SNAPPY. CLEVER. CARING. While this might not be everybody’s criteria for a pal, it’s one I’ve used to look online for a particular kind of new friend in the writing business. Why snappy? Because sometimes you need someone to give you a little bite to get you going.

So, who’s new in the snappy category? Meet Kristen Lamb, whose blog I recently discovered. Author of the best-selling books We Are Not Alone—The Writer’s Guide to Social Media and Are You There, Blog? It’s Me, Writer, Kristen worked in international sales before making the move to being a writer, freelance editor and speaker. And the combo is superb. She’s got fine ideas on how to help authors construct that ever-elusive platform we hear so much about, as well as how to build your brand. That covers snappy.

Clever, my second criteria? Meet her Pants of Shame, perhaps my favorite thing about her which, I know, reveals more about the writer (me) than the topic (Kristen), and makes for a great new lesson on characterization, right?

And how about that “caring” criteria?

Kristen is the creator of the twitter hashtag #MyWana, my new favorite place to hang out in the Twittersphere. It’s a room of our own, writers, so go see. Like me, she wants you to succeed.

Don’t know what a hashtag is? Google the term, and do your research. As you may remember, I’m a huge believer in research, which is what I was doing when I ran into Kristen. Other friends I’ve met online while doing research include the fine Jeff Goins and the inimitable Jane Friedman, both of whom I’ve written about before.

So read up, and write on.