Quick video with thoughts from LaSandra Brill and Janet Fouts and a recent Social Media Club event.

I thought I was going to read a good article until I actually read the article. And, since I am currently in the UK and the author is in the UK, I can say with confidence that that article is bloody rubbish. What started as a "You do not need to pay exorbitant fees to people who claim to be social media experts" turned into a poorly written advertisement for the services of a virtual assistant.

Hat tip to Mediaphyter for covering this quite awesome blog post about the much needed social media RFP template created by Maggie Fox and her firm.  I am not going to bother summarizing Jennifer's article but this is something that the industry needs and will separate the black belts from the white belts.

I’m not on a quest to single anyone out but I am slightly agitated about the 15,740 social media experts perpetratin’ on Twitter. And, while I know many of them personally (and yes, they are good people), I will refrain from calling any one person or organization out specifically but I thought you should be aware of a few things..

Here are some indicators that should raise your eyebrows even if they aren’t well groomed:

1. Tweets with any of the following verbiage – “make money online now” OR anything with “revealed”, “free”, “secret” or “discover” or some expert announcing that they hit X number of followers and begging for a RT
2. Any web site or blog that has something along the lines of … “free” 60 minute social media training video in big red letters highlighted in yellow and a red blinking arrow pointing to an email form -- be cautious, be very cautious
3. Any web site or blog that has an “earnings disclaimer” or requires your email address before entering – yes, there are a ton out there usually with the link at the bottom footer
4. Any web site or blog with a countdown clock for you to register for some random training session or video accompanied by “only X slots available” - hit the back button as fast as you can; there is probably little to value in the content
5. Social Media Certification programs that require high registration fees – there may be some legit content but why pay for it .. you can get it free and learn by simply participating

I actually wrote about this a year ago; and added some additional thoughts early last month. Would love your feedback and please let me know if I am being off base here.

Image by Brian Cuban

Social media is no longer a buzz word.  Brands are getting smart and hiring qualified people to manage and execute social media programs; and self proclaimed experts will continue to blog, tweet and facebook themselves into oblivion. This post by John Moore sums up my thoughts quite well on this subject; if you can't deliver business value to a brand or any sized business, you will be exposed. Driving strong customer relationships and increasing brand awareness is not the same as personal branding, period.

image by Hugh MacLeod

Oh, and just to clarify, personal branding is NOT easy either. It's just a different skill set that I wish I had.