Insights

So What is a Social Media Guru, Exactly?

I’m tired. Not in the physical sense (although I will admit to some late nights recently working on a particularly in-depth client project).

No, I’m tired of all the “social media gurus” that have suddenly appeared from nowhere. Now I don’t want that to be misconstrued, nor do I want it to sound as if I’m disrespecting anyone – that’s not the intention.

Instead, I’m tired of looking at someone’s Twitter profile, or blog bio or similar, and finding the description “social media guru” or “social media expert”. I’m not saying that they’re not a guru or expert – but is that really for someone to decide by themself? And when did they decide that they are a social media guru or expert?

It probably wouldn’t be so obvious (and therefore so visual to me) if social media wasn’t still such a new medium that everyone is still learning about as we go along. There are so many facets to it, so many different windows that we can look through and see a different view each time, that it’s pretty much impossible to class yourself as a social media guru, or expert.

Even in other mediums or industries, can you really class yourself as an expert or guru?

For example, I own a boutique PR agency that specializes in search engine optimized press releases and social media PR. Yet I wouldn’t say I’m a PR or social media expert. I have expertise in these areas, and I’d like to think that I offer an informative outlook on both as well.

Yet that doesn’t mean I’m a guru or expert.

Social media in particular changes so fast that no-one can keep up with everything that’s happening. Even the guys that could truly be classified as social media gurus would struggle to know all the ins and outs of the latest applications, tools and similar.

And that’s the difference – they don’t proclaim themselves as social media gurus. Take a look at Chris Brogan, or Brian Solis. Both leaders in the field of social media and PR respectively, and sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience with anyone that wishes it. Yet neither of them describe themselves as a guru, or expert. And that’s why I respect and acknowledge them as the most accurate description of “gurus”.

To me, a guru or expert becomes one from people’s views of them. Recommendations to go to a person because of the help and knowledge that will be forthcoming. After all, you wouldn’t recommend your friend to someone whose view you didn’t respect, right? Or who couldn’t offer your friend something valuable?

As I said, I’m not meaning this post to be in any way disrespectful. I just feel that to be known as a guru, you need to prove it. And earn it. Self-classification doesn’t quite count.

Do You Know What’s Being Said About You Online?

If there?s one area where the Internet has made a huge difference in our everyday lives, it?s with the amount of information that is now freely available to and about us. Just type some keyword phrases into Google and you can be privy to almost everything that?s ever been written about a person or company.

Yet this isn?t always a good thing, as a friend of mine recently found out.

Typing her name into Google, she found herself on the Rip Off Report website, under a list of false accusations about her. What makes it worse with the Rip Off Report website is that the owner protects the names of the accusers yet will quite happily publish any story or complaint without checking the facts.

Instead, the accused can issue a rebuttal but that?s it – the complaint (false or otherwise) stays on the site for the whole world to see.

This seems morally and ethically wrong to me. Unfortunately, it also seems fairly common when it comes to your online reputation. If anyone can go online and post lies about you or your business, the results can obviously be extremely damaging. While you can certainly take out a lengthy and potentially costly lawsuit, the damage has been done.

This is why it?s so important to keep tabs on what?s being said about you online. Although you may not be able to prevent something from being written, you can react to it a lot quicker. Some of the best methods of monitoring your online presence include:

Google Alerts. Still in Beta, Google Alerts allow you to type in a certain keyword or phrase and whenever that?s referred to online, you?ll be alerted.

Social Mention. Excellent tool that searches the web for any mention of you, your business or brand. Can take its time to find all the results but the information it retrieves makes the wait worthwhile.

Technorati. The ?blog bible?, this site allows you to type in keywords, URL?s or tags and any posts that make a mention of these words will show up.

These are just some of the free methods you can use to keep track of what?s being said about you online. There are various professional business services available as well, if you need a more corporate-led approach.

Whichever one you choose to use, make sure you use it regularly. Otherwise you may find yourself in the same situation as my friend currently does – and a reputation can be a hard thing to rebuild once tarnished.

Lessons from Darfur – Why It’s Not All About the Money

While I tend not to let my personal views on the world and politics in general come into this blog, sometimes things need to be said. My apologies in advance, then, to anyone offended by this post.

As a business owner, the current financial state the world economy finds itself in is obviously one that concerns me. My business helps to feed my family, pay the rent and bills, and generally lets me live a reasonable life. Not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, but reasonable.

Yet despite this, I can’t let it monopolize my thoughts when there is so much more wrong with the world. Nor should you. Have we really come to the point where all we care about is the fast buck and how quickly we can make it? Are we so blinded by greed that the color green is the only one that matters?

According to the CRS Report for Congress, The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11, the US Congress has approved $864 billion for military operations. $864 billion. What do we have to show for it?

A world more dangerous than ever before. A global economy that has been ripped to shreds by false wars over oil, not terrorism. Poor leadership from the people that decide our lifestyles. Millions of people losing their life savings when mega-corporations go under, while the CEO’s of these businesses disappear into the sunset with bulging bank balances. Is this the world we want? A world driven by the love of money?

Thankfully there are people who care and want to make a difference. People who continue to bring the plight of others to the world while others so easily forget. Plights like the ongoing crisis in Darfur.

While the Western world was trying to convince itself that Bush was right and Iraq was a threat, a genocide on a massive scale was about to begin. Now entering its sixth year, it’s believed that as many as 400,000 people have died in Darfur since the crisis began, with more than 2.5 million forced to flee their homes to escape the terror.

Think about that. While we’re happily throwing more billions into a war we can never win, our governments are cutting funding for the aid packages that Darfur desperately needs. In fact, in the first three months of this year, the World Food Program’s Humanitarian Air Service received no funding at all. The result – more than 100,000 deaths in each of these months.

While recent news about Darfur is encouraging – the Senate has passed a resolution to continue to look at ways to end the conflict – it’s possibly too little, too late. Particularly with the way the current administration places a value on things.

After all, while Congress is happy to allow $864 billion to be spent on broken promises and lies, only 6% of that amount has been set aside for aid packages to rebuild the countries we’ve destroyed. Even worse, less than 1% of this amount will go towards the veterans of the wars.

Do you really think an administration that places more value on the war machine over the destruction it leaves and the crippled it creates cares about a third-world country?

Do you really think that an administration that wants homeowners and taxpayers to get it out of the financial black hole it created – the very same homeowners and taxpayers it’s making homeless due to rising foreclosure rates – will give a sh*t about a conflict that has no relevance to them because there’s no oil at stake?

So yes, there’s an economic meltdown at the minute, and the Western world could be in for a very bumpy ride ahead. But you know what? It’s happened before, and it’ll probably happen again. And while it’s soul-destroying at the time, people that have lost their businesses have started again and made an even bigger success of themselves.

The people of Darfur won’t get a second chance. Not while we continue to be lost in the non-importance of our own little world, worrying because we only made so many thousands of dollars last month. Life is so hard, huh?

So forgive me if I don’t become too concerned with the state of our economy at the moment. Forgive me if I’m not driven by pushing my business one more rung up the corporate recognition ladder.

Yes, I want my business to be a success. Yes, I want to look after my family, friends and loved ones. But just how much money do I need to be really happy? And honestly, can I really be happy while another child dies in a country that no-one cares about? Can you?

To learn more about Darfur and how you can help, visit Save Darfur.

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There’s No I in Social Media

Well, okay, there are two – yet “There Are Two I’s in Social Media” didn’t sound quite as catchy as a title. Besides, I always wanted to try and work the Team America “There is no I in Team America” joke into a blog post – so there you go.

But apart from my lame attempt at humor, there’s another reason for the title of this post. For anyone that’s ever listened to corporate team-building speak, they’ll have heard a similar phrase before. It may even have been something as simple as, “There is no I in team.” While we all may have rolled our eyes and groaned at the time, it turns out it’s actually a pretty smart phrase – especially in social media.

Look around you on the web – if you’re part of a social media website or network, I’d be fairly confident on laying a bet that it feels like you’re on the world’s best team.

Take a look at Twitter, for example. You have a problem, you send out a Tweet and immediately you have the ears and eyes of hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Each and every one of them will look at your problem and if they can help, they will.

Or how about BackType, or Disqus? Two similar methods of tracking blog comments that are helping to pave the way at improving the quality of comments left on blogs. Encouraging ways to make people think and comment respectably, as opposed to leaving the “WaReZ RuLeZ” type of gibberish. Building a better community.

This is where social media is leading the way at changing the way we look at the people and world around us. We’re no longer saying we’re only in it for what we can get out of it – now we’re saying to people we’re here for you. If you have a problem, one of us will have the answer and we’ll help you – because we want to help you be the best you can. And in doing so, making ourselves better people.

It’s strange. I look at Barack Obama and I see him as the true social media guru. Not for the way his team used social media to get the word out about his campaign, and not for the way he embraced the medium when millions of others still see it as immaterial.

No, where I see Obama standing as a focal point for social media is that he wants everyone to believe we can.

We can achieve our dreams.

We can overcome obstacles.

We can become one voice reaching for a better world.

We can do all this and more if we simply listen to each other. And respond. And help.

Sound familiar?

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