I am not yet an expert, but I am trying to learn to be an expert in my area. This is why I read experts. I pay attention to what they are doing and I learn from them. If I listen and store away what they are providing me I garner wisdom. I read people from all walks of life, I read from the marketer, the advertiser, the public relations person and yes, the baker and candlestick maker. All of the people I read and learn from provide me a path to the knowledge about how I can help other businesses.
If I comment on blogs and if I leave a question or provide another perspective on a post, it is because I have read the bit of wisdom and have participated. It is not much different from sitting in a classroom and hearing a lecture and then participating in that lecture by commenting, asking questions or debating an issue. This is my classroom and how I am hoping to earn my thousands of hours to get to be an expert in what I do (I think I only have 5 years or 10,000 more hours of study).
I tend to read a large number of blog posts. In fact, I have more than one feed reader and they are broken down themselves into business reader and personal reader, and even that has some cross over between them so I even read some blogs twice just in case. I try to absorb as much as possible from those around me I do consider an expert to help me get to the next level. Comments foster learning just like it did in grade school when you wanted to know why clouds produced rain or why the sky was blue and all those things of wonder that come to your mind during class. Ask questions, get involved, leave a comment.
Photo via Vito
Tags: Social Media Experts, Social Media, Blog Comments, Blogging, New Media
Jim; I believe that if social media is a conversation, then you enter it the same way you enter every conversation – by listening to what people are talking about (reading posts) and the commenting appropriately.
Always good to read you – thanks
Yes I totally agree, it’s great to get different points of views – compare and contrast them. Reading blogs and comments are the best type of lecture because you directly control your content intake – if it doesn’t interest you, you soon move on to something that will.