New Look for Real Time Reputation Scores for #PMOT

The only constant in the universe is change.  That couldn't be more true then on the The Plan Is website.  They created an interface that displays real time reputation scores for Project Managers on Twitter. The new interface displays not only the rank, name and score of the account trending the highest over at Twitter, but also which way they are trending.

Yes, #FollowFriday is an excellent way to discover people Tweeting about like topics.  But, this list is dedicated to Project Managers on Twitter.  Want a reputation score tracker for your own site?  They are offering that as well.  What I find so compelling is this list is impartial and dynamic.  If I'm not engaging with people, I fall off the list.  Considering this thing tracks by the hour and by the day, it provides a good feedback loop.

Just a note, the graphic above was captured an hour before this post was written.  The list below was just taken from the The Plan Is site.  By the time you read this, both will be out of date.

Rank	Name	Score	Last hour	Last day
1.	crgpm	6890	-210 in the last hour	780 in the last day
2.	derekhuether	5365	No change in the last hour	960 in the last day
3.	pmstudent	5000	-200 in the last hour	1600 in the last day
4.	purpleprojects	4835	175 in the last hour	-215 in the last day
5.	projectrecovery	3720	395 in the last hour	670 in the last day
6.	sara_broca	3385	-210 in the last hour	790 in the last day
7.	ppmcommunity	3220	420 in the last hour	3115 in the last day
8.	unlikebefore	3205	50 in the last hour	225 in the last day
9.	kareemshaker	3100	100 in the last hour	425 in the last day
10.	thegreenpm	2995	No change in the last hour	-2785 in the last day

Check out The Plan Is website and then follow them on Twitter @ThePlanIs

Let's see show them some Twitter love.

Washington DC #PMOT Tweetup

The other night, I enjoyed the company of three awesome people who use the Twitter hashtag #pmot (project managers on Twitter).

It was nice to hear why someone else would blog about project management, why they would engage others on Twitter, or who they thought was interesting in the project management community.

We talked; we laughed; we shared stories.  What I found most intriguing was we weren't all that different.

If you ever get a chance to attend a Tweetup, I say go for it!  It's not like one of those swarmy networking events where someone you've never met walks up to you and hands you a business card.  These are people you've interacted with before.  You all have a similar interest.  You're not there to sell anything.  You go, have a few drinks, and enjoy the company.  It was really nice to shake their hands, making that direct connection.  Though I enjoying singing praises of people on #FollowFriday or tweeting back and forth, it doesn't top meeting them in person.

I hope I didn't talk to much.  I get so excited, I sometimes can't help myself.  Next time, I won't drink the pot of coffee and will just listen.  Thank you Joseph, Jhaymee, and Michiko for a wonderful night.  And thank you again, Joseph, for picking up the tab!

Image courtesy of Michiko's iPhone :-)

FollowFriday and Noteworthy Blogs

I'm going to steal an idea that I've seen used on The Project Centric - How to Manage a Camel blog. They have "Monday Morning Links" where they list blogs to read or people to follow on Twitter.  I found Lindsay Scott and the blog via Twitter on a Follow Friday.  I've been reading the blog ever since, enjoying the excellent Project Management related posts.  I've found other great blogs just by reading their Monday Morning Link posts.

I also look forward to #FollowFriday (FF) on Twitter.  It's a great way to find and begin a conversation with other Project Managers, Agile Enthusiasts, Kanban Practitioners, or anyone else having similar ideas or interests.  I feel bad when I sometimes forget to FF others who really should be reminded they write great stuff.

So, here are a few links to posts from blogs I read on a regular basis and a few people I follow on Twitter.  Twitter is so fast paced, a recommendation can come and go and perhaps be lost in the rapid stream of tweets.  By posting a few blog links here, I think there is a higher probability my praise of them will be heard by others.  In Latin I would say nanos gigantum humeris insidentes.  In layman terms, I would say I stand on the shoulders of giants.

Who's blog I read:

• Alec Satin This week Alec wrote 7 lessons from a heart attack. It was an excellent post that helped me put things into perspective.  I'm glad Alec will be ok and will continue to post about people, projects, and process.
• Deep Fried Brain This week Harwinder a.k.a Brian Washer wrote about the good, the bad, and the ugly of PMI component chapters.  This was great insight  PMPs (new and seasoned) will find valuable.  This blog provides a lot of excellent information about preparing for the PMP exam or maintaining your PMP credentials.
• Mike Cottmeyer This week Mike wrote on his Leading Agile blog asking Why is Agile so hard to sell? He went on to ask why wouldn't a management team embrace a set of methodologies so focused on giving them what they need the most?   He's an Agile thinker, writer, consultant, and coffee drinker.

Who I Follow:

@pmstudent - Josh Nankivel helps new and aspiring project managers reach their career goals including gaining experience, education, PMP certification, and more.  He's listed as the "unofficial" most influential Project Manager on Twitter.  His blog is a must read if you're active in the PM community.  He's a member of PMI's New Media Council.  Lastly, he recently released his own product, WBS Coach.  Yes, if you purchase WBS Coach some of the proceeds would go back to me by way of an affiliate fee.  I'm not afraid to say that because I'm honored to be affiliated with what Josh does.  I can't say enough good things about what he does.

That's all I can offer for now.  There are numerous people I would recommend but there is just so much people want to read in a blog post before their eyes start rolling to the back of their heads.

Real Time Reputation Scores On Twitter

When Twitter launched their list feature recently, I immediately wondered if #FollowFriday was going to go the way of the dinosaur. For those out there not using Twitter, you have the power to "follow" people of interest and see what they are saying.  By following people of similar personal or professional interests, you get an idea of what is happening in real time.

As you begin to follow people, you are exposed to more and more who can really offer interesting things to say.

Because I wanted to read about what's new in Tech, I followed Leo Laporte, founder of the TWiT® Netcast Network. Because I wanted to read about entrepreneurs and start-ups, I followed Jason Calacanis, founder of Mahalo.com.  Because I wanted to read about Project Management, I followed Dave Garrett, CEO of Gantthead.com.  Granted, I didn't just go out and follow them at random.  I followed others and patiently waited for Friday to arrive to see who they would recommend to Follow.  Though I enjoy this organic process of discovery, it is not particularly efficient.  Though the introduction of lists has allowed me to see similar people in large numbers, there is no guarantee it is nothing more then a popularity contest.

Who shall I follow and who shall I recommend to follow?  Alas, I am but one person.  Who am I to suggest who you should follow and who you should not? I will yield my recommendation to one I consider superior in the decision making process.  I yield to what James Surowiecki termed the Wisdom of the Crowd and a nice webapp created by The Plan Is.

It appears The Plan Is tracks all tweets tagged with #pmot and uses them to update a list of the most influential project managers on Twitter. Updates are calculated continuously and new results are displayed every 5 minutes. They won't tell you how the scores are calculated, as that would make it too easy to game the system.  It appears ranking is based on the number of followers, volume of tweets being retweeted, and the number of lists appeared on.  I may be wrong.  But, the list appears pretty accurate.  Go on Twitter and look at the hashtag #pmot.  If you say (tweet) something interesting, it gets retweeted.  If people like to read what you're tweeting, you'll get followed.  What I like about this dynamic reputation score is there are NOT people out there tweeting "vote for me, vote for me".  It just seems to work.

So, you're a new Project Manager, Scrum Master, Agile aficionado, or Kanban practitioner on Twitter.  Who do you follow?  Who has the best reputation, from the crowd point of view?  Follow the links below and find out.

Project Managers on Twitter

1. DaveG253: 2175 points
2. francisojsaez: 1800 points
3. projectmgmt: 1685 points
4. ProjectShrink: 1400 points
5. Qtask: 1400 points
6. JohnEstrella: 1135 points
7. pmstudent: 1100 points
8. franciscojsaez: 980 points
9. thesambarnes: 915 points
10. PM_StrayDogg: 835 points

If you would like to see a list from an Agile perspective, there's a list for that as well.

Note:  The 10 Project Managers in the list above were dynamically generating at the time of this post.