Twitter bio: Traffic & Trends Editor for The Huffington Post. Founded @BreakingTweets. Into tech/journalism, social media, hockey, & genealogy.

Nominated by Steve Myers (@myersnews) and Meghan Peters (@Petersmeg)

"... in 2009, I heard about Craig Kanalley's website, Breaking Tweets, which used Twitter as a reporting source. Writers placed tweets in their stories in the same way traditional reporters would quote sources. Besides illustrating how journalists could use social media to find sources and gauge reaction to a news event, it was an innovative way to integrate social media into narrative journalism." -- Steve Myers

"He leverages real-time updates & community building in social media very well" -- Meghan Peters

Twitter bio: Always doing some kind of journalism training (multimedia, online), somewhere in the world.

Nominated by Tish Grier (@Tishgrier) and Nan Connolly (@nanconnolly)

"Mindy McAdams has been a real innovator. She was teaching video editing to her classes way before it was popular." -- Tish Grier

"She leads, inspires, writes and teaches." -- Nan Connolly

Twitter bio: PR. Social Media Correspondent. Animal lover. Birthed Twitter industry chats. #journchat #commentz prsarahevans@gmail.com

Nominated by Craig Kanalley (@ckanal) and Ellyn Angelotti (@ellynangelotti)

"Sarah Evans, Social Media Correspondent and founder of Sevans Strategy: Poynter says the people we choose can be from outside journalism, and in this case I veer off into the world of public relations (though she also loves journalism) to give Sarah the recognition she deserves. She has inspired me and given me ideas for how to be "real" in the social media space since I was a student at DePaul and in the same time zone as her. She built a true community on Twitter with her positive personality, uplifting attitude, and willingness to help others, a real network, also known as 50,000 followers today." -- Craig Kanalley

"Sarah's energy and entrepreneurial spirit are inspiring. I first "met" Sarah after tuning in to one of the first #journchat sessions (which she helped launch). Her approach to sharing news and working with others using social media have helped her to be a credible, informative and fun voice to that many look to for guidance about the future of journalism." -- Ellyn Angelotti

Twitter bio: Senior strategist at NPR. Online community organizer since 1994. Former director of the Digital Divide Network. Blogger. Photographer. Dad.

Nominated by Alicia Stewart (@ombudsman), Anne Verwiebe (@monkeygrrl), Sarah Fidelibus (@verbalcupcake) and Mandy Jenkins (@mjenkins)

"Andy Carvin is senior strategist on NPR's Social Media Desk, and he has a long history of experimenting with ways social media can be used not just by news organizations, but by citizens wanting to improve the world. A great example of that history can be viewed in Carvin's TED talk, "The New Volunteers: Social Media, Disaster Response And You," in which he details -- through his firsthand experiences -- the evolution of online tools that help mobilize volunteers with a variety of skill sets to take action during crisis situations. After watching that video, even Malcolm Gladwell would be hard-pressed to continue to believe that social media tools have little effect in creating social change. Carvin's talk is inspiring, informative, engaging -- all the characteristics one would expect from a bright mind like his." -- Sarah Fidelibus

Twitter bio: Media consultant, info-provocateur, journalist, semi-geek.

Nominated by Tish Grier (@Tishgrier) and Ellyn Angelotti (@ellynangelotti)

"[Amy] started blogging way before many others, and uses all sorts of social media. Knight News Challege winner and now doing video for CNN." -- Tish Grier

Twitter bio: Journalist, blogger @ojblog, award leader MA Online Journalism @bcumedia, lecturer @Cityjournalism. Founder @helpmeinvestig8.

Nominated by Mandy Jenkins (@mjenkins)

"Paul's Online Journalism Blog is probably linked more than any other from this site -- and for good reason. He's always talking about issues in new media that reflect not only his experiences as a journalist in the UK (which is fascinating in and of itself), but also what's affecting new media across the world. OJB's explanatory posts on social media projects, tool how-tos, new policies and those who seek to shut such things down have been a constant source of ideas and inspiration for me. Also, in 2009, Paul founded Help Me Investigate, a platform for crowdsourcing investigative journalism. Hard to top that." -- Mandy Jenkins

Twitter bio: Community Manager & Social Strategist @Mashable | Adjunct Prof teaching Social Media Skills @ColumbiaJourn | @CMmeetup organizer | Formerly social @nytimes.

Nominated by Craig Kanalley (@ckanal), Kim Bui (@kimbui) and Mandy Jenkins (@mjenkins)

"Vadim is a social media all-star, simply put, and the fact we're the same age is cool. I have always identified closely with him. He was among the first I followed on Twitter and his tweets are among the best you'll find when it comes to journalism and social media. It's been fun watching his career at this early stage, seeing him work on social projects at The New York Times and now at Mashable. He's among the best out there and it's because he LISTENS first and foremost. He is a great listener, and he has a true talent for picking important details out of the noise found in our info-overload world. He provides the perfect hook for his tweets, and he's always on top of the latest and greatest. And because he listens so well, he's incredibly smart and does an awesome job of advancing the conversation whether it be on Twitter, his personal blog or now Mashable.com." -- Craig Kanalley

Twitter bio: Social media and community editor @KPCC, co-founder of #wjchat, green enthusiast, pretend fashionista, lazy blogger. My tweets are mine.

Nominated by Sarah Fidelibus (@verbalcupcake)

"Kim Bui is social media and community editor at KPCC; Robert Hernandez is an assistant professor of professional practice at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. Together they founded #wjchat, a weekly Twitter chat focused on Web journalism ... #Wjchat has been invaluable to me, and both Kim and Robert are a big part of why I feel that way. They do a fantastic job moderating the discussion and selecting excellent guest hosts to help them with that task each week ..." -- Sarah Fidelibus

Twitter bio: Profe @USCAnnenberg MacGyvering Web journalism solutions. Worked @ seattletimes.com, SFGate.com, eXaminer.com, La Prensa Gráfica, others. Co-founder of #wjchat.

Nominated by Sarah Fidelibus (@verbalcupcake)

"Robert Hernandez is an assistant professor of professional practice at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. " ... By providing this space for Web journalists and those interested in Web journalism to come together and share knowledge and ideas, Bui and Hernandez have helped everyone who participates in the chat learn more about the profession, build strong relationships with colleagues and enjoy a good bit of lively discussion every Wednesday evening." -- Sarah Fidelibus

Twitter bio: www.TheRibbit.com - South Carolina based Interactive Anchor WSPA News Channel 7 & WYCW's News Channel 7 at 10 Tweet me and see your comments on TV :)

Nominated by Ellyn Angelotti (@ellynangelotti)

"Amy's use of social media is inventive -- and informative for her local audience in South Carolina and beyond. I love following Amy as she experiments with new tools and finds important journalistic purposes that help her tell better stories and create meaningful connections with her communities online." -- Ellyn Angelotti

Twitter bio: I'm Director of Community Engagement at TBD. I'm a digital immigrant. I hope they don't make me show my papers.

Nominated by Craig Kanalley (@ckanal) and Mandy Jenkins (@mjenkins)

"Director of Community Engagement at TBD: Steve's had an outstanding WordPress blog since Dec. 2008, and a stellar Twitter feed to go along with it, focusing on the ever-evolving nature of communication in our society and how the digital age has affected journalism. His social media tips and advice are often second-to-none and they were part of the inspiration behind my launching TwitterJournalism.com. Even though he was in Iowa, and now in D.C., and we've never met face-to-face (yet), he's had a profound impact on me and the way I think about social media. Especially with his current job -- community engagement -- he always has me thinking about new ways to engage folks and build community." -- Craig Kanalley

Twitter bio: I teach journalism at NYU, direct the Studio 20 program there, critique the press and try to grok new media. I don't do lifecasting but mindcasting on Twitter.

Nominated by: Dorian Benkoil (@dbenk), Tish Grier (@tishgrier)

"@jayrosen_nyu succinctly sums up complex issues, points to his own writing and others', stokes and advances important debate." -- Dorian Benkoil

"Jay Rosen taught at a Poynter seminar on blogging. He had shifted much of his attention from blogging to Twitter and described how it enabled him to spread his ideas and interact with people about them. He explained how carefully he crafted his tweets and how he decided what to tweet (ideas and links he found interesting) and what not to tweet (his dietary intake). And he was up-front about a key reason he used Twitter: to gain influence. With 41,500 followers now, I think he's accomplished that." -- Steve Myers

Twitter bio: Highly recommended by people who like things that don't suck. We keep a high signal-to-noise ratio and stimulate gray matter in the minds of doers and thinkers.

Nominated by: Barbara French (@Bfr3nch), Venture Capital @venture_capital, Edna Hill (@itsjustaphaze)

"... a highly influential curator ... @socialmedia4111 adds smart, informed perspective to the news nuggets and trends he shares." -- Barbara French

"Solid, social media focused content, good commentary." -- Venture Capital

"I follow @SocialMedia411 to stay current & follow trends in soc media." -- Edna Hill

Twitter bio: Social-media editor of The New York Times, mother-of-twins, adjunct for Columbia University new media and author.

Nominated by: Dave Stanton (@gotoplanb)

"NYT social media editor. 'Nuff said." -- Dave Stanton

Twitter bio: Columbia J-school prof/dean & technology evangelist/skeptic; contributing editor, DNAinfo.com * tweeting about tech, media and more.

Nominated by: Emily Sweeney (@emilysweeney), Craig Kanalley (@ckanal), Kim Bui (@kimbui), Niketa Patel (@niketa)

"I have admired Sree for years because he continually innovates. Sree also has a knack for connecting people with similar interests. I started to reach out to Sree for advice and have been following his career path since I joined the South Asian Journalists Association many years ago. Sree is always sharing valuable tech tips, job postings and wisdom. Sree inspired me to dabble in Linkedin and Twitter." -- Niketa Patel

Twitter bio: Entrepreneurial journalist finding meaning in the noise. CEO of Storify, founder of Hacks/Hackers for journalists and technologists.

Nominated by: Sarah Fidelibus (@verbalcupcake)

"In addition to being the CEO of Storify, a tool through which people turn the information they source from social media into a compelling piece of journalism that tells a complete story, Herman is also founder of Hacks/Hackers, which brings journalists and technologists together to learn from one another. Since its launch in the Bay Area, Hacks/Hackers has held meetups in cities across the U.S. and in the U.K., clearly demonstrating how hungry people are for the kinds of networking and learning opportunities that these meetups provide. By providing the space -- both virtual and physical -- for journalists and techies to learn from one another, Herman's Hacks/Hackers helps to empower those who want to learn more about the integration of these two enterprises." -- Sarah Fidelibus

Twitter bio: Welcome to Longshot Magazine, a raucous experiment in using new tools to erase media's old limits. We're going to write, design, edit, and ship a mag in 2 days.

Nominated by: Ellyn Angelotti (@ellynangelotti)

"Initially I thought this idea was brilliant because I thought their product would be a great way to memorialize a lot of the amazing ideas and thoughts people share in the very fluid social media world -- and it is! But it's also so much more. After talking more with Mathew about Longshot's process and workflow, I have even more respect for this great website/magazine/idea because of its ability to harness the power and velocity of the crowd while ensuring quality and standards are a priority. Obtaining this unique balance of two values results in Longshot being an up-and-coming innovative, interesting and credible voice in media. (The Longshot editors (Mathew Honan @mat , Alexis Madrigal @alexismadrigal, and Sarah Rich @sarahrich) will Skype in as speakers for Poynter's Nov. 5 event) -- Ellyn Angelotti

Twitter bio: Dad. Husband. Iowa Hawkeye Fan. JEA Digital Media Chair. Teacher. Journalism Adviser in St. Louis. Iowan forever.

Nominated by: Wendy Wallace (@weywallace)

"Aaron is the champion of jeadigitalmedia.org, a site that guides high school journalists and journalism advisers in their quest to create an engaging, interactive presence online. He built it, runs it, posts regularly on it and teaches and preaches the tools of digital media at every opportunity. He is chair of the digital media committee for the Journalism Education Association. He leads workshops. And he advises a talented staff of teens at Francis Howell North High School outside St. Louis, Mo., in their own digital efforts, at http://www.fhntoday.com/. They not only have a Twitter feed (which announced Homecoming king and queen, for example), but they have a special sports Twitter feed that informs followers of action during games." -- Wendy Wallace

Twitter bio: BlogHer Co-founder and CEO, shameless user advocate.

Nominated by: Ellyn Angelotti (@ellynangelotti)

"Lisa's been one of my role models since I met her back in 2005. I was just learning how to blog, and she had just launched BlogHer. Her thoughtful approach to discussing important issues facing women in the tech world has inspired me to think more deeply about the work I do. (Lisa will be a speaker at Poynter's Nov. 5 event.") -- Ellyn Angelotti

Twitter bio: WXYZ TV/ABC Detroit Interactive Anchor by night...Singer/songwriter later at night Blogger constantly ex band geek, tech geek, geeky dad to teenage daughters.

Nominated by: Janet Hug (@jkissnhug), Charlie Wollborg (@charliecurve) and Amy Guild Mcgraw

"If you are truly looking for influencers and those finding new ways to use social media to affect positive change in journalism....look no further than Stephen Clark @sclarkwxyz of Detroit." -- Amy Guild Mcgraw

Twitter bio: Author of Journalism 2.0 and Journalism Next. Co-founder of Serra Media and GonzoCamp.

Nominated by: Ellyn Angelotti (@ellynangelotti)

"Mark is passionate about helping people understand the practical and strategic applications of social media in journalism. He's helped push me beyond simply being satisfied with having an awareness of new tools and encouraged me to search for a deeper understanding of the value social media adds to the work we do -- and the business potential it has." -- Ellyn Angelotti

Twitter bio: Product Manager, Local Sites at Gannett Digital. I make/do/talk about cool things for journalists. Also, a lot of parenting. And some humor, if I'm lucky.

Nominated by: Craig Kanalley (@ckanal)

"He's become one of the most active and most respected journalism voices in the Twitterverse ... I've learned a lot from Ryan, particularly during his time at Publish2, a curation and journalism tool that is so important for the info-cluttered world of today. He's smart, he's creative, and he's filled with ideas -- a person you can really learn a lot from. He's taught me the importance of innovation and trying new things and never settling for less than that." -- Craig Kanalley

Twitter bio: Web content guy for Scripps TV. RTDNA board of directors. N8V TXN, husband 21 yrs, dad 2x. Love Tex-Mex & running. Fan of Cowboys, Bengals, Rangers, Reds.

Nominated by Jill Geisler (@jillgeisler)

"Nominating @ChipMahaney, who does a terrific job teaching social media strategies for journalists -- with passion and fun." -- Jill Geisler

Twitter bio: Senior News Technologist at the St. Petersburg Times, developer of the Pulitzer Prize winning PolitiFact.com, Django developer, father, Nebraskan.

Nominated by Craig Kanalley (@ckanal) and Mandy Jenkins (@mjenkins)

"Nobody's more sarcastic, funnier or makes j programming seem so hellish, yet appealing." -- Regina McCombs

Twitter bio: CNN All Platform Journalist program manager. Social Media & Tech enthusiast. Interested in Future of Journalism and other complicated matters.

Nominated by: Jill Geisler (@JillGeisler)

"Early adopter and leader of social media among journalists." -- Jill Geisler

Twitter bio: Author of the multimedia journalism blog 10,000 Words and The Digital Journalist's Handbook. Fan of all things awesome.

Nominated by: National Association of Black Journalists' Digital Journalism Task Force (@NABJDigital)

"MUST include @10000Words/@marksluckie, who literally wrote the book on digital #journalism." -- @NABJ Digital

Twitter bio: New media soul trapped in an old media body.

Nominated by: Barbara French (@bfr3nch)

"He uses social media to show human side of breaking nat'l coverage." -- Barbara French

Twitter bio: Photojournalist.

Nominated by: Steve Myers (@myersnews)

"Shortly after I met her in 2007, I was on Facebook and 'poked' her. It elicited the same startled reaction as if I had seen her in the grocery store, walked up behind her and poked her. Some things aren't that different in social media I guess." -- Steve Myers

Twitter bio: Birmingham-based communications consultant. Plus, writer, editor, journalist, raconteur, teacher, gentleman. BirminghamBlogging.com, WadeKwon.com.

Nominated by: Dave Sharp (@davesharpontv)

"I nominate Birmingham's social media monster @WadeOnTweets as one of your 35 Influential People in Social Media." -- Dave Sharp

Twitter bio: Your Local, Homegrown Online Community Since 2004 - Serving Montclair, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Maplewood, Millburn, South Orange and West Orange.

Nominated by: Tish Grier (@tishgrier)

"Not only did they start one of the first hyperlocal sites to become sustainable, they've also done a number of things to serve the community that would be considered "social" -- such as finding a way to bring real-time traffic reports to their community & site, use Twitter & Facebook before many others, and if you asked them, I think there are probably a bunch of ideas that they had before the technology was available. -- Tish Grier

Twitter bio: Entrepreneur, Athlete, The Miracle on the Hudson Photo Guy, Latvian, Co-Founder of Elementz Nutrition and InboxAlarm, Investor in AIT Bridges.

Nominated by: Ellyn Angelotti

"The photo Janis took of the plane that landed in the Hudson River was not only a powerful image, but it also represents the changing nature of news as a result of social media." -- Ellyn Angelotti

Twitter bio: A storyteller with a passion, working at a Seattle startup called @Intersect.

Nominated by: Ellyn Angelotti (@ellynangelotti)

"Monica has a distinct voice that really comes out when she tweets. Her tweets are both engaging and instructive, and they make me want to check out whatever she's linking to or tweeting about. We need more energetic people like her in the business." -- Mallary Tenore

Twitter bio: None.

Nominated by: Bill Mitchell (@bmitch)

"Matt has prompted me to think of social media not as a separate dimension of journalism but as a way of thinking about journalism itself. Leading a discussion about niche journalism at ONA on Saturday, for example, he encouraged journalists to think differently about content. Rather than producing content that we think people in the niche need or want, why not go to those people and create content based, at least initially, on what they're already saying and doing." -- Bill Mitchell