Subscribe through RSSProve it! Web Experts Must Be Held Accountable For Their Expertise
For all intents and purposes the Web industry is now over a decade old. As a Web 1.0 veteran, I have seen “rock stars” of the industry rise and fall over in-demand, online trends like Flash, Search Engine Marketing and Social Media. While these various areas do require a certain level of expertise, the Web industry as a whole is notorious for inflating certain skill sets to epic proportions upon which entire companies are based.
Companies! Not departments comprised of a team of experts. Not individual team members working with other experts towards the greater goal of helping clients achieve online success. No, companies!
My argument here isn’t about whether an entire company should be founded on the basis of one particular discipline sub-set within the industry. After all, Digitalword is a business founded entirely on web content and web content strategy. My concern, rather, is the manner in which “experts” abound in this industry without so much as a need to qualify their status with credentials, past experiences, or even a roster of satisfied clients.
Caveat emptor
While self-proclamation runs rampant, I blame clients who are easily swayed by loft-offices and martini parties (during the dot-com boom) and voluminous Tweeting and slick custom Fan pages (during today’s current social media trend). In the past, “expertise” was a moving target for early adopters of the Web. Today, with at least a decade of experience behind them, any individual who is working in the industry should at least have a portfolio of credible work to their name. With no over-arching governing body to regulate the sanctity of title, there is nothing stopping a bored professional from another discipline from waking up one day and staking claim as an expert in a particular field online.
In Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) and Julien Smith’s (@julien) bestseller, “Trust Agents”, they explain how companies and individuals can leverage social media to build business. While I recommend this book to all of my clients, from an industry perspective, I find it interesting that the first few anecdotes are of infamous scoundrels and rogues in recent history who duped people just by positioning themselves in the right place at the right time so that they could gain trust and build relationships with influencers around them.
Online, there are no borders. Buyers must beware that the loudest person on Twitter may not be the expert s/he claims to be. It is quite easy for one to postulate in 140 characters without any real life experience or expertise …can the whole of a person really be understood online without seeing them and their beliefs/actions at work?
“A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action”
Without bricks and mortar, companies and people can build and promote any persona they want. How can you trust what/whom you perceive to “know” is really real?
I began this post by mentioning that the web industry is over a decade old. 2010 signifies the dawn of a new age for those in my profession: One based on the accountability traditional businesses have had to respect for decades prior to ours. The Web industry can no longer be upheld for something new and ephemeral. We’re still working out the growing pains …but like it or not, the industry has come into its own and needs to recognize that business is not built on the whims of the latest and greatest persona or app.
Protect Yourself! Do you really know who you’re doing business with?
Are you thinking about working with a web development company or aligning yourself with an expert in the field? Just like any new relationship, consider the following first:
- Does this person have any credentials that support their expertise? (For the record, this is not always easy in our industry and certainly should not form the basis for rejection alone …see next point)
- Does this person have a list of clients and experience in projects relating to their professed area of expertise?
- When did they complete their last project?
- How many clients have referred other clients to the individual/company?
- How many clients are repeat customers?
- Is the individual active or known within their community of practice?
- Is the individual active or known within their local community?
- Can the individual provide references within their own community or client listing that supports the vision/expertise touted online?
- Is the company/individual established and where do they expect their business to be in 5 years?
- Anybody can read a book and spout advice. What has this company/person done to provide value to a client and what were the results?
Great ideas and online personality does not mean an individual or company is capable of doing the work necessary for a job well done. With most web projects starting with an initial investment comparable to buying a small car, it is absolutely critical you know where your money is going.
To paraphrase Shakespeare’s Macbeth:
[Web Experts] are but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Great post! These are same criteria I use to separate the proven pros from the self-professed pundits. (yikes that’s a lot of alliteration)
Well said Kristina…
Context is king! If 12 year olds are blogging and 60 year old women make up the fastest growing demographic of Facebook users, me thinks these things aren’t for the tech community to try and teach; techies should be spending more time listening and learning.
How do you provide meaning through conversation? You have to know what your audience wants; their vocabulary; and exactly that which they are seeking?
And of course the largest issue of all on the web, that you’ve talked about in this post, TRUST!
With the wisdom of the ages on the web, many people are giving themselves titles without the capacity to delivery quality and meaningful content.
Very nice, Kris.
I see the same issue on the technology side of software development, and in my current “life” of process improvement.
To be perfectly honest, I long ago decided that anyone who was touted (or touted themselves) as a Rock Star was either not to be trusted, not as good as was said, or both.
When someone is deemed a demi-god in their niche, they will work very hard to retain that status… especially if they aren’t deserving of it!
Agree – well said. There are enough case studies out there on the Web to prove that there is a right way and a wrong way to approach content strategy, community building and social media…etc. The excuse that it’s all so new and still an experimentation can’t be used anymore.
And like Jeff states, it’s all about knowing your audience and understanding their needs. An “expert” should be able to help you find the best way to build relationships with your audience. Start with people first and the tools second.