If you're reading this then the chances are you're a fan of technology. Not only is MakeUseOf a website dealing with technology, the word is also in the byline, so even if you're a first-time visitor you're likely to be interested in hardware, software, the Internet, social networking, and gadgets. To name just a few of the different sides the umbrella term 'technology' encompasses.

I would also hope, as a fan of technology, you're on Twitter by now. All the cool kids are, and only refuseniks such as our own James Bruce cannot seem to bring themselves to embrace it. But who should you follow on Twitter? I've sorted the wheat from the chaff to bring you a rundown of the 8 essential technology journalists you should be following on Twitter. Now. Go. Do it. Well, after you get to the end of the article at least.

Seth Weintraub @llsethj

Wish there were a fast forward button on this Apple vs. Samsung trial.More prototypes please!

— Seth Weintraub (@llsethj) August 2, 2012

Seth Weintraub has written for various websites and publications, including Fortune and Computerworld. But he's mainly known for co-founding 9to5Mac, which he still contributes to. Unsurprisingly, Weintraub is a fan of Apple but he has more recently started covering Google as well.

Twitter Style: Lots of linking, lots of conversing.

Josh Topolsky @joshuatopolsky

What do these products have in common? TurboGrafx-16, Atari Lynx, Dreamcast, HD-DVD, webOS? Am I genetically predisposed to like losers?

— Joshua Topolsky (@joshuatopolsky) August 20, 2012

Joshua Topolsky used to be editor-in-chief at Engadget before upping sticks and co-founding The Verge, where he is the current editor-in-chief. Topolsky may be a bit of a hipster but don't hold that against him. He knows his stuff and knows his staff.

Twitter Style: Fun, frenetic, and full-on.

Nilay Patel @reckless

Haters have now progressed to insisting that I hate Samsung because I didn't properly review the Note's cameras.The camera. On a tablet.

— nilay patel (@reckless) August 16, 2012

Another member of The Verge, this time the managing editor. Nilay Patel has opinions on most things tech-related and would like to share them with you. This means he has as many haters as he does fans. It's a tough life writing for the Web.

Twitter Style: Opinionated and observational.

Om Malik @om

Want to know something worse than peeling off a bandaid off a fresh wound? Trying to get voice memos off an iPhone. Insanely Difficult.

— Om Malik (@om) August 22, 2012

Om Malik has been writing about technology for well over a decade, during which time he has contributed to Forbes, Red Herring, and many other websites. He eventually founded GigaOM and the network of blogs that now reside under its ever-spreading wings.

Twitter Style: Always interesting, always engaging.

Charles Arthur @charlesarthur

Lots of so-called new web services look to me like thinly disguised excuses for user narcissism. No actual value created or exchanged.

— Charles Arthur (@charlesarthur) August 21, 2012

Charles Arthur is the technology editor for British newspaper The Guardian. He has also written a book looking at how Apple, Google, and Microsoft has evolved over the last two decades. One of the few tech journalists to successfully maintain a non-fanboy stance.

Twitter Style: Intelligent and inclusive.

Nick Bilton @nickbilton

I just typed highfalutin & the iPhone autocorrected it to high-flatulence. Sounds about right.

— Nick Bilton (@nickbilton) August 14, 2012

Nick Bilton is a technology columnist for The New York Times and the lead blogger for Bits. Bilton's job is talking about technology in as accessible a manner as possible, and he manages to do so extremely well.

Twitter Style: Broad, brash, never boring.

Ed Bott @edbott

Congrats, Apple, for passing Microsoft's 1999 record as largest public company ever by market cap. Might want to note what happened next.

— Ed Bott (@edbott) August 20, 2012

Ed Bott was writing about technology when I was still at school. And yet he still has his finger on the pulse. He mainly writes for ZDNet, and mainly about Microsoft and Windows. Apple fanboys should probably avoid Bott, unless they fancy getting taken down a peg or two.

Twitter Style: Amusing and abrasive in equal measure.

Farhad Manjoo @fmanjoo

Who's gonna criticize the Twitter API thing with a post headlined "Something is Technically Wrong"? Come on, someone.

— Farhad Manjoo (@fmanjoo) August 17, 2012

Farhad Manjoo wrote for Wired and Salon before becoming the technology columnist for Slate. He also now occasionally contributes to PandoDaily. Manjoo was once called a hater alongside Louis Gray and some guy called Dave Parrack by the CEO of Cuil.

Twitter Style: Straight, sober, to-the-point.

Conclusions

There are some big names missing from that list of technology journalists. Believe me, I had trouble paring the names in the frame down from 20 to just 8, and even the first number wouldn't include everyone who deserves a mention. But these are 8 tech journalists who not only write, and are passionate, about technology, but also tweet multiple times per day with interesting content. Even journalists have to be entertaining to be worth listening to, don't they?

If there are any other technology journalists, bloggers, columnists, or writers you feel deserve a mention then feel free to give them props in the comments section below. It goes without saying you should be following all of the MakeUseOf writers, who you can find by clicking on their usernames at the end of @makeuseof tweets.