I'm late in getting over here but definitely wanted to chime in. Thankfully, many of your savvy readers have already made outstanding points, like the inimitable David Griner up there.

Is social media a job? I think the better discussion is whether it's a job unto itself, or whether the real focus of social media professionals ought to be to teach folks how to make social media a part of THEIR strategy. Social media doesn't always have to be external, nor do the people using it have to use it for communication and engagement (there is tremendous value for some roles just to learn how to listen with it and never say a word in public).

I think a strong role for social media practitioners now is to integrate social media into companies and put it on the map. Teach. Educate. Demonstrate. Will there always be social media roles? I'm not so sure; I think it'll get absorbed into larger communication, customer service, sales, R&D, HR, and product management roles. But there will always be a place and a purpose for people who know this environment intimately, not because it's about using Twitter or Facebook, but about how to mine the social web for insights and opportunities that drive business goals.

Best,
Amber

I'm late in getting over here but definitely wanted to chime in. Thankfully, many of your savvy readers have already made outstanding points, like the inimitable David Griner up there.

Is social media a job? I think the better discussion is whether it's a job unto itself, or whether the real focus of social media professionals ought to be to teach folks how to make social media a part of THEIR strategy. Social media doesn't always have to be external, nor do the people using it have to use it for communication and engagement (there is tremendous value for some roles just to learn how to listen with it and never say a word in public).

I think a strong role for social media practitioners now is to integrate social media into companies and put it on the map. Teach. Educate. Demonstrate. Will there always be social media roles? I'm not so sure; I think it'll get absorbed into larger communication, customer service, sales, R&D, HR, and product management roles. But there will always be a place and a purpose for people who know this environment intimately, not because it's about using Twitter or Facebook, but about how to mine the social web for insights and opportunities that drive business goals.

Best,
Amber

As a Community Manager for MarketingProfs, I do use social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, our blog, etc., but I also do business development, marketing, PR (and by PR I don't mean just media relations), and all the things you list. While some might think social media is my job, I have a really hard time thinking of myself as anything other than a marketer.

So, is social media a job?! Sure, any tactic is work. But I think until more social media folks show an understand of marketing, PR and business first…not many will respect social media as a job or career. Just my two cents…

Beth Harte
Community Manager, MarketingProfs
@bethharte

Actually, I'm one of those rare people who doesn't mind a little experimentation by companies curious about this stuff. Making mistakes isn't a bad thing if you learn something. Even proceeding without a game plan is okay, especially while you're learning. Heck, it's probably BETTER to delay your planning until you've dabbled a bit to understand the subject matter of your plan.

Still, your point is valid: At some point, you've gotta progress from “Good enough” to “Thoughtfully crafted to achieve specific goals.”