It seems everyone in Chicago is waiting in anticipation for the International Olympic Committee to decide if we get to have the summer Olympics in 2016. Even I’m on pins and needles and wish they’d hurry up and decide!

While I wait, I’ll do one of my favorite things. Recommend some Twitter friends for #FollowFriday.

@hollisthomases I think I’ve recommended Hollis before, but she’s worth a second mention. I met her initially because she’s a Vistage member, but I’ve developed a friendship with her because, well, she is an amazing woman who runs a successful business. She has the same philosophy that I do about women – we should help one another, not stab one another in the back. She is the author of “Twitter Marketing: An Hour A Day,” which is due out in December, but you can pre-order now.

@Scott217 Scott is my Springfield, Ill., friend who always has these hair-brained ideas that he DMs to me. The best part about his ideas? They always seem to work! He’s a TV producer and director so he has access to a lot of different people who get him thinking. And then he comes up with these ideas that make you think, “Dang! I wish I’d thought of that!” Pretty much everything he touches turns to gold…except his tomatoes. I have him in that department!

@MightyCasey Casey is one to watch. Trust me when I say this. She’s the next New York Times bestselling author. Her book, “Cancer for Christmas” is gaining national attention, and it was just published yesterday! If you’re big on being pink right now for breast cancer awareness, I suggest buying her book. A portion of the proceeds go to cancer research.

@tstonecareers Ljuba runs a company that helps people reach their goals by developing better relationships. He’s been reading some pretty prolific bloggers (in particular @SarahRobinson) who are making some waves by suggesting you find your voice, and writing about being better people through honesty and authenticity. His first blog post launched last night and I’m impressed! Take a read and see what you think. It’s honest, it’s thoughtful, it’s even a little vulnerable. We need more people in this world like Ljuba!

@SusanMazza Susan, like Ljuba, helps people reach their career goals by developing better relationships. I had a long phone coversation with her yesterday and she’s as genuine as she is smart. She truly understands the underpinings of people’s feelings and knows the right questions to ask to get you to self-reflect. She’s an organizational development professional, but she’s just as good at personal development.

@VemmaNewhouse Another Springfield friend! Troy, do you know Scott?!? I love connecting with other cyclists on Twitter and I learned, almost by accident, that Troy rides. He, in fact, is less a sissy than me and will ride when it’s 40 degrees outside. He tweets about his bike rides (like the rest of us crazy cyclists) and I love reading what the weather is like, whether or not it’s dark, or why he didn’t make it out. He also sells Vemma, which sounds like it might be good for us athletes. I’m going to learn more.

@Kyle_Stites This young lady is a rockstar in the making. I’m working with Franchise Business Review on a series of Webinars and she is top-notch. She is proactive and does things without your having to ask…in some cases she does things before I even think to ask her! She’s quickly becoming a social media snob (which I love) and is embracing it with all her might, as evidenced in her first blog post earlier this week. Keep an eye on her. We’ll all be clamoring to steal her away from her uncle’s business someday.

@AJDonovan I don’t know how it is that I have so many Toronto friends, but Andy is another. I think I may need to move there. That would make @MartinWaxman very happy! Andy is my new Twitter BFF (and you know I don’t give out that title lightly). He owns Donovan Consulting Group,which could essentially compete with us. But he’s a competitor I’d love to find ways to work together because he’s smart and he gets it. Read his Twitter stream. You’ll see how well he gets it. Not a selfish bone in this man’s body!

@edorr Erin is one of my favorite Twitter friends because she does crazy, forgetful things like I do, AND she’s willing to admit it! For instance, a few weeks ago, she tweeted that she left her laptop at home and had to go back and get it. I got a DM from her yesterday saying she’d done it AGAIN! That makes me laugh so hard! You know you’ve done that…you’ve just never admitted it out loud. I love her self-deprecating humor.

@jaybenfield My favorite Jay story, to date, is that he thought truffle fries were fries with chocolate on them, a la fries dipped in a Wendy’s frosty. After I explained it was actually truffle oil made from the earthy mushroom relative, he said, “I don’t want fries with truffle juice.” Funny. I’ll never look at truffle fries the same again. He, also, has a self-deprecating sense of humor (I know, big surprise that I love that). One of the terms he calls himself is CDD (chronic design dissatisfaction). Read his blog post about it and see what you think. It’s pretty funny!

P.S. This just in: Chicago was the first city knocked out of the Olympic race. I’m very sad.

Past #FollowFriday recommendations:

Sept. 25

Sept. 4

August 28

August 21

August 7

July 24

July 17

July 10

July 3 (which is a culmination of the previous five weeks)

For an easy way to follow everyone here, plus those on earlier lists, you can copy and paste the Twitter handles into NinjaFollow.

Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich is the founder, CEO, and author of Spin Sucks, host of the Spin Sucks podcast, and author of Spin Sucks (the book). She is the creator of the PESO Model and has crafted a certification for it in partnership with Syracuse University. She has run and grown an agency for the past 15 years. She is co-author of Marketing in the Round, co-host of Inside PR, and co-host of The Agency Leadership podcast.

View all posts by Gini Dietrich