o117
I wish I had a nickel for every Social Media Guru.

And I wish I had a quarter for every one of them that ran from that description.

It’s time for the Guru to die, because as a term it’s too generic to mean anything useful. For that matter, “Expert” and “Maven” need to go, because they don’t give you enough information either.

Besides, when it comes right down to it they’re all Weasels.

The next time you see that link to a “Guru” or “Expert” or “Maven” or whatever, there are two questions you need to ask:

• What exactly does this weasel do?
• What exactly do I need from a weasel?

Three years ago, this list wouldn’t have been necessary because the field of people who could really help you was small. But there’s enough solid thought and experience out there to be tapped online, you’re better off with awareness of the types of help you can get. It’s also useful to know, because the people who deliver you value in one area might be very ill-suited to be useful in others.

You’re better off with several different types of Weasel in your RSS zoo. [Read more...]