Greg de Lima

I’m going to hop on the bandwagon here and establish the fact that I am not a fan of certain terminologies that have made their way around the social sphere. Terms like Guru, Ninja, and even on the occasion, Expert.

I am none of these and neither are you.

With the constant evolving, changing patterns online a person can migrate their skills and abilities from one platform to another and get to a level where yes, they have a proven track record of improving a brands social media and maybe have monetized it. But the reality is, expertise takes time. Quite simply social media hasn’t been around long enough for anyone to become “the best”. Sure the likes of Chris Brogan, Gary Vaynerchuk, Scott Stratten and plenty others have made their mark online and have a sense of status.

But what makes them more of an expert than anyone else? More money in their pocket? More speaking gigs? When do I become a Guru?

Honestly, we are always constantly learning in today’s online atmosphere. Trends change, behaviors repeat themselves, and patterns emerge. In truth though, the same concept that applies to X may not apply to Y.

Learn. Adapt. Change.

Every client or opportunity is a chance to learn something new. Whether it’s a new strategy or technique, you have the opportunity to learn and find out new information, expanding your horizons. The online community is a constant learning curve. From industry to industry, network to network, “we” as community managers, marketers, or Public Relations managers consistently have opportunities to find something new, and expand upon that.

Don’t let Gurus & Ninjas take all the joy. Honestly, what I’ve found is that these self-proclaimed “experts” are probably the most likely to give you some black-hat method of getting quick, one-time results and not giving you a tangible strategy that can be leveraged in the future.

Stop Being an Expert, Be A Student

In a matter of a week and a couple of days I will no longer be a College Undergrad. But for the rest of my life I will be a student. For the rest of my life I will be learning. So should you.

Image by – Krisuuu