This deserves a much deeper response, but the hour is early.

It seems to me that the very nature of social media suggests today’s influencers could be replaced as tomorrow’s memories, with the exception of a few who continually raise the bar. But that is the way it is in every field. Isn’t it?

At least I hope those who perceive themselves at the top continually raise their own bar rather than beat down any newcomers. Can you imagine a world untouched by Andy Warhol simply because the classical masters refused to lend him the space to paint?

Best,
Rich

Yes, there will be specialists, community managers and the like, so social media as an industry is arguable. But I think (or perhaps just hope) 10 years from now PR will have advanced to the point that social media becomes part of its core discipline set and the social media experts will essentially be like crisis comms or event managers today.

Of course, I could be wrong, too.

Thanks for the gratuitous compliment, by the way. You’re way too kind to me. I appreciate it very much.

As I develop my own social media/online marketing firm, I acknowledge your sentiment that it’s a hot industry and a lot of people are trying to get their feet wet, but like Beth commented above, there’s a huge disconnect between those who claim they know about social media yet aren’t active in social networks or follow people who make a difference.

Do you want to know how many people I interact with on a daily basis – offline – who never heard of “social media” and think Facebook is only for American teens? One of my benefits is I have public administration experience, so one of my goals is to work with municipalities to develop e-government initiatives. It takes time to develop things, but I’m a quick study and eager to learn from the influencers like you.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Gartner points out in their Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies that adoption for most social media applications is 2-5 years out. Funny how early adopters are already considering them mature. I suppose we are all ready to experience what’s next.

Unfortunately, to your point, I see social media being added to resumes and service offerings at a rapid pace and yet those folks aren’t even engaging in social media themselves (I have yet to bump into them on Twitter, FF, FB, etc.). Maybe it’s just me, but I do not quite understand how they can be proficient in social media if they aren’t actively engaged themselves.

As Michelle pointed out it’s about understanding marketing first and how to implement social media second. If your community doesn’t seek you or others online or doesn’t use social networks (or whatever app.) then efforts to engage via those methods will be in vain…that’s marketing 101.

I agree about with your assessment of the verticals. The IT industry is ahead of the game when it comes to using social media applications and implementing them, which makes my efforts to engage and hold conversations easier. We’ll be seeing more B2B case studies over the next 12 months.

Have a great weekend!

As far as the impact on our profession goes, I think that in addition to specialization along the verticals, there is room for growth in specialization along skillsets. Some social media consultants are very good with developing custom client strategy and giving their internal staff actionable direction. Some will split off into community manager positions–a specialty that is really taking off lately.

If someone is really determined to break into social media now, is really passionate about it, and loves the company they currently work for, the simplest path is to take ownership of SMM where you are, with the hope that you can demonstrate enough value to convince the organization to create an internal social media position for you.

Enjoyable post!

Steve: I would classify government as a vertical.

Michelle: Thank you for your comments. It’s good to be in the minority!

Sara: In general, even mature markets see new people, agencies rise to the top.