What else?

Time online published an article on the top 30 most influential people on the Internet earlier this month. And that reminded me of a neat sleuthing trick I learned while at the IRE journalism conference in Atlanta last week.

So here are the top five most influential people on Twitter in Toronto, which include a former WWE champ and a soccer player.

The Twitter handle most followed in the Big Smoke is @shitgirlssay, a funny Twitter feed with 1.9 million followers that was started by Canadian writers @KyleHumphrey and @GraydonSheppard.

The second most influential person is @Sween, an ad copywriter named Jason Sweeney with 1.1 million followers, followed by @HealthHabits with 963,000 followers. Its author is personal trainer Douglas Robb, 45.

Rounding out the top five are former WWE champ @trishstratuscom with more than 905,000 followers and @JozyAltidore, an American soccer player who plays for Toronto FC and has nearly 859,000 followers.

It’s interesting to note that only one news organization makes it if you widen the list to include the top 10. That would be @CP24 placing seventh place with 855,000 followers. And who knows how many of those followers are bots.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors also made the top 10.

My personal favourite is @MargaretAtwood who just missed the list.