No such thing as an expert

"Nothing is sacred anymore."

Ironically, people must have been saying that 200 years ago. With the explosion of the Internet, there have been just as many inherent pitfalls as there have been benefits. Communication, commerce and efficiency are all common advantages when it comes to going digital. Unfortunately, the Internet is also intricately woven with misleading content, outright lies, and cyberspace traps. But you already knew that, right?

One of the biggest ongoing struggles facing the web today is establishing a standard for ethics and information distribution. While there are stories of predators, scams, and data theft, an unusually common annoyance is the self-proclaimed expert.

No one likes a know-it-all

From entertainment, to politics, the economy, or advertising (and the list goes on), no industry is safe. People everywhere on the Internet, and even in person, claim to have an expertise on some topic, but according to whose standards? Their own?

People are only experts on their own opinions. One may know a plethora about the medical field and have four Ph.Ds, but they will never know everything about the subject. Of course, the question becomes obvious; what is an expert? According to Webster's expertise: Expert: a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority.

Because every individual interprets "expert" differently, it would be more accurate for a person to say they have "very specific experience and knowledge in a particular field." Otherwise, there might as well be no credibility to the title whatsoever.

The Bottom Line

It's as though some people claim expertise the same way that Knights claimed a kingdom in medieval England - by force, and mostly without the consent of others.

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Twittiquette

As fast as social media has emerged and is expanding, no one can legitimately call themselves an expert. Furthermore, in spite of the innovative tools (created almost daily) to reach our friends and/or target demographic, there are inherent flaws in the social media universe.

The key characteristic of any social media tool is that the content is solely or primarily user-generated. As wonderful and opportunistic as this is in regard to reaching a broad audience quickly, there is the harmful potential for messages to be lost in translation. Effective communication, whether it be verbal, digital, print, or personal, must be based on commonly accepted rules or practices. SM tools are used by an endless variety of people, therefore, the cultural rules of any tool is essentially created the more often it is used.

Time to pick on Twitter

Everyone has a different reason for joining Twitter. No matter the activity, members of the Twitter community either use the program to stay in touch with friends, reach target audiences for commodity or business news, or to communicate instantaneously with members of a particular industry. Some may utilize it once a year, others 100 times daily. Despite who is "following" you, almost anyone can read your Tweets. Therefore, certain rules should be followed in order to maintain the respect of those you wish to reach.

The obvious rules that many don't follow:

1. Don't use swear words. Ever. Cursing will never help your image or reputation.
2. Don't Tweet about colleagues or friends derogatorily. As mentioned, anyone can find it. It's a quick way to get fired, make fast enemies, and ultimately embarrass yourself for gossiping like a 7th grade girl in gym class.
3. Don't send direct Tweets if it only applies to you and that person. If you have something to say to a person that concerns no one else, send them an email or a private text message. People who receive your updates on their phones will be quickly annoyed. Especially if you have the recipients number.

When NOT to Tweet:

1. Because you're bored. These messages are almost guaranteed to be meaningless and a counterproductive contribution.
2. While your drinking, going to drink, or drunk. Especially if you're drunk. It's not hard to tell what someone is doing when you read a Tweet such as "gionig to get pizzza and see my BFF!!!!" (SENT at 2:21am) Think of Twitter as you would Facebook or MySpace. Not the kind of material that you want employers to read.
3. Every 10 seconds. No one cares (other than your mom) to know when you just ate an apple, walked upstairs, or are yawning. Atleast try to make it interesting.

Twitter lingo (not the same at IM slang):

1. Twitterspeak- Using language found only in Tweets, words not typically used in normal conversation
2. Tweet- A Twitter messages
3. Twoosh- A tweet that is exactly 140 characters
4. Twude- A guy on Twitter. Twitter Dude.
5. Twerd- A word used mainly on Twitter. Anything in this list.
6. Twarf- A single word Tweet
7. Twerk- A Twitter jerk

Click here for a twictionary.

Love or hate what you have read? Please leave a comment or send me an email at pauljmatson@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter or read my Tweets by clicking here. twitter.com/PaulMatson

The Morality Myth

For both the daily news aficionado and the occasional newspaper headline skimmer, it is easy to recall some of the biggest media blunders throughout history. Being the 21st century, America has experienced everything from a simple Freudian slip from a news anchor to disastrous copy editing errors in a newspaper headline. More than not, these mistakes are accepted as reminders of our human imperfection and parodies are even made to commemorate some of our favorite public slip-ups.

The 2007 controversy with Don Imus, however, is an entirely different story. Shock jock or not, we all know that the radio veteran found himself unemployed and in the middle of national social backlash after a brief inappropriate comment made about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

The details are not difficult to unravel; most of MSNBC's advertisers associated with Imus in the Morning pulled out within hours, media statements were prepared, and personal apologies began to hit the airwaves.

The Corporate Tremble

If one knows anything about both corporate and private media, a colossal amount of revenue is generated from network ad space sales. Simply put: no advertisers, no show. More than a year after Imus' radio faux pas, he is consequently back on the air. However, this time advertisers are timid to commit their financial loyalty. Big surprise. Most Americans would like to believe that Imus' being fired, public embarrassment, and slow return to the spotlight are all part of his moral punishment.

Not so fast. Put yourselves in the shoes of MSNBC. If Imus' dispicable comments resonated with less controversy throughout society, it's almost guaranteed that he would never have been removed from his show. Furthermore, advertisers would be just as eager as ever to throw cash at the radio show. Timid behavior from the news corporation's leaders and their advertisers is simply a reflection of how the public might react and not necessarily a reaction of their moral code.

The bottom line is this: Living in a capitalist society means everyone is in the business of something. And that, of course, means you either turn a profit or get out squeezed out of the industry. A corporation's dramatic decision to cancel a show such as Imus' or make major changes in the company are decisions made on grounds of perceived profitabilty, not moral standards.

I'm not saying that MSNBC or any other conglomerate is bigotted or racist, but the truth is companies will tend to choose their path in the marketplace based on risk management and profit potential... not necessarily moral grounds.

Cutting Imus was, in essence, a move to cut a severe loss in ratings. Advertisers on the show pulling out was a natural reaction to save face in public association. No one wants to be caught talking to the kid on the playground that everyone hates. Furthermore, bringing Imus back is in part a result of financial analysts predicting a monetary comeback if Imus was reinstated.

Get the picture?

Love or hate what you've read, please leave a comment or feel free to drop me an email at pauljmatson@gmail.com.

The Social Media Lifestyle

From Internet forums, message boards, weblogs, wikis, podcasts, vlogs, to Twitter, Facebook and Second Life; the sky is limit when it comes to Social Media tools. Today's PR practitioner not only has the task of being knowledgeable about what tools are available, but must know which programs to use at what time. With the wide variety of Web 2.0-driven software, it can be a hot mess trying to discover the best social mediums for a brand.

Technology, of course, is only going become more advanced with time and will do so at an ever-increasing pace. An avid news junkie may even have trouble keeping tabs on the latest Social Media trend or daily Web 2.0 fad. A RSS feed of new SM tools and reading industry advice is not the end all solution. To be most effective, an industry practitioner needs to make Social Media a part of their daily lifestyle.

Your grandmother's Facebook

It's no secret that some of the Baby Boomers still have trouble understanding "the Google." Much less would you expect to be talking to your grandmother on Facebook chat, sharing your favorite sites with her on Del.icio.us or finding her blog on Technorati. There's nothing wrong with that, of course- it's just not a part of her lifestyle.

The Internet is a common ground for all information seekers with technology at their disposal. Unless one is immersed in Social Media tools on a regular basis, no one can expect to know the lingo, trends, or rules associated with every SM tool out there. Twitter may be easy to use, but there is an etiquette to be followed and methods to reach broader audiences that are not obvious to a first-time user.

No such thing as an expert

The bottom line is this: it takes time to learn how to EFFECTIVELY use Social Media. You wouldn't pick up a hammer out of your tool box and start whacking away unless you knew how to use it. Social Media can be profoundly effective or equally destructive if utilized poorly. Having a user name and password to every latest SM site does not make you an expert on to use it!

Take time to read about the programs, but not just from the homepage. Read blogs about the SM tool, scroll through public forums, and pay close attention to mainstream headlines when they happen to pop up in the news. Most importantly, use the tool regularly and pay close attention to how popular users operate their account.

Don't forget that the one characteristic that makes Social Media unique is the fact that it is user created and driven. Companies make the algorithm and concept, but people make the content.

And that, fellow blog reader, includes you.

Love or hate what you've read, please leave a comment or drop me an email at pauljmatson@gmail.com.