First of the month #FF Shout out goes to @ShelHoltz

Well I'm a week behind on my monthly "First of the Month" #FF shout outs featuring my most recent "Tweep in Profile", but this one was worth waiting for - Shel Holtz.

Shel is a former journalist, an award winning consultant, speaker and author - and co-host of the For Immediate Release audio podcast with Neville Hobson. This made him a perfect choice for a chat this month with host/producer Donna Papacosta.

During the interview Shel touches upon several trends that all communicators should be watching for especially as it relates to their organizations including gamification, content curation and making your online content "mobile" ready. Overall I think listeners will enjoy the discussion as much as I did, and as well take away some useful tips. Thanks again Shel.

FF Shout Out - @AlisonLoat

Well what a way to kick off another season of our "Tweep in Profile" audio podcasts than with long-time online friend @AlisonLoat - executive director and co-founder of Samara. Samara - as you may or may not know - is a think tank that works to strengthen political engagement in Canada.

I've been following Alison for some time and after working with her and seeing her in action via various newscasts felt she was a natural fit with our audio podcast that features members of the Twitter community.

What I especially liked about her interview with my host/producer @DonnaPapacosta was how Samara has adopted the practice of thinking like a 'media company' when it comes to creating their online content which is designed to encourage their audiences into a discussion on political engagement. And, as has become the custom for my blog, here is a "Tweep" truly worthy of a Follow on this the first #FF of 2012.

#FF Shout out this month is Adam Adamou (@Grazen)

This month I am happy to be featuring not only a long-time family friend but also one of the savviest business people and venture capitalists I know - Adam Adamou (@Grazen). As the executive chairman of International Datacasting Corporation in Ottawa, (TSX: IDC), a global leader in digital content distribution for the world's premiere broadcasters, Adam was kind enough to spare a few minutes from his hectic schedule this month to join "Tweep in Profile" host/producer Donna Papacosta to talk about the tools he uses to get the most out of his online experience.

We also used Adam to help kick off our "12 Days of Podcasts" featuring each of our monthly profiles from 2011. One of the things I enjoyed most about his interview with Donna was his point that, "If somebody is afraid of the (social media) tools that will provide them with knowledge, then I believe they're positioning themselves for failure." For more insights as to how Adam utilizes these tools for both personal and professional success, check out his interview with Donna by clicking here.