliar with Twitter (despite Conan O'Brien's routine ridicule of the service), the micro-blogging platform allows users to send out short updates on just about any topic. Many people envision this as an endless stream of "I had a sandwich for breakfast" notes. However many users share valuable news and information via the service. Companies are also getting into the swing of things and using the service for everything from customer service to sales promotions.
We at NCTA have been using Twitter for about a year and a half to provide updates on our blog content, to promote the Cable Show, and for conversation with and commentary by our CEO Kyle McSlarrow. We're pleased to see the FCC adopting Twitter and welcome them to this vibrant online discussion. The FCC account already has over 1,000 followers, and we’re a few of them. The Internet provides a healthy forum for telecom policy discussion and debate. The number of followers they’ve already amassed indicates the interest level for that dialog. To welcome them to Twitter, and to share some of our favorites with you, we thought we’d put together a list of our favorite follows. These are in no particular order, they're just good content from some very engaging viewpoints.
- @Normative - Julian Sanchez is the Washington Editor for Ars Technica. He covers politics, technology, and even comic books.
- @RobPegoraro - Rob has been critical of cable in the past, but he always brings a fresh perspective to technology. While he styles himself as a local reporter covering the DC area, he has attracted an audience much larger in scope.
- @BlankBaby - Scott McNulty recently took the helm of Comcast Voices - the company's corporate blog. The blog provides the perspective of the nation's largest cable provider. Prior to joining Comcast, McNulty was a prolific contributor to The Unofficial Apple Weblog
- @KyleMcSlarrow - Even if he wasn't our boss, we'd have to recommend Kyle. He does, after all, represent the industry that brings voice, video and broadband to more than 63 million American homes.
- @CZ - While Verizon is a competitor, John Czwartacki does a great job handling their social media outreach.
- @msilbey - Mari Silbey writes for ZatzNotFunny and also handles corporate blogging for Motorola at Media Experiences 2 Go.
- @DaveZatz - Dave is the editor and creator of ZatzNotFunny. He also writes for Engadget and PC Magazine.
- @Om - To many readers of tech publications, Om Malik needs no introduction. His blog GigaOm is a must read for the tech and gadget fan.
- @mmasnick - Mike Masnick is the author of TechDirt, a group blog that covers policy and technology as they shape business innovation.
- @SchatzWSJ - Amy Schatz covers telecom policy for the Wall Street Journal. She covers the FCC and Tech policy, so she's a definite must.
- @ReginaHopper - Regina is the face of NextGenWeb and a prolific Tweeter. Much of her stream is news and information about broadband - a good source for stories you might have missed.
- @SaulHansell - Saul is the editor of the NY Times Bits Blog and covers everything from advertising to pricing and policy.
- @AdamThierer - Adam is the Progress and Freedom Foundation's technology policy guru.
- @FreePress - We often disagree on the issues, but we always respect their position. That's why we follow them.
- @CJSettles - Craig Settles is a telecom industry analyst.
- @mcuban - You may know him as the Dallas Mavericks Owner or former Dancing With the Stars Contestant, but before that, he made his fortune on Internet content and has a lot to say about telecommunications.
- @linkhoe - Assistant Vice President for Internet and Technology at Verizon. An important player in telecom and frequent contributor to Verizon's policy blog.
- @joseiswriting - Jose Antonio Vargas formerly covered technology and politics for the Washington Post and is now Technology Editor for the Huffington Post.
- @waltmossberg - Walt is the author and creator of the Personal Technology column in the Wall Street Journal and a Contributor to AllThingsD
- @artbrodsky - Art's another person with whom we often disagree, but he always brings an interesting perspective as an advocate and blogger for Public Knowledge.
These are some of the really interesting voices in telecommunications on Twitter. Our friends at the FCC will learn a lot from them, and we hope you will, too.
Update: We probably should have added this at the start, but if you think we've missed someone, please drop a comment and let us know. We're always looking for more people to follow.