Every now and then, you’ll come across some really remarkable, cool and inspiring people who have wonderful stories to tell. I figured why not start talking about those truly amazing people that I meet. I have the great fortune of being part of different industries that allow me to meet some pretty fascinating individuals. From the artistic entrepreneurs of Team Manila, to the nitrogen cooking creative chefs of Zenses Neo-Shanghai Cuisine, even the crazy free runners of Parkour Philippines all the way to the coolest bartenders like Hank at the secret bar known as Big Sky Mind! I meet quite a diverse group of individuals who each have a different, yet equally inspiring story.

For one of my many jobs, I am a co-host of the first Technology Podcast from the Philippines called Tek Tok (Tech Talk) Podcast, where my co-host, Angel, and I try to learn the newest and latest information from the world of geeks. Yesterday, we were very happy to have our first in-house guest. With a Twitter following of over 18,000 (and counting) and also being one of the founders of a blog that gets over 4 million views per month (while only on it’s 7th month),  BitRebels.com, we were more than excited to meet the self-proclaimed “Twitterholic,” – Misty Belardo.

We were chatting non-stop with Misty about different ways and tips to gain an online following and the powerful marketing tool that this can be. Not only can you promote your personal brand, but you can also make lots of connections and friends. Misty told us stories of how President Obama sent her a thank you tweet (which totally left her frazzled), how they helped Alyssa Milano raise Millions for her water charity project and even her cool Twitter conversations with Mashable.com founder, Pete Cashmore.

But other than all that fluff, I was really impressed and inspired when Misty talked about the road she took to build their blog, BitRebels.com. In the beginning, she said that there were only two authors and that she had to come up with over 20 articles per week. I think it really tests one’s dedication and perseverance to push through with a commitment you make, without being guaranteed a positive outcome. I’m sure Misty didn’t know that BitRebels would reach over 189 countries and get over 4 million views per month in just seven months, but she made a commitment to herself and stuck with it! Moreover, BitRebels also won the 2009 award for Best New Blog from Go Gladiator Media. Again, all that in just seven short months.

Even with all that, Misty was still so down-to-earth girl and has offered her help to me multiple times. She promoted some of my videos from WhenInManila.com without hesitation and even recommended her Twitter followers (of over 18,000) to follow @VinceGolangco and @WhenInManila without expecting anything in return. In the end, she mentioned her belief that the more she gives, the more she gets back.

So this is why Misty Belardo, of BitRebels.com, is definitely going into my book of Cool People!

I highly recommend following her on Twitter @mistygirlph and checking out her very informative articles on BitRebels.com as well. Get some good advice from her on How to Win Followers and Influence Tweeple (get it?! Like the Dale Canegie book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” ….. Yeah?… Yeah??? No….?…. Nevermind!)

Oh and if you want to check out our audio interview with Misty, you can find it here – Tek Tok (Tech Talk) Podcast.

So what did I learn from Misty?

• Give more
• Use Twitter to connect with people
• Write a lot! And don’t stop writing. Be consistent.
• You can accomplish a lot in 7 months!