I’m so sick of these 40 under 40 lists I see going around. Indianapolis Business Journal did a 40 under 40. There are Young Professionals Groups all over the place. And even the trade organizations are getting in on it.
What’s the big deal with being 39 or less? It’s if 40 is some magical number that anyone over it is no longer good enough to be considered awesome. As if you’re over 40, the rest of society is going to go all Logan’s Run on you. As if being over 40 means you’re a doddering geezer who’s staining their shirtfront with drool and cluelessness.
The Social Media 40 OVER 40 List
The Social Media 40 OVER 40
I’m tired of it, and I’m going to do something about it. So I’m going to compile a Social Media 40 OVER 40 list.
This isn’t a definitive list yet. In fact, I’m not entirely sure how this is going to turn out. Is it based on voting? Is it an editorial decision? Will we do it state by state? We’re not sure. It depends on how big this gets.
But here’s what I want. I want nominations of anyone who is 40 years or older and works with social media, whether professionally, or as part of their job responsibilities, or even someone who does it as a sideline or hobby. I just want nominations of someone who is a rock star, or aspiring rock star, in social media.
If you want to nominate yourself, that’s fine. There is no shame in doing this. If you want to nominate someone else, that’s fine too. Please leave the following information in the comments section:
- Name
- City, State
- Twitter handle
- Website (hey, you can even link to it so you get some SEO juice out of it)
- No more than 200 words about how you’re using social media.
Photo credit: RileyRoxx (Flickr)
About Erik Deckers
Speaking of an “entrepreneurial blitzkrieg,” I’ve further refined the concept to address the nation’s high unemployment problem. I’ve written a proposal that uses entrepreneurship on a massive scale to tackle the ongoing high unemployment problem, which has left millions and millions of Americans grasping at the last vestiges of the American Dream. Long-term unemployment is at record levels and the pace of the tepid “recovery” from the Great Recession will require years to return the country to full employment. In the mean time, government coffers are depleted while straining to address the extreme hardship, and tax revenues are greatly diminished because so many jobless folks cannot pay taxes.
My proposal describes an entrepreneurial mechanism through which we can fund a massive number of new business ventures (to create a massive number of new jobs) by tapping the financial power of Wall Street. It is a private-sector proactive approach to remedy the high unemployment problem. Titled “A Modest Proposal to Save the American Economy: Entrepreneurial Blitzkrieg as Job Creation Vehicle,” the proposal has been published online at Salem-News.com (and various other places):
http://salem-news.com/articles/march232011/solving-unemployment-jpb.php
The “Modest Proposal” is perhaps a bit cynical, proposing to hand a new form of financial nitroglycerin to the same folks who crashed the economy in 2008, or perhaps a bit Robin Hood, with its ideal of empowering the American proletariat via new business creation. Nonetheless, the approach described in the proposal uses existing financial industry architecture to transfer enormous sums of funding from those who have it (Wall Street) to those who need it (Main Street) – without requiring government tax incentives or subsidies. This is an entrepreneurial mechanism that perhaps even Ayn Rand (gasp!) would embrace.
Joseph Patrick Bulko, MBA
I nominate Brenda Tassava for Social Media’s 40 OVER 40 (although she looks so young). Brenda is an amazing resource for all things social media. She has several blogs for management and art, uses twitter as bktassava and bracpet for quick tips and updates and still finds time to maintain a website at http://www.vetmanageradvisor.com. In veterinary management, Brenda is “social media” and stays cutting edge so the rest of us are educated on things we didn’t even know that we didn’t know.
Brenda Tassava lives, works and plays in a very tech saavy community and generously shares her knowledge. She is finishing a book that will serve as our guide to all things social media. She is the premier queen of social media!!
Brenda Tassava
Indianapolis, Ind.
@bktassava
http://vetmanageradvisor.com
I’m nominating Brenda Tassava because she is literally writing the book on social media for the veterinary industry: “Social Media Marketing for Veterinary Professionals,” which will be published in late 2010. Because of her social media expertise—among many other talents—I asked her to be a member of the 14-person Editorial Advisory Board for Firstline, the business-to-business magazine I edit. She’s writing a 12-article series for our website, dvm360.com, that explains how veterinary practices can maximize social media for marketing and building strong client bonds. Brenda manages multiple Twitter and Facebook fan pages, including those for Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center (where she’s hospital administrator), Bark Tutor School for Dogs, and Canine Colors. She also volunteers her time to assist in managing two Facebook Fan pages for a professional organization called the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association. She even gives great lectures on social media.
I second the nomination of Lisa Vielee.
Also:
* Paula Werne
* Santa Claus, Indiana
* @holidayworld
* http://www.holidayworld.com
* Paula Werne is the Great Oz behind the curtain of Holiday World’s social media efforts. She tweets, she facebooks, she blogs! HW’s FB page is one of the most engaged by followers I’ve seen. And now she’s launched an iPhone app for the park.
* Dale Carter
* South Bend, Indiana
* @dalecarte
* http://www.transitionagingparents.com
* Dale took her own experience with her aging mother and has turned it into a passionate career helping others navigate similar roads. In addition to her blog and twitter participation, she also hosts frequent radio events on BlogTalkRadio.
Dave Woodson
Michigan City, IN
@davewoodson
http://davewoodson.com
I’ve been using social media going on 3 years now to build fist my mortgage business then to my consulting and speaking business. My use of blogs, twitter and facebook as well as taking the online offline, has helped me greatly with my brad recognition in real estate and mortgages both locally and nationally.
Nominating:
Name: Becky McKray
Twitter: @BeckyMcCray
Website: http://www.beckymccray.com/
Becky really knows her stuff when it comes to Social Media. When she isn’t in the field talking to cows in her rural town (population, a few handful of people, the cows outnumber ‘em) she’s on Twitter, engaging in conversation and linking to people and events from all over. She’s the owner of a liquor store– but she doesn’t touch a drop of the products she sells. She’s a sought-after speaker on the topic of social media, so that ought to tell you something.
I might as well nominate myself while I’m on here…
Name: Karen Putz
Twitter: @DeafMom
Website: http://www.deafmomworld.com
I’m proud to admit that I’m turning 45 this week, so I qualify in the “over 40″ range. I have no impressive social media accomplishments to brag about other than the fact that social media has landed me many opportunities to meet fabulous people from all over, like @LizStrauss, @ChrisBrogan and the amazing @BeckyMcKray — in person and with a hug. Some reporter, @TribLocalAmy, found me on Twitter and invited me to write for the Chicago Tribune Trib Local, so I’m living proof that social media is good for something, like getting your kids to cook for you: http://triblocal.com/Tinley_Park/detail/204496.html.
I am FindandGoSeek’s Editor. A compulsive fun seeker who is always looking for insider tips for Family Fun in Vermont. Miss Magpie. In real life I am a wife and work–at–home mother of two active kids who constantly keep her on the go trying many new things. As someone who likes to share my family’s experiences, Miss Magpie is out there taking copious notes on what the family encounters. Think of me as your eyes, your ears, your finger on the pulse of what are must see, must do things.
FindandGoSeek is parent’s trusted source in northern Vermont. With fresh ideas everyday, we keep you in the know with weekend events, after-school activities, camps, festivals, story times and so much more. From teens to tots, we have something for everyone.
http://twitter.com/missmagpiefgs
http://blog.findandgoseek.net/
http://www.facebook.com/findandgoseek
* Name: Pamela Reilly, Naturopath (I’m shameless)
* City, State: Indianapolis, IN
* Twitter handle: RawHealer
* Website: http://www.goodworkswellness.com
Pamela is a naturopathic health care professional who spent more than 20 years in IT before pursuing her passion to help others find wellness using natural methods. She uses her skills as a healer and in social media to educate and inspire in ways that no other natural practitioner does. She not only educates on a daily basis, but she takes time to answer questions and engage with her followers. Her social media activities have helped more than one person achieve better health.
Finally, a list I can make!
Name: Michael Durwin
City, State: Boston, MA
Twitter handle: mdurwin
Website (hey, you can even link to it so you get some SEO juice out of it):
Blog: http://www.mdurwin.com
Portfolio: http://www.eyeanimate.com
No more than 200 words about how you’re using social media:
I’m using SoMe the same way now as when I began in ’95; creating strategies for big and small brands based on their goals, where tech advances and user trends converge then executing with buzz-worthy media. Sound general? Specifics vary with client and audience. But, I’m also working on a magical tool to manage it all: http://www.rangl.me.
I’d like to nominate Greg Cross, of Cross Creative Marketing in Greenfield, Indiana (http://www.crosscreative.cc). His twitter handle is @GregoryCross and he does a great job of finding, utilizing, and empowering others to utilize new social media tools.
WAY up there among my favorite of all favorite rockstars in social media is Michael (Mike) Stelzner:
* Mike Stelzner
* San Diego, CA
* @mike_stelzner
* http://socialmediaexaminer.com & http://fbsummit10.com
* Mike Stelzner has a tremendous background as a successful copywriter, white paper authority and published author. And, Mike is the founder of the wildly successful online social media magazine, Social Media Examiner – with top-notch social media posts five days a week. He’s the consummate professional, produces high-quality, high-value content and has a heart of gold. He’s also highly skilled with producing large online summits. I’ve been honored to team up with Mike for well over two years now to help launch the Social Media Success Summits and now the Facebook Success Summit. There’s nobody quite like Mike in the socialmediasphere – he’s super savvy, well connected in the corporate world and much loved in the community at large.
Cheers!
@marismith
Mitch Mitchell
Liverpool, NY
@mitch_m
http://www.imjustsharing.com
I’ve been blogging since 2005 and started talking and writing about social media in 2008 on the blog that I’m highlighting here. Over the past year I’ve escalated into talking more about social media marketing, including a webinar and now a series of local workshops on the subject. According to Klout, I’m one of the most influential people on Twitter in my area, and if that’s true it’s because of my social media efforts. And I’m 50, so I easily qualify at being over 40.
Steve E
@northlight
http://www.angecom.com
Internet pioneer, micro blogging veteran, computer science and business educator, new media strategist, entrepreneur, baby boomer, blogger, tech guy, web handyman and geeky experimenter!
Richard Taylor
Melbourne, Vic, Australia
@artywah
http://artywah.info
A self-proclaimed geek, I have been involved in the IT industry since 1984. I designed and coded my first web site in 1996 and have seen the evolution of online content from text only to rich media. I am keenly taking part in the revolution that the convergence of devices and the rise of social media are creating in the fields of communication and collaboration for both personal and business connections.
I can think of many rockstars in the biz of social media who are fellow forty-somethings. (Forty is the new thirty anyway, right?! ha!)
* Jay Baer
* Flagstaff, AZ
* @jaybaer
* http://convinceandconvert.com
* Jay is one of my favorite authorities in the socialmediasphere. He’s an avid and thought-provoking blogger, popular speaker at major conferences, and successful social media consultant to a variety of businesses and brands. I respect Jay’s opinions and consider him one of our thought leaders. He’s always courteous, helpful and generous with his knowledge both online and offline.
Hm, I know there has to be many more… I’m just validating ages – don’t want to offend anyone. haha!!
Cheers,
@marismith
Name: Sharon Hayes
Twitter: @SharonHayes
Website: http://sharonhayes.com
Very active, very helpful, very giving twitterer and Facebook user, a great connector and advisor and friend.
Name: Penelope Trunk
Twitter: @penelopetrunk
Website: http://www.brazencareerist.com
Penelope is the best blogger for career-related advice for Gen X and Y. She tells it like it is and goes against the grain of conventional advice about job hunting, workplace relationships, resumes, dealing with your boss. 50K followers on her blog http://www.penelopetrunk.com and 50k in Brazen Careerist community. Hands down the best blogger I’ve ever read.
Name: Kevin Dugan
City, ST: Cincinnati, OH
Twitter handle: @prblog
Website: http://kevindugan.com/ , http://badpitch.blogspot.com/ , http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/
Kevin is social media in Cincinnati. In fact, he runs Cincinnati Social Media. The guy is a master at taking various topics that are on people’s minds and splashing them with his own professional experience. As part of Cincinnati Social Media, he’s the founder of Cincinnati Social Media Breakfast. His blogs Strategic Public Relations and The Bad Pitch Blog have been singled out for awards, including a 2007 Award of Commendation from the Public Relations Society of America. Both blogs are ranked by Advertising Age magazine’s Power 150 — a ranking of the top marketing blogs in the world. And he’s been recognized personally as well.
Aside from the accolades and professional work, Kevin is one of the good guys. Always willing to teach and help others learn about digital technology and content.
I nominate me!
Name: Theresia Whitfield
Twitter: @TheresiaWhitfie
Website: http://theresiawhitfield.wordpress.com
Theresia is an award-winning journalist/writer and social media specialist with experience in TV news with such organizations as CNN, Reuters Television, CBN News and others. She has been published in more than two-dozen national and international publications. She uses Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo, Pulse, HootSuite,and Flickr, YouTube, and other social media sites to engage in productive conversation with current and potential clients as well as to build a platform for her own various writing projects. Her use of social media has afforded her international writing opportunities, and she has used social media in an effort to support and raise funds for various international charitable causes.
Name : Saundra Hadley
City, State: Evansville, Indiana
Twitter handle: @planningforever
Website: http://planningforever.com/blog
(pathetically nominating herself)
An event planner that loves all things social and a dash of (new) media to appeal to her inner geekness. She reaches out to peers and clients alike by being direct and sometimes, funny. At 41 and 8 months old, she’s well known for her chuck taylor collection, she bridges the gap between the young and the (gulp) old. Is that 200 words or 200 characters?
I would like to nominate Chris Baggott. Chris is the king of social marketing efforts. He co-founded ExactTarget, which, among other things, allowed businesses to personalize their connection with their consumers. ExactTarget saw the value in 1:1 marketing before 1:1 marketing was en vogue. Following this, Chris co-Founded Compendium, a social content publishing platform that allows enterprise-level businesses to publish social content to organic landing pages and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Whether it be for business or personal use, Chris is the epitome of someone who has embraced social media and explored how marketers can leverage humanized interaction to generate demand for their own businesses. Go, Chris; go!
Since neither @ripsup nor myself can spell my name correctly I’ll blather my way back in the chat and re-nominate myself:
@daltonsbriefs … misspelled my own profile URGH!
I’ll nominate Steve Dalton (@daltonbriefs 42) so he doesn’t seem like a tool for nominating himself. :)
He’s a good guy helping the community up here in NWI and helping to get the big names into Social Media and using it.
He’s also trying to help promote the local blogging community and build that so we can really show what’s going on in the local online community.
Great idea, I was thinking the same thing when I saw a recent 40 under 40 … glad you took it to the next step.
I would nominate Mayor Jon Costas from Valparaiso, the most active Mayor in Indiana by far in social media. @joncostas … Jon handles his own HD videos, facebook account, photos feed, and is even now on foursquare.
I would also nominate Chris Falkner from Faulkner Strategies in Granger, @chrisfaulkner … Chris is a political guru with some pretty awesome clientele nationwide. He handles all of his own social media and personality marketing.
Steve Dalton (@daltonbriefs and proud to be 42!)
Frankly, I get a chance to teach in a couple University settings each year and I’m not seeing the youth in this niche, they don’t know social media, new media, or inbound marketing in the least so far.
Name: Lisa Vielee
City/State: Indianapolis, IN
Twitter: @lisavielee
I nominate Lisa Sirkin Vielee. She is an awesome communicator who uses her powers for good on behalf of the Indiana AIDS Fund and for FitCity Indianapolis, to name just a few of the nonprofit organizations that have benefited from her social media savvy. She is a strategist who knows how to ask great questions – of her clients and of her potential audiences. Lisa uses social media in a thoughtful and purposeful way. And she does something amazing that many folks just don’t do anymore: She listens! Most recently, Lisa has been conducting teen focus groups to see how they’re using social media and her insights are well worth the read. She’s a generous human being who shares her knowledge, and you will learn something every time you read her blog. Check it out for yourself http://www.graciecomm.com/.
I just turned 40 and totally agree :) why does the list stop at 40? or should I just give up LOL
@brantc on twitter BTW
Name: Josh Taylor
Twitter: @Makeseriously
Josh is only 24, but that’s pretty close, right?
I nominate myself:
Name: Chris Kieff
Twitter: @ckieff
Website: http://www.1GoodReason.com
Chris is a long time social media evangelist and tireless socializer. He writes extensively about how to improve your use of social media for business. In addition he has a new Twitter contest application Real Time Contest in Beta test now, and will soon be announcing other exciting social media efforts. Chris is an in demand speaker and educator in social media, and a consultant for hire.
Question: do you get extra points be for being over 50? If so, give Chris points.
I nominate @DrThomasHo. He is a prof at IUPUI and has introduced Social Media to the curriculum there, not to mention is a very avid user and leader in the social media community.
Twitter: @AmyStark
Amy Stark is Founder and Chief Listening Officer for Stark reAlity Enterprises, Inc., an educational Indiana nonprofit that works with organizations struggling to adjust to the tidal wave of social media. Amy uses socila media to help others. She recently received her M.A. in Philanthropic Studies from the Center on Philanthropy at IUPUI, and she works with nonprofits to use social media (mainly Twitter) to attract more donors. She does alot of this on her own time.
She has a passion for Internet infrastructure issues that she first discovered while selling B2B data connectivity – BIG Internet pipes. She has written several white-papers on the Internet’s history, public policies and its affect on civil – and not so civil – societies.
In October 2008 Amy began ethnographic research on twitter which prompted her to launch The Great #Indiana Initiative of Aught Nine (January 2009) to help Indiana remain relevant in the 21st century.
Amy’s unique combination of traditional PR/Marketing skills, Internet infrastructure public policy expertise, and social media acumen gives her the ability to design comprehensive communication plans that help organizations remain viable throughout the dawn of the Information Age. Described by others as a “social media architect,” a “viral-marketing guru,” and “twitter ninja,” Amy is an accomplished listener, public speaker, author, techno-geek and mom.
I think @lizstrauss is over 40… i could be wrong.. but she knows her stuph..
Name: Tanya Goodin
City, State: London, England
Twitter handle: @TanyaGoodin
Website http://www.tamar.com/
No more than 200 words about how you’re using social media.
CEO of Tamar.com, one of the first agencies in the UK to be talking about Social Media almost 3 years ago. Thought-leader, provocative blogger and excellent CEO/Boss. Big believer in the power of social media.
Name: Bob Burchfield, Indianapolis, Indiana
Twitter: @AroundIndy
Website: http://www.aroundindy.com/
Through a daily combination of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ning, FriendFeed, Foursquare, Twubs, podcasting, Blogger, WordPress, Animoto, and other social media apps, site traffic on the main Web site has increased exponentially compared to pre-social media days, surpassing some commercial media Web sites and rivaling others in Indianapolis and Indiana.
I nominate Erik Deckers.
Erik, I nominate myself.
@MaryBiever
http://marybiever.wordpress.com/
Last fall, I attended a panel on social media in education where a 30 something panelist said 40 somethings could “be trained” to use social media. I told him afterwards (and tweeted) that if I could survive childbirth and parenting teens that social media is a cakewalk. I used to live on email a decade ago, and now I live on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. My mission in life is to empower people to use computers in better ways.
I learned to type on a manual typewriter. When I was 20 something, I learned to use a computer to keep my job. I helped with a research project logging onto a Cray back when logging onto the Internet meant a 30 minute sequence of commands typed in manually. I’ve taught computer software for businesses for 14 years. Now my mission includes teaching them to use social media to build stronger communities.
Name: Werner Vogels
Twitter: @werner
Website: http://www.allthingsdistributed.com and htp:/werner.ly
Vogels is the CTO of Amazon.com and one of the few Fortune 500 exec who truly engages his social media audience. Mainly about science and technology but also his personal life and insights into his professional life. And he sometimes fights his business battles online: http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/hosted/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=226300303 When he was named CTO of the year in 2009 his use of social media was mentioned as exemplary. You can find all of his social network uses here: http://eee.am/werner According to Wikipedia he is 51
I shamelessly nominate myself, Jesse Luna.
* Name: Jesse Luna
* City, State: Santa Paula, CA (hour north of LA)
* Twitter handle: @JesseLUna
* Website http://www.jesseluna.com (social media tech blog)
* Over 40
I helped roll social media into my former company as Web Marketing Communications Manager. These efforts included the creation of a company-wide blogging infrastructure, training a dozen over-40 co-workers on the art of blogging, and helping architect the design. Adjunct professor at Cal State Channel Islands for over a year and taught Web design and blogging as part of Management of Information Systems course. Evangelist of online community-building, blog designer and tweaker, online class creator, Blif.fm DJ on fire, and constant cause promoter. I love to teach and help empower others to beautiful action.
If I know you and would like to be nominated but are too shy to self-promote, DM me.
3 Fantastic, Inspirational, Fabulous Women: Lorraine Ball @roundpeg Hazel Walker @hazewalker and Becky Pruitt @beckypruitt
3 Fantastic, Inspirational, Fabulous women: Hazel Walker @hazewalker Lorraine Ball @roundpeg and Becky Pruitt @beckypruitt
Can you wait until August 22nd to cast your final vote? lol
I entusiastically nominate:
Susan Britton Whitcomb, co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide
Fresno, CA
@SusanWhitcomb
http://www.susanwhitcomb.com/
Throughout the day Susan tweets little gems of job search advice–everything from resume tips to information about how to use social networking to find jobs or advance your career. You may not have the time or resources to work with a professional career coach, but in following Susan you can still get the guidance needed to give yourself an edge in the job market.
This is a brilliant idea, Erik. It is a bit tiring to hear people say that if you want to get your company into social media, you need to hire a kid. You are going to provide evidence that that is just not the case! Too bad you aren’t older, because you would be at the top of the list.
ME!!!
fyi.. the history of social media..
http://socialmediarockstar.com/history-of-social-media
Nancy Mryland is not ONLY qualified and has the credentials to back it up BUT deals with lawyers and we all know how hard headed that lot are! She has a decade + working in the legal industry. With that said she is the real deal. She is not some one who will over hype SM she understands the role and how SM l fits in the marketing puzzle. Her Twitter @nancymyrland
I am shamelessly nominating me. :-)
Cliff Kinard
Twitter: @cliffkinard, @IBMCliff @ibmsysxblade(for IBM)
Chief Social Advocate, IBM System x and BladeCenter
One of the new “intrapreneurs” at IBM, Cliff was digital…when digital wasn’t cool or profitable. Today, Cliff is helping reinvent the IBM System x Server team’s social media and internet marketing approach to engaging customers in the x86, Intel and AMD server hardware market.
Age: WAY over 40…almost 50!
Becky put the “Social” in social media! Her blog, The Divorced Diva’s Guide to survival started in 2008 and has been read all over the United States and in 50 countries. Becky’s social media presence can be seen on FaceBook, Twitter, Smaller Indiana, Blog Her, She Writes, Foursquare, and Linked In. She guest blogs for VIne and Table and Recipe Lion – writing about her passion – - fine food. She has used her social media presence to build the brand of her Divorced Diva blog and to help build Twitter awareness in Indiana in the “early days” of Tweetups (remember the cage fight announcements)??? Becky is active in the Hole in the Wall eating group that began on Smaller Indiana……sharing meals with the best and brightest in Indianapolis social media. Becky is hoping to win the “Ms. Congeniality” award for the pageant…um…contest… :)
Jim Turner
Firestone, Colorado
@Genuine
One by One Media (http://onebyonemedia.com) and Bloggers For Hire (http://bloggersforhire.com)
Jim Turner is one of the most well-known and respected names in the world of social media, and well-deserving of the label “AlphaDaddy of the Blogosphere.”
It’s hard to think of a conference that doesn’t feature Jim as a speaker, presenter, panelist, or founder. He was one of the first advocates of what is now called social media, and his knowledge base is strong and full of experience.
As founder of One by One Media (http://onebyonemedia.com) and Bloggers For Hire (http://bloggersforhire.com) he knows how to help businesses – large and small – make themselves known online. His clients run the gamut from tiny kitchens to huge corporate boardrooms.
Jim can handle every aspect of any business’ social media needs from the ground up.
Name: Allan Schoenberg
Twitter: @allanschoenberg, @cmegroup
Website: http://www.linkedin.com/in/allanschoenberg
Allan has to be on this list! He’s done a great job integrating social media at CME Group, in the highly regulated financial industry. His innovations include a private linked in group for financial journalists and he’s buit a robust twitter following for the CME Group account, which shares relevant links to economic and financial stories and data. Allan is also a great mentor to the younger set, frequently speaking at conferences like Ragan and GasPedal and making visits to his alma mater, Central Michigan University, to talk to upcoming PR students. He often hosts students and guests at the CME Group trading floor, and he also teaches PR classes in the evenings at DePaul University. The list definitely wouldn’t be complete without Allan!
Name: Laverne Bentle Blasdel
Lawrenceburg, IN
Twitter handle: n/a
http://www.facebook.com/people/Laverne-Bentle-Blasdel/1674832704
I’d like to nominate my friend Laverne, who is 88 and an avid Facebook user. She lives with her sister in a retirement home and uses Facebook so that the two of them can stay connected with friends and family. Laverne was a close friend to my late grandma, and I love the fact that we can keep in touch with Facebook.
Name: Beverly W. Jackson
City, State: Los Angeles, CA
Twitter handle: @bevjack
Website: http://www.analogwoman.com/
Beverly is part of the marketing department for The Recording Academy. As part of her responsibilities, she has lead The GRAMMY Award show’s social media efforts. To her credit, the telecast and events around it have pre- and post event blog coverage, live twitter streams and earlier this year, a Social Media Rock Star Conference.
Stacey Hood
Birmingham, AL
@StaceyHood
Sounds cliche but Stacey is a great connector, for business and personal use. He and I established a great friendship via Twitter until we finally met in person when he volunteered numerous times for Social Fresh Nashville, PodCamp Nashville and SMC Nashville events. I go to him often for suggestions and he is always happy to provide impeccable advice.
Name: Pamela Reilly
Twitter: RawHealer
Pamela is great with advise and resources about eating healthier and with natural remedies for the common maladies of today’s society.
Name: Pamela Reilly
Twitter: rawhealer
Pamela is always ready to answer questions about healthier eating and habit changing. Sh puts out several public messages, daily regarding health, healthier eating and additional resources. She believes in helping people of themselves.
Name: Paul Lorinczi
Twitter: @indypaul
Website: http://blog.lorinczipal.com
Paul has always wanted to be on a 40 over 40 list. It would be an honor to have my middle age status mean something more than just another excuse for my Doctor to prescribe me a pill. My over 40 contributions include using Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Soccerbyives, Xtratime’s Hungarian Soccer Board, Big Soccer (sometimes) – my own blog. I also work with clients in helping them use Social Media and Blogging to further their Internet marketing goals.
You can also find me at Crispus Attacks High School teaching Soccer players the art of finishing goals. While my goal production has gotten less and less in my over 40 years, my ability to teach others how to score has not. Go Tigers/Tigres!
Thank you for your consideration.
@MediaKath and @IndianaMuseum of Indianapolis, IN is no stranger to social media. A blogger since 2005 at http://www.kathi.wordpress.com, she launched the Indiana State Museum into the social media world with a new website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, 4Square, and YouTube, greatly enhancing the museum’s meager state-run marketing budget. With a background in broadcast media, marketing, and website development, it also doesn’t hurt to have a husband with his Masters in Informatics, a son who is a Purdue Computer Science major, and a daughter who is also professionally active in p.r. and social media…this is one geeky family that competes to remain the most knowledgeable!
@MediaKath is definitely way “over 40″ but that’s all you’re gonna get from me…do the math.
Name: Douglas Karr
Twitter: @douglasKarr
Website: http://www.marketingtechblog.com
Age: I don’t know but his grey beard tells me he’s over 40
If Social Media had a best-practices manual, its author would be Douglas Karr. After harnessing an entrepreneurial blitzkrieg by hatching ExactTarget and Compendium Blogware, Douglas Karr created DK New Media, an online marketing company specializing in social media, blogging and search engine optimization.
The agency’s heartbeat, the Marketing Technology Blog, is read by thousands of influential Internet veterans and newbies alike. He gives away as advice more vlauable tools than many agencies provide for a fee. His clients include Webtrends, ChaCha, Slingshot SEO and many more. He was a guiding light at the inception of Smaller Indiana and is also the author of Corporate Blogging for Dummies.
On a personal note he is a mentor (whether he knows it or not) to many in the growing realm of New Media practitioners in Indiana and the Midwest.
Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z, New York City
@JayZ
http://www.jay-z.com/
The guy has over 200,000 followers on Twitter and he’s 40 years old. I think he might be a little better known than most people using social media. Just a little.
Kevin Mullett
Fort Wayne, IN
@kmullett
http://www.kevinmullett.com/
A recent addition to the Over-40 Club, Kevin is on just about every relevant social media site, and he brings a practical knowledge of SEO and SMO to his work that drives real results for those he works with. He’s a strategist, practitioner, trainer, skilled debater, and an enthusiastic cheerleader for the social media community. Some of those most knowledgeable about social media come from a technology background, others come from a marketing/communication background, but few convey a knowledge of both. Kevin’s among those who understand it from both perspectives, and who understands both strategy and implementation. He sets the bar high for the rest of us, and he’s worth listening to–whether you’re 24 or 42.
Name: Deborah Mourey Rochester, NY
Twitter: dmourey
I love this idea thanks for acknowledging us oldsters. I am 58. I love social media because it requires us to retrain our brains. I made a big transition when the internet first starting influencing business in 1995. We are undergoing the same kind of transition as we did back then. I like social media because of its transparency. if you’re a jerk, you show your true colors pretty quickly.
Because it’s an evolving tool kit, we constantly have to keep up on what’s new and help our clients explore new ways of listening ot our customers. it’s amazing how many older people (like over 40) tell me that social media is stupid (of course, they know nothing about it0 especially twitter. I tell them twitter isn’t stupid if you follow smart people. Once they see real time search, they change their tune. so much change, so much fun, so many opportunities.
Thank you for considering rewarding those of us who are willing to step up and use our brains in whole new ways. Young and old alike, we need to work together. We each have something unique to offer. Deborah
Name: Lorraine Ball
Twitter: @roundpeg
Website: http://www.roundpeg.biz
Lorraine is a die-hard social media lover. She uses Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, and other social media sites to share news and information, connect with current and potential customers, and all of the other usual social media uses. However, Lorraine excels in using social media to build the Roundpeg brand. Every Friday, the team takes song requests for our Roundpeg Radio service, streaming the music live using Grooveshark, just to make everyone’s Friday a little brighter. She also actively uses Facebook to run contests, and is pioneering the use of static FBML.