Comments on: Social Media and Life: The Lesson of 2009

By: Marianne Richmond

Marianne Richmond — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:08:36 +0000

Tish, Thanks for commenting and here’s to 2010! May it be the year that results are required!

By: Marianne Richmond

Marianne Richmond — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:04:36 +0000

Happy New Year to you Mack!

Yes, I agree that one of the explanations for claiming expert status based upon “followers” is that it is a data point in what seems to be a vacuum of data points but would people really hire a lawyer, an accountant or a heart surgeon based upon their self described expertise based upon the NUMBER of clients or based upon the number of their satisfied clients or successful results?

Hopefully, time WILL shake some of this out and maybe even in 2010!

By: Marianne Richmond

Marianne Richmond — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:55:58 +0000

Yvonne, I am not necessarily trying to kill the word expert, I am only trying to recommend that it be used as defined by the “social media encyclopedia” …
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expert “An expert ( Audio (US) (help·info)) is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study. ”

In other words, an expert is recognized, not self identified.

Agree, “Guru” can just be totally eliminated from the vernacular!

By: Tish Grier

Tish Grier — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:22:14 +0000

Happy New Year Marianne! and, boy! do I agree with you! After a local podcamp, the number of social media “consultants” boomed out here in w. mass. It seemed that anyone who could figure out how to make a Facebook Fan page and use Tweetdeck could consider him/herself qualified to help businesses (and even college students!) with social media.

The other thing that’s happened is the numbers of “consultants”–even marketing firms–whose pitch is not just to build the FB page and Twitter account, but to do it *for* you. So the whole notion of businesses using social media to have direct interaction with customers goes completely out the window….

IMO, 2010 is going to be a the year we have to prove our true expertise over popularity-contest “experts” (or “social media snake oil salesmen” as Steve Baker called them in his last BusinessWeek column) It’s also going to be a lot of teaching: teaching clients that you can’t guarantee anything Intenet–whether it’s SEO or numbers of followers–but can get their status quo to change.

By: Marianne Richmond

Marianne Richmond — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:21:21 +0000

Toby, well you will always have your brownies to fall back on… but then again the loss of your expertise would not be a good thing!

Maybe the “2 kinds of people in this world” theory which applies here….two kinds of people in social media, the experts and those that think (say)
they are.

Thanks for commenting…and all the best in 2010!

By: Mack Collier

Mack Collier — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:21:14 +0000

Happy New Year, Marianne!

I think you are onto something as far as Twitter and ‘dumbing down’ social media, and perhaps the qualifications for being a ‘social media expert’. I recently was referred to a potential client after I successfully met the criteria they were looking for in a social media consultant. One of the criteria was having 10K or more followers on Twitter.

And unfortunately, I think many companies are relying on numbers simply because they aren’t sure what to look for. And the ‘experts’ on Twitter know this, so they are padding their numbers.

Oh well, I think there will be a lot of shakeouts in 2010. I think the ones that aren’t hacking it will go do something else, and a lot of the ones that are, will be hired by larger companies. Should be interesting!

By: Yvonne DiVita

Yvonne DiVita — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:14:33 +0000

Oh Marianne, how very true! I have one issue – if we stop using the “e” word…what are our standards? If we have abused the “expert” title so badly (and I think in many ways we have), what standard do we apply not only to ourselves, but to our clients? Am I then a devoted social media… trainer? Am I a passionate social media performer? Am I a tried and true, tested and established, social media marketer?

The ‘expert’ status cannot ring true in an environment that changes as rapidly as social media does, but if we cannot use that to describe our status (and prove it with some results) what are we to use?

Have you a new, effective term?

For those, like you, who actually do know what they are talking about? p.s. let’s kill “guru” also, if we can.

By: Marianne Richmond

Marianne Richmond — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:13:58 +0000

Thanks Taughnee…..I am thinking you are right!

By: Toby

Toby — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:05:28 +0000

Marianne – great post and esp your insights about twitter. With all the “e” twits – er Twitter people I mean,no wonder consultants can’t find clients .. there are none .. the whole world is comprised of Experts. Guess I better be looking for a new gig in 2010 .

Appreciate your kind words about Diva Marketing.

All the very best for 2010 and thanks for sharing your family with us.

By: taughnee

taughnee — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:42:55 +0000

Bravo!!! Happy New Year my friend, the best is yet to come!