Like old brown shoes you long since were cast away but found in the back of the closet, I tend to believe now that much of the so-called experts in social media aren’t quite experts at all and “yesterdays news”. In-fact it seems the re-hashing of information has led to countless misconceptions whereby the interests of the mainstream and those of who aren’t fossils are simply mistaken and yesterday’s approach keeps getting spilled out as honest points of connection grow dim.

It has become painfully aware to me that many corners of the business of social media, with its either a ever so dowdy approach or simply a “pose” has little to do with connecting to the market but rather convincing others that they are connected.

However they are not connecting and like the dancing dad at the wedding who proclaims he’s “hip”, while the eyes he cannot see are rolled back, the lack of connection in social media is not simply resulting in lowering numbers but a backing off by much of the audience that brought it to this level.

The frontier days of Facebook, now so white-washed away have been replaced by the proverbial tip of the cap, predictable efforts by social media, a further watchdog of sorts where many are concerned of career backlash and rarely a sense of heartbeat, sex appeal and anything that got it there.

That will likely shock some, annoy others but the online storm of social media networks did not grow because we suddenly could share an article online, tick a “like” or log-roll a “+” and go merrily on our way. It came from honest energy, right, wrong and whatever lay between including a whole lot of hips forward emotion.

In many ways, the growth of social media was the evolution of punk but like the genre, it was raped of its soul when big business stuck its greedy paws into our world. The genre, once ruled with Richard Hell youth filled passion turned into pretty boy bands with mascara, well-thought of sleeves and latte swilling publicists ready to stamp another into the market when the public tired of the last. That isn’t punk and just like how it died or at last shuttled to rare confines, realms of social media and marketing efforts will feel the same brunt if they don’t stop posing.

Finally this does mean I suggest a return to those frontier days even if they were possible but instead true engagement with social media teams or decisions that are part of the “core”. Merely reading trend reports to sound “oh-so hip” and connect with a group that they otherwise have no interaction with will not last long and it is very clear the mainstream recognizes the “pose”. This applies to every age group and for that matter all aspects of “building relationships” as the real frontier of networking in the horizon expands into an honest global village much like the old where there the pose was quickly squashed.

Honest, open relationships where you speak with your clients with pride in what you provide but with a further understanding as consumer with similar interests. It’s simple; it’s the importance of being earnest.

Written by John Davies
©John Davies Worldwide Productions, 2011
All rights reserved

John Davies is available on his personal page on Facebook and Twitter.