A few weeks ago, I chatted with Pinnacle marketing executive Amber Lawhun to compile our tips for customer testimonials article. One thing that stuck with me was her thoughts about using the company's Twitter account to communicate short feedback and comments shared by customers, rather than feeling compelled to wait for full-blown testimonials.

Many solution providers are torn about the value of using any social network other than LinkedIn for prospecting or marketing purposes. Some of you have accounts, but haven't bothered to update them in weeks or months because you spend more time following others than offering your own perspective. (I know because I've checked).

In my mind, there are two big reasons senior-level solution providers should spend some time on Twitter. First, it is a great way to pick up the industry pulse. Wouldn't it be better to walk into an account knowing more about what's going on with their major technology vendors than your contacts there? Second, you can show you're human. I don't follow many accounts personally—"only" 310 compared to the 8,235 (thank you!) who follow me as I'm finishing up this list. The ones I've kept help spark my story ideas. Others (who am I kidding) offer a distraction when I need a break and provide conversation openers for breaking the ice when I'm interviewing people I don't know. 

With that in mind, I've compiled this completely subjective list of useful Twitter accounts with relevance for the larger channel community. I've organized the list alphabetically (by "real name")—and no, I have no idea if some of these CEOs actually curate their feeds. If you follow a compelling account I've left off this list, tell me via email.