Feb
23

5 Unorthodox Ways to Fix Social Media

Lately, I’ve been ranting (again) about social media’s need to improve.  This usually happens every 6 months or so, and then I get distracted by paying work and holidays, only to return and find that nothing much has changed.

So this time, instead of shaking my fists at the sun, I thought I’d explain 5 ways YOU can get better at social media.  Keep in mind that my idea of “better” may not match yours, because I may have different social media goals and expectations than you do.  In fact, that’s almost a guarantee — so why don’t we start there?

1.  For God’s Sake, Have a Purpose.

Years ago, everyone was telling you to “dive in” to the social media fishbowl and “join the conversation.”

“But why?” you’d reply.  “I have nothing to say.”

“You don’t have anything to say… yet,” they’d respond cryptically.

Looking back, this is entirely logical: the early adopters of social media were altruistic, but they were also keenly interested in driving traffic to their own blogs and podcasts in order to validate this burgeoning medium.  If you bought into it, they’d look like geniuses who were years ahead of the curve.

We’re a little past that point now.

Today, the white noise is excruciating.  The tools we could be using to revolutionize communication are instead being used to complain about bad hair and shoddy customer service.  People blog, podcast, tweet and Flickr because they feel obliged to, or because they’re aching to be noticed and validated by others, desperate for a rewteet to prove they’re still alive.

Find a purpose.  Set a goal.  Decide what “social media success” would mean to you, personally.  Then make choices that support your pursuit of that goal.

And if you don’t have something to say, it’s okay.  No one’s making you talk anymore.  The conversation has been joined to death.

2.  Stop Confusing Media with Marketing.

Media is something you make.  Marketing is something you do.

Media is communication.  Marketing is sales.

You can create media, and you can market the media you create.  You can even create media in order to market the products and services featured in that media.

But believing that this guy and this guy are both “doing social media” is like believing that Damien Hirst and your five-year-old are both “revolutionizing art.”  The tools may be the same, but their intentions are completely different.  Lumping them together does a disservice to both sides.

3.  Let Someone Else Be the Expert.

You probably have some amazing insights to share with your audience, right?  Or maybe you have a solution to a problem that no one’s ever thought of before.  And now you can’t wait to post about it and then immediately buff the pixelated star on your digital door that reads “expert.”

Do us all a favor: don’t.

In social media, everybody’s an expert, and they’ve been writing for years about the exact same thing you’re writing about now.  There’s absolutely no reason to write the same post your peers have already written a hundred times, except for the pleasure of hearing yourself say it.

If every author in the history of mankind had decided that they were going to publish their own book of fairy tales, simply because they wanted to be known as Fairy Tale Experts, we might not have needed The Brothers Grimm.  But we sure as hell wouldn’t have needed 33 million volumes of fairy tales either.

4.  Comment Selflessly.

Remember when I told you to stop talking if you had nothing important to say?  I still mean it.  But if you resent being shushed, here’s your loophole: say something that matters.

Blog comments have long been the wasteland of linkbait from attention whores and meaningless accolades from people who can’t otherwise improve the dialogue.

So improve the dialogue.

Mark Blevis has a great policy: he strives to leave five meaningful comments a week on the blogs he reads.  Five meaningful comments doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider the time it takes to actually read the posts he’s commenting on, evaluate the information, develop a response and type it up in a thoughtful manner.  It might take a grand total of an hour, but that’s an hour Mark spent helping his peers improve, rather than insisting they read the blog post he just wrote about that exact same thing last week.

Comments are intended to be about something.  Try making your comments about something other than your own inbound traffic.

5.  Kill One of Your Channels.

Thanks to social media’s continued convergence, you can now tweet from Facebook, watch YouTube on your blog and Flickr your way through Google Buzz.  As a result, all channels have become one large funnel, and it’s impossible to decide which of a person’s channels you should follow because they’re all essentially the same.

Tim Maly suggests unlinking your channels, so that each one has merit unto itself.  But that creates another problem: no one is interesting enough to pretend to be interesting differently across multiple platforms.

So kill one.

Maybe it’s the one you rarely use, or the one where you get the least amount of feedback, or the one that takes the most time to maintain.  Google makes you omnipresent to begin with, so how many additional ways do you need to be found?

Will the world really miss your Flickr stream?  Will your unwatched YouTube channel be mourned?  Will orphans wail in the street if they can’t find you on LinkedIn?

If you’re not using something, or you’re not benefiting from the use of something, kill it.  The time and effort you save can be put to better use being legitimately interesting elsewhere.

And that’s the kind of “better” I’d like to think we can all agree on.

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  • Anonymous

    Not everyone HAS to get better at social media. Odds are, most won’t. There’s very little money in it compared to better-established fields, so the motivation for improvement is reduced primarily to the personal.nnBut I’m as free to suggest ways to improve as you are (or anyone else is) in ignoring them. Just because I think something CAN be better, that doesn’t mean it ever WILL be better.nnHowever, I’m not sure we should hold social media to a different standard from any other field. Would we tell politicians they don’t have to get better at politics? Would we tell morticians they don’t have to get better at funerals? I know social media is all hugs and cuddles, but it would be nice if the lowest common denominator weren’t so valiantly defended at all times.

  • Anonymous

    There are professionals and even semi-pros who are incredibly horrible at all kinds of jobs in the traditional media: journalists, movie directors, television hosts, news anchors, professional athletes, radio djs… And somehow they continue to get paying gigs. nnSo why should amateurs be held to a higher standard when it comes to social media? nn[Push Back Alert]nnThere are two things that I love about the internet: 1. Anybody can do anything that they want at any time. 2. I’m free to choose what I want to consume. nnPeople can make crap and/or do crappy things online, but I don’t ever have to know or care about it. And if I do find out about it, I’m free to write about how much it sucks (see the first thing I love about the internet) which can help me locate people who agree and disagree with me.nnThat’s the real beauty of this medium of social media, in my mind. It’s not about what we say or do. It’s about what we say or do that leads us to people who are also saying and doing things that are interesting to us. The caveat is that the beauty of social media does not discriminate against the people who are “not good at social media.” They’re free to find people they like too and reproduce, if you will.nnThe upside for you is that I’ve had three insanely awesome conversations on the phone with people I met via social media, in the last two weeks. Is it bad that I only had three? Compared to 300, yes. Does it suck that we all have to sift through garbage to find gold? Yes it does. But I would argue that Crunch Berries taste better when they’re accompanied by those little yellow cubes of stuff that isn’t as good as Crunch Berries. You appreciate Crunch Berries more because they’re inherently better than their peers and the contrast is evident. nnBy the way, having awesome conversations with random people you meet via social media is my number one tip for not being mad at social media. nnI think that asking everybody to be better at social media is futile. A. There will always be varying levels of competency and skill B. There will always be varying levels of interest and C. There will always be varying degrees of laziness, starting at really f@cking lazy and ending somewhere at least laziest.nnIt’s fun to read your rants, Justin, but I don’t know if this one will be able to solve the problem it has identified and provided tips for… (appreciate the tips) I’m also not convinced that I would want it to, though. nnSocial Media needs differentiation among its practitioners.

  • Anonymous

    Justin: I do social media for a living. I love the possibilities, butrnI hate the limited way most people make use of the tools.rnrnYou say “the more exposure one can gain, the more experienced theyrnlook.” That’s true… if you don’t know what you’re looking at.rnrnBeing everywhere isn’t the same as being relevant. Creating buzzrnisn’t the same as creating results. It’s easy to fool people intornbelieving you know what you’re talking about; it’s hard to stayrnemployed that way for long.rnrnFeel free to enter the social media industry, but if you do, pleaserncreate work that matters. We have more than enough work — and morernthan enough practitioners — who aren’t worth anyone else’s time,rnmoney or interest. And by the time we reach Web 3.0 and beyond, thernnoise will only get louder.

  • Anonymous

    Listen, I agree with you on a few points, such as EVERYONE seems to be an “expert” on social media when we all know that noone is an expert on the various sites that have come out just in the past few years. But I also disagree with you on a few things. nnI am a college student and I know that now more than ever you have to brand yourself, and to brand yourself means to spread your name across multiple mediums including several different social media venues.nnI completely agree with number two and number four. I believe marketing and social media are very different and should be used in different ways. I also believe that people should comment only if they have something to say that is different or adds to the already stated information. I know I’m just ranting, but I hate to say it, you have it wrong on a few too. There is a need for widespread branding in today’s job market, and the more exposure one can gain, the more experienced they look. I read recently in a cosmopolitan that one of the “kick-ass” jobs available is a social media job which includes tweeting, facebook commenting, googling a companies “brand” and much more. nnI am a public relations/journalism major and social media continues to grow and show me that IT is the future. I’m sorry for your anger towards social media, but it is much bigger than anyone can imagine and it will continue to grow until the next wave, or as I call it, web 3.0, shows it’s face.

  • Anonymous

    I describe social media to my clients as a cocktail party. You simply cannot run up to everyone and pitch endlessly. It is a conversation. Reputation building.

  • Anonymous

    I think your 5th point is the most meaningful. Trying to be engaged in every form of social media is like trying to master the Dewey decimal system, more work than it is worth. Focusing on one or two channels will create more worthwhile content and eliminate some of the white noise, plus why be mediocre at everything when you can be really good at one?nn

  • Anonymous

    Right on. :D

  • Anonymous

    Egad… If we start subdividing social media from social marketing from social advertising from social sales, we’re gonna need a bigger boat (of SEO tricks)…nnBut yes, you’re right. Personally, I’d just be happy if we could regularly make the distinction between media and marketing, but there’s something to be said for greater clarity all around.

  • Anonymous

    Good post as always, there is constant battle between social media and social marketing. I think you addressed it well and honestly.nnOne other aspect that social media “experts” get wrong is advertising. Advertising and marketing are different, marketing is a lot of homework and listening to drive the advertising. A good social marketer will know how to grab the comments people are making learn form them. Many Social (marketing) Media “experts” will just preach outlets and conversations, not really getting out of them.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for this courageous, witty and insightful post, Justin. Much of this is about two important aspects of coping successfully in the 21st century: generosity (including listening and appreciation), and valuing your time — two things most of us are pretty lousy at.

  • Anonymous

    @Hallicious “I’m curious if improvement can occur without a documented baseline from which to start.”nnI believe that type of improvement occurs quite frequently on a daily basis. People are constantly striving to improve themselves in one area or another without a “documented baseline”. They just want to better themselves. When it comes to personal goals, the “baseline” is often our current level of proficiency, whatever that may be. Each of us must assess our individual weaknesses and set our own goals and success criteria for improvement. nnThat being said, “standards” are problematic in social media for quite a few reasons. To me one of the biggest reason is the fact that there are mutliple audience segments for any given topic. Just like real world conversations, the tone of SM conversations vary from audience to audience. Some people like to mix humor with politics; others take a more serious approach. Some people like lots of facts and statistics, while others are comfortable with a loose discussion of ideas and theories. nnMy point is that, at least in my opinion, there will always be a “basement” when it comes to the quality of content in social meda. Which means it’s up to the content producer to decide where they want to play. If you want to get out of the basement and attract a better audience, then you will have to set some standards for yourself and your content. You will have to to learn what your target audience wants and then committ to producing whatever they consider “quality”. If your current skills aren’t at the level your target audience desires, then you have a choice to make. Step up (personal improvement) or revise your goals and retreat to the basement. BTW…there’s nothing wrong with the basement if that’s where you want to be.nnThere will always be mindless, idle, less-than-productive chatter in the social media space. As much as I hate to say that, I can’t deny it. But (again this is just my opinion) if a person loves social media; if they see the transformational power that it offers; if they truly want to engage others in intelligent discussion and exploration, then why wouldn’t they want to improve their converation skills and challenge themselves to be better?nnI think it really comes down to this. “Why are you here?” That’s the question that everyone producing content in this space needs to ask themselves. Basement, third floor, or penthouse? Where you want to be doesn’t matter. Just answer the question and then act accordingly. nnThanks Justin for a great post. Personally, I would also like to see less chatter and more substance.

  • Anonymous

    What if we actively reject the imposition of standards or rules because we secretly want to be responsible for creating them. After all, anybody can be a social media expert… right?nnStandards are nice, but I don’t know that they’re the ultimate answer. Just watching an episode of Holmes on Homes will illustrate how human beings skirt around the letter of the law to make a quick buck off the next guy in any field. Plus standards imply that there will be some sort of organization to enforce them. Dreaming up ways for that to be even 5% possible in social media today will make your head spin.nnFor starters, although EVERYBODY may not be aiming higher than the basement, PEOPLE most assuredly are… Since getting EVERYBODY to aim higher isn’t realistic, for various reasons, it seems the quest can be limited to getting MORE PEOPLE to aim higher. nnSo the problem to solve revolves around quantifying MORE PEOPLE and understanding our progress in getting them to achieve our goal for them.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks Justin…good, provocative thoughts. Like any emerging idea, movement or philosophy, social media has had (and will have) its ups and downs. The take-up and forward movement of its technologies, techniques and practices will likley evolve in human and organic ways…sometimes sloppy and inefficient and sometimes elegant and awesome.rnrnYour comments remind us to see the process for what it is and seek to adapt our understanding and interactions with it accordingly. rnrnThanks.

  • Anonymous

    Lindsay: In my opinion, it all depends on how many questions you’ve asked (and how much research you’ve done) before you start making independent claims.nnLike any field, new practitioners who learn social media will follow the same general arc as everyone who came before them. It’s like painting: you start with a basic understanding of color, texture, perspective, etc., and then as you experiment and teach yourself what does and doesn’t work, you end up asking the same questions that painters have been asking for centuries.nnThere’s nothing wrong with that practice because that’s how we learn new information. What’s different about the web is that every question anyone’s ever asked is now permanently suspended in time forever, which makes it harder and harder to sift through the questions in order to find the best insights.nnSo my advice would be, yes, by all means, ask questions and make comments as you’re learning. But the later you come to social media, the more likely it is that someone else has already asked the same questions and made the same claims as you have, and those questions have been answered and those theories have been debated. Take the time to research and understand the basics before you start making claims and building brands, or else we’re all just reinventing the same wheel and perpetually spinning in place.

  • Anonymous

    No SXSW for me this year. Although I do intend to stay awake for 7 straight days, drinking in my living room and listening to unsigned bands on MySpace. Same experience, less fuss.

  • Anonymous

    And there’s one of the central paradoxes of social media: we actively reject any imposition of standards or rules because we want it to remain “open” and “democratic,” yet that same elasticity allows for a flood of lousy content and self-declared experts who muddy the waters.nnI’m honestly not sure what the answer is. I doubt it’s an exertion of quality control standards by Someone Else, because that turns social media into yet another closed society. I’m just trying to figure out how we can keep things open while simultaneously encouraging people to aim higher than the basement.

  • Anonymous

    This post really got my brain spinning. Thanks! rnrnI really, really enjoyed what you had to say about communicating with a purpose. This is something I always try to press with people I meet and clients I work with. It really isn’t enough to just mill around a social network unless you’re going to add something to the conversation (unless you’re only there for stalking old classmates on Facebook or writing a witty one-liner every few weeks, ala Sh*t My Dad Says). rnrnI wanted to ask though: for you, when is it acceptable for new blood to try and comment on “old” social media theories? I agree that there are too many “experts” out there (as for me, I love social media and marketing, and strategic communications, but I am certainly NOT an expert). What is acceptable commentary, and what is just noise – in your opinion? rnrn

  • Anonymous

    All good advice, though I am going to be thinking of the poor orphans wailing in the street all day. Love that you linked to ZeFrank who I love. I think I saw that he’s presenting at SXSW — are you going?

  • Anonymous

    To be clear, I didn’t say that you weren’t free to suggest ways to improve social media, I said that asking EVERYBODY to be better at social media is futile. And I say that having an acute understanding that your exercises in futility are your business, as mine are mine. No judgment placed here. nnThe question being: Is it worse to ignore people who have no business doing certain things and hope they go away… or languish in the fact that they are incapable of reaching an unquantifiable, artificial threshold?nnI’m curious if improvement can occur without a documented baseline from which to start. Are we just spitting into the wind when we opine for people to do five or fifteen or seventy three things to become better at something that has no standard?

  • Anonymous

    Not everyone HAS to get better at social media. Odds are, most won’t. There’s very little money in it compared to better-established fields, so the motivation for improvement is reduced primarily to the personal.nnBut I’m as free to suggest ways to improve as you are (or anyone else is) in ignoring them. Just because I think something CAN be better, that doesn’t mean it ever WILL be better.nnHowever, I’m not sure we should hold social media to a different standard from any other field. Would we tell politicians they don’t have to get better at politics? Would we tell morticians they don’t have to get better at funerals? I know social media is all hugs and cuddles, but it would be nice if the lowest common denominator weren’t so valiantly defended at all times.

  • Anonymous

    There are professionals and even semi-pros who are incredibly horrible at all kinds of jobs in the traditional media: journalists, movie directors, television hosts, news anchors, professional athletes, radio djs… And somehow they continue to get paying gigs. nnSo why should amateurs be held to a higher standard when it comes to social media? nn[Push Back Alert]nnThere are two things that I love about the internet: 1. Anybody can do anything that they want at any time. 2. I’m free to choose what I want to consume. nnPeople can make crap and/or do crappy things online, but I don’t ever have to know or care about it. And if I do find out about it, I’m free to write about how much it sucks (see the first thing I love about the internet) which can help me locate people who agree and disagree with me.nnThat’s the real beauty of this medium of social media, in my mind. It’s not about what we say or do. It’s about what we say or do that leads us to people who are also saying and doing things that are interesting to us. The caveat is that the beauty of social media does not discriminate against the people who are “not good at social media.” They’re free to find people they like too and reproduce, if you will.nnThe upside for you is that I’ve had three insanely awesome conversations on the phone with people I met via social media, in the last two weeks. Is it bad that I only had three? Compared to 300, yes. Does it suck that we all have to sift through garbage to find gold? Yes it does. But I would argue that Crunch Berries taste better when they’re accompanied by those little yellow cubes of stuff that isn’t as good as Crunch Berries. You appreciate Crunch Berries more because they’re inherently better than their peers and the contrast is evident. nnBy the way, having awesome conversations with random people you meet via social media is my number one tip for not being mad at social media. nnI think that asking everybody to be better at social media is futile. A. There will always be varying levels of competency and skill B. There will always be varying levels of interest and C. There will always be varying degrees of laziness, starting at really f@cking lazy and ending somewhere at least laziest.nnIt’s fun to read your rants, Justin, but I don’t know if this one will be able to solve the problem it has identified and provided tips for… (appreciate the tips) I’m also not convinced that I would want it to, though. nnSocial Media needs differentiation among its practitioners.

  • Anonymous

    Justin: I do social media for a living. I love the possibilities, butrnI hate the limited way most people make use of the tools.rnrnYou say “the more exposure one can gain, the more experienced theyrnlook.” That’s true… if you don’t know what you’re looking at.rnrnBeing everywhere isn’t the same as being relevant. Creating buzzrnisn’t the same as creating results. It’s easy to fool people intornbelieving you know what you’re talking about; it’s hard to stayrnemployed that way for long.rnrnFeel free to enter the social media industry, but if you do, pleaserncreate work that matters. We have more than enough work — and morernthan enough practitioners — who aren’t worth anyone else’s time,rnmoney or interest. And by the time we reach Web 3.0 and beyond, thernnoise will only get louder.

  • Anonymous

    Listen, I agree with you on a few points, such as EVERYONE seems to be an “expert” on social media when we all know that noone is an expert on the various sites that have come out just in the past few years. But I also disagree with you on a few things. nnI am a college student and I know that now more than ever you have to brand yourself, and to brand yourself means to spread your name across multiple mediums including several different social media venues.nnI completely agree with number two and number four. I believe marketing and social media are very different and should be used in different ways. I also believe that people should comment only if they have something to say that is different or adds to the already stated information. I know I’m just ranting, but I hate to say it, you have it wrong on a few too. There is a need for widespread branding in today’s job market, and the more exposure one can gain, the more experienced they look. I read recently in a cosmopolitan that one of the “kick-ass” jobs available is a social media job which includes tweeting, facebook commenting, googling a companies “brand” and much more. nnI am a public relations/journalism major and social media continues to grow and show me that IT is the future. I’m sorry for your anger towards social media, but it is much bigger than anyone can imagine and it will continue to grow until the next wave, or as I call it, web 3.0, shows it’s face.

  • Anonymous

    I describe social media to my clients as a cocktail party. You simply cannot run up to everyone and pitch endlessly. It is a conversation. Reputation building.

  • Anonymous

    I think your 5th point is the most meaningful. Trying to be engaged in every form of social media is like trying to master the Dewey decimal system, more work than it is worth. Focusing on one or two channels will create more worthwhile content and eliminate some of the white noise, plus why be mediocre at everything when you can be really good at one?nn

  • Anonymous

    Right on. :D

  • Anonymous

    Egad… If we start subdividing social media from social marketing from social advertising from social sales, we’re gonna need a bigger boat (of SEO tricks)…nnBut yes, you’re right. Personally, I’d just be happy if we could regularly make the distinction between media and marketing, but there’s something to be said for greater clarity all around.

  • Anonymous

    Good post as always, there is constant battle between social media and social marketing. I think you addressed it well and honestly.nnOne other aspect that social media “experts” get wrong is advertising. Advertising and marketing are different, marketing is a lot of homework and listening to drive the advertising. A good social marketer will know how to grab the comments people are making learn form them. Many Social (marketing) Media “experts” will just preach outlets and conversations, not really getting out of them.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for this courageous, witty and insightful post, Justin. Much of this is about two important aspects of coping successfully in the 21st century: generosity (including listening and appreciation), and valuing your time — two things most of us are pretty lousy at.

  • Anonymous

    @Hallicious “I’m curious if improvement can occur without a documented baseline from which to start.”nnI believe that type of improvement occurs quite frequently on a daily basis. People are constantly striving to improve themselves in one area or another without a “documented baseline”. They just want to better themselves. When it comes to personal goals, the “baseline” is often our current level of proficiency, whatever that may be. Each of us must assess our individual weaknesses and set our own goals and success criteria for improvement. nnThat being said, “standards” are problematic in social media for quite a few reasons. To me one of the biggest reason is the fact that there are mutliple audience segments for any given topic. Just like real world conversations, the tone of SM conversations vary from audience to audience. Some people like to mix humor with politics; others take a more serious approach. Some people like lots of facts and statistics, while others are comfortable with a loose discussion of ideas and theories. nnMy point is that, at least in my opinion, there will always be a “basement” when it comes to the quality of content in social meda. Which means it’s up to the content producer to decide where they want to play. If you want to get out of the basement and attract a better audience, then you will have to set some standards for yourself and your content. You will have to to learn what your target audience wants and then committ to producing whatever they consider “quality”. If your current skills aren’t at the level your target audience desires, then you have a choice to make. Step up (personal improvement) or revise your goals and retreat to the basement. BTW…there’s nothing wrong with the basement if that’s where you want to be.nnThere will always be mindless, idle, less-than-productive chatter in the social media space. As much as I hate to say that, I can’t deny it. But (again this is just my opinion) if a person loves social media; if they see the transformational power that it offers; if they truly want to engage others in intelligent discussion and exploration, then why wouldn’t they want to improve their converation skills and challenge themselves to be better?nnI think it really comes down to this. “Why are you here?” That’s the question that everyone producing content in this space needs to ask themselves. Basement, third floor, or penthouse? Where you want to be doesn’t matter. Just answer the question and then act accordingly. nnThanks Justin for a great post. Personally, I would also like to see less chatter and more substance.

  • Anonymous

    What if we actively reject the imposition of standards or rules because we secretly want to be responsible for creating them. After all, anybody can be a social media expert… right?nnStandards are nice, but I don’t know that they’re the ultimate answer. Just watching an episode of Holmes on Homes will illustrate how human beings skirt around the letter of the law to make a quick buck off the next guy in any field. Plus standards imply that there will be some sort of organization to enforce them. Dreaming up ways for that to be even 5% possible in social media today will make your head spin.nnFor starters, although EVERYBODY may not be aiming higher than the basement, PEOPLE most assuredly are… Since getting EVERYBODY to aim higher isn’t realistic, for various reasons, it seems the quest can be limited to getting MORE PEOPLE to aim higher. nnSo the problem to solve revolves around quantifying MORE PEOPLE and understanding our progress in getting them to achieve our goal for them.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks Justin…good, provocative thoughts. Like any emerging idea, movement or philosophy, social media has had (and will have) its ups and downs. The take-up and forward movement of its technologies, techniques and practices will likley evolve in human and organic ways…sometimes sloppy and inefficient and sometimes elegant and awesome.rnrnYour comments remind us to see the process for what it is and seek to adapt our understanding and interactions with it accordingly. rnrnThanks.

  • Anonymous

    Lindsay: In my opinion, it all depends on how many questions you’ve asked (and how much research you’ve done) before you start making independent claims.nnLike any field, new practitioners who learn social media will follow the same general arc as everyone who came before them. It’s like painting: you start with a basic understanding of color, texture, perspective, etc., and then as you experiment and teach yourself what does and doesn’t work, you end up asking the same questions that painters have been asking for centuries.nnThere’s nothing wrong with that practice because that’s how we learn new information. What’s different about the web is that every question anyone’s ever asked is now permanently suspended in time forever, which makes it harder and harder to sift through the questions in order to find the best insights.nnSo my advice would be, yes, by all means, ask questions and make comments as you’re learning. But the later you come to social media, the more likely it is that someone else has already asked the same questions and made the same claims as you have, and those questions have been answered and those theories have been debated. Take the time to research and understand the basics before you start making claims and building brands, or else we’re all just reinventing the same wheel and perpetually spinning in place.

  • Anonymous

    No SXSW for me this year. Although I do intend to stay awake for 7 straight days, drinking in my living room and listening to unsigned bands on MySpace. Same experience, less fuss.

  • Anonymous

    And there’s one of the central paradoxes of social media: we actively reject any imposition of standards or rules because we want it to remain “open” and “democratic,” yet that same elasticity allows for a flood of lousy content and self-declared experts who muddy the waters.nnI’m honestly not sure what the answer is. I doubt it’s an exertion of quality control standards by Someone Else, because that turns social media into yet another closed society. I’m just trying to figure out how we can keep things open while simultaneously encouraging people to aim higher than the basement.

  • Anonymous

    This post really got my brain spinning. Thanks! rnrnI really, really enjoyed what you had to say about communicating with a purpose. This is something I always try to press with people I meet and clients I work with. It really isn’t enough to just mill around a social network unless you’re going to add something to the conversation (unless you’re only there for stalking old classmates on Facebook or writing a witty one-liner every few weeks, ala Sh*t My Dad Says). rnrnI wanted to ask though: for you, when is it acceptable for new blood to try and comment on “old” social media theories? I agree that there are too many “experts” out there (as for me, I love social media and marketing, and strategic communications, but I am certainly NOT an expert). What is acceptable commentary, and what is just noise – in your opinion? rnrn

  • Anonymous

    All good advice, though I am going to be thinking of the poor orphans wailing in the street all day. Love that you linked to ZeFrank who I love. I think I saw that he’s presenting at SXSW — are you going?

  • Anonymous

    To be clear, I didn’t say that you weren’t free to suggest ways to improve social media, I said that asking EVERYBODY to be better at social media is futile. And I say that having an acute understanding that your exercises in futility are your business, as mine are mine. No judgment placed here. nnThe question being: Is it worse to ignore people who have no business doing certain things and hope they go away… or languish in the fact that they are incapable of reaching an unquantifiable, artificial threshold?nnI’m curious if improvement can occur without a documented baseline from which to start. Are we just spitting into the wind when we opine for people to do five or fifteen or seventy three things to become better at something that has no standard?

  • Anonymous

    Not everyone HAS to get better at social media. Odds are, most won’t. There’s very little money in it compared to better-established fields, so the motivation for improvement is reduced primarily to the personal.nnBut I’m as free to suggest ways to improve as you are (or anyone else is) in ignoring them. Just because I think something CAN be better, that doesn’t mean it ever WILL be better.nnHowever, I’m not sure we should hold social media to a different standard from any other field. Would we tell politicians they don’t have to get better at politics? Would we tell morticians they don’t have to get better at funerals? I know social media is all hugs and cuddles, but it would be nice if the lowest common denominator weren’t so valiantly defended at all times.

  • Anonymous

    There are professionals and even semi-pros who are incredibly horrible at all kinds of jobs in the traditional media: journalists, movie directors, television hosts, news anchors, professional athletes, radio djs… And somehow they continue to get paying gigs. nnSo why should amateurs be held to a higher standard when it comes to social media? nn[Push Back Alert]nnThere are two things that I love about the internet: 1. Anybody can do anything that they want at any time. 2. I’m free to choose what I want to consume. nnPeople can make crap and/or do crappy things online, but I don’t ever have to know or care about it. And if I do find out about it, I’m free to write about how much it sucks (see the first thing I love about the internet) which can help me locate people who agree and disagree with me.nnThat’s the real beauty of this medium of social media, in my mind. It’s not about what we say or do. It’s about what we say or do that leads us to people who are also saying and doing things that are interesting to us. The caveat is that the beauty of social media does not discriminate against the people who are “not good at social media.” They’re free to find people they like too and reproduce, if you will.nnThe upside for you is that I’ve had three insanely awesome conversations on the phone with people I met via social media, in the last two weeks. Is it bad that I only had three? Compared to 300, yes. Does it suck that we all have to sift through garbage to find gold? Yes it does. But I would argue that Crunch Berries taste better when they’re accompanied by those little yellow cubes of stuff that isn’t as good as Crunch Berries. You appreciate Crunch Berries more because they’re inherently better than their peers and the contrast is evident. nnBy the way, having awesome conversations with random people you meet via social media is my number one tip for not being mad at social media. nnI think that asking everybody to be better at social media is futile. A. There will always be varying levels of competency and skill B. There will always be varying levels of interest and C. There will always be varying degrees of laziness, starting at really f@cking lazy and ending somewhere at least laziest.nnIt’s fun to read your rants, Justin, but I don’t know if this one will be able to solve the problem it has identified and provided tips for… (appreciate the tips) I’m also not convinced that I would want it to, though. nnSocial Media needs differentiation among its practitioners.

  • http://www.hallicious.com Hallicious

    There are professionals and even semi-pros who are incredibly horrible at all kinds of jobs in the traditional media: journalists, movie directors, television hosts, news anchors, professional athletes, radio djs… And somehow they continue to get paying gigs.

    So why should amateurs be held to a higher standard when it comes to social media?

    [Push Back Alert]

    There are two things that I love about the internet: 1. Anybody can do anything that they want at any time. 2. I'm free to choose what I want to consume.

    People can make crap and/or do crappy things online, but I don't ever have to know or care about it. And if I do find out about it, I'm free to write about how much it sucks (see the first thing I love about the internet) which can help me locate people who agree and disagree with me.

    That's the real beauty of this medium of social media, in my mind. It's not about what we say or do. It's about what we say or do that leads us to people who are also saying and doing things that are interesting to us. The caveat is that the beauty of social media does not discriminate against the people who are “not good at social media.” They're free to find people they like too and reproduce, if you will.

    The upside for you is that I've had three insanely awesome conversations on the phone with people I met via social media, in the last two weeks. Is it bad that I only had three? Compared to 300, yes. Does it suck that we all have to sift through garbage to find gold? Yes it does. But I would argue that Crunch Berries taste better when they're accompanied by those little yellow cubes of stuff that isn't as good as Crunch Berries. You appreciate Crunch Berries more because they're inherently better than their peers and the contrast is evident.

    By the way, having awesome conversations with random people you meet via social media is my number one tip for not being mad at social media.

    I think that asking everybody to be better at social media is futile. A. There will always be varying levels of competency and skill B. There will always be varying levels of interest and C. There will always be varying degrees of laziness, starting at really f@cking lazy and ending somewhere at least laziest.

    It's fun to read your rants, Justin, but I don't know if this one will be able to solve the problem it has identified and provided tips for… (appreciate the tips) I'm also not convinced that I would want it to, though.

    Social Media needs differentiation among its practitioners.

  • http://justinkownacki.blogspot.com Justin Kownacki

    Not everyone HAS to get better at social media. Odds are, most won't. There's very little money in it compared to better-established fields, so the motivation for improvement is reduced primarily to the personal.

    But I'm as free to suggest ways to improve as you are (or anyone else is) in ignoring them. Just because I think something CAN be better, that doesn't mean it ever WILL be better.

    However, I'm not sure we should hold social media to a different standard from any other field. Would we tell politicians they don't have to get better at politics? Would we tell morticians they don't have to get better at funerals? I know social media is all hugs and cuddles, but it would be nice if the lowest common denominator weren't so valiantly defended at all times.

  • http://www.hallicious.com Hallicious

    To be clear, I didn't say that you weren't free to suggest ways to improve social media, I said that asking EVERYBODY to be better at social media is futile. And I say that having an acute understanding that your exercises in futility are your business, as mine are mine. No judgment placed here.

    The question being: Is it worse to ignore people who have no business doing certain things and hope they go away… or languish in the fact that they are incapable of reaching an unquantifiable, artificial threshold?

    Can improvement truly occur without a documented baseline from which to start? Or are we spitting into the wind when we opine for people to do five or fifteen or seventy three things to become better at something that has no standard?

  • jkatpoli

    All good advice, though I am going to be thinking of the poor orphans wailing in the street all day. Love that you linked to ZeFrank who I love. I think I saw that he's presenting at SXSW — are you going?

  • LBaish

    This post really got my brain spinning. Thanks!

    I really, really enjoyed what you had to say about communicating with a purpose. This is something I always try to press with people I meet and clients I work with. It really isn't enough to just mill around a social network unless you're going to add something to the conversation (unless you're only there for stalking old classmates on Facebook or writing a witty one-liner every few weeks, ala Sh*t My Dad Says).

    I wanted to ask though: for you, when is it acceptable for new blood to try and comment on “old” social media theories? I agree that there are too many “experts” out there (as for me, I love social media and marketing, and strategic communications, but I am certainly NOT an expert). What is acceptable commentary, and what is just noise – in your opinion?

  • http://justinkownacki.blogspot.com Justin Kownacki

    And there's one of the central paradoxes of social media: we actively reject any imposition of standards or rules because we want it to remain “open” and “democratic,” yet that same elasticity allows for a flood of lousy content and self-declared experts who muddy the waters.

    I'm honestly not sure what the answer is. I doubt it's an exertion of quality control standards by Someone Else, because that turns social media into yet another closed society. I'm just trying to figure out how we can keep things open while simultaneously encouraging people to aim higher than the basement.

  • http://justinkownacki.blogspot.com Justin Kownacki

    No SXSW for me this year. Although I do intend to stay awake for 7 straight days, drinking in my living room and listening to unsigned bands on MySpace. Same experience, less fuss.

  • http://justinkownacki.blogspot.com Justin Kownacki

    Lindsay: In my opinion, it all depends on how many questions you've asked (and how much research you've done) before you start making independent claims.

    Like any field, new practitioners who learn social media will follow the same general arc as everyone who came before them. It's like painting: you start with a basic understanding of color, texture, perspective, etc., and then as you experiment and teach yourself what does and doesn't work, you end up asking the same questions that painters have been asking for centuries.

    There's nothing wrong with that practice because that's how we learn new information. What's different about the web is that every question anyone's ever asked is now permanently suspended in time forever, which makes it harder and harder to sift through the questions in order to find the best insights.

    So my advice would be, yes, by all means, ask questions and make comments as you're learning. But the later you come to social media, the more likely it is that someone else has already asked the same questions and made the same claims as you have, and those questions have been answered and those theories have been debated. Take the time to research and understand the basics before you start making claims and building brands, or else we're all just reinventing the same wheel and perpetually spinning in place.

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  • rossga

    Thanks Justin…good, provocative thoughts. Like any emerging idea, movement or philosophy, social media has had (and will have) its ups and downs. The take-up and forward movement of its technologies, techniques and practices will likley evolve in human and organic ways…sometimes sloppy and inefficient and sometimes elegant and awesome.

    Your comments remind us to see the process for what it is and seek to adapt our understanding and interactions with it accordingly.

    Thanks.

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