After getting increasingly suspicious of certain individuals who proudly display the self-proclaimed title of “Social Media Guru” I thought it would be a good time to look into obtaining an officially recognised and respected qualification in Social Media, E-Commerce and Digital Communication.

I must confess to initially being somewhat surprised at the distinct lack of qualifications available in this area, which seems to be dominated by like-minded individuals with a strong digital footprint and social reach/influence.

How could something that dominates our modern world and employment landscape, be so dangerously unregulated? The penny then finally dropped, and I realised that no certificate or qualification could ever teach you how to build online relationships.

No exam could ever replace a respected and trusted strong following across a multitude of networks where you can quite literally influence thousands of people; this is where digital natives earn their stripes on the social battlefield.

The days of showing  a piece of paper that says you passed an exam will soon disappear in some circles as the proof of what you can actually deliver and offer to any potential employer should already be out there. There are no short-cuts to achieving this but hard work and a passion for everything you do will ensure you shine brightly.

I then spoke to my fellow digital native Robin Buxton who confirmed this when he pointed out

“As with many things in the digital world and IT in general, it’s about what you know, not what pieces of paper you hold. 

The world of digital marketing, which includes social media and e-commerce moves so fast that any course produced would be out of date as soon as it was written”.

Although the internet receives more than its fair share of criticism, in many ways Social Media is one of the few remaining areas of our world where only those that are a genuine good citizen can succeed.

You can’t lie, broadcast to your audience and there is nowhere to hide. You have to add value to the network otherwise it doesn’t need you. You have to give to get and for me personally, this represents the human condition in its purest and undiluted form.

So with this is mind, I thought I would create my own project and tell my own story and experience with Social Media Marketing and E-Commerce. My story will start right at the beginning and tackle the basics and hopefully we can learn a few things together along the way.

I will try and complete 2 posts a week, so please contact me directly or post a comment on any of the future posts and share your thoughts and we can make this mini digital project a success.