Often I’m introduced by clients as their Social Media “guru” or “expert.” Generally, this leads to a subtle eyeroll by me, and a quick correction of, “I’m not an expert, I just practice a lot.”
And that’s the truth. There are no experts in social media – how could there be? The industry changes daily. There are some who know way more than me, and some who know way less (like the person who recently contacted me about learning how I do what I do because she was starting a competing company… um… no).
What I do is practice. I live in the medium. I’m on Twitter, I’m on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Spotify, Pinterest, Instagram, you name it. So I practice. But expert? No.
Some of these self-proclaimed “experts” and “gurus” are out there on Twitter touting themselves as people in the know… people who can give you great advice. And that’s what they do… they push out blogposts all day that tell you how to do what you want to do. They just tweet out links with a brief commentary. But try and tweet them back… try to actually have a conversation. Good luck.
They’re just shouting. They’re not listening. And, frankly, that’s a turnoff. Imagine if you met someone in person and responded to something they said, and they just stared through you. Yeah, same thing.
The thing is, how a channel like Twitter works best is when people treat other people like people… not Twitter handles. When you consider your Twitter friends to be just like your friends in life, then you’re doing it right. When you are an “expert” who receives mentions on Twitter but doesn’t respond, doesn’t converse, then, well… expert or not… you’re doing it wrong.
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Shane: do you have any tips/techniques to using LinkedIn? Especially for possible job hunting. Any article or blog posts you suggest? I honestly am overwhelmed with Linkedin and do not understand it.
Thanks!
Lisa
Hey, Lisa. I always tell people to remember that LinkedIn works best when it’s managed person to person. Think about what you’d do in real life, if there was no LinkedIn… if you had to start making a list of people you know, where they work, who they know. One thing I know people have done is to pick a person they know/respect and start looking through that person’s list.. with whom are they connected, and do you want to ask that person for an introduction? I would say getting that introduction via a mutual friend is the key. And if they can do that intro off LinkedIn, making it more personal, even better. Do keep in mind that people can see if you’ve checked their profile. That’s not to say you shouldn’t do so, but just be aware of it. Also, joining some local groups can benefit, if you are going to put in the time to be a part of the community. Groups like Business First, Linked Louisville, these are good groups for connecting with other locals. Just remember to keep it human. LinkedIn is the “professional one” but really.. .we’re all just people. Does that help?
Makes sense. Thanks!