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