With the introduction of Google Buzz yesterday it became very apparent to me that I don’t know everything about social media and probably never will. While some might say that this is not something that should be said by someone in the “industry” I completely disagree.
What shouldn’t be said by someone in the industry (from their own mouths at least) is that they are an expert. Being an expert implies that you “got it licked”. No problemo! Been there, done that got all the T-shirts. I have done it all ….. successfully …… many more times than once. While I say it shouldn’t be said it still is said and with great regularity. As a result, the meaning is gone and the social media space starts to quickly look like the search marketing space. Let’s just say that that scenario is not a good one.
So what do I consider myself with regard to social media? A life-long learner. I had written about this subject over at Biznology just over a year ago but I wanted to revisit the idea.
Here are some of the qualities of the life-long learner as I see it:
- Humility – Admits when they don’t know something and feels no shame for not having all the answers
- Curiosity – A life-long learner was the kind of kid that probably had to touch the iron to what being very hot meant. It’s not because they are stupid, it’s because they like verification. Sometimes getting verification, though, can hurt.
- Improvability – As I sometimes do, I made up a word. So sue me. All I am saying is that a life-long learner knows there is always room for improvement and is never fully satisfied that they are “there” yet.
- Thick skinned – By admitting that you don’t know anything you put yourself into areas where your knowledge at that point in time may be limited. As a result, you may suffer a few slings and arrows but it can’t be a discouragement. Shake the dust off your sandals and move on (Where have I heard that before? Hmmmm)
There’s more as always but the point is this relating to social media. With the rapid rate of change that is taking place in the online marketing and social media industries there is no way that one person can know it all. I for instance, know little about running a paid search campaign. There is a lot to know and I don’t have the time nor the capacity to know it. As a result I turn that over to those who do know these things and they get done well.
Social media is probably one of the most elusive moving targets there is in marketing. There are few, if any, standards. There are as many techniques and theories as there are grains of sand at the beach. This means that to claim expertise in this area is kind of laughable.
I don’t like being laughed at. So to avoid that I am calling myself a life long learner of social media and I will be happy with that. Here’s to studying and learning together as we move forward and take in all the new data from day to day. By staying open to learning rather than claiming to already know everything we will stay ahead of the curve and hopefully be able to take advantage of it.
