The Most Shameful 4-Letter Word That Exists
*This is a guest post by Ryan Rancatore. Make sure to check out his site and Twitter after the jump!
I’m a pretty liberal guy when it comes to language. Hell, some days I’d probably make even the toughest sailor blush with embarrassment. But, there is one word that makes me absolutely cringe. I become physically ill when folks use this foul word to describe themselves. The utterly shameful four-letter word that should be abolished from your vocabulary…
…GURU!
Or expert. Or rockstar. Or superstar. Or hot shot. Or wizard. Or master.
According to Mashable, there are 15,740 “social media experts” out there today. And by the time you read this, I’m sure a few more will have miraculously sprouted up.
Since when did the internet allow everyone to become such pompous asses? Believe me that I, as much as anyone, understand that this is the age of “personal branding“. But, shallowly labeling yourself as a “guru” or “expert” does not help build a personal brand. Instead, it tells me two out of the three following things about you:
1. You might actually be an expert.
2. You might not be an expert.
3. You sure are smitten with yourself.
Either way, not a great combo. Am I saying “gurus” don’t exist? No way, of course they do. What I am saying is that you need to BE an expert, not just SAY that you are an expert. In other words…
…SHOW US, DON’T TELL US.
Let’s take a look at the Twitter profiles of three people who are undoubtedly “experts” in their fields, yet have avoided self-referential puffery in their allotted 140 characters.
Gary Varynerchuk – @garyvee – “Wine guy, host of Wine Library TV. Video blogger and Businessman that loves people and the hustle”
John Jantsch – @ducttape – “Small business marketing and digital technology coach and author of Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine.”
Robert Scoble – @scobleizer – “Technology news, videos, opinions, from an enthusiastic Rackspace employee who grew up in Silicon Valley and has interviewed more than 3,200 geeks.”
How do I know these three guys are experts in their field if they didn’t tell me? Because they SHOW me via blog posts, videos, books, interviews, etc. What about you? Are you telling the world how great you are, or are you showing it everyday with a barrage of nonstop added value?
Ryan Rancatore is just a regular dude helping other regular dudes and dudettes build killer personal brands at Personal Branding 101. Are you an out-and-proud expert or guru who wants to prove Ryan wrong? Send him a nasty note on Twitter @RyanRancatore. Non-gurus are welcome to say hello too.
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Photo credit Jon Ovington
