Manny Ramirez got busted for steroids last week and I should have been a lot happier about it. My two favorite teams are the Angels and DBacks, each benefiting differently from Manny’s stupidity. But instead of relishing in the moment, I was annoyed because that long-haired moron and his decision to ignore the hard work of his peers reminds me of what’s going on in the Word of Mouth and Social Media space right now. 

This week alone I’ve either seen or received four separate announcements about new social media companies. I’m all for entrepreneurship, and at first glance it seems like this uptick in recognition is a good thing, until you look at the fact that most of these new “businesses” are full of people looking to capitalize on the latest “fad.” 

The real crime in what Manny Ramirez did is that he spit in the face of all of the hard work his peers put in to get where they are.  Same goes for these “social media practices.” Anyone can buy a domain and call themselves an expert, but what about those people out there dedicated to the practice of actually applying strategy to social media? And what of those people who understand it doesn’t begin and end with social media? That, instead, social media is simply one tactic in the complicated and inarguably effective Word of Mouth Marketing space. What about them?

What’s happening is, when you call yourself an expert and recommend a Facebook and Twitter page to an eager client, you’re doing a disservice to yourself, your client, and the industry. You might get a few followers and you might even generate some conversation, but eventually that conversation will stop and the results will prove that you took a shortcut.  Happens every time. Worse, the folks out there truly dedicated to doing it the right way are now competing with the “short cutters” and everyone’s work is suffering. Why come up with a comprehensive Word of Mouth plan when you can just slap up a Facebook page? 

We’re in an era of noise. Say enough crap as loudly as possible and eventually some of it will get through. Months ago I argued this point about Twitter. My point at that time was that the useful medium had turned into a marketing wasteland with “experts” all racing to post the latest links hoping to elevate their personal or organizational stature. While my position has hardly changed, I now have an even greater concern. The same practice of hasty thinking and disregard for peers that continues to haunt Twitter and led to “Man-Ram’s” downfall is quickly flowing into the Word of Mouth space. 

This might sound like sour grapes to some, and I’m sorry that you feel that way. In the face of today’s social media barrage, I think it’s more important than ever to fight for the integrity of Word of Mouth Marketing. But instead of calling people out or speculating about their intentions, I’ll do my best to practice Word of Mouth the best I can, never calling myself an expert and waiting for those around me to break down or fail the test.