On social media, attention and language

It’s amazing how some words evoke an immediate response. It might be positive. Negative. Exciting. Fearful. Some of these words are very different, depending on the individual. Some are universal. As a writer, it’s important to be cognizant of these connotations.

I was struck today by one portion of Mike McCready’s post on choosing a social media consultant. He said: “Do they call themselves an ‘expert’ or ‘guru’? … The minute you call yourself an expert is the minute you admit there is nothing more to learn. Stay away from social media ‘experts’ or ‘gurus.’”

I couldn’t agree more. But, Mike also said that other people can call that person a guru and spread the word to others. On face, I would agree. But I had a moment last week when a colleague suggested following a local professional because he was the “leading social media guru in the area.” I was immediately turned off. Poor guy didn’t ask for the term to be used, but it was, and my perception was colored in a bad way. Guru automatically=snake oil (or pompous egomaniac… let’s be frank) for me. Again, language, even in casual use, is important.

This crossed over to me with this discussion of using cover letters for social media jobs. While using language to frame yourself – in a resume and cover letter – is a very important professional skill, it is also about walking and living “the talk.” For me, when I was hiring interns or consulted on the hiring of colleagues, I always wanted to know if there was a spark. Had they said or experienced or blogged or tweeted something that was interesting? Would I want to talk to them about it? Would I want to tell someone else about it? Personally, I believe that “sharing and engaging” factor is now the most important thing on a personal AND a brand level.

No one wants people to say: “X company, they totally have Facebook figured out. Their landing tab is so well designed.” They want people to talk about their content, about their deals, about their awesome customer service. Figuring out how to succeed on a company level isn’t really that much different from succeeding on a personal (professional) level.