I feel it is time to write a quick post in defense of my craft.
There are some professions that draw ire and vitriol from everyone: car salesman, politicians, lawyers, insurance salesman. I would add “social media professional” to that list as well.
I have seen innumerable tweets, blog posts, and videos that all decry the so-called “social media expert” or anyone working in social media as hacks who know nothing about their craft and are trying to brand themselves as being professionals in a domain which they do not really understand. Much of the objection and hatred is pointed at the fact that several people who brand themselves as social media professionals do not have any formal training in social media, do not really engage in social media for any reason other than building their brand, and, most importantly, do not actually work in social media as their primary profession.
I, Sameer Vasta, am a social media professional.
I realize that this is not a popular thing to say. I realize that social media professionals are just as loathed as PR professionals in some circles. I also realize, however, that painting everyone that makes their living around propogating the use and adoption of collaborative web technologies as useless hacks because of the actions of a few is ignorant and baseless.
Like me, most people working with social media love their craft and feel like they add value to what they do, beyond all the hype. I can’t speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself.
First, my primary profession involves, and has involved for some time, advising organizations how to adopt new and emerging web technologies in order to make their work easier, more effective, more productive, more transparent, and more collaborative. This is not social media marketing (and the fact that social media has now become almost synonymous with marketing makes me shudder) and it is definitely not social media posturing. It involves the study of organizational structure, organizational culture, and patterns of human communication. It involves extensive audits of current communications channels, alignment with organizational mandates and visions, monitoring of measurable outcomes and indicators, and research on web tools and techniques that fit into corporate culture.
This is not a case of telling my clients to start a blog or tell them to start Twittering. In fact, most often, it is telling them why devoting resources to creating and maintaining a Facebook fan page may not be the best idea; that pushing your news feed to Twitter but failing to engage in a human way may be more of a reputational risk than not having a Twitter account. It is about creating strategies for listening and engagement, and about empowering individuals in organizations to see the value in conversation online.
Second, my educational background has, and continues to, guide my work. When I was in school, studying online engagement wasn’t an option. Instead, I studied social and cultural anthropology, with a research focus on the intersection between technology, community, and popular culture. I went on to pursue a graduate certificate in corporate communications (granted, I didn’t finish that certificate and opted to enter the workforce) and subsequently spent time working in user experience, interaction design, copywriting, and community building.
Those things aside, I think the biggest problem most people on the web have with social media professionals is that there seems to be a lot of talk — people using tools to build their personal brands as social media “experts” (the use of that term makes me shudder) — and very little action. For those of you that have that concern, I’d recommend you look away from the people talking about social media online and look at the people doing great things using new forms of communication and collaboration.
Maybe writing this post makes me a new media douchebag. Maybe the fact that I’m talking about social media on this site (something I rarely do because it is not my primary objective here) makes me one of those people that postures instead of acts and that everyone hates.
That’s a risk I’m taking. Somebody needs to speak up and defend those of us that really care about new forms of communication, really care about helping organizations listen and engage with their stakeholders.
My accountant once told me that he sometimes pretends he’s an architect when he meets new people, because so many people hate accountants. I don’t want to have to pretend I’m an architect when I meet people just because a few bad seeds are soiling the reputation of my entire profession.
(Photo of workspace by Johan Larsson.)
Sameer — this line stuck out at me: “painting everyone that makes their living around propagating the use and adoption of collaborative web technologies as useless hacks because of the actions of a few is ignorant and baseless.”
It resonates because it echos how I feel about being a public servant. I’m *really proud* to work for the government, and feel that my job makes good use of taxpayer dollars. So I cringe when folks malign public servants as a group. “We leave the workplace at 4:00, we take 2 hour lunches, we’re bloated at the seams and need to downsize.” Bollocks! I heard this from a fellow public servant the other day, and nearly lost my head!
Just like in social media (and really, any other profession!) bureaucracy has bad apples who taint an industry’s reputation. There are sullied investment bankers, miserly accountants, and lawyers just out to make a buck.
But then there’s the young gal … who just happens to make a great investment banker - because she’s got a strong analytical mind and the tenacity to work 100-hour weeks. And the accountant who does taxes for all his clients’ poor college-age kids because he can. And the human rights lawyers who spend much of their time doing great pro bono work for NGOs.
Sure, it makes me cringe when every third person I know is a “social media professional cum marketing professional” … but the ones who are the real deal are easy to spot in the weeds.
Generalizations never do much good.
Sameer -
I admire your post but I’m in disagreement with the following statement:
“This is not social media marketing (and the fact that social media has now become almost synonymous with marketing makes me shudder)…”
I believe:
- Participation in social media for one’s personal life can absolutely be separated from marketing.
- Participation in social media on behalf of a company/organization/corporation should not be separated from marketing. There is a purpose, a perceived (or un-perceived in many unfortunate cases) business value that is necessitated by you being gainfully employed as a social media professional -> to market the product or purpose or whatever it may be for the company/organization.
You make a good point Livia, and I appreciate your disagreement.
While I acknowledge that marketing plays a large role in the social media work at large organizations, my point was that social media does not automatically mean marketing. I’d argue that knowledge management and cross-silo employee connections, among other such activities, do not necessarily have a marketing component to them. I’m sure it could be argued that even such activities are “marketing” in some way, but that’s definitely not the context with which I see them.
But hey, thanks for disagreeing. Also, since it had to be said: thanks for being a pretty darn awesome colleague. =)
Maria,
As someone whose mother has worked in the Ontario public service for over a decade and who did a short stint in the Ontario public service myself, I can personally attest that some of the most hard-working individuals I’ve ever met worked in the civil service arena. It is the generalizations that have not only hurt the image of civil servants, but has also made recruiting talent and justifying risk-taking extremely difficult. This is particularly sad because the civil service needs people who are committed, dedicated, good at what they do, and willing to try new things in order to keep serving the public in an efficient and effective manner.
In essence, the civil service needs people like you. Thank you for being a shining example of all that is good with the public service — let’s hope we can turn those misconceptions on their head.
Possibly related: I Am Public Service.
For your perusal: Jon Crowley’s take on the same subject.
Thanks for the link!
I just wanted to drop in here and point out how much I agree, especially with the final paragraph, which perfectly encapsulates the type of reaction I can get in my profession (I work in PR).
Put another way, there are people in any profession who are less than trustworthy. But one, or even thousands of bad eggs don’t immediately invalidate the ideas and efforts of people who are talented and passionate.
Jon, you’re absolutely right: there is an incredible derision for PR pros as well, mainly because a few bad apples are causing a stir (and getting on TechCrunch!). Let’s hope the public can see past the haze of ugliness and realize that PR is a valuable tool and PR pros aren’t horrible people.
Great post, Sameer, and props for doing it. I think this is a message that needs to be out there as much as possible. Your accountant must be a Seinfeld fan. ; )
He is, indeed. But I’ve actually witnessed it: he does tell people he’s an architect. Leads to some funny conversations.
[…] I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I love what I do for a career. I love that I’m able to take the things that intrigue me most in my life — community, personal interaction, storytelling, social good — and parlay those interests into the work I do. […]