I couldn’t agree more with Katie Allison Granju (Mamapundit):
In other words, if a social media consultant’s only interest in and experience with the field comes as a result of trying to earn a living off of telling other people how to do this thing, well, I would see that as a real weakness. Personal engagement in social media is the boot camp for a good social media “expert.” It’s where you learn the ins and outs and nuances of how online communities grow and contract and evolve over time. It’s how you learn to tactfully negotiate flamewars and deal with trolls. Your personal blog is your laboratory for playing around with what really works in building a readership and following.
I see a lot of social media marketers being “that guy” who barges into preexisting conversations without any sensitivity to the things that make that social media space unique and special. Online communities have personalities and inside jokes and dialects that are highly specific to them. A social media “expert” who has cut his or her teeth with meaningful personal experience knows this intuitively, and thus brings a really big advantage.
