experts

Trust Me, I'm a Social Media Expert...and Other Red Flags

Submitted by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on Mon, 02/23/2009 - 01:00
Trust us, we're expert

The beauty of the social web is deeply rooted in the fact that everyone can contribute, everyone can share, and everyone can have an opinion. But, let’s get something straight – not EVERYONE can be an expert.  An incredible number of these so-called social media experts have emerged in the past few months (or perhaps I'm just paying closer attention), but I have to start questioning – who are the real leaders in this new, largely uncharted, and rapidly evolving social media territory? And perhaps more importantly, who can we trust?

In a post by Geoff Livingston and Beth Harte last December, they offered a quick list of some ways to vey potential social media "experts" in the Top 25 Ways You Can Tell if Your Social Media Expert is a Carpetbagger. Here are the top five from their list:.
 
1. When asked about listening, gives you a blank stare.
2. Converses at people instead of with them on social networks 
3. No tangible past experience delivering return on investment either for themselves or others
4. Doesn’t understand how social media integrates into larger corporate communications or business strategy
5. First recommendation is to blog

I enjoyed this list, and it created quite a stir if you read the reactions in the comment section.  But I was also struck last week as Alexandra Rampey offered her thoughts on this subject in a post on her blog called, Expert versus Asset: Which One Are You? In it she said, “Don’t be an expert. Instead, become an industry-valued asset. The difference? One works for himself and his own knowledge base, the other, wants to be valuable and enjoys collaborative efforts.  Personally, I couldn't agree more. I'd much rather work and collaborate with someone who wants to be seen as valuable - not just someone who wants to sell books or rack up their number of Twitter followers. 

So, when can we say expert?  I think its perfectly fine to annoint others as experts particularly if that person has the right combinationa of knowledge, expertise and experience in delivering successful programs in his or her respective area. But, I must question all of the self-annointed experts who are out there trying to make a name for themselves. There are those who create a profile on Facebook or have thousands of Twitter followers and proclaim their expertise; then there are those who study the research, read the books, immerse themselves in the technology, and understand the metrics.

But I'm no expert here, so what do you think? What are the ways people can show they are a valuable asset? How is your organization engaging experts in the field - and what have you learned? Are we at a point yet where we can talk about social media experts at all?

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