Paranormal Follow Friday Shout Outs for 5/14/10

I’m going to try something a bit different this Friday and see how it goes. In addition to doing my normal Follow Friday (a.k.a. #FF) shout outs on Twitter, I’m going to borrow from the Follow Friday List idea I read about on Social Media Commando and saw in action on Paranormal Research Groups.

PRG prefaced their list by explaining what an active paranormal community Twitter has. Agreed!

They then suggested their picks for “absolute must follow #paranormal twitterers.” (Among whom Haunt Jaunts, a.k.a. @HauntJaunts, was included. Again, agreed! Just kidding. Seriously, though…people, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: flattery will get you absolutely everywhere –especially with me!)

Okay, back to business. I’m going to create a list similar to PRG’s. Each week (if I keep this up) will be a different theme.

Today will be who I think the influential #paranormal movers and shakers on Twitter are. Here goes (in alphabetical order):

@aaronsagers – I didn’t realize I was following Aaron until today when he sent me a very nice message. He’s an entertainment journalist and a nationally syndicated columnist with the Tribune Company. He’s also the editor of ParanormalPopCulture.com. (Which is why I didn’t realize I was following him. His Twitter ID is his name, not his blog’s name.) He covers more of the fictional side of the paranormal, such as movies, books, and such. He also happens to be looking forward to the same movie as me, Phasma Ex Machina. That automatically makes him good people in my mind!

@Above_the_Norm – Julie is the now the sole genius behind the blog Above the Norm. She hasn’t been active on Twitter for very long, but you wouldn’t know that to watch her in action. She engages with other Tweeters, participates in Follow Fridays (when she’s not preoccudied “watching” her grandbaby –which I believe is code for “playing and loving her cutie patootie grandbaby up!”), and is willing to share not just her links but others as well. What I say about Mommy D below also stands for Julie!

@area51org – I’m not sure I’ve ever interacted with area51.org like I have with any of the other Tweeters on this list. That’s why I’m always so flattered when I see they’ve shared one of my links. Very cool. And that’s why I say follow them: I don’t know how they find all the links they find to share, but that’s what they do. They’re kind of like a paranormal Twitter aggregator.

@ChateauGrrr – Okay, this is a bit of a cross-over. ChateauGrrr isn’t strictly paranormal. Its main focus is really Halloween, with a minor in Horror. But because the paranormal sort of touches on both of these areas, so does ChateauGrrr. Chad, CG’s mastermind, is a helluva guy. He’s one who RTs as much as possible and engages with other Tweeters as much as possible. If you need help spreading a word, he seems to instinctively know and jumps in to help no questions asked.

@EEaganCox – Elizabeth Eagan Cox is the author of the Shannon Delaney paranormal mystery series. She loves ghosts, she loves travel, she loves haunted places, and she loves to Tweet about things in all of those areas she comes across. She’s very knowledgeable, engaging, and fun. She’s another one who isn’t afraid to RT Tweets she thinks are RT worthy. That’s a fine trait to have in any Twitter friend.

@EntitiesRUs – I love a good laugh, and I admire people who can make me LOL literally. (Would that be LLOL?) Terri and her clever ghost hunter comic, Entities-R-Us, definitely makes me laugh. And on Twitter? She’s another one who’s brilliant at engaging with her followers, but even more so, she shares neat info that she wraps in a humorous 140 characters.

@GHFans – This Tweeter is an absolute MUST follow if you are in any way, shape, or form a fan of Ghost Hunters. They are all kinds of in the know about everything GH and they’re not afraid to Tweet about it!

@GhostHunterBlog – Their bio says “The Ghost Hunting Parablog is our humble attempt to give back to the paranormal research community.” Humble? You want information about all things ghost hunting and paranormal? Follow @GhostHunterBlog! Every day they Tweet awesome links. I think in addition to having Twitter friends who will RT your links, it’s important to follow Tweeters you can RT. This is a very reTweetable Tweeter.

@HauntedPlaces – Steve of the blog Ghost Eyes has got to be one of the most recognized paranormal Tweeters out there. For good reason: This man knows all! Okay, so maybe not all, he’s not God, but it’s clear people worship him in the paranormal community. He’s taken me under his wing more than once and I just don’t forget stuff like that. Anyone who’s willing to publicly back me and say, “Hey, this is good people.” Well…back atcha and then some!

@JenBlaney – Jen is a kind, smart, beautiful soul. Her bio might fool you. Nowhere in it does she mention how intune to the paranormal scene she is, but don’t let that fool you. She is, and then some. But even more so, she takes the time to get to know her fellow Tweeters. She reads all that is written and responds accordingly. You definitely get a friend when you follow Jen.

@Jessica0223 – The beautiful and talented Jessica maintains one of my fave blogs, Ghost Stories and Haunted Places. Like Julie from Above the Norm, Jessica stormed on the Twitter scene earlier this year too. She shares all kinds of info. Neat links to not just her own articles, but to any kind of interesting paranormal tidbits she comes across. And like everyone else I’ve mentioned so far on this list, she takes time to engage with other Tweeters. (Have you noticed that’s a running theme with my list, those who take the time to engage with others? It really enhances the Twitter experience when people like Jessica and all the others take the time to interact like they do.)

@MommyDsKitchen – Dinell (who I can’t help but think of as Mommy D) is a super blogging rock star. She has many interests and blogs about them all. One of her interests happens to be the paranormal, which she covers in her blog the Weekly Spectre. But she also has a Haunted Guest House where she welcomes paranormal guest bloggers. And on Twitter? Count on her for RTs, daily special follow shout outs, and uproaring camaraderie in general. She’s good people both on and off Twitter. Be it the paranormal community or the world at large, it would be a better place with more Mommy Ds in it!

@ParanormalRG – Think they were a given just because they mentioned me? Think again. I’m vain, but I’m also discerning. They work the paranormal on Twitter, but most importantly they’re willing to work with the paranormal community overall. It shows in what Paranormal Research Groups is all about to begin with, which is a collaboration of paranormal investigation teams. Also, something I appreciate is they are very forgiving and have a sense of humor. For a while there I just could not get there Twitter ID straight. They were very patient until I could finally get my fingers to stop adding an “I” between the “l” and the “R” in their Twitter ID.

@sthrnwriter – Andrea’s blog is Ghost Stories. But like all of the other bloggers I’ve mentioned, her Tweets aren’t limited to just the subject of the paranormal. She rounds them out with funny snippets from her life, which makes her not only informative but endearing. She also adds in a smidge of horror, so…you get quite a lot following Andrea.

@SydSouthworth – Syd is one of my first Twitter friends. Kind of like Mommy D, Syd has many interests beyond just the paranormal so you get a varied bag of Tweets from her, but she does place a lot of emphasis on the paranormal. She is in the know about what’s happening with who where and more than once has kept me in the loop on hot paranormal happenings. But it’s obvious by her Tweets she cares about those she Tweets with. She makes an effort to get to know the people behind their Twitter IDs. That’s very rare and it makes her very precious.

Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.

Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.