20 Social Media Divas You Should Be Following

To finish the week, we wanted to spread some love and create a list of the most influential women in social media today.

These women are either providing great content online or leading the industry into new concepts or technologies. The truth is that they are leaders worth following online.

Two things to mention before going on the list:

First, There is no specific order, this is not a ranking, I just listed 20. And…

Second, of course there are many more that I probably left out but it’s your turn to add your favorite divas in the comments section of this post.

So let’s do this…

1. Mari Smith

Co-author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day and president of ISMA, Mari Smith is the queen of Facebook. She blogs at MariSmith.com but it’s more likely to be found at either her Fan Page or on Twitter.

2. Kristi Hines

Kristi Hines blogs at her own Kikolani, recently included in the Social Media Examiner “2010 Top 10 Social Media Blogs” (leaving me out… just kidding Kristi).

As if running a blog on your own wasn’t hard enough, Kristi also contributes to FamousBloggers and Search Engine Journal. You can also follow her on Twitter.

3. Denise Wakeman

Build A Better Blog is a source of amazing advice about business blogging but Denise, founder of the Blog Squad, also provides great tips on online visibility at her YouTube channel.

Denise is also one of the main contributors at Social Media Examiner, one of the most popular social media blogs today. You can also follow her on Twitter.

4. Pam Dyer

Pam Dyer was just named # 23 on the Junta42 “Top Content Marketing Bloggers” a few days ago for her blog Pamorama, which is becoming more popular by the day.

Pam is also a featured blogger at Social Media Today but I enjoy the most is her amazing Twitter stream full of awesome shares and resources.

5. Tamar Weinberg

When you have a Twitter “Verified Account”, you have a celebrity status. Tamar is the Community Director for a little website you might know called Mashable.

What you might not know is that her own blog Techipedia is also a social media power house. I’m not exaggerating, you don’t get #31 on the AdAge Power150 for nothing. Follow Tamar on Twitter.

6. Shama Kabani

Her new book “The Zen Of Social Media Marketing” just hit the stores. Shama is the president of The Marketing Zen Group and host of her own Shama.tv. Also follow on Twitter.

7. Ann Handley

Ann Handley is the Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs. She is the genius behind the site’s success. Among other recognitions, Ann is #1 in the 50 of the Most Powerful and Influential Women in Social Media.

Follow her on Twitter under @marketingprofs.

8. Lisa Barone

One of the writing styles I really love, Lisa Barone is the co-founder and Chief Branding Officer at Outspoken Media, which she shares with Rae Hoffman and Rhea Drysdale. The Outspoken Media blog is filled with great stuff by Lisa.

You can also find her contributing at SmallBizTrends or follow her on Twitter.

9. Allen Mireles

Allen Mireles has been a social media consultant since 2006… yeah, longer than Twitter. According to Diana Huff, Allen is one of “The Top 25 Very Smart Businesswomen to Follow on Twitter“.

Allen writes at her own blog AllenMireles and you can also follow her on Twitter for some great conversation.

10. Julia Roy

Senior Manager of New Media at Coach, Inc. and as she claims, a “real life digital girl”. Julia runs her own YouTube show TweetWeek and blogs at JuliaRoy.com

Most of the action happens on Twitter so make sure you follow her there. One thing I can say is, Julia makes social media look good.

11. Amber Naslund

It’s no secret, Amber Naslund has become one of the heavy-weights in social media. She is the Community Director at Radian6 and a very active speaker.

What I enjoy from Amber is the smart content provided on her personal blog Altitude Branding, today #36 on the AdAge Power150. I also recommend her free ebooks.

12. Maria Reyes McDavis

You might know her as the Web Success Diva, also name of her blog. Maria is among the 50 of the Most Powerful and Influential Women in Social Media and considered one of Internet’s most valuable female brands.

Great content on social media, SEO and blogging. You can also follow this diva on Twitter.

13. Corvida Raven

She is definitely an influential woman of tech, as she claims on Twitter. Corvida is the mind behind SheGeeks, where she shares great content about social media and technology in general.

Don’t miss @corvida on Twitter.

14. Kris Colvin

Kris Colvin is a user and brand experience designer, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Fresh ID and creator of Twitterface. Kris also writes at KrisColvin, a very well known and nicely designed blog she runs over Tumblr. Pretty busy I guess…

Follow Kris Colvin on Twitter.

15. Deirdre Breakenridge

Co-author of Putting the Public Back in Public Relations with Brian Solis and author of PR 2.0 New Media, Deirdre Breakenridge is one of the most respected authors in new media. She also shares great content on her blog.

Also follow her on Twitter.

16. Valeria Maltoni

Valeria is another heavy-weight in social media, she blogs at ConversationAgent, recently named #2 on the Junta42 “Top Content Marketing Bloggers” and #31 on the AdAge Power150. If you only subscribe to a few blogs about social media, this needs to be one. She also contributes on blogs such as FastCompany or Social Media Today.

Valeria is also consider one of the Most Influential Online Marketers of 2009 according to Invesp. Make sure to also follow her on Twitter.

17. Shelly Kramer

Yes, Shelly Kramer is one of Forbes “30 Women Entrepreneurs To Follow On Twitter“. Owner of Kansas City based V3, an integrated marketing and social media agency.

You can get some of her content on the V3 Blog and you can follow her on Twitter.

18. Cindy Ratzlaff

Better known on the Twittersphere as @BrandYou, Cindy Ratzlaff is also in the Forbes “30 Women Entrepreneurs To Follow On Twitter“.

She blogs at her own CindyRatzlaff.com mostly on personal branding and social media. Also, a lot of good stuff at the Facebook Brand New Brand You fanpage.

19. Shannon Paul

Shannon Paul runs her blog at Very Official Blog, member of the AdAge Power150 and one of the finalists at the Social Media Examiner “2010 Top 10 Social Media Blogs”. Shannon works as the community manager for PEAK6 Online.

Make sure to follow her on Twitter.

20. Liz Strauss

Founder of SOBCon. Liz Strauss share amazing content at the Successful Blog. One of the Top 100 Social Media & Internet Marketing Bloggers and the Invesp Top 100 Most Influential Marketers of 2008 among an extensive list of recognitions.

You can also connect with Liz on Twitter.

Now It’s Your Turn…

Well, it was hard to stop at 20. I was really aiming for 10 at the beginning and ended up with 12, then 16 and I can keep going… but then you won’t be able to add your favorite Divas on your comments!

You can also follow my Twitter List: Social Media Divas, where this list will keep building up.