This post comes from Susan Murphy. It’s a nice follow-on from my post about what makes a social media guru.
Like Danny, people who brag about the fact that they are social media “experts” or “gurus” often irk me. Calling yourself an expert or a guru does not automatically make you one.
After all, guru status is a lot to live up to. Imagine having to spend every day on the top of a mountain, prophesying about the awesome wonders of social media, keeping your believers continuously captivated, as they hang on your every word.
That’s a lot of pressure!
I thought it might be amusing (well, for me, anyway) to put together a list, in the style of “You Know You’re a Redneck When…” by Jeff Foxworthy. So, Danny has kindly provided me with a forum to do that (Thanks Danny!). Here goes…
You know you’re NOT a social media guru when…
- Your Twitter profile description says “Social Media Expert Guy” but your profile picture is of you with no shirt on.
- Your blog’s About page would win the Buzzword Bingo jackpot every time.
- Your “Areas of Expertise” list is 3 pages long.
- You regularly throw flaming Tweets out at anyone and everyone who “Qwits” you.
- You think that the best way to “reach out” to your public is to send mass unsolicited emails about your new startup/podcast/e-book/insert-product-here.
- Your signal to noise ratio is equivalent to trying to listen to a Norah Jones song on your iPod during a Limp Bizkit concert.
- All of your online profiles talk about your expertise in social media but your blog is about the crazy antics of your 12 cats.
- Your “10 Things You Must Do to Get Into Social Media” list mentions Facebook, Flickr and Twitter in at least 9 of the steps.
The reality is, those that call themselves gurus ultimately seem less credible in the eyes of others. This often becomes apparent once their followers start to ask them to do real work. Suddenly, they are unable to live up to the high expectations they’ve created. Like not being able to provide any real, tangible value. Or, not being able to back up their claims or expertise.
The point is, these people call themselves experts expecting that the title alone will make them experts. If what they are really after is that elusive “guru” status, they will probably never get it.
However, by engaging with people on a human level, building their audience by making genuine connections and, perhaps most importantly, being open to continuous learning and growth, they will more than likely have other people singing their praises before long (and with much less effort, I might add). In the end, it’s not about being the best at social media; it’s about just being genuinely involved in social media.
It’s when others start to call you an expert and a guru that you’ll know you’re doing something right.
* Susan Murphy is a partner at Jester Creative Inc, a new media production company based in Ottawa, Ontario. She blogs about social media and life in general at Suzemuse. Susan can be found on Twitter as @SuzeMuse.
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RE:
“Your Twitter profile description says “Social Media Expert Guy” but your profile picture is of you with no shirt on.”
My favorite. I can’t believe I’m seeing this. I would send an email stating that “you know, your next potential employer or client is likely to see this.” But, I would be doing so all day.
Great post, Susan. I enjoyed it.
Josh Garner´s last blog post..The Company
Any mention of Buzzword Bingo and I’m reading it.
I enjoyed the post. Great mix of comedy and insight.
I personally refer to myself as Stupidty Guru- If you need someone to step in and say something stupid, I’m your guy.
There is a lot of snake oil coming into social media. It seems they have migrated over from the SEO world… lots of snake oil there too. One must be vigilant to not be ignorant of the schemes and schemers.
I’ll add one to the list: “You know you are NOT a social media guru when: you just showed up on the Internet in the last few months.” If anyone claims to be a social media guru, one should do a simple search of their name to see what third party evidence exists of that claim as well as where that person was prior to the social media explosion in the last 20 months or so. To me, gurus are everywhere online and holders of many professional and industry accolades…
A great post. Very important to be the small boy at the parade pointing out the nakedness of the Emperor in his new clothes.
You are absolutely right, calling yourself an expert doesn’t make it so, its when other people come to you as their go-to person that you have probably displayed some expertise in the area. “Social Media” is such a broad term and encompasses so many activities that I defy anyone to be a “Social Media expert”, they may well have expertise in a particular aspect of SM but I doubt anyone who says they cover the whole field.
Simon Salt´s last blog post..No Bull Shiitake: Why I follow Guy Kawasaki
I laughed out loud and couldn’t stop! And the picture was extremely appropriate. Going to now send it out on a list I’m on with some… ahem… older users of social media.
Anna´s last blog post..Kerry Wood Gone For Good
@ Josh. Oh, I can send you the link to that Twitter profile if you wish, Josh? It did make us wonder just what kind of clients the guy worked with…
@ Scott. Glad you enjoyed Suze’s post, Scott. I did chuckle when she sent me it – and yes, you can never have too much Buzzword Bingo! I’ll keep you in mind for my next bout of stupidity…
@ Darryl. I guess that’s the problem when anything becomes too popular, Darryl – you will always have the ones that latch onto it simply for personal gain. That’s a good point you make there, and one that any company especially would do well to follow if they’re about to outsource to a “social media guru or expert”. After all, if you can’t have a presence online, how can you expect others to pay you to look after theirs?
@ Simon. I completely agree. It was something I brought up in the original post that this follows up on. Even the likes of Chris Brogan, who I class as someone who really knows what they’re talking about and would be deserving of the term “guru”, never states he’s an expert – he merely says he advises companies and individuals on social media. It’s only with recommendations that expert or guru status can rightly be used (in my opinion).
@ Anna. Glad you enjoyed it so much, Anna – Suze definitely has a distinctive way of looking at things. I recommend you check her blog out when you have some free time – some great posts over there!
Thanks for commenting guys, glad you enjoyed the post.
I love the analogies you guys are striking with this – snakeoil and the Emperor’s New Clothes are two of my favourites.
Thanks for your comments – they are very insightful!
Really what it comes down to is we should all take the word of these self-proclaimed gurus at face value. By doing some research, and by listening to what people are saying, we can definitely filter out the snake oil sellers from the genuine experts.
Susan Murphy´s last blog post..In Case You Were Wondering…
I totally agree! While I know I might have a leg-up on some other people (I really don’t know how… I just kind of picked it up) in the social media-sphere, I would never, ever consider myself an expert or a guru. In my Twitter profile, in fact, it just says I’m a “dilettante and enthusiast,” which is true.
I was actually just thinking of writing a blog post outlining what I do in social media and what I haven’t tried out yet (any of the bookmarking sites, to start) to see where I stand. And I’m not sharing the link to the blog because it’s mostly my personal ramblings and nothing of social media note!
BWAHAHAHAHAHA nuff said
Jac Star´s last blog post..Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
@ Susan. I couldn’t agree more, Suze. After all, you wouldn’t entrust an electrician or a gas engineer to replace your faulty wiring or boiler without seeing their credentials, would you? Thanks for a great post!
@ Leah. That’s the main difference, Leah. People that know the stuff (in any arena) generally don’t go advertising the fact, because they don’t need to – people will come to them through recommendation, trust and word-of-mouth. That’s the kind of expert that is the real deal.
@ Jac Star. Indeed!
Thanks for sharing your views, guys, and again, thanks to @SuzeMuse for sharing such an enjoyable insight.
Danny was kind enough to give his views on my similar post here too, about job titles and social media, Senior Vice President of Space Invaders:
http://blogs.gcigroup.com/fineprint/2008/11/13/senior-vice-president-of-space-invaders/
Thanks,
JC.
@ John. Hey, no blatant plugs!!
Glad you enjoyed the post, John – seems there’s a lot of similar views on this topic. I wonder if the “gurus” are taking note? 
I’n not a fan of people who call themselves ‘guru’, ‘ninja’ or ‘rockstar’. I really don’t like ‘rockstar’.
Andrew Brown´s last blog post..Is Gary Vaynerchuk a Loser?
You must have been looking at some of the more entertaining Twitter profiles or blog bios, Andrew.
Yes, ninja and rockstar can definitely be placed amongst the most over-used phrases around. There’s a lot to be said for web 2.0 speak, and not all of it’s good.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, appreciate it.
Nice and funny!
Let me ask you this — if a nonsocial guru lists Facebook, Twitter and Flicker as part of things you must do for Social Media, then what does a guru list?
Haven’t read tons, but of what I have read, those sights are the musts.
Please tell us how to do better.
Hi Wendy,
Glad you enjoyed the post.
It’s not so much advising of the sites that you must or must not visit – after all, one person’s preference for Facebook or Twitter might be another person’s dislike of the same sites.
It’s more about offering and sharing information on what would be better for you. Not pigeonholing anything; offering different views; real-life situations on why people use different social media sites and networks.
Instead of saying “I’m an expert so you MUST use this because I do”, how about “I have expertise of using this, and you know what? It’s pretty good.”
Share information, don’t force it – that’s the difference. And if that helps you find sites and applications you may have otherwise bypassed, then the real value of a social media “expert” or “guru” has been found.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, appreciate it.
Don’t give them the answer, give them the means to find the answer themselves
Instructors are a dime a dozen (self proclaimed gurus)
Teachers are hard to find (real gurus)
instructor: use facebook
teacher: If you hear about something four times, than its worth your time investigating
Take what the instructor says and you can apply it only once
Take what the teacher says and you apply it infinite times
Which is more valuable?
Andrew Brown´s last blog post..Is Gary Vaynerchuk a Loser?
Susan/ Danny, thanks for brightening my day. You did miss one though:
Experts don’t blog, that’s for the geeks and little people.
Warren´s last blog post..Do I Want to Follow Your Brand?
You’re welcome, Warren, and glad you enjoyed the post.
And so the geeks shall inherit the Earth…
Thanks SuzeMuze , funny, and very true. The people who are trying and who are less than genuine seems to fall off the genuine train quite quickly don’t you find? I love the part about not being the best but being genuinely invloved?
(thanks Danny
)
Coming from Chris’s right hand girl, you hit the nail on the head, Kathryn – as Suze says, real guru’s don’t “try”, they just “do”. Kinda like Yoda…
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Kathryn – look forward to seeing you around some more.
I love the comical twist you put on this. I own a website development company, which means I know software and technology, but as many other computer geeks, I am not as gifted with the social part of social media. I'm learning my way around it, and love the new relationships I'm building on places like twitter, but I have run across many of the people you describe here. I think every person that's new to social media should read this. It will save them a lot of time and frustration.
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Glad you enjoyed the post, Scott – Suze definitely has oodles of wit about her (and if you're on Twitter I recommend following her!).
In a more serious tone, companies like yours are exactly why social media needs to be clear and transparent, with no false experts or gurus confusing you even further. There are some great people out there to turn to and who'll be all too happy to offer you great advice – you can tell who they are by the non-showing of "expert" or "guru" in their bio, and recommendations from others…
Rolling on the floor! That is a really funny list… I answered yes to a few of them, guess I am not a “GURU” huh?
a great post! thanks for the info
@DannyBrown yes, it was-nice and succinct >>2nd last paragraph in partic ! http://bit.ly/bUqM
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