Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

“Expert” the word is problematic because it is hard to measure and because expertise might be in the teaching not the doing. Mitch Joel tweeted a while back about blog consultants who don’t blog tho I countered that I had just met a disabled football coach on the beach who was doing a great job training his high school football team. His brain knew what build strength and speed, tho his body no longer complies

People are going to talk about themselves and others one way or another. I think it is the buyer’s job to learn how to sort blowhard from work hard, and when you are not literate on the topic, this is really hard to do. It’s why one of my favorite sayings is, “Its all about the energy.” If you click with someone and trust them, their advice and counsel is likely going to work better for you than someone with big cred but for whom you have internal resistance.

BTW, I could not get y our video to load, so I am responding more to the commenters.

This is the first video I’ve seen of yours, first time on your site, and gotta say that “I like your style!”

Happy almost birthday!

You can’t study it and become an expert. You’ve got to go out in the trenches and actually do Social Media.

Catch is, there is ALWAYS someone who’s been working their ass off longer. That said, I do refer to myself as an “expert” because I have been working is the “social media” space for longer than the term to describe it (since 1993). I’ve pioneered and launched over 40+ ventures thanks to my stealthy virtual incubator. Had several significant acquisitions and an IPO on my “rap sheet”. lol

One of my first online ventures (www.e-sports.com) had many characteristics (features, functionality, etc) that are now common place among most social media today.

Back then we called it “community”, and we were pushing the envelope of engaging a community. I have been working my ass off in the space ever since but you wont see me flyin all around the country claiming “expert” status and writing books and so forth, I’m much more a “behind the scenes” guy with a heart for start-ups.

Thank for addressing this issue, and I’ll add – this “industry” is rapidly emerging, 2 weeks (or even 2 years) of workin your ass is no longer good enough to call yourself an expert. Hell, in my eyes, I’m not impressed with anything short of 8-10 years.

But maybe I’ve just been around this stuff too damn long.

Allan Sabo
FastForward Marketing Braintrust
Your Monthly Marketing Advisory Board

I had a big, snarky post here about the many self-proclaimed “social media experts” in our industry, but I deleted it because at the end of the day, if someone is passionate about it, and living it as you suggest, then their case-studies and reel will reflect that.

Everything else is just talk.

I just watched with my mom and Carol from Florida at her condo.

Carol says, “Live it, Work it, Do it!”

She’s passionate about what she does as am I.

A client asked me how much time I devote to what I do. I answered that I’m immersed in this 24/7.

I love it.

–Steve

The problem seems to be in the interpretation of ‘expert’ as being akin to ‘wizard’ or ‘god’ or something. Mitch, you’re right on the mark when you say that there are lots of people who are so-called ‘experts’ that haven’t been able to predict the problems with the economy and such, but personally I’d still trust a professor of economics to explain what has happened and what the future implications might be more than a random guy on the street. That doesn’t mean I think the prof has all the answers, but I would still say it’s still fair to call her an expert in the economy.

I think there certainly ARE social media experts, but I think it’s a little hard to recognize yourself if you’re there. It’s like knowing how good your singing voice really is – you can’t tell because you hear it differently in your head. C.C., I’d certainly argue that you’re a social media expert, as are Mitch or Dave and many others. Does that mean you guys know everything about social media, and that you never make mistakes? Of course not! The best basketball player in the world will miss the odd free throw, but I’d certainly trust one of you guys over a random stranger if I had a question about social media.

C.C., you’re totally right in saying that becoming skilled in social media or anything is a lot work, but I think what most people are looking for are pointers to resources and things that will help keep them on the path. If someone asked me, I’d probably direct them to the blogs and/or podcasts of many of the folks who have commented here. I’d also direct them to books like Groundswell. I’d also say, yes, absolutely, get in there and DO this stuff, but there is certainly more to gaining expertise than writing 10,000 or posting 50 videos on YouTube. C.C., I know that’s not what you were saying here, but I do think it’s useful for those of us who are already in immersed in this stuff to point people to appropriately resources and the like, while GENTLY letting them know that social media is not a panacea, and there’s not a magic wand to learning it.

I’m beginning to wonder if anyone is an expert or are we just a bunch of pundits?

I don’t believe any of us are experts. I hate the term, because I believe *most* people who claim to be experts are not. We may have expertise in Social Media, but to have authoritative knowledge in a world changing as quickly as ours does, I think it’s safe to say that few are truly experts. That’s my two cents.

Have a great holiday if I don’t speak to you before.

Cheers,
Dave

Pax,
Matthew
–
http://matthewebel.com
http://matthewebel.net

(With all due respect to Chris Brogan, of course.