“Jared After My Woman… Ms. Pac Man” by Rob Boudon on Flickr
Last week, Jay Baer shared a thought he’s shared before when it comes to what social media skills are really important:
The goal isn’t to be good at social media; the goal is to be good at business because of social media.
I like this quote because it so accurately captures one of the worst aspects of the so-called “social media community”–the perception that time spent with social media is correlated to skill in using social media–and the perception that time spent, in itself, has any value.
The truth is, there are a lot of valid reasons to use social media, and few true ways to use it “incorrectly.” It’s also important, however, not to kid yourself. If you want to make a real difference for yourself in reaching your career goals or growing your business, just showing up isn’t enough. What are you creating (instead of only sharing what others have created)? What are you saying no to so you can put quality over quantity and focus on the real-world work that will truly set you apart? What’s the end result of your investment of time?
There’s nothing necessarily wrong with just “being good at social media.” However, it’s kind of like being good at video games. It might be a great way to kill time, but no one’s going to care much except a couple of your friends who play the same video game.
Some people, though, are professional video gamers. Their professional goal is to build their skill by spending time in the medium. They can make money in competitions and, of course, as testers for video game companies. Not to mention all those who make money reporting about the video game industry on tech blogs, reviewing video games, and even selling ads in video games.
Yes, but very, very, very few. The vast majority of those who play video games do so as a diversion, not a source of income.