I Spot A Fakey McFake!

Yes, I know the word in the title are not necessarily words, but just stay with me on this.

Part of being in the world of social media, or online media in general is the concept of social proof. There exists a proving grounds of sorts for people to "strut their stuff" or at the very least reference people in order to establish some credibility. I come from the school of thought that there exists no experts, especially in social media. No doubt there are people that do it well, and understand the concepts of merging a brand with a community, but to call oneself an expert is probably a little over the top.

Nevertheless, do not think that because I do not believe in the idea of a "social media expert" that people should toss around the buzzwords like confetti in a parade, but alas we see too much of that. Suffice to say that just the term alone, social media, is a buzzword that has come and gone, and while the platforms the networks that exist are credible and any brand venturing into this foray can benefit from it, I think people just get tired of hearing the word.

I find it more disturbing when people in desperate situations feel like "social media" is the way to go because "surely someone will buy into the hype and hire me."

This is where I find myself today. Individuals come to mind that claim to be the leader in blogging for example, or the leader in podcasting, yet when you reference their names, all they've done is expert SEO marketing, with little to no actual content. Even more disturbing is their ability to "snake oil salesman" their way into the hearts of companies and convince them that they are the next logical step for success.

Just because you write on your blog does not make you the expert on blogging. That's like keeping a journal and saying you're a writer. It just doesn't add up. Perhaps I'm a cynic, but I'm just looking at things from both sides, and sometimes I think the lack of understanding in the business community makes them the perfect prey for these scheming salesmen.

Social proof people! It's okay to ask for their body of work. Ask for references, ask for anything that makes the words they spew have meaning. A fancy song and dance is nice, but as they say the proof is in the pudding.

Photo Credit dyanna