Social Media Bashing is Boring as Hell

Hi Danny! Great post. I've been recently reflecting in a similar vein (http://marketingisus.com.au/going-for-the-guru/) ..although not specifically about social media practitioners.

Your point about business owners doing their due diligence is key. Good on you Danny! Thanks. Take care.

Danny,

The obvious issue right now is there is a large group of people trying to capitalize on the buzz of social media. The fact that they have created a facebook account with many followers, have been tweeting for a few years and have authored a blog seems to be ample credentials to qualify as a social media expert. I've bore witness to people I've known for years magically tacking "social media expert" to their titles - i.e. Real Estate Agent / Social Media Expert, Event Planner / Social Media Consultant, etc.

Add to this an even larger pool of businesses, who don't understand what social media is or how to use it, being told that it's equal to the second coming of Christ and you have a big problem.

About 1/3 of my business, which is targeted to SMEs, includes some form of social media consulting (almost always as part of a larger marketing communications program). I am constantly flabbergasted that have never once been asked to provide examples of work, references, or compelling reasons why I should be considered an expert.

I agree that the missing link is an educated and thorough dialogue (aka INTERVIEW) with potential consultant candidates to weed the charlatans from the sages.

In order to have this dialogue, businesses need to be able to speak the language. Everyone knows the pitfalls of hiring an accountant to manage you books when you know absolutely nothing about your finances. The same is true about knowing nothing about social media and hiring an expert. Businesses need to take the time to understand the basics of social media so they have the ammunition to have an intelligent discussion and enough experience to assess a candidate.

Second, they need to take the time to TALK to a candidate and ask the RIGHT questions (I just blogged on this very topic this morning). Seth Godin talked about the need to ask lots of questions to really understand the depth of someone you're talking to. A shallow understanding of a topic will become very apparent the more questions you ask.

Thanks for a good dialogue, as usual.

Very good advice. I wonder why we keep making the same mistakes over and over again, spending thousands of $ on bright, shiny things.

Danny,

I was talking to Barry Hurd (123socialmedia) about that very issue a while back. If I recall correctly, at that time he thought that regulation was something that needed to be considered. But then the questions become: What are the standards, who enforces them, etc..

And part of the SMC.org (Social Media Club), of which we are members of the Seattle chapter, is to promote industry standards.

These are great questions and they deserve some attention, if only to make the job of the real SM experts like you easier.

Every coin has two sides, Danny. Social media is no exception.

For every mentor helping out the true cause, there are two others posing as experts and/or gurus.

Nothing beats due diligence - in choosing a plumber to fix a leaky faucet - or in choosing a mentor to help navigate social media.

I keep getting surprised when people come telling me that Project Management isn't a valid profession - and that someone else can do the job equally well. Sure, they can - but then they too are being project managers :)

I'd say the same of social media!

Excellent post, Danny. I think that what is needed is education. Sometimes the businesses that hire their social media tasks out do so precisely because they have no knowledge, no experience in SM marketing (which is exactly the reason they are contracting the project).

This makes them ripe for any old "expert," (someone who might have been selling shoes last week) to step in with the "solution." Honestly, I have seen so-called "experts" who don't have an online presence themselves, haven't published a blog post in four months, present themselves as social media specialists.

So, that list of questions to ask (by the way, I like yours) becomes critical in order to protect your investment—time AND dollars. I wrote a post on this topic a while back, "7 signs that your social media 'expert' might be a fake."

Wish more biz owners would read this post.

Well, I've been on Twitter for 4 years, had an edu account at Facebook before it was open to the public, and have read many thousands of blogs. I had never heard of Alex Blom, despite "I’ve been ‘doing the Twitter’ for years".

Instead of typical drive-by bullshit, Alex,
create a very specific post with examples
incompetent carpet baggers enjoining the terminology in a growing industry, and out them.
I too detest the overuse of cute buzzwords of the day - including the ones you "internet marketers" use.

I really do. I've gone right at top pros and friends for it.
But sideswiping a profession with generalities
is amateurish linkbaiting.
You may be think "I win - I got clicks and got you all to think about me".
But we also keep the negative connotation.

"Engage" is indeed very actively used
in recent months, especially as rooted by Brian Solis http://www.briansolis.com/

So, if an accomplished professional
like Solis, who has helped companies out of their negative spectrum thinking
and archaic communication practices to a
better, more fruitful interaction with their customers is to be trampled under elephants,
we're all screwed.

Good point of view, stephen.
I agree that there's a lack of understanding here.

To be honest I thought most of the u00e2u0080u0098Social Mediau00e2u0080u0099 bashing comes from people on (specifically) Twitter who get tired of (specifically) seeing the same old subject matter trotted out, being recycled by hundreds of u00e2u0080u0098Social Mediau00e2u0080u0099 bloggers. Yet with each new post there is almost nothing different but the title of the piece and the domain name it links to.

At least that has been the disgruntled complaints Iu00e2u0080u0099ve most seen and in my own experience, of disgruntlement, thatu00e2u0080u0099s the only aspect of u00e2u0080u0098Social Media bloggingu00e2u0080u0099 Iu00e2u0080u0099ve complained about.

Now this particular post title u00e2u0080u009cWhy Social Media Gurus Should Be Trampled by Elephantsu00e2u0080u009d is amusing in its exaggerated rage. I didnu00e2u0080u0099t read it and wonu00e2u0080u0099t because I love elephants and donu00e2u0080u0099t ever want them to be blamed for the murder of anyone, even if that murder is killing a boring Social Media Blogger. Elephants FTW, as far as Iu00e2u0080u0099m concerned.

As long as you keep up the good blogging Danny Brown I donu00e2u0080u0099t think you need look over your shoulder for fear of a stampede.

Carry on mateu00e2u0080u00a6

Hi Danny! Great post. I've been recently reflecting in a similar vein (http://marketingisus.com.au/going-for-the-guru/) ..although not specifically about social media practitioners.

Your point about business owners doing their due diligence is key. Good on you Danny! Thanks. Take care.

Here's the thing. The vast majority of "information" about social media and business, for example, is positive, and riddled with bad data, bad logic, and plain misleading stuff. If pointing this out is bashing, then it's a sad world, where those that dissent are criticized.

I'm a social media "basher" if providing critical thinking and relevant information about social media is part of bashing.

Danny,

The obvious issue right now is there is a large group of people trying to capitalize on the buzz of social media. The fact that they have created a facebook account with many followers, have been tweeting for a few years and have authored a blog seems to be ample credentials to qualify as a social media expert. I've bore witness to people I've known for years magically tacking "social media expert" to their titles - i.e. Real Estate Agent / Social Media Expert, Event Planner / Social Media Consultant, etc.

Add to this an even larger pool of businesses, who don't understand what social media is or how to use it, being told that it's equal to the second coming of Christ and you have a big problem.

About 1/3 of my business, which is targeted to SMEs, includes some form of social media consulting (almost always as part of a larger marketing communications program). I am constantly flabbergasted that have never once been asked to provide examples of work, references, or compelling reasons why I should be considered an expert.

I agree that the missing link is an educated and thorough dialogue (aka INTERVIEW) with potential consultant candidates to weed the charlatans from the sages.

In order to have this dialogue, businesses need to be able to speak the language. Everyone knows the pitfalls of hiring an accountant to manage you books when you know absolutely nothing about your finances. The same is true about knowing nothing about social media and hiring an expert. Businesses need to take the time to understand the basics of social media so they have the ammunition to have an intelligent discussion and enough experience to assess a candidate.

Second, they need to take the time to TALK to a candidate and ask the RIGHT questions (I just blogged on this very topic this morning). Seth Godin talked about the need to ask lots of questions to really understand the depth of someone you're talking to. A shallow understanding of a topic will become very apparent the more questions you ask.

Thanks for a good dialogue, as usual.

Very good advice. I wonder why we keep making the same mistakes over and over again, spending thousands of $ on bright, shiny things.

Love this - that's all. You're back to your insightful best, Danny Brown. Thank you.

Cheers, Iggy

Great post Danny. Agree that if clients are not doing their due-diligence they are partly to blame for the bad results they get. I've been working in design and digital media for 20 years and consistently I have been cleaning up other people's messes. Whether it was a terrible brochure or web design - or an incompetent job on marketing strategy. Social Media is no different than any other industry with 'bad guys' preying on the uninformed customer. If its not social media than its a bad roofer, or mechanic... these people count on customers not taking the time to educate themselves or to check references.

this is all very true Danny! There are people out there who can help and do help businesses to make the best use of the soc med space. If you are unsure of them then ask for some social proof and spend the time checking them out! It's not hard in this online age!

Danny,

Thanks for the link back. I wanted to respond to a few of the comments here:

1) I don't claim to be an internet celebrity or highly followed individual. I just claim to have been using the channels for some time.

2) Yes, I do quite a bit of digital consulting and I support the industry and what it can achieve in general. As I qualified at the top of the post and throughout, I am railing against a certain subset of practitioners who meet the said criteria.

Danny,

I was talking to Barry Hurd (123socialmedia) about that very issue a while back. If I recall correctly, at that time he thought that regulation was something that needed to be considered. But then the questions become: What are the standards, who enforces them, etc..

And part of the SMC.org (Social Media Club), of which we are members of the Seattle chapter, is to promote industry standards.

These are great questions and they deserve some attention, if only to make the job of the real SM experts like you easier.

Every coin has two sides, Danny. Social media is no exception.

For every mentor helping out the true cause, there are two others posing as experts and/or gurus.

Nothing beats due diligence - in choosing a plumber to fix a leaky faucet - or in choosing a mentor to help navigate social media.

I keep getting surprised when people come telling me that Project Management isn't a valid profession - and that someone else can do the job equally well. Sure, they can - but then they too are being project managers :)

I'd say the same of social media!

Excellent post, Danny. I think that what is needed is education. Sometimes the businesses that hire their social media tasks out do so precisely because they have no knowledge, no experience in SM marketing (which is exactly the reason they are contracting the project).

This makes them ripe for any old "expert," (someone who might have been selling shoes last week) to step in with the "solution." Honestly, I have seen so-called "experts" who don't have an online presence themselves, haven't published a blog post in four months, present themselves as social media specialists.

So, that list of questions to ask (by the way, I like yours) becomes critical in order to protect your investmentu00e2u0080u0094time AND dollars. I wrote a post on this topic a while back, "7 signs that your social media 'expert' might be a fake."

Wish more biz owners would read this post.

Well, I've been on Twitter for 4 years, had an edu account at Facebook before it was open to the public, and have read many thousands of blogs. I had never heard of Alex Blom, despite "Iu00e2u0080u0099ve been u00e2u0080u0098doing the Twitteru00e2u0080u0099 for years".

Instead of typical drive-by bullshit, Alex,
create a very specific post with examples
incompetent carpet baggers enjoining the terminology in a growing industry, and out them.
I too detest the overuse of cute buzzwords of the day - including the ones you "internet marketers" use.

I really do. I've gone right at top pros and friends for it.
But sideswiping a profession with generalities
is amateurish linkbaiting.
You may be think "I win - I got clicks and got you all to think about me".
But we also keep the negative connotation.

"Engage" is indeed very actively used
in recent months, especially as rooted by Brian Solis http://www.briansolis.com/

So, if an accomplished professional
like Solis, who has helped companies out of their negative spectrum thinking
and archaic communication practices to a
better, more fruitful interaction with their customers is to be trampled under elephants,
we're all screwed.

Good point of view, stephen.
I agree that there's a lack of understanding here.

I agree there is good and bad in every industry. The thing with social media it just seems like everyone and their mother are trying to capitalize on the market, this has caused a bad reputation for the industry in a whole.

It's seems as though people are more likely to abdicate those kinds of responsibilities when they don't understand the technology. They probably wouldn't do the same for an accountant or other internal position, but odds are they have a much better grasp on the requirements.