I think it was because she kindly linked to a Spin Sucks blog post on her blog, PR in Pink. And, like I do with anyone who is nice enough to link to us, I headed over to her blog house to check things out.

When I got there, I discovered not only a smart communicator, but pink. Lots of pink!

And, let’s be real. Pink is my favorite color so I was drawn to her blog just because of the name.

Anyone woman who is confident in the fact that she likes the color pink is awesome in my book.

In fact, she says:

Remember that girl in grade school who had the pink folder, pink shoe laces, and maybe a unicorn pencil case?

I was that “pink girl,” and, despite having grown up into a young professional,  I still embace my favorite color as a way to express my personality.

Krista is in alumni relations and communication for Temple University School of Medicine. It’s kind of a big job!

Her background is in healthcare, where she got her start as a patient advocate. She later worked for an agency servicing pharma clients.

She has experience in journalism, public relations, corporate communication, and marketing communication. Which means she definitely knows there is more to our jobs than publicity.

But you know what is going to endear her to you forever?

This:

HOW CUTE IS THAT?!?

She has a weekly blog post called, “A Little Birdie Told Me,” in which she recaps PR, marketing, and social media news. She always does a really nice job with it so, if you’re pressed for time, I recommend going there to stay on top of what’s happening.

She also is doing PR in Pink Chats, where she chats with interesting professionals from around the globe.

So check her out!

You can find her on Twitter, on LinkedIn, on SlideShare, and blogging at PR in Pink,

She stalks Spin Sucks, but she doesn’t comment often so you wouldn’t recognize her name from there. But she’s someone you need to know!

Other than being an account coordinator at Thornley Fallis, she is the producer of Inside PR, the weekly podcast Joe Thornley, Martin Waxman, and I record. And she freaking rocks!

She got engaged a few months ago and blogged the experience, from her point-of-view…and then had her fiance do the same. Completely innovative and extremely touching, you get a special glimpse into her personal life.

But most of her blogging at Running a PR Life is about PR and social media. She has a new series called “PR Word of the Week,” where she asks one communication professional to choose a PR word and describe why it’s his or her favorite (it’s my turn next Tuesday – I still have to think of my word!).

She has a love for Canada’s Parliament history and procedure and even served as a Parliamentary tour guide. Which, if you know Joe Thornley, makes perfect sense she’s working for him. And she’s a huge volunteer, spending most of her time with non-profit organizations and lending her PR and digital skills to those who can’t afford to pay for professional help.

You know what I love most about her, though? I can imagine working with the Inside PR personalities could be pretty intimidating. But she embraces it and does an excellent job of engaging us with her personality thrown in. For those of you wanting to climb the corporate ladder, she’s a great role model of someone who takes the bull by the horns and is confident enough to run with the big boys.

So check her out. You can find her on Twitter, Google+, and Running a PR Life…and even interviewed by us on Inside PR as The Real Podcaster.

Let me start out by saying, I receive a ton of books in the mail. Most of them are unsolicited and arrive without a note or a signature inside or any reason to compel me to read it.

Before Brand Against the Machine was published, I knew of John Morgan very peripherally so I wouldn’t have known about his book unless it’d been recommended to me by a friend.

But he did two things really well. He sent me a signed copy of his book. It is written specifically to me and you can tell he did his homework.

I love that.

Then he sent me a personal note (handwritten, none-the-less) about why he thought Spin Sucks readers would benefit from knowing about his book.

Score two points for John.

So, of course, I felt compelled to read his book.

Now the review.

The book sucks.

HAHAHAHA! Just kidding, John!

I just wanted to give him a little heart attack because I’ve been teasing him about this review for weeks now.

In all seriousness, the book is very good. For those of you who do a lot of branding work every day and have years of experience, you’re not going to learn a lot. But the stories he tells throughout are entertaining and keep your attention. So you’ll likely come away with three or four really good nuggets you never considered OR things you’d forgotten.

For those of you really active in social media, it won’t be earth shattering in terms of what works and what doesn’t work (video, not selling, having conversations). But you’ll learn how to take what you’re really good at and apply some strong marketing and branding techniques to help either your company or your clients.

He covers a lot of ground, from haters and brand ambassadors to perfecting your website and creating a conversation. I got the most out of the last three chapters of the book.

I don’t mind rules, John, and thought that last chapter was excellent. I also really enjoyed reading the reasoning behind what is killing entrepreneurs (and I agree).

The only thing I wish is that the measurement chapter had more meat to it. It’s the one thing we’re really missing in the bigger marketing, PR, advertising, and branding conversation and I thought that chapter was glossed over.

All-in-all, I definitely think it’s worth a read. It’s very easy to read, especially because he inserts hilarious stories throughout that, literally, make you laugh out loud.

So there you have it. Brand Against the Machine by John Morgan. Get it. YWRI.

P.S. Make sure you pay particular attention to page 66 when he talks about linking his social networks and what his mother-in-law discovered from his tweets because they were posted on Facebook. Holy. Cow.

Disclosure: The only thing I got out of this review was the free book. Geoff Livingston still holds the title for best bribe, with wine and bruschetta, for my review on Welcome to the Fifth Estate.

1. Michael Schechter can be found on Twitter and blogging at A Better Mess.
2. Margie Clayman can be found on Twitter and blogging at Social Media, Marketing, & Musings.
3. Patti Knight can be found on Twitter.
4. Jason Konopinski can be found on Twitter and blogging at Write. Think. Do.
5. Christina Pappas can be found on Twitter and blogging at The Content Cocktail.
6. Tony Gnau can be found on Twitter and blogging at T60 Productions.
7. Claudia Anderson Scimeca can be found on Twitter and blogging at Social Media DDS.
8. Bridget Spence can be found on Twitter and blogging at My Big Girl Pants.
9. Nancy Davis can be foundon Twitter and blogging at Nancy A. Davis.
10. Molli Megasko can be found on Twitter and blogging at Spin Sucks.
11. Michelle Olson can be found on Twitter and blogging at Depth in PR.
12. Neicole Crepeau can be found on Twitter and blogging at coherent social media.
13. Joe Hackman can be found on Twitter and blogging at Joe’s Gone Social.
14. Howie Goldfarb can be found on Twitter and blogging at Sky Pulse Media.
15. Pete the Tapeworm can be found on Twitter.
16. Lindsay Bell can be found on Twitter and blogging at Communication in a Digital World.
17. Ken Mueller can be found on Twitter and blogging at inkling media.
18. Tinu Abayomi-Paul can be found on Twitter and blogging at Free Traffic Tips.
19. Steve Farnsworth can be found on Twitter and blogging at The Steveology Blog.
20. Bryan Willmert can be found on Twitter and blogging at edooce.
21. Ken Jacobs can be found on Twitter and blogging at Ken’s Views.

And, to make things easy for you, the full list of 43 people can be found on Twitter and a Google Reader bundle (with one caveat: Not all blogs are RSS feed ready).

Have a safe and happy New Year!

I shamelessly stole the image from Jay Dolan. Let’s see if he notices.

With the help of my work wife, Patti Knight, we compiled a list of all of the #FollowFridays for the year.

This week is a list of everyone featured January through June. And next week we’ll do July through December.

But the cool thing? I’ve created both Twitter and Google Reader lists that you can follow at once.

1. Joey Strawn can be found on Twitter and blogging at joeystrawn.com.
2. Nancy Myrland can be found on Twitter and blogging at Myrland Marketing.
3. Julio Varela can be found on Twitter and blogging at juliovarela.com.
4. Beth Harte can be found on Twitter and at The Harte of Marketing.
5. Liz Strauss can be found on Twitter and blogging at Successful and Outstanding Blog(gers).
6. Davina Brewer can be found on Twitter and blogging at 3Hats Communications.
7. Jayme Soulati can be found on Twitter and blogging at Soulati-TUDE!
8. Dino Dogan can be found on Twitter and blogging at DIY Blogger NET.
9. Shel Holtz can be found on Twitter and blogging at Holtz Communication + Technology.
10. Marcus Sheridan can be found on Twitter and blogging at The Sales Lion.
11. Justin Goldsborough can be found on Twitter and blogging at JUSTin CASE You Were Wondering.
12. Sean McGinnis can be found on Twitter and blogging at 312DIGITAL.
13. Mack Collier can be found on Twitter and blogging at Mack Collier.
14. Ike Pigott can be found on Twitter and blogging at Occam’s RazaR.
15. Lisa Gerber can be found on Twitter and blogging at Spin Sucks.
16. Erica Allison can be found on Twitter and blogging at Spot On.
17. John Falchetto can be found on Twitter and blogging at Expat Life Coach (soon to be John Falchetto).
18. Heather Whaling can be found on Twitter and blogging at prTini.
19. Brankica Underwood can be found on Twitter and blogging at Live Your Love.
20. Mimi Meredith can be found on Twitter and blogging at The Bloomin’ Blog.
21. Abbie Fink can be found on Twitter and blogging at HMA Public Relations.

For those of you who don’t already know Ken Jacobs, please allow me to introduce him to you.

I met Ken at Counselor’s Academy several years ago when he walked up to me in the food line and introduced himself. He may have even hugged me right then and there.

A couple of years ago, I was considering not going to Counselor’s and he caught wind of it. He promptly called me and told me exactly what he thought about that idea (it sucked, he said).

Of course, not wanting to disappoint Ken, I went that year and have every year since. Mostly so I can see him in person and laugh until my sides hurt at him.

Occasionally he calls me in the office and my team can always tell who I’m talking to because I’m howling with laughter. He has a really dry and very witty sense of humor where he makes fun of you and it is hysterical.

Or maybe he just does that to me.

But he’s not all fun and games. He’s a counselor to the counselors, which means he advises PR firm leaders on how to manage different generations, improve client service, have the hard conversations, and develop great cultures.

He blogs at Kens Views and, if you’re in the agency world, you should be reading what he has to say. He provides tips, how-tos, and a really good perspective on how to handle yourself, either in a leadership position or on yo way there.

Of course, it’s applicable to anyone in leadership so you’ll learn from him, even if you’re not in the agency business.

What you see is what you get with Ken. He is, hands down, one of the most genuine, big-hearted, kindest people I know.

So follow him on Twitter, read his blog,  or find him on Google+. Get to know him AND his sense of humor. YWRI.

In it he talks about the phases a business goes through, from start-up and growth through becoming stodgy and old.

I actually keep my copy on my desk so, when I’m having a bad day, I can refer back to it to see if what we’re going through is normal.

It always makes me feel better.

So, when he asked me if I’d review his latest book, The Synergist, I gave a resounding yes.

This is a leadership book, in the truest sense of the word. Even if you’re not a “leader” by definition inside your organization, but you work with others, this book is for you.

The Synergist is the person who is typically unseen and unrecognized, but is crucial in every successful team that is trying to achieve common goals. He believes these people exist in every organization and that you don’t have to learn new skills or become someone you’re not, in order to achieve this level of leadership.

He believes the natural Synergists exist, though they’re rare, so he teaches you how to emulate that style, irrespective of your natural style.

Even an ADD, introvert like me can learn how to lead meetings and conference calls that don’t drone on forever (I hate meetings) and get the most out of people without conflict.

But what I like most about the book is he discusses the three types of people you’re likely to work with: The visionary, the operator, and the processor. These types of people exist at all levels of the organization and learning to work with each personality type is crucial not only to business success, but your own success.

When I worked at Fleishman-Hillard, I had a boss who would say, “You need to learn how to manage up.”

I never understood that. Wasn’t I the one who was supposed to be managed? But she was right. And Les teaches you how to manage each, no matter what level you are in the organization.

Written in the form I’ve come to love from Les, he includes case studies where names have been changed, so it’s almost as if you’re reading a good fiction book where you learn something you can apply to your business, your career, or even your outside-of-work involvement.

And for you social nerds, he has a QR code at the end of each chapter, which you can scan to get more information, case studies, and exercises to work on becoming The Synergist.

The book isn’t released until January 3 so put it on your holiday gift list. It’ll be the gift that keeps on giving and will start your 2012 out right.

Disclosure: I did receive a free and uncorrected advance reader’s edition of the book. He even signed it (though I’m waiting for my actual signed copy). I also had dinner with Les and his wife, Julie, several months ago. But in no way, shape, or form did that influence my review of this book because he hadn’t even started writing it yet. And he didn’t buy my dinner. Or my wine. On the other hand…this books sucks!

No? Not everyone? Are you sure? I think everyone knows Steve.

Maybe if I refer to him by his Twitter name: Steveology. Now?

I met Steve on Twitter a couple of years ago, became a regular reader of his blog, and then met him in person at the Vocus conference in May.

When we met, it was as if two bosom buddies were getting together after not seeing one another for 10 years.

He is a freaking riot! And he’s hyper-intelligent to boot.

He owns a business called Jolt Social Media, where he works with companies to build their content strategies and then use social media to promote and build communities. Because of that kind of work, we asked him to do a webinar for us, as a follow-up to Marcus Sheridan‘s inbound marketing and using content for sales webinars.

It was really well attended because, well,  he’s a freaking riot and hyper-intelligent to boot. People like to listen to what he has to say.

He is the video king. He takes video of people everywhere he goes. In fact, the video he did of me caught me in all sorts of bloopers, which he was more than happy to share. But, because he carries that darn video camera around, he gave me the excellent idea of doing the same when I speak. Video is a great way to get testimonials and emulating the way he does his is a good way to start.

He and I have lots in common: We both like to eat, we both love wine (and he’s more than happy to rub it in that he can go to Napa anytime he likes because he lives an hour away), we’re both February babies, and both of our significant others are named Kelly. His Kelly is a girl and mine is a boy, though. Other than that slight difference, two peas in a pod.

So check out my friend Steve on his blog, on Twitter, and on Google+. YWRI.

If you haven’t entered for your chance to win a copy of Humanize, head over there now and enter. I’m going to have Maddie and Jamie choose the winners today.

Go ahead. We’ll wait.

And now on to today’s #FollowFriday.

You may have seen Tinu Abayomi-Paul hanging out on Spin Sucks. She’s a fun part of our community and wicked smart! And she’s a plethora of great information for your web properties.

Free Traffic Tip is where you can find her blogging every day. In fact, she’s put together an amazing directory of podcasts, videos and eBooks from workshops she’s taught that you can find right on her home page.

But the best part? I’m pretty sure she knows everything about the web. Every Friday you can find a new tool to use, such as extensions you can use with Firefox, using different colors and fonts without knowing how to program, or using Google Reader more efficiently and effectively.

She is the encyclopedia of all things on the web.  She’s known as the expert’s expert, which is true in every sense of the phrase. She’s always the first person I ping when I’m having trouble with something and I’ve never known her not to have the answer.

She is the new editor (taking over for our dear friend Shonali Burke) of Women Grow Business where, if she gets her way, I’ll be guest blogging very soon.

Also, she knows Pig Latin (her bio even says so) so I dare you to have a conversation that way and see how she does. In fact, I think I will!

Inutay, Iway inkthay ou’reyay antasticfay! Ethay orldway eedsnay oremay artsmay, unnyfay, uccessfulsay omenway ikelay ouyay.

So check Tinu out on Twitter, on her blog, on the Leveraged Promotion company Facebook page, on Google+, or ask her a question at Ask Tinu. Trust me on this. YWRI.

If you don’t already know him,hang out on Spin Sucks for a day and you’ll get to know him pretty quickly.

He likes to hang out in the comments and you’ll soon find he’s smart, he’s kind, and he’s hilarious. And we all know how much I like a great sense of humor.

Case in point: His blog has been down for a couple of weeks so he’s been doing videos to replace his daily writing.

Last week he did a video called “viewer mail,” where he answered “questions” from “viewers.”

I put question in quotes because, well, I didn’t ask that question. However, I’ve watched his answer no less than 20 times. It is H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!

Go ahead and take a look. I think you should fast forward to 1:33 where he answers my “question,” but he might take offense if you don’t watch the entire thing.

He is the founder of Inkling Media, where he does social media and marketing for small and medium-sized businesses. He also is an adjunct professor at the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, teaching continuing education classes in social media and inbound marketing.

He is my  second-most knowledgeable friend about music (Rusty Speidel is first; sorry Ken) and he likes to school my taste. There is NOTHING wrong with Katy Perry or the Glee soundtracks!

In fact, I had to disconnect Spotify from Facebook because he and Rusty, both, were giving me such a hard time. I’m sorry. I don’t like Phil Collins. His voice grates on my last nerve. But, other than Phil Collins, he has great taste in music so if you ever need a recommendation, you should ask him.

So say hello to Ken. He’s on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn, and his blog (which is slowly coming back to life). YWRI.

P.S. Next Friday I am going to begin a book review every month. It will occur on the first Friday of every month and will replace #FollowFriday. The people recommendations will return on the second through fourth Fridays of the month. So see you next week when I review Humanize by Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant. I also have a couple of copies to giveaway, so there will be some sort of contest. Stay tuned!