10 Jamaican personalities to follow on twitter

By Laurelle Taylor

When thinking about who to follow on Twitter there are a lot of things that one might want to factor in. We follow some people because we know them. We follow some people because we want to get to know them (stalker). However, there is this quickly growing circle of Tweeters who we follow for the right reasons. Their tweets are funny, they offer valid social commentary, are intelligent and are just plain GOOD.

I’ve come up with a couple of characteristics that these people all have and they go as follows:

• Follower : Following Ratio – in almost all cases these people have at least 125% (1 and a quarter times) more followers than people they follow. That means that for every 4 persons they’re following that have 9 people following them. eg. Following 100 : Followers 225

• Conversation Starters – one of their tweets starts a discussion that lasts an hour on twitter.

• Referred to by 1st Name in Tweets they’re not Tagged in – eg. “Why Laurelle Muss Gwaan suh?”

• Frequent Retweets – these people have “good” tweets, tweets we agree with, so we Retweet them to our followers who in turn also agree and Retweet again (and follow them adding to their follow to following ratio).

• High Reach – these people’s tweets are ALWAYS on your timeline even if you don’t follow them. You try to be annoyed but their tweets are so good you have to Retweet and follow them.

• Little to no Interaction with followers they don’t follow – I think they just don’t want to be cornered into a #Followback tweet.

• Follow Each Other – Your tweets are good, my  tweets are good, let’s follow each other and our tweets will be good together.

• #CareNot – these people ‘mek dem talk’ and ‘Care Zero’. If it offends you, build a bridge and get over it.

I’m pretty sure we’ve all come up with our own ways of identifying Twitter’s “Cool Crew” but I’ll go ahead and give some people that I think will add some substance to our often times dull “going to the bathroom” timelines. Here we go!

• @marlonmusique – Bordering controversial, Marlon (as he is affectionately subtweeted)tweets what he thinks about topical (or anything) issues regardless of what his followers thinks. In my opinion he has mastered the art of taking his followers thoughts and putting them into 140 characters (often including a picture) of his own words. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not tweeting what you want, it just that what he tweets is what we’re afraid to say in such a frank way. Hats off to @marlonmusique!

• @Ingridriley – Ingrid Riley is all about technology and everything modern. Her tweets are insightful and give sound recommendations to followers. Her social commentary is as close to objectivity as it gets. Her reach is far greater than just Jamaica and spans across the Caribbean. One of her recent ventures Kingston Beta received quite a buzz on Twitter and was evidently well supported. While she maintains a 1:1 follower : following ratio, she is followed and is thought highly of by the right people and makes her someone you should follow on twitter.

• @marciaforbes – Dr. Marcia Forbes is all about the media, its impacts and how it can be utilized. She is not just all talk because her statements are backed by research. It is clear through her tweets that she cares about Jamaica, and its youth and her aim is to use her expertise in media to help Jamaica. She is also an author with books such as Streaming: #Social Media, Mobile Lifestyles which clear speaks to the fact that she has an excellent common of social media and how to use it. @marciaforbes is the pumpkin to the yellow soup we call twitter, she gives it texture, color and body and is someone certainly worth following on twitter.

• @corvedacosta  – Founder of the Jamaica Blog Awards, Corve DaCosta is one to follow on Twitter. His tweets manage to balance stating his opinion (which some people go overboard with), giving information to followers and just enjoying Twitter. His opinion more often than not mirrors what we all think but he manages to get it out in a less aggressive ‘Mi waan justice’ kinda way. Check out his timeline and be sure to follow @corvedacosta.

• @Gordonswaby – @Gordonswaby is that person on your timeline that remembers to comment on those little annoying things in society that bother us. He hits the nail on the head with his social commentary more often than not and has a sense of humor to go with it. He keeps followers in the know about the corporate world as he informs them about the corporate happenings. His tweets are true, realistic with just the right amount of jokes which makes him someone good to follow.

• @Ragashanti – Raga is our national King of Mix Up to say the least. We’ve all listened to his radio programs at least once (whether we’re going to admit it or not) and laughed through every second of it. So why wouldn’t you follow him on twitter? He adds the spice to your timeline posting links to the latest random scandal (which is just as important to be aware of). @Ragashanti is the X-News among the Gleaners and Observers on Twitter… you have to read his tweets once you see one. Regardless of what you think about him his following is massive which makes him someone worth following too.

• @CaroleBeckford – Twitter needs people like this! We need the people who are willing to state the stance on issues as soon as they arise. It is important to be one of the first persons to take a side in something because it helps other realize how they feel about it making @CaroleBeckford an opinion leader for many. As her bio says she is a sports management expert which is always evident in her tweets. She tweets great content and Retweets valuable information for all her followers to see making her someone good to follow.

• @SeanABennet – Sean is that person you see on your timeline regardless of if you’re following him. This in and of itself means he’s a good tweeter because you cannot buy the kind of publicity his tweets often get. He is a Jamaican blogger who receives quite a buzz every time he makes a new blog post. He comments on controversial issues taking place around us and helps to bring clarity to situations society does not readily grasp. His tweets are for himself, they just happen to appeal to most of us (which is good because most of us try to suit people with our tweets and #fail). He also adds a bit of unexpected humor to our timelines at random(which is good because everybody’s trolling people now). Check out @SeanABennet.

• @Russ_Mac876 – You need to follow this guy! His tweets are hilarious! He is the epitome of #CareNot. If you say something his disagrees with or finds stupid, he’s going to let you know. He is a “Loud Up” Professional. Follow with caution because your day will come (lol). What I think is good about @Russ_Mac876 is that he says what he thinks both bad and good (which I guess makes him fair). Just check out his timeline I promise you won’t regret.

• @Protoje –  Now what’s a twitter timeline without a musician? Protoje has a massive following who he constantly interacts with. While he tweets a lot about his music and where he’s touring the content of his music is relevant to every Jamaican. His music is his commentary. He uses Twitter as a platform to send his message and promote other persons messages and when he actually Tweets something that is directly related to music it gets Retweeted across the region (and world) for days. This makes @Protoje someone worth following.

That’s my list of 10 people to follow to add substance humor and commentary to your Twitter timeline. Of course there are way more people in the Jamaica Twitter Cool Crew but these are just a few. Do you agree? Who would you recommend? Check them out and be sure comment and tell me what you think!