The tools are there. The gurus who know how to use and interpret them—not so much.

B.L. Ochman’s concluding satement from, Debunking Six Social Media Myths, maybe a bit harsh and over stated but than again I normally would say the first social media myth: there’s something to debunk. Social media, a term that’s only been actively bandied about for the past year or so,  is a constantly evolving medium so to try an’ canonize definitions of what it is and isn’t is the height of a bragadocious bloggery. That being said Ochman makes some really great points.

So what are the myths? 

1. Social media is cheap, if not free
2. Anyone can do it
3. You can make a big splash in a short time
4. You can do it all in house
5. If you do something great people will find it
6. You can’t measure social media results

Now I’m not going to recap Ochman’s blog, beyond listing the above points, as I encourage everyone to go to Businessweek and read the post. When I read the above points I couldn’t  help but reminisce about all the clients I’ve had, which embodied at least one of the myths. During my initial conversations with potential clients, I always ask ‘How do you define social media’.  60 percent of the time, the say blogging, facebook and myspace, every time.   I believe this fixation on the wrenches in the social media toolbox, stems from the failure of ‘social media’ gurus go beyond the sheen of the latest shiny object, i.e. Twitter, and delve into what makes social media the logical progression in the evolution of corporate communication(that’ some sweet assonance…how you like me know eighth grade english)

As a consultant it is our responsibility to educate our clients on fluidity of communication, social media creates.  We need to show our clients the power of social media is rooted in philosophies which leverage the latest technologies, to place them in a position to capitalize on the opportunity to create the next generation of  customer/client communication platforms which in turn will allow them to deliver superior products, services and consumer experiences. The power of social media goes beyond marketing, it goes beyond getting Elfed  and increasing page views. In integrating social media tools and philosophies into a holistic business strategy companies can put themselves in a position to rise above the din of their competition and create a product that truly enriches the lives of the people using it.

And breathe…I’ve been holding that microrant in for awhile. The truth is we are just beginning to understand the true power of social media and the internet. A decade ago we thought a misplaced 1 was going to bring down the world and a decade before that Al Gore had yet to invent the internet. I’ve only been professionally involved with this whole social media thing for 5 years and in that time the the landscape has evolved in extraordinary ways and I’m willing to bet that in 5 more years, when Web 5.0 has been tradmarked by O’Reilly, we will have a whole new set of myths to debunk .