5 Social Media Topics I Could Do Without

* For the record, I didn’t see Jason’s funny video yesterday covering some of the same ground. I agree with it, but I didn’t see it before penning this post.

My goal lately has been to bring the value in a serious way, but today, I just need a little rant.

(Sorry, Jason! I’ll get back to posting massively helpful stuff next week. Promise!)

I subscribe to a lot of social media bloggers and I follow a lot of social media pros on Twitter. Mostly it’s been great—I can keep tabs on what’s being discussed among my peers and mentors in the social media sphere.

But so help me God, if I have to read one more post/tweet/status about the following topics, I’m packing up my laptop and mobile device to join the Amish for a week.

Or possibly the Mennonites—they make awesome baked goods, and I love me some blackberry jam.

1. Fake, sleazy, bad or just under-qualified, social media “experts.” Yes, I know they’re out there. Yes, it’s irritating. Yes, it makes it even harder for experienced practitioners to get credibility. Stop whining already. Life coaches, massage therapists, yoga instructors, SEOs, real estate agents and a dozen other career fields have been dealing with the same issue for way longer. All of them (except maybe SEOs) have realized ignoring them and doing great work is the best policy. Let’s follow suit.
2. The “personal branding” debate. It’s important! It’s not! It’s important! It’s not! Lather! Rinse! Repeat!
3. The new Facebook. I know this was actually a relevant topic for a while as folks who have client and brand presences there had to figure out the implications, but seriously—stick a fork in it—it’s done now.
   
4. Conference nose-rubbing I mean “liveblogging.” Yes, people, it’s awesome that you get to go to cool conferences and rub shoulders with “rock stars” and play Guitar Hero World Tour until the wee hours. Truly, I’m happy for you. Or not. Maybe I’m just a bitter #sxsworphan. Here’s a thought: if the rest of us could get away from work to experience every detail of every web conference happening this year, we’d probably be there. And we’d be broke. Conferences are expensive and plentiful.
   
5. The social media fishbowl/echo chamber/other metaphor that involves the word “circle” which I will not repeat here because I’m a lady, dammit. Here’s the irony—by writing about it over and over, guess what you’re doing?
   

I guess it boils down to being a little tired of the epidemic of random complaining, whining, and general bellyaching among those writing about the social web in the last few months. I’m not suggesting everybody up their dosage of fluoxetine and start singing “C’mon Get Happy!”

That would just be weird.

If you’re earning a living on the social web, that’s fantastic. Go, you! Share your successes (if you can without getting into proprietary stuff). Share your failures (if you’re that bold). Share your new ideas that may or may not work.

And maybe take a moment to be grateful that (A) you have a job in this economy (B) you get to do real, billable work instead of trying to create a portfolio made up of failed pitches or your own blog and (C) you get paid to make friends on the internet.

Things are tough all over, sport. Somehow, I think you’ll survive.

[End rant.]

Photos courtesy aturkus and cloudsoup on flickr.