I’m going to start a blog series on current speakers worth watching and begin with Mitch Joel, author of the bestselling Six Pixels of Separation (what a great title!), prolific blogger under the same name, and frequent public speaker on the subject of social media and marketing.   Mitch’s blog is one that I never miss, because he’s always onto the trends and always saying something interesting. 

If you’re new to the web and social media, Six Pixels of Separation should be your first stop.  Mitch explains the basics – and some advanced stuff – in clear, compelling language.  He argues for consistency, adding value, honesty, and speaking like a real human being – and he brings all those essential virtues to his own approach to marketing and the web. 

You can catch Mitch speaking here at a recent social media conference, and he’s worth watching for his speaking style as well as what he’s saying. (It's a 4-part video; I've just linked to part one.  You can catch the rest on YouTube.)  Mitch has a very relaxed, conversational manner, which fits his subject matter and his persona perfectly.  The man and the message work comfortably together.  Note how well he works the room without wandering too much.  He makes it look easy – and of course it isn’t.  The match of the casual, comfortable style along with the message – that he’s a ‘presentist’, not a futurist, works very well. 

For an always-thoughtful take on the new cyber world of marketing, Mitch Joel is your guy.