Philadelphia’s 10 Most Influential Twitter Users

Some people count how many friends they have, and some people count the value of their friendships. In the world of social media, it’s no different.

We can precisely measure just about everything online, and so it should surprise no one that as social media has boomed, so have the comparisons between Facebook friend counts and Twitter followers.

But there’s a nuance that raw numbers can’t show. There’s quantity … and then there’s quality.

It’s easy enough to track who are the most followed Twitter users in Philadelphia, but everyone is trying to figure out how those figures measure in influence — or ‘resonance.’ Who are the biggest Philadelphia voices in the Twitter conversation? We’re not talking about spam accounts with big follower numbers, but those people who you should be following, whose opinions matter and whose tweets are being heard.

Which Philadelphia Twitter users matter most? By incorporating standard metrics like follower counts, communication total and update frequency — in addition to actual power, background and title — we’ve compiled a list of the 10 Tweeters that every Philadelphian should be following.

Questlove: He’s the Philadelphia-born drummer from the Roots — one of the most influential musical acts of a generation and the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon — and interacts with more than 1.3 million followers, among the social media service’s largest totals.

John Gruber: Let’s first get it out there that Gruber, who is largely seen as the leading source on Apple products and culture (and therefore much of geekdom), is not known for his Philadelphia cheerleading. The man is a rather vocal Yankees fan after all, and known for being something of a recluse in this city’s technology scene. That said, he calls Philadelphia home and wields rather noted influence in the competitive consumer electronics space with a loyal following of 75,000.

Nicole Brewer: The former Miss Pennsylvania is Philadelphia’s self-assessed first ‘digital journalist,’ tweeting her way to story ideas for the CW Philly on her technology beat. Her followers have surpassed the 1,000 mark and are growing as tips flow her way in 140-character bursts.

Josh Kopelman: The venture capitalist and entrepreneur who gained internet celebrity from his 1999 sale of Half.com to eBay is now the head honcho at nationally respected early-stage investment firm First Round Capital. He actively talks business with 13,400 followers.

Jim MacMillan: The Pulitzer Prize-winner photojournalist who took a buyout from the Daily News, taught at Temple and is returning from a professorship at the noted University of Missouri school of journalism, is a whirlwind of breaking news and media consumption. He’s something of a one-man news service for his nearly 80,000 followers.

Buzz Bissinger: Another Pulitzer Prize winner with books, articles and an Internet meme to his name, Buzz has come late to the Twitter party, but has done it like he does everything: loudly, crassly, and on his own terms. He spars with his 11,000 followers on topics of national interest, his own writing, and anything else with which they dare to bother him.

Monica Yant Kinney : The Inquirer metro columnist hustles on Twitter, updating her followers — fewer than 1,000 — on her stories and others, lending her reporter’s eye to online questions.

Larry Mendte: The former CBS3 front man, Entertainment Tonight host and Philly Post columnist spends a lot of his time replying to his 14,000 followers, but he still squeezes in the perspective from a longtime regional resident and TV journalist.

Todd Zolecki: Someone has to be the reporter of record for the Phillies online, and there’s hardly a soul more capable than the former Inquirer beat writer turned MLB.com heavy who talks baseball with 8,000 followers on Twitter like most people do in barbershops.

Brent Celek: There’s an entire world of athletes using social media to build their own brand and Philadelphia has its fair share of stars in that space, but few, if any, are doing it as well and as actively as the tight end for the Eagles. He is a constant source for contests, giveaways and updates for his 7,500 followers.