Lists and rankings bug me sometimes. There are some amazingly valuable people that get recognized, sure, and they’re much deserved. But inevitably, lists leave people out. And I don’t necessarily think that popularity and quantity of traffic or links or whatever is always the right measure of a person’s value (although I sure do appreciate the effort many of these folks have put into building their communities).

So in the spirit of shining the spotlight on some different faces, I’d like to give a shout-out to some of the most un-pimped, unlisted, under the radar folks that I’ve met in marketing and social media that I think you should know, too.  And I’d LOVE it if you’d contribute to the list in the comments, because even un-lists are never truly complete. And send it to your friends so they can add theirs. Celebrate the people you think need to be celebrated.

Here we go, in alpha order to make life easy:

Paul Chaney

Marketing Profs recently got smart and snatched Paul up for their blogging armada. Paul is a traditional marketing guy that works for Bizzuka and still finds time to blog (on his blog and several others) and share his insights about marketing and social media with the world. He’s generous of spirit, and always has sage advice that’s rooted in the best place: experience.

Mack Collier

Mack is a true gentleman, and he’s always talking about everyone BUT himself. He has a brilliant grasp of social media, but is always shining the spotlight on someone else. If you want to understand a bit about community building, Mack is a hell of an example to follow.

Ann Handley

Ann may have recently been named as the most influential woman in social media, but I don’t have her here because of how many links she’s got. Ann is an incredibly talented writer who is friendly, approachable, and understands why people connect with her Marketing Profs community. The best part? She’s always building up the people around her and doing things even better.

Beth Harte

Beth has been taking the marketing and social media world by storm in recent months, and is one of my favorite people. She always engages with her readers, she’s learning and listening all the time, and she’s just a riot. If you aren’t paying attention to Beth, you’re missing something.

Gavin Heaton

Gavin is one part brilliant marketing strategist, one part hysterical cut up, and one part consummate community member. He’s always got time to comment on your blog (I was so excited the first time he left one on mine), hit you up with a friendly tweet on Twitter, or add his (good) .02 to a meaty conversation. He’s another one where I sit back and read his stuff sometimes and just think “Dang. This guy’s good.” He wrote The Age of Conversation along with Drew McLellan, but he sure doesn’t have an author’s ego. (It’s a cool project – many of the folks on this un-list contributed so if you don’t know about it, check it out).

Sean Howard

Sean makes me laugh. Hard. His blog is irreverent, hilarious, and spot on. The guy has an amazing talent for pointing out the not-so-obvious but making you slap your forehead in dismayed realization that you should SO have caught that sooner. He and Gavin (along with Paul McEnany) do a series called Eat. Sleep. Blog. that’s worth checking out. Warning though: you will get sucked in.

Tim Jackson

Tim has inspired me in more ways than one. Not only has he built the community around his Masiguy blog by doing things the “right” way (with a lot of hard work), but he’s personally shown me that adversity is no match for a winning attitude, and that people matter most, no matter what the circumstance. Thanks for that, TJ. Honest.

Christina Kerley

Have you ever known a person that is so positive and upbeat that you wonder how they do it? CK is that way. She amazes me with her unwavering faith in humanity, and her deep appreciation for people. It’s truly inspiring, and my recent time with CK made me honestly walk away promising myself to be a better, more positive person. Talk about the essence of community building.

Jennifer Laycock

Jennifer doesn’t get nearly the credit she deserves. She works tirelessly to provide a staggering amount of information on her Search Engine Guide and Lactivist sites, and she does it because she understands how powerful that information is to the people who need it. She’s got zero ego, but she has more brains in her pinky finger than you can imagine. Plus, she’s hilarious.

Geoff Livingston

You want a straight shooter? Geoff’s your guy. He’s not afraid to call it like he sees it, he understands that social media doesn’t work all on its own (but he knows how it DOES work and then some), and he’s in it for the real stuff: making businesses more successful. Yeah, he wrote a book, but he really just doesn’t have a big head about that. I always, always appreciate his ability to have an intelligent and honest conversation that cuts through all the BS.

Valeria Maltoni

Valeria’s blog at Conversation Agent is enough to twist your brain into thinking (in a good way) for hours on end. She has an uncanny ability to find the human factor in just about any story or situation, and her insights can be truly staggering. Do yourself a favor and curl up with her blog archives for a while, and understand what it really means to define “community”.

Frank Martin

Frank has taught me more about marketing and entrepreneurship in two months than most people have in years. He is one of the smartest, most down to earth people I know. And considering that he’s been successful in the marketing arena for nearly three decades, I’d say he knows a thing or two about what works (and what doesn’t). Frank’s traditional background combined with his obvious love of the power of community makes him worth connecting with on a professional level, and he’s a host of fun to boot.

Drew McLellan

Drew has also had his share of recognition in the marketing and social media world, but I haven’t included him here for his influence factor. I’ve put him here because while I don’t know Drew personally yet, I feel like I do. Why? Because he responds to comments on his widely read blog, he answers his Tweets, he’s personable and approachable and makes the people around him feel like he honestly gives a rip about talking to them. For a guy with a to do list that must be a zillion miles long, that’s pretty darn cool. And oh yeah, Drew knows his stuff in a big way.

Shannon Paul

Shannon is another relative newcomer to the social media scene (aren’t we all) but she’s gone gangbusters. She’s engaging and fun on Twitter, which to me means that she really understands what it’s for. And some of the smart stuff that comes out of her mouth just stops me in my tracks. Congrats to Shannon on her brand new social media gig with the Detroit Red Wings – they sure made a smart move.

Connie Reece

How can you not love a woman with a pink feather boa? Seriously, though, Connie is one of the most generous spirits I’ve met. Her understanding of social media and community is rooted in her personal ability to connect with people, and I respect her as a colleague and treasure her as a friend. She’s had her share of accolades, but true to form, she’s always crediting someone else for how great she is.

Deb Robison

Deb is a brilliant PR professional who is working her butt off to help her industry better understand and embrace the power of social media. I’m constantly inspired by Deb’s common-sense approach to communications, and I know I learn something from her nearly every time we talk business. You’d do well to pay attention to how she intersects the “old” with the “new” in media.

Kaitlyn Wilkins

Kaitlyn is another person that I don’t know personally, but I sure hope I get the chance to meet her someday. Her blog brings wit, humor, and laughter into our oh-so-serious social media world. I love her perspective, and the fact that among some brilliant insight, she just doesn’t take herself too seriously. We really need more people like Kaitlyn.

So that’s my list for today, and I’m sure you have some to add. Who impresses you? Tell us and share!

UPDATE: Some other folks including Jason Falls and Mack Collier are talking about a similar subject on their blogs. In fact, Jason belongs on my list too. He’s hilarious, generous, and pretty darn brilliant. He’s got influence and connections, but sure doesn’t act like it. Do check him out if you don’t know him already.

Mack’s post on picking influencers carefully (thanks, Mack, for the shoutout)

Jason’s post on five blogs you ought to be reading (and I agree!)