The Man in the Middle
For nearly a month, a good portion of my daily routine has had me combing through the Twitosphere, looking for engaging finance related news to share on my own recently launched social news site for finance – Shmish. It is my hope that others will follow suit and Shmish will become a vibrant community for the sharing of finance related news.
Through my endeavors on Twitter, I've come to discover that the pulse of the social network's financial community beats loudly with a steady stream of thought provoking content from some of the brightest minds in the industry.
There are many notable contributors such as @ritholtz, @alea_, @reformedbroker and @zerohedge – each of whom provide real substance to the conversation stream. However, at the very core of the financial twitosphere stands one man – and one man alone – "The Weez".
As a quick glance of his twitter bio confirms, "The Weez" aka @TheStalwart is Joseph Weisenthal.
More than being one of the most well respected tweeters in the sphere of finance, Joseph epitomizes social presence.
Long before the sun splashes against the New York City skyline or the trading pit of the NYSE begins to howl, you'll hear the chirping of @TheStalwart's twitter account, cranking out his morning address; "So, did I miss anything overnight?" – is generally how he'll enter the conversation.
By seven o'clock in the morning, as many of us are justifying the necessity of snoozing 10 more minutes, Joseph has already published six articles on Business Insider – where he holds the title of Deputy Editor.
Many of his columns are no more than a couple hundred words long. Few by count, these words are evidently quite well chosen, as they have a tendency of setting the blogosphere in motion. Some of his articles can receive 10, 15, even 20 comments within an hour. Additionally, you'll find that his articles and tweets are widely retweeted by those composing Twitter's financial community.
On any given day, Joe could be posting links to obscure Romanian media sources, or interviewing the likes of famed bond trader Jeffrey Gundlach. It's this broad involvement within the discipline of focus that legitimizes his stature in the community.
Like most all things in life – success in the realm of social media is a testament to ones devotion to their trade. It's about being the first tweeter on and the last tweeter off; listening, as much, if not more, than speaking; understanding that Twitter garners its value not simply as a means of propagation, but rather as a forum for engagement.
Though building a social presence on Twitter is largely about finding your own personal voice, taking a cue from those with experience can prove to be immeasurably beneficial.
As Joseph's traditional working-day hours wind down, he reminds us that Twitter is a virtual network for making real-world connections and that his social presence reaches well beyond the constraints of virtual confines.
He writes: "Hey j'all. Gonna be at this drinks thing on Stone Street in a few minutes. Say hi to me if we've never met."
Though a good portion of Joseph's followers may never get that chance to meet him – we have all had the opportunity to feel as if we know him – and therein lies the magic of Joseph Weisenthal's social presence and the essence of social media in general – communication.
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