There’s something weird happening in the social media realm. Some people who participate in social media are marketing themselves as social media experts, based on the fact that they “know how to do social media”.
I think this is a classic case of “monkey see, monkey do”. You see how something is done, therefore you think you can do it too (and just as well). In the same respects, just because you have the knowledge on and know how to do something, doesn’t mean you can actually do it. I mentally understand how to drive a stick shift, but I can’t actually do it. I know how to take my vitamins, but I can’t seem to actually do it.
It doesn’t work like that with social media. It doesn’t take much brain power to send a tweet, or submit a site to Digg, or post a blog post. We all “know how” to do these things. But what makes a social media expert an expert is that they know why we do these things. They can explain why one medium should be chosen over another. They can create a strategy with many different elements that, when combined, give you the results you’re looking for. Social media experts are all about the “big idea”, and how these tools can get you from A to B.
With that said, I’ve had three really frustrating conversations over the past week. Three separate people (none of which I know personally), all who identify themselves as social media experts and contacted me through VAforBloggers.com, came to me with what I considered to be elementary questions (considering their “expert” status). One person was wondering if they should suggest being on Facebook to their client. Another person asked me how often their client should post on his or her blog. The last person asked me if I thought Twitter “worked”.
These are good, valid questions…if they’re coming from someone who isn’t a self-proclaimed social media expert.
The problem here is that these are people who participate in social media and have achieved some kind of success, therefore they assume that they can create strategies for others. It just doesn’t work that way. Just because you participate in something, it doesn’t translate to you being an expert on the topic.
Here’s my advice: quit defining yourself as a social media expert simply because you participate in social media and know a thing or two about a thing or two. Expertise should be defined by your audience/customers anyways.
Note: I’m not calling myself a social media expert. As is mentioned on my About page: “I am never going to refer to myself as an ‘expert’. I say this for two reasons. First of all, the word “expert” means a lot more coming from others. Secondly, the moment I tell you I’m an expert is the moment I’m telling you that I’ve officially learned all I need to learn. And I don’t see that ever happening.”
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