Social Media Is “Social”, Consultant Imposters: You’ll Be Found Out!

Posted on 25. Aug, 2010 by in Social Media Strategies

Social Media Is “Social”, Consultant Imposters: You’ll Be Found Out!

I recently received a message on LinkedIn that reminded me that social media is, well, “social”.

With so many jumping on the ‘social media consultant’ bandwagon, I was reminded that people talk and that reputations eventually sort out the wheat from the chaff.

Here’s the message from the likeable Felicity Stewart of Communicate magazine:

“I hope you don’t mind me contacting you on LinkedIn, after asking for help finding speakers for our Social Media in a Corporate Context conference on a couple of LinkedIn groups – your name has come up several times.

I am writing from Communicate magazine and we hold the conference annually in London.  This year’s event was so successful we have decided to hold it again on 19 October in Manchester.

We have a rough programme online at the moment, but we are hoping to add some sessions, including one called Social media on a mobile platform.  We would be absolutely delighted if you were able to speak on this panel.  It would be alongside {name witheld} from {organisation name witheld}.”

So… I said yes, clearly…!  The Social Media in a Corporate Context conference in Manchester takes place on 19 October at the Palace Hotel, apparently.

Every month or so, a colleague friend of mine who runs a PR agency forwards me a training course invitation from a social media ‘agency’ that offers training courses by a ‘trainer’ who has less than 60 followers on Twitter and has never written a blog post, to my recollection.

I always point this out to my friend and add “they’ll be found out!”

Felicity’s email reassured me that they will.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for more social media consultants and trainers.

This sector is still considered new and scary by so many that we need all hands on deck to educate businesses, non-profits, charities and more about what this unprecedented shift to an always-on, digitally connected world means for their organisations.

However, there’s a difference between those who know what they’re talking about because they practice it and those who know which blogs to follow.

I’m not naming names!

What do you think? Does this strike a nerve?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Image credit: davidChief on Flickr

Related posts:

  1. Real Fresh TV’s Monthly Social Media Events Guide – October
  2. Is That A Degree Qualified Social Media Consultant?
  3. Social Media in a Corporate Context Manchester –social media on a mobile platform and in luxury brands
  4. Real Fresh TV’s Monthly Social Media Events Guide – June
  5. How Much Influence Do You Have?

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  • http://www.communicatemagazine.co.uk Andrew Thomas

    I’m the publisher of Communicate magazine, and, clearly, I too am delighted you said ‘yes’ to speak at our conference. Felicity has organised most of the speakers for the Manchester edition of Social Media in a Corporate Context (SMCC) conference, and told me that you were on that session. I hadn’t realised that the two of you found each other through social media. Crowdsourcing in action!

    Your comments have massive resonance. We’ve organised the SMCC conference for a few years in London, and are now taking it to Manchester in the Autumn and Amsterdam this winter. We have become cynical when it comes to the social media gurus. When we started to develop the first SMCC programme we were inundated with people telling us how they were experts in the field. We took them at face value, and, unfortunately, our first conference had a number of speakers who were ‘found out’.

    Sadly there are many conferences that seem to have no quality control when it comes to speakers, and many speakers who seem to have no quality control when it comes to what they say. Which meant that Felicity researched you in detail before picking you out of the 20+ people who responded to our crowdsourcing request. More than half of our speakers are from in-house positions who have put social media to use in innovative ways. To use a cliche, our speakers have walked the walk, not just talked the talk. And we’re delighted that you’ll be part of it.

    Incidentally, @communicatemag has over 3,000 followers, and if you want to check out our last conference – http://communicateconference2010.posterous.com/
    or
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_WVmfzmB-A

    Manchester promises to be even better.

  • http://www.realfresh.tv Chi-chi Ekweozor

    @Andrew Thomas:

    Thanks so much for your comment, sincere apologies for the delay in approving it!

    I’m delighted to be speaking at the Manchester edition of Social Media in a Corporate Context (SMCC) conference and will be spreading news about the event far and wide!

    Good job on the social media sleuthing to find me, I’m honoured :)

  • http://www.realfresh.tv/real-fresh-tvs-monthly-social-media-events-guide-october/ Real Fresh TV’s Monthly Social Media Events Guide – October | Real Fresh TV | Social Media Marketing, Social Media Training, Multi-Platform Marketing and Internet TV Specialists

    [...] a dialogue with internal and external stakeholders”. Real Fresh TV director Chi-chi Ekweozor is speaking at this conference, all the more reason to attend!  More details here. Sign [...]

  • http://www.realfresh.tv/social-media-in-a-corporate-context-manchester-%e2%80%93social-media-on-a-mobile-platform-and-in-luxury-brands/ Social Media in a Corporate Context Manchester –social media on a mobile platform and in luxury brands | Real Fresh TV | Social Media Marketing, Social Media Training, Multi-Platform Marketing and Internet TV Specialists

    [...] was thrilled to be invited to speak at this event earlier in this year, after some impressive sleuthing on LinkedIn by Felicity Stewart (@FelicityStewart on Twitter) of event organisers, Communicate Magazine [...]