There's a growing flock of here's a growing flock of people out there calling themselves social media "experts". What's interesting is that none of these "Experts" have been at it for more than a year or two, and most of them are "personal" usage experts.

The ebb and flow of online applications has changed at least (Insert number here) times over the last two years. Who has had time to become an expert?

I joke about the (insert number here) because the number of online applications that has come and gone really numbers in the hundreds.

But back to the "Expert" concept. How about we ask the "Experts" to please narrow their credentials down to just "experts" in business usage of online social media.

Truly anyone can become an expert in how to sit down at computer and use a social online application. But have they had enough time to become an expert in making online tools successful for other businesses? 

When someone comes to you claiming to be an "expert" in online social media, and they want to sell you some type of service, ask them for specific proof of how their expertise has made a business (besides their own) wildly successful.

Ask them for the financial examples of businesses, just like yours, that they've made a difference in that company's bottom line.

I want to talk with people who do more than just use scare tactics to try and sell online social media service. "You've just got to start using Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, because all of your customers are using them. You don't want to get left out. Everyone is using them. Hurry, hurry, hurry, otherwise you'll go out of business because your competitors have it all figured out."

Hah!!!

Oh well, I guess scare tactics do work because there's a ton of "Experts" out there selling and using the above lines.

Please evaluate carefully "YOUR CUSTOMER's" use of online social media, before plunging into the use of an online social media "Experts" services.