What Makes A Person An Expert in Social Media?
Written by Nile | Posted in Social Media | Posted on
08-10-2009 |
6 Comments
Tags: blogging, Social Media, social networking
No matter how many ridiculous lists there are on how to either be better at social media or how to commit social media suicide, or something similar. Yep, I am on a soapbox right now. Remember, social media is just another fancy word for marketing. It is not the monetary aspect, but more on the level of pushing your content into the public where people are interested. In fact, the term really is not new and really, it really is not fancy. This year, I have heard “social media” this and that in many places. However, people are still trying to figure it out.
THAT is the sad truth.
There are people going around saying they are social media ‘gurus’ or ‘experts.’ The problem is that they are only experts because the people they have influenced call them that. You cannot say you are an expert unless someone says you are. I remember hearing Micah Baldwin (Micah on Twitter) saying something to that sort. Say you have two people on twitter who delve into “social media”, but they are experts at different levels. The reason: the one who has shared their experience, applied it on a widespread public level (like Chris Brogan or my favorite and one who I have met in person – Liz Strauss). Now, I do not claim to be some “social media expert.” I have been in webdesign, and my current studies are toward a Bachelors in e-business, and a follow-up with a Masters in Marketing. That is a definite as I enjoy web design, but I also like to help people develop their sites on a social level. I do so for FanHistory and many other sites – for free.
Quoted from Social Media Rockstar:
You Haven’t Yet Monetized Your Social Media Presence into Consistent, Substantial Income. Do spend the bulk of your time on social media tasks that don’t really make you any money ? Do you have a corporate or agency “social media day job” where you’re constantly being reigned-in or encouraged to perform below your true potential? Are you a consultant who doesn’t spend half your day fighting off big budget project + speaking proposals with a stick? Then you’re probably not a social media expert, yet!
My response to the Social Media Rockstar article called 5 Signs You’re NOT a Social Media Expert, Yet:
The thing about social media is that it does NOT have to exactly sell something for money. You can sell your blog content for the awesome price of $0. The thing is promoting your content and that is an investment of time rather than money. Of course, you could offer advertising on your site, but if your main goal of your site, like mine for Blondish.net is to provide informational content to my readers, I want to be able to reach those in my niche which fall along the following categories: tech websites, webmaster resources, graphic design, web design, graphic freebies, WordPress, tutorials, and social media/ marketing.
My Goals:
- Maintain focus of website
- Improve traffic to site
- Improve external links to site
- Improve relations with my followers
- Provide adequate content or excell in providing content to readers in my niche
Eventually that effort could evolve into a monetary solution for visitors seeking to advertise on that site. However my primary directive is to attract quality traffic that could produce regular visitors and/or more visitors. When you get into the marketing aspect of social media, you are dealing more with making goals toward making money – the deeper end of marketing.
To you, what makes a person a social media expert?
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I am Nile Flores, a sassy web designer and developer - a webmistress. I live in Centralia, Illinois, which is about an hour from St. Louis. Blondish.net is where I can freely share my love of all things involving web design, graphic design, web developing, and even my experience as a blogger. Join me on my journey. I hope I do not disappoint.










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I’m not impressed with people shoving social media down people’s throats. There are too may experts and not enough people doing what they say they can.
While money isn’t everything, I consider it a pretty big criteria for social media success in a world full of fake experts who don’t make a nickel. A forensics expert gets paid. A real extate or business management expert gets paid. A social media expert, in my book, probably knows how to.
Well, it is a nice part of social media to get paid and I have, but I am emphasizing that it is not always about money. You have to understand that this is combining OLD blogger mentality to the new, which is far more powerful in the social media realm.
The thing is that there are sites/bloggers that the only thing they really are “selling” is their words for your time to just read and hopefully influence you.
Social Media is not always about the money first even if that it is what you want to make. It is about your ability to reach and influence people. Money comes after you have done the work. Without reach or influence or trust, how can you attract people to your product? There would be no money made if you cannot.