Social media snake oil?

I agree, measurement of social is difficult - but it can be done. In fact, we believe it's such a core element of making social business design work that we've baked it into our approach. After all, if you can measure it, then you can manage it.

I do see the snakeoil spreading in this field although i don't think it's any different than the stuff we saw with web proliferation a decade ago. As the job market suffers, many people are looking to social media to revitalize their careers -- and have the mistaken expectation they can become experts in a month.

I've run into MANY people like this who are reaching out to me to help them. One of these experiences was indirect, and I wrote about it in response to Peter and David's posts here:

http://livepath.blogspot.com/2009/09/peter-kim-and-david-armano-both-posted.html

I think it's important to denote the difference between the POSERS and the CRIMMINALS. Every industry has posers... and they are exposed by the quality of their work. I believe it is up to the social media sphere to expose and prosecute the crimminals with the understanding that there may be a fine line in distinguishing the two.

Do we need a sherrif or a czar? I don't know - but I doubt there's money in starting a consultancy to "oust" the posers and crimminals. This will happen organically, IMHO.

Just my .02 cents as the dialog continues!

This is clearly an important issue - Social Media is increasingly important for almost all brands. Whether it should be used merely as an extension of their customer service or leveraged for a multi-channel marketing/advertising/pr blitz, almost all brands do have some place or can employ some facet of the online social realm.

Having someone who understands 'standard practices,' what consumers expect, what services, tools, and platforms exist, and which of those is best suited for that particular organization and what strategy accurately reflects the brand's identity and function - is essential.

Yes, there are plenty of people who will read a few blogs and spit back the popular sentiments to companies in hopes to pass themselves off as experts and secure themselves a valued position though deception and BS. And that makes things a lot harder for those of us who are truly passionate about this space, those of us who dedicate HOURS EVERY DAY to keeping up on the latest websites, services, and tools...the success and failures of other brands experimenting in the field, and with who are legitimately trying to establish themselves as an authority, for lack of a better term, in this field.

That said, the fact that Social Media is a buzz phrase lends itself to this type of ruse, but is essentially no different than any other specialty in any other industry. There will ALWAYS be people who try to get ahead without doing any real work, using the thoughts and accomplishments of others to support their own malicious climb up the corporate ladder. But they will fail for the same simple reason that they always do: When push comes to shove - they'll freeze, they will always be one step behind those who actually know what they're doing.

So yes, the "Snake Oil is Spreading." But organizations looking to hire someone to spearhead their social media initiative should be as meticulous and suspect as they would be when hiring a new C-Level exec. It's in their hands to weed out the Crocks and Quacks from those select few who actively struggle to understand and effectively utilize the power of the social web.

Did some say SMedia "sheriff"?

- @amandachapel

We don't need a sherriff; the public posse will eventually out all the would be's and wannabe's. Until they do, it pays to do your homework.

There are 10,000+ so-called social media strategists out there, but there are less than 500 who've shown they have what it takes to turn a social concept into business reality.

The word that, for me, sums up what's missing in the social media world is this: "credentialed." Very few folks can call themselves cardiologists, but virtually anyone can call himself a social media expert.

Kat, the problem with "credentialed" is that someone, somewhere, has to be making that judgment. And who would it be? In lots of countries, journalists have to have credentials. Of course that would be unconstitutional in the U.S. But I tend to favor a system in which the marketplace votes on people, and not some board of experts.

Social media in itself isn't snake oil. Advertising agencies sell it as snake oil, however. "Put Away the Smoke and Mirrors" tells how marketing firms sell what they can't deliver. http://www.famefoundry.com/935/put-away-the-smoke-and-mirrors

Before the new sheriff shoots the wrong people, you might want to look more closely at the last ten years.

Cluetrain Manifesto was published a decade ago. In 1999, Evan Williams was still developing Pyra (which later became blogger)and hadn't yet founded Twitter. Facebook didn't exist, Mark Zuckerberg was 15, and Adam Kmiec was a year from graduating from U Minn.

The blogs you cited seem to be going after the "shining opportunity" by disparaging the competition. That's a classic defensive position that gets reinvented every cycle. If you want a thought leader, hire someone who's capturing new high ground. Caveat emptor.

Good post, Stephen. There needs to be a LOT more discussion around this issue. I think one place where plenty of snake oil is being slathered is on LinkedIn discussions. Some of the stuff I see there is utterly cringeworthy.

@Kat: Companies need to learn that anyone who calls him-or-herself a social media "expert" simply isn't. One can have a significant level of experience, but it's impossible to be an expert in something that changes so quickly so often.

How can the smoke-and-mirrors pretenders be separated from those of us who have real experience in the field? (Street cred alert: I've done social media programs for several global brands, and I'm a very early signatory to the Cluetrain Manifesto.) I think it's simply a learning curve on the part of hiring companies: Once they see past the dangling shiny object, they'll start to ask about background and experience and (perish the thought!) how social media tactics fit in with the compmany's overall marketing communications strategy.

Until then, I suppose we can all grind our teeth at the daily reminder that there's a lot of truth to Sturgeon's Law.

@LOHADdotcom