Techies: 2011 directory of who to follow on Twitter

By Jason Hiner

March 7, 2011, 5:34 AM PST

Takeaway: If you’re interested in technology and you want to know who to follow on Twitter, here is a directory of leading tech journalists, commentators, and personalities, divided by categories and specialties.

As I’ve been saying for years, Twitter can be an extremely valuable tool for techies — if you know who to use it. The most important factor in making Twitter useful is knowing who to follow. To help people interested in technology, I published a list of 100 techies on Twitter in 2009 and then updated the list to 140 techies in 2010.

It’s time to update the list again, since lots of new tech commentators and personalities have joined Twitter during the past year and I’ve discovered some new names worth following. My list is up to 180. However, instead of simply adding to the numbers, I’ve decided to break the list into categories to make it easier navigate. In each category I’ve listed the people alphabetically.

For updates on the latest tech news you can find me on Twitter at @jasonhiner

If you’re new to Twitter, I’d recommend reading my article on the four stages of a typical Twitter user and my quick Twitter guide and glossary for business users. Also, if you’re new to Twitter and you’re clicking through the names listed below, there’s an important thing to note. You should ignore all of the posts that begin with an @username. Those are individual replies. You will not see those in your Twitter stream (unless you follow the user being mentioned, which will be rare). Focus on the posts that simply begin with text in order to get an idea of the kinds of things that the person posts on Twitter. That’s the stuff that will show up in your Twitter stream if you follow them.

The people I’ve listed here are technology executives, journalists, pundits, and analysts who not only have a Twitter account, but also post actively about the tech industry. If there are people you’d recommend added to the list, post a note in the discussion at the bottom of the article.

I wish there was a way to simply let you follow everyone on this list with a single click. There was a utility called TweepML that used to let you create one-click lists, but it is currently down for maintenance. Once TweepML is available again, I will create a version of this list with that tool.

However, I have created this as an official Twitter list called Hiner Tech Directory so that you can also follow the list that way. In fact, if you have a desktop client like TweetDeck or HootSuite or Seesmic, you can simply add the Hiner Tech Directory list in its own column and view it as a feed separate from your main Twitter feed.

General technology

• Chris Anderson (@chr1sa) Editor in Chief of Wired and author of The Long Tail
• Michael Arrington (@arrington) Founder of TechCrunch
• Patrick Beja (@notpatrick) French podcaster and tech commentator
• Bianca Bosker (@bbosker) Technology Editor for The Huffington Post
• Henry Blodget (@hblodget) Controversial Wall Street journalist who covers tech sector
• Rick Broida (@cheapskateblog) CNET blogger scours the Web looking for the best deals in tech
• Brian Cooley (@briancooley) CNET car-tech editor
• Charles Cooper (@coopeydoop) Veteran tech reporter for cbsnews.com
• Dan Costa (@dancosta) Executive editor at PC Magazine
• Robert Cringley (@cringely) Long-time technology writer and pundit
• Chris Dawson (@mrdatahs) ZDNet blogger on technology in education
• Michael Dell (@michaeldell) CEO of Dell
• Sam Diaz (@sammyd) ZDNet news hound on the Between the Lines blog
• Larry Dignan (@ldignan) ZDNet Editor in Chief; prolific tech news blogger
• Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) Co-editor of Boing Boing; digital rights activist
• Jack Dorsey (@jack) CEO of Square; creator and co-founder of Twitter
• John C. Dvorak (@therealdvorak) Famously cranky tech pundit
• Esther Dyson (@edyson) Veteran technology pundit
• Mike Elgan (@mikeelgan) Widely-published freelance tech writer
• Rob Enderle (@enderle) Long-time analyst of the PC industry
• Michael Gartenberg (@gartenberg) Gartner analyst on consumer technology
• Denise Howell (@dhowell) Lawyer; commentator on technology and law
• Mathew Ingram (@mathewi) Canadian tech writer for GigaOm
• Shibani Joshi (@shibanijoshi) Fox Business Network reporter on tech and the NASDAQ
• Mitch Kapor (@mkapor) Lotus, Mozilla pioneer; angel investor
• Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) One of the tech world’s most influential venture capitalists
• Adrian Kingsley-Hughes (@the_pc_doc) Technology hardware commentator at ZDNet
• Martin Lamonica (@mlamonica) CNET writer on green technology
• Leo Laporte (@leolaporte) Host of TWiT network and former TechTV host
• Cali Lewis (@calilewis) Host of GeekBrief.TV
• Katie Linendall (@katielinendoll) On-air geek tipster for CNN, CBS, and others
• Jim Louderback (@jlouderb) CEO of Revision3; former editor of PC Magazine
• Om Malik (@om) Founder of GigaOm
• John Markoff (@markoff) Science writer for The New York Times
• Harry McCracken (@harrymccracken) Founder of Technologizer and former editor of PC World
• Declan McCullagh (@declanm) CBS News correspondent on US tech policy
• Tom Merritt (@acedtect) Host of Tech News Today on the TWiT network
• Clayton Morris (@claytonmorris) Fox TV personality covering geek topics and social media
• Natali Morris (@natalimorris) CNET TV host of Loaded and tech correspondent for CBS News
• Walt Mossberg (@waltmossberg) Tech columnist for The Wall Street Journal
• Patrick Norton (@patricknorton) Tekzilla host and former TechTV personality
• Andrew Nusca (@editorialiste) ZDNet news writer; SmartPlanet.com editor
• John Paczkowski (@johnpaczkowski) Tech news hound for All Things Digital
• Jason Perlow (@jperlow) ZDNet technology columnist
• Chris Pirillo (@chrispirillo) Tech geek turned Internet personality
• David Pogue (@pogue) Tech columnist for New York Times and CNBC
• Jason Pontin (@jason_pontin) Editor in Chief of MIT Technology Review
• Seth Porges (@sethporges) Tech editor at Popular Mechanics magazine
• JR Rafael (@jr_raphael) Tech news writer for PC World
• Gabe Rivera (@gaberivera) Founder of Techmeme
• Jack Schofield (@jackschofield) Computer editor at The Guardian
• MG Siegler (@parislemon) TechCrunch news writer
• Dwight Silverman (@dsilverman) Technology editor for the Houston Chronicle
• Brad Stone (@bradstone) Technology reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek
• Robert Strohmeyer (@rstrohmeyer) Freelance tech columnist
• Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) Silicon Valley blogger for AllThingsD.com
• Baratunde Thurston (@baratunde) Editor, writer, and comedian; one of the funniest techies on Twitter
• Dan Tynan (@tynan_on_tech) Tech humor columnist and veteran tech writer
• Lance Ulanoff (@lanceulanoff) Editor in Chief of PC Magazine
• Padmasree Warrior (@padmasree) CTO of Cisco Systems
• Molly Wood (@mollywood) CNET TV host and writer; creator of the famed “Molly rant”
• Becky Worley (@bworley) ABC technology reporter, TWiT network host

Mobile computing

• Bonnie Cha (@bonniecnet) CNET mobile tech editor
• Jessica Dolcourt (@jdolcourt) CNET mobile tech reporter
• Bob Egan (@bobegan) Analyst on mobile tech; Wi-Fi pioneer
• Ina Fried (@inafried) AllThingsD.com mobile reporter
• Jonathan Geller (@boygenius) Founder and Editor in Chief of Boy Genius Report
• Kent German (@kentgerman) CNET mobile tech editor
• Nicole Lee (@nicole) CNET mobile tech reporter
• Stuart Miles (@stuartmiles) Founder of Pocket-lint.com
• Matthew Miller (@palmsolo) ZDNet blogger on mobile computing
• Maggie Reardon (@maggie_reardon) CNET reporter on mobile and wireless technology
• Sascha Seagan (@saschasegan) Mobile writer for PC Magazine
• Mark Spoonauer (@mspoonauer) Editor in Chief of Laptop Magazine
• Kevin Tofel (@kevinctofel) Mobile site editor for GigaOm
• Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent) Writer on mobile tech and IT in education

Enterprise

• Marc Benioff (@benioff) CEO of Salesforce.com
• David Berlind (@dberlind) TechWeb Editor-in-Chief
• Toni Bowers (@tbowers928) TechRepublic IT career columnist
• Tony Bradley (@tony_bradleypcw) PC World tech writer
• David Davis (@davidmdavis) Author, blogger, expert on Cisco and virtualization technologies
• Bill Detwiler (@billdetwiler) TechRepublic’s Head Technology Editor
• Erik Eckel (@erikeckel) IT consultant and TechRepublic writer
• Scot Finnie (@scotfinnie) Editor in Chief of Computerworld
• Steve Gillmor (@stevegillmor) Veteran tech journalist
• Bob Gourley (@bobgourley) CTOvision.com blogger; government IT expert
• Dion Hinchcliffe (@dhinchcliffe) Blogger and consultant on Web 2.0 for business
• Chuck Hollis (@chuckhollis) EMC CTO and blogger
• Alex Howard (@digiphile) Government 2.0 Correspondent for 
O’Reilly Media
• Doug Kaye (@dougkaye) Founder of IT Conversations
• Michael Krigsman (@mkrigsman) Watchdog of IT project failures
• Scott Lowe (@otherscottlowe) CIO, author, and TechRepublic columnist
• Abbie Lundberg (@abbielundberg) Former editor in chief of CIO Magazine
• Steve Ranger (@steveranger) Editor of UK IT site Silicon.com
• Deb Shinder (@debshinder) Popular tech tip writer for TechRepublic and other publications
• Don Tennant (@dontennant) Former editor in chief of Computerworld
• Rick Vanover (@rickvanover) Senior IT professional and TechRepublic blogger
• Werner Vogels (@werner) Amazon.com CTO
• Alex Wolfe (@awolfe58) Editor in Chief of InformationWeek

Microsoft

• Todd Bishop (@toddbishop) Seattle-based Microsoft reporter
• Ed Bott (@edbott) Microsoft Windows expert, blogger, book author
• Mary Jo Foley (@maryjofoley) Notable source on all things on Microsoft
• Bill Gates (@billgates) Microsoft co-founder and former CEO
• Mark Kaelin (@markwkaelin) TechRepublic editor covering Windows and PCs
• Frank X. Shaw (@fxshaw) PR chief at Microsoft
• Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) Microsoft Windows columnist, editor, and podcaster
• Stefan Weitz (@stefanweitz) Search chief at Microsoft

Apple

• Jacqui Cheng (@eJacqui) Apple editor for Ars Technica
• Jim Dalrymple (@jdalrymple) Editor of The Loop, veteran Apple columnist
• Philip Elmer-DeWitt (@philiped) Apple reporter for Fortune Magazine
• John Gruber (@gruber) Author of Daring Fireball
• Andy Ihnatko (@ihnatko) Apple pundit
• Guy Kawasaki (@guykawasaki) Venture capitalist, former Apple employee, former Mac columnist
• Steven Levy (@stevenjayl) Author and columnist on Apple topics
• Tim Robertson (@mymac) Podcaster; founder of MyMac.com
• John Siracusa (@siracusa) Apple writer for Ars Technica
• Jason Snell (@jsnell) Editorial Director of Macworld
• Brian Tong (@brian_tong) CNET TV host of AppleByte and Prizefight
• Seth Weintraub (@llsethj) Columnist covering Google and Apple

Google

• John Battelle (@johnbattelle) Author and pundit on Google and Internet search
• Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) Google engineer, blogger
• Chris DiBona (@cdibona) Open source spokesman at Google
• Vic Gundotra (@vicgundotra) Google VP of engineering for mobile apps
• Marissa Mayer (@marissamayer) Google product development executive
• Andy Rubin (@arubin) Head of Android development at Google
• Eric Schmidt (@ericschmidt) Chairman of Google
• Gina Trapani (@ginatrapani) Host of This Week in Google podcast

Open source

• Matt Asay (@mjasay) Former COO of Ubuntu and open source columnist
• John “Mad Dog” Hall (@maddoghall) Free software advocate
• Doc Searls (@dsearls) Tech journalist, author, open source advocate
• Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (@sjvn) Long-time Linux and open source columnist
• Jack Wallen (@jlwallen) Linux enthusiast, columnist, and tip writer

Web and social media

• Randall Bennett (@randallb) Founder of TechVi, Web video specialist
• Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) Inventor of the World Wide Web
• Paul Boutin (@paulboutin) Reporter for VentureBeat, The New York Times, and Wired
• Danah Boyd (@zephoria) Academic/researcher in new media
• Jason Calacanis (@jason) CEO of Mahalo, founder of Weblogs Inc.
• Pete Cashmore (@mashable) CEO of Mashable
• Mrinal Desai (@mrinaldesai) Tech startup founder; tech news junkie
• Caterina Fake (@caterina) Co-founder of Flickr
• John Furrier (@furrier) Silicon Valley entrepreneur
• Jeff Jarvis (@jeffjarvis) Professor and author who covers tech and new media
• Sarah Lacy (@sarahcuda) Freelance author covering Silicon Valley
• Shira Lazar (@shiralazar) Web video journalist covering the intersection of tech, culture, and new media
• Jennifer Leggio (@mediaphyter) ZDNet blogger on social media for business
• Charlene Li (@charleneli) Author and social media thought leader
• Amber MacArther (@ambermac) Tech journalist and broadcaster
• Richard MacManus (@rww) Editor and founder of ReadWriteWeb
• Andrew Mager (@mager) Web developer and ZDNet blogger on Web 2.0
• Caroline McCarthy (@caro) CNET writer covering Web 2.0
• Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) Founder of WordPress
• Rafe Needleman (@rafe) Editor of CNET’s Webware
• Tim O’Reilly (@timoreilly) Founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media
• Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang) Forrester analyst on new media technologies
• Aza Razkin (@azaaza) Former creative lead for Firefox
• Kevin Rose (@kevinrose) Founder of Digg.com, host of Diggnation
• Joshua Schachter (@joshu) Creator of Delicious, a.k.a. del.icio.us
• Erick Schonfeld (@erickschonfeld) TechCrunch co-editor
• Robert Scoble (@scobleizer) Tech writer and social media flag-bearer
• Stephen Shankland (@stshank) CNET News reporter, covering the Web
• Joel Spolsky (@spolsky) Co-founder of Stack Overflow
• Owen Thomas (@owenthomas) Writer at VentureBeat
• Alexia Tsotsis (@alexia) TechCrunch reporter
• Fred Wilson (@fredwilson) Tech venture capitalist in New York
• Dave Winer (@davewiner) “The father of blogging and RSS” (BBC)
• Jonathan Zittrain (@zittrain) Author and Harvard professor covering the Internet

Consumer electronics

• Donald Bell (@donald) Gadget reporter for CNET
• Veronica Belmont (@veronica) Host of Tekzilla and Qore, and former CNET TV host
• Ryan Block (@ryan) Former Engadget editor and co-founder of GDGT
• David Carnoy (@davidcarnoy) CNET editor of mobile gadgets
• Jason Chen (@diskopo) Gizmodo editor
• Brian Lam (@blam) Editorial Director of Gizmodo
• Erica Ogg (@ericainsf) Gadget reporter for CNET
• Nilay Patel (@reckless) Managing Editor of Engadget
• Don Reisinger (@donreisinger) Gadget columnist for CNET
• Peter Rojas (@peterrojas) Founding editor of both Gizmodo and Engadget
• Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) NPD head analyst on consumer technology
• Joanna Stern (@joannastern) Engadget reporter
• Jeremy Toeman (@jtoeman) Consumer electronics startup advisor
• Joshua Topolsky (@joshuatopolsky) Editor in Chief of Engadget
• Dave Zatz (@davezatz) Gadget and digital lifestyle blogger