Don't Hate the Guru, Hate the Game
Let’s get some debate going on a Monday morning, why don’t we??
I’ve heard an increasing number of people recently express their disgust with the term “social media guru.”
Here is how “guru” is defined by Wikipedia: “one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others (teacher)”
The definition seems actually fairly tame; someone who is really good at something and shares his/her knowledge.
Using that premise, you can almost create a “guru hierarchy” in social media, based on the amount of quality of interations with other people.
So why the hate? It seems like a social media world benefits from having knowledgeable users who teach other people the ins and outs. [Full disclosure - I just checked my bio on this site, and I called myself a "social media guru." Whoops. Maybe I jumped the gun a bit, but I had a social media article published in PRWeek and was coming off some huge client successes when I wrote it.]
And when pitching new business, isn’t “guru” a fun word to use?
Should we standardize guru-ness, so everyone is guruing on the same guru field?
Or do should just let people call themselves what they will and let their actions speak louder than their words?
How is this term worse than “PR Wizard” or “Marketing Genious?” Is it because of the mild religious connotations that portray social media as somewhat of a cult?
So, go to town. Hate me for using the “offensive” term [I can take it.]. Or make a case on why it’s really no big deal. Should I remove the tag from my bio?
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