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Defining Social Media Experts

Posted in social media impact, what is social media. on Monday, March 30th, 2009 by Ryan
Mar 30

Many people have written about the influx of social media “experts” that Twitter and other social media tools seem to have attracted. You may see them refer to themselves as specialists, experts, mavens, consultants, etc. But, with so many “experts” out there, how do you know which ones are real, and which ones are abusing the label? One University is now trying to make the distinction official.

Starting this September, Birmingham City University will be offering a year-long Masters in Social Media course attempting to “explore the emerging area of social media through scholarly research or practice.”

According to Jon Hickman, the course convener:

“During the course we will consider what people can do on Facebook and Twitter, and how they can be used for communication and marketing purposes. There has been significant interest in the course already, and it will definitely appeal to students looking to go into professions including journalism and PR.”

Dr. Hickman offers this video to outline how he sees the MA program:

Is a Masters degree what it takes to prove you are an “expert” in social media? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

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  • Andy Sauter
    Hey Scott, I wrote a reply to your rant (and everyone else scared of this news):

    http://www.smoexpert.com/youre-not-an-social-me...
  • Pierre-Loic Assayag
    I love the idea of recognizing social media as a new discipline worth a curriculum. There is much to unveil in this field and organizing knowledge in such a program can definitely help.

    I don't believe that someone should gain an expert status by holding a degree though. When dealing with new knowledge, humility and willingness to be surprised are one's best weapons.

    I wrote a while back about pseudo social media experts (http://traackr.com/blog/?p=36). Much of it still applies today.
  • Ef Rodriguez
    I think some legitimacy would be nice, as it currently requires very little to proclaim yourself a guru/maven/expert/influencer.

    An MA program, if suitably rigorous, is an interesting approach. I don't know how many people would pursue it, since it's much easier to *say* you are something than to actually demonstrate it.

    I'll pass this around and see what my colleagues think.
  • Scott Bradley
    The influx of all of these "social media experts" aka "aka SM wannabes" that point to their facebook friends and twitter friends as proof they know what they are doing in the space, are ruining the image of real experts.

    To say that "you need to have a masters in social media to be a social media expert" is complete and utter crap.

    Being an expert in social media comes down to three things...RESULTS RESULTS RESULTS...

    If you can't point to any quantifiable results you have helped a client achieve in social media...you are nothing more than a snake oil salesperson selling naive individuals a dream of "social media fame" when you yourself could never deliver what you are promising.

    It's legally stealing if you ask me...

    Unless you can physically prove to people that you have done the following for clients:

    *MADE THEM MONEY
    *BUILT THEIR LISTS
    *LANDED MEDIA OPPS
    *DRIVEN INSANE AMOUNTS OF STICKY TRAFFIC THROUGH THEIR WEBSITES
    *BUILT EFFECTIVE AND ENGAGING COMMUNITIES

    ...You should stop calling yourself a social media expert.

    I have done all of these things and more for clients.

    I don't say this to brag, but instead bring it to the surface to cut through all of the bullcrap that is happening with all of these new wannabes taking advantage of people who don't know any better.
  • Luke Hanyok
    Most professions require a combination of education and experience. I think without one you're fighting against the current. But then again maybe your actions can speak louder than a piece of paper. Sometimes it only takes someone important saying "This person is an expert!". That might be more appropriate in this case with the way information spreads through word of mouth in social media. Its a variable answer on that one, but I think you're safe with getting a degree from an accredited school.
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