I'm Number 31! In VoIP, that is...

Huh? That's definitely not my age, but it's my special number for today.

VoIP News just published their list of "Top 50 Most Influential People in VoIP". Doesn't that sound like a list you'd want to be on? It does to me. There are lots of VoIP-focused pubs, portals and resources out there, but I haven't come across a list like this yet. Special thanks to Brian Provost, who put this piece together.

Well, the good news is that I'm on it, clocking in at #31! I'll take it. Most of the higher entries are actually companies, not individuals, so the list is a bit of a misnomer. Individuals don't show up on the list til #13, and Mark Spencer of Asterisk is tops. Not a bad choice, and not surprising since VoIP News is clearly a fan of Open Source - the #1 entry on the list went to the "Asterisk community".

Overall, I think the list is pretty solid, actually, as it really covers the gamut. Aside from Open Source, there are the big names like Verizon, Alcatel, Avaya, Intel, Cisco, Microsoft, Siemens, Nortel - but also the disruptors/challengers like Vonage, Covad, Google, Skype/eBay, Iotum, Packet8 and Mino. And of course the usual suspects from the blogger community - Jeff Pulver, Om Malik, Andy Abramson, Alec Saunders, Rich Tehrani, etc.

I'd also like to briefly wave the Canadian flag here. Aside from myself, the red and white are well represented by Iotum, Alec Saunders and Mark Evans (who will be my podcast guest tomorrow). Whoo hoo.

Needless to say, I'm very happy to be included in such stellar company, so my day is complete. So, thanks to VoIP News for the recognition, and for anyone out there looking for a starting point to understand the VoIP space, you don't need to look any further.


Technorati tags: VoIP News, Jon Arnold