Expert Not Found – Social Media is About Being a "Student" not a "Guru"
Don’t you just LOVE social media? I mean, what’s not to love? People ask me, "You do this stuff for a living?" I grin.
Same day a client says, "Now I don’t want my people sitting around all day, thinking up Tweets. I mean, what’s Twitter all about? Do we need it?"
Let me get one thing clear. I AM NO EXPERT. And let me get another thing out in the open, NEITHER ARE YOU. [And I’m including the Brogans, Godins, Vaynerchuks, and Armanos of the world.]
[Whew!] That feels better.
So what are we, us social media workers, if not experts, gurus, savants, consultants, strategists? What do we call what we do? Facebook posting maniacs? Twitter Twitterologists?
I coined a term the other day that sort of stuck with me. I’m a social surgeon. I pick the places of entry, I help define the illness or enhancement. And then we go in. WE. While I "write" much of the strategy for a company, I don’t "write" for the company. I don’t post "on behalf of" a company. I don’t even do PROMOTED TWEETS. While I’m no expert, I’m also not a promotional vehicle for my clients.
Non-disclaimer: If you see me posting it, it’s my opinion. If you don’t agree with me, ignore, unfollow, or in extreme-measures BLOCK. But if I post about LOVING a certain WordPress plug-in, you can be assured I was not paid to promote it. And when I tell you Go Daddy is SICK and should be ABANDONED, I’m not doing it for anyone buy myself. [And you should get your stuff off Go Daddy now, ask me why, or Google Go Daddy Hate.]
What I do write, is content strategies [ideas for what to write/post/tweet about]. What I do in social media is train teams on how to be "honest and effective," rather than salesy. What I hope to do in social media is promote the transparent use of social channels like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn. What I rail against is sexist advertising [Go Daddy], dubious uses of social media [pharma does not need to be on Facebook, for any reason], and really poor uses of Twitter [spam, MLM, Auto-Bot techniques].
And beyond that, I’m a student of the socialz. What Pinterest will become is anybody’s guess. I don’t think it’s gonna be the force everyone is harping on about. And I don’t think "Social Business" is a new concept, but rather a new marketing buzzword.
Oh, and I’m pretty self-centered. My ideas are my own. You don’t have to wonder if my Tweets, posts or rants are paid-for by anyone else. And that’s one of the reasons I’ve never "monetized" my blog.
I am soul driven, not advertising driven.
I have my opinions. I have an unapologetic voice. But I’m no expert. I’m a student. And most of all I try to be honest. And if I get it wrong, I either unpublish, or recant my dumbassness. And I’ve done a few posts I regret. And a few that I’ve unpublished, that I’m very proud of. ANYWAY…
Don’t be an "expert." Be a "student." Even someone with a black belt in martial arts needs a master. Keep the beginner’s mind in everything you do.
@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)
permalink: https://uber.la/2013/10/expert-not-found/
Other posts to help you kick ass in social media:
- The Top Three Digital Marketing Tools (Social Media is Third)
- White Boarding: Learning To Think with Your Hands
- The Basics of Social Media Marketing
- Social Media is a Pool Party
- Truth, Transparency, and Trust: How Do We Establish Our Connection?
- Improving the Signal-to-Noise Ratio in Life and Social Media
- Plussing or Dividing: How Are You Showing Up in the World?
Let me help you jumpstart your social marketing:
- FluentSocial (Social Media Marketing)
- FluentSearch (SEO, Google Adwords)
35 Responses to Expert Not Found – Social Media is About Being a "Student" not a "Guru"
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05/11/2021 at 11:41 am
Thanks Anita. I was a Martian Artist once. I’m a "student" not an "expert" that’s my main message. Have a good weekend.
05/11/2021 at 11:21 am
Great post. I love the term social surgeon…fabulous way of explaining it. But even better is "martian arts" 😉