Do you think there's such a thing as an expert of social media? If so, who is holding up their hand?
I've been involved in social media in a professional capacity since 2003. I'd never claim to be an expert, and not because I don't think I know a lot about social media. To appoint myself an expert isn't accurate and I don't think it's accurate for most people. Anyone claiming to be an 'expert' is a touch conceded and I tend to think "suspect" immediately.
I see myself as a specialist or consultant because I've worked on several platforms for various companies and I know about the challenges a lot of company's face when they first start out in social media. You don't need an 'expert' you need someone who can help you understand that the world of business is changing. Read Wikinomics, Groundswell, and Here Comes Everybody and save yourself a lot of stress and money. It's going to be OK.
For most, claiming to be an "expert" is like saying my GP is an expert doctor. It doesn't make any sense. My GP is super clever and she's great at helping me understand the basics concerning my health. And a GP could be a lounge chair expert knowing lots about a particular biological or physical element of the human body due to a personal interest of theirs, but a general practitioner is usually known for having general knowledge. Usually you'd be sent to a specialist by your GP when they can't figure out what's wrong with you. I mean, wouldn't it piss you off if your GP kept trying out random treatments for a cancer diagnosis instead of sending you to an oncologist?
For me, a specialist is someone who has been apart of a team building a platform and has had success at leading a community or users on a platform. Creating a profile on Twitter isn't really that special or requiring expert skills.
Watch how your pet is a social media expert: http://vimeo.com/9044339
There are defiantly lots of people who know a lot about social media, but its really the same as being a TV expert. Do you really need someone to teach you how to flip channels?
I think most people offering social media services are like the TV guide - they give you all the options about what's on, with descriptions and even reviews sometimes, and then they allow you to make up your mind about what you want to watch. So there's a big difference between the TV Guide and TiVo.
An expert has the ability to manipulate the TV into your own platform. An expert builds you TiVo. Someone who is a social media expert is a person who can build you a branded application, game, or digital product to license and share. An example would be: Creating custom designs for iGoogle that have the potential to provide millions of users more tools to personalize their homepage. A social media expert creates stuff and helps customize platforms through APIs. The expert makes you appart of a community. They create tools that adds value or is engaging.
It's no biggie to be a consultant. It's not a dirty title, but there's a big difference between me and Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (one the founders of Facebook). I'm ok with not being an expert, and I think most of my clients are happy to have me describe the landscape for them. Most company's use social media inappropriately and they give themselves a bad name because of it. Doing it right isn't actually that difficult, but it usually requires you to define your goals and then decide how to engage. There are so many people claiming to have all of the answers- but it's not too dissimilar from weight loss gurus. The truth is, the answers are inside of you.
