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I was being asked a bunch of questions about Twitter today (Hi, B!) and found myself saying that the best way to get to know the ins and outs of social media is by testing it out on your own account, on your own time.
And then I thought to myself, “Hey, that makes a lot of sense, Margie. Good one.”
You know, because then when you say something patently offensive or stupid, you’ve done it under your own name and not your employer’s. Even though that can still get you fired.
Like most things, practice makes knowledgeable. So, when you are at the conference table and someone asks you how hashtags work, you’ll know because you’ve used them. When someone, like your boss, says they are confused about what happens when p*rn creepos follow you, or why it matters if one RTs, @s or DMs, you’ll explain it to them with authority – not because you read it on Mashable – because you’ve already done it well (or messed it up).
If you have never been caught up in the World Wide Web, why would your employer trust you with their online reputation?
If you want folks or co-workers to look to you for Geek Guidance you’ve gotta create, play with, and maintain a personal Twitter account; you’ll need to have personally blogged for an extended period of time; you must continuously play around on Facebook and constantly seek to find a purpose for LinkedIn. You’ll need to know how Google rules the world works and “what makes a RSS feed different than an alert.” It takes a lot of work; a lot of reading; a lot of trial and error.
Agree? Or am I just being snobby?
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Comments
08.13.09
I like your idea about being your own guinea pig, and I think it applies to everything in life and often goes by the less cool and creative sounding but no less important name of experience.
I know what you mean about having to try and explain Twitter and I think you're right: they've just got to try it (Hey, that IS a good one!). I think the worst is when somebody asks you about it and somebody else who isn't on it has a lot of well-formed opinions about its uselessness and says things like, " but I don't care what my neighbor is having for dinner!" Oh gosh... ;-)
Great post!
08.13.09
Indeed! I hear that all the time; makes me giggle. Appreciate your comment!
09.02.09
This is a great post. I work in the public sector which has been slow to social media. Because I've been screwing up, excuse me, learning the ins and outs of it for a few years now, I find myself being the unofficial authority. But like you said, I still have to learn and adapt and keep track of what's current and what's next.
Your links are good resources, as well.
09.02.09
Monica, I'm just excited that you are learning and adapting; no matter when you came to the party, at least you are here now! That's what matters :)
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