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Top Social Media Sites to Follow

Thousands of social media sites burgeon up each day, and while most of them fall short of providing real information, or are dead links within a few months, there are a growing number that have gained status as being the ‘Real McCoy’.

The following list is by no means comprehensive. In fact, if you have a particular ‘niche’ you are interested in, this site should help you get to something more specific. The list I’ve compiled is general, and includes sites which are a must-follow, if you are to learn more about how to use social media, how to network effectively, and what popular and current topics being discussed are. While all of them will provide you with fresh ideas you can adopt on a daily basis, some of them can be used in turn to promote your own products and services, brands, and website.

Note the list is of English speaking sites. If you are interested in learning more about social networking in other languages, this post on link building is a good place to get started. And if you want to see who’s using what in countries around the world, this here. Brian Solis takes the same one step further in his post, The State of Social Media Around the World 2010.

So here you go, 8 excellent sites to explore and get hooked onto right away:

Mashable: One of the top 10 web blogs and with a following of over 2 million, it’s a comprehensive guide to social media. Founded in 2005 by Peter Cashmore, it has today among its guest post authors, Geoff Livingston, Brian Solis, Sarah Evans, and even San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom. As the guest posts are unpaid, you’ll be certain they are written because their authors are passionate about topics they select.

ReadWriteWeb: ReadWriteWeb was created in 2003 by Richard MacManus and has grown to be a popular site for in the tech savvy community. It explores emerging trends and offers daily Internet industry news.

Social Media Examiner: As its tagline says, it’s a ‘guide to the social media jungle’, and covers everything social media related, including case studies and interviews with top players in their field. It was started by the ever popular Mike Stelzner, author of the book Writing White Papers, and man behind Social Media Success summits.

Chris Brogan: If you want to hear from someone who really knows what he blogs about, Chris Brogan is your man. He’s said to be one of the top social networking gurus, yet his style is friendly and down to earth. Chris recently authored Social Media 101 (link).

Brian Solis: And speaking of men who know their stuff, Brian Solis is another blogger to follow. His blog has been ranked top 10 consistently, and he’s considered one of the original thinkers who paved the way for social  media. With such credentials, can you afford not to subscribe to his posts?

The Social Media Marketing Blog : Scott Monty is head of social media for Ford Motor Company and this is his personal blog. But don’t be fooled. It covers all you should know about social media in the real world setting, and more.

Social Media Explorer:  The site can at times get a bit ‘salesy’ but overall, it provides fresh insight into common social media issues and concerns.

Kikolani : The name is catchy and so is the blog. It’s a great site for bloggers and social media enthusiasts to check out.

There are a number of other sites like Technorati and Digg, whose powers should not be underestimated. Learn more about them here and enjoy transferring this knowledge to your own applications.