That’s why I like social media, you get to know what people are saying about everything. Last night was a perfect example of my obsession with needing to know what people are saying.

On my 2 hour commute home I was on Twitter helping out a friend with Google Analytics. Then I got home, jumped back on Twitterand I got invited to a Skype chat room where I met some great, like-minded people. We talked about Facebook and FriendFeed and why we use both. My wife ripped me off of the computer to watch a movie and then I went to bed. I woke up with my son in the middle of the night to feed him and decided to jumped back on Twitter since I was awake. I spent a good hour and a half talking with my friends in the UK and Australia. I finally knocked out and when I woke up it had snowed, which is unheard of here in the Seattle area. Then I remembered, I forgot to watch the news, but hey, I knew what my friends in the UK were up to!

I find it quite refreshing to connect with people all over the world and get their point of view on anything from the latest movies to the most effective marketing techniques. But I have learned, like many others – Robert Scoble for one, that it isn’t the size of your following but who you follow. Whether it is on Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, LinkedIn or any of the other social sites and blogs, you choose who you follow and that determines the kind of knowledge you will acquire and share with others. Right now, I can tell you how all my Twitter buddies are doing but I have no idea what the weather is going to be like tomorrow.

You are only as informed as those you associate with.

If you like to know what people are saying, make sure you are following the right people. They should add value to your conversations and make you think. I’m going to take a closer look at the people I follow on Twitter, because who knows, I might have some random Twitter Stalker!

Who do you follow that has really helped you take your thinking to the next level?