There's no such thing as a social media expert

Sometimes other people say exactly what you've been thinking but haven't had the wherewithal, time or eloquence to say yourself. This morning when I opened my Google Reader and saw this post from one of my favourite commentators/bloggers/marketers Kate Carruthers I had an "Oh you're sooooo right moment" when I read even just the headline Why I'm probably not a social media expert and neither are you. Why not? Well because it's a bit early in the spectrum to be an "expert" or a "guru" or a "wunderkind" in the field of social media.

A few of my favourite tidbits of Kate's post are:

• Anyone who claims to be an expert in social media is probably talking through their hat.
• Social media has been with us for only a few years. Expertise is not developed overnight.
• Deep knowledge is founded on a basis of research and experience. Lessons learned, especially from failure and pushing of known boundaries, are key to development of expertise.
• Social media is just media and communications on a new platform. I’m not quite sure if that fact privileges social media in some special way?
• Perhaps rather than being social media experts we are social media learners? If indeed social media is a real thing we should even consider in and of itself (but that is a topic for another day)?

This is pretty much my philosophy on social media summed up brilliantly only my lack of skills means I express it more like; "Just get in there and experiment, listen to people, have conversations online and take anyone who calls themselve a social media guru with a big grain of salt because they're barely ahead of you who might like to start today."

Thanks Kate!