Ideas And Angles » Expertise http://www.ideasandangles.com Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:51:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 You Are An Expert (No Really You Are!) Part # 1 http://www.ideasandangles.com/2008/12/you-are-an-expert-no-really-you-are-part-1/ http://www.ideasandangles.com/2008/12/you-are-an-expert-no-really-you-are-part-1/#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:20:49 +0000 Zach http://www.ideasandangles.com/?p=334 It took a while for me to realize I was an expert at something. I was in college working a summer job staining and sealing wooden things like decks and fences. The company prided itself on its quality work and they did brisk business. I remember before we all went out one morning our boss talked about how some guys were referring to many customer questions up the chain when they could have been answered by crew members. “We have taught you everything, you are wood protectant experts.” At the time I rolled my eyes but he was right, I could talk someone’s ear off about the ins and outs of finishing decks from my training there.

I took to photography really fast starting up my own freelancing business at ZCPhotography. Photography and the different techniques I use to get my unique brand of photography seems really easy because it is what I am talented at. I didn’t value it very much as something I could help teach others because I figured if others wanted to take to it like me they would be able to with the same ease. I didn’t put much value in my expert status.

It hit me this weekend that everyone has some kind of strength. My business partner Chris is fantastic at coming up with fresh ideas and finding other people’s strengths they didn’t think they had for business purposes. My mother is amazing with people, she helps people in the hospital at some of their most frustrating and painful moments. My father leverages relationships for business and philanthropy purposes as well as anyone I have ever seen.

My friend Brad is the drummer for the band “Destination Go” who was recording this weekend. During a break I sat down at his chair and started drumming it up. It was hard. Sure, I put together a few beats that made sense for about 5 seconds but some of the stuff he does? I think I could literally never pull it off.

Think about what you are good at, it could be simple to you but it is a big deal to someone who doesn’t have that strength and they could be seeking it out.

In the second part of this post we will talk about using your newly found expert status to generate business ideas.

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]]> http://www.ideasandangles.com/2008/12/you-are-an-expert-no-really-you-are-part-1/feed/ 2 Know What You Are Talking About, Because Your Readership Sure Will. http://www.ideasandangles.com/2008/08/know-what-you-are-talking-about-because-your-readership-sure-will/ http://www.ideasandangles.com/2008/08/know-what-you-are-talking-about-because-your-readership-sure-will/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:09:52 +0000 Chris http://www.ideasandangles.com/?p=47 Chances are, the people that read your blog, read it for a reason. They are interested in the topics you write about because they either practice it themselves, or they are reading to learn and probably have some sort of base knowledge. Blogging is a fantastic way to connect with people that are like you or may like what you have to offer. It is a fantastic way to create the community feel around what you like or what you have to offer. And it is a fantastic way to create “expert” status.

When you write about something, and often, people assume you know what you are talking about and see you as some sort of expert. When you slip up, you lose all credibility. It is like the marriage counselor that come to find out, is cheating on their spouse. Once credibility is lost, you are no longer going to be a hub for any network regarding said topic. And the ultimate goal of a social media strategy is to create a great network where you are the connector.

Everyone always remembers the connector. Seriously, think about it. Who is one of your best friends? How did you meet them? Was it through another friend? Can you name the person that introduced you? Exactly. Connectors are the people that lead. And leading is what you do as an expert. It goes full circle. Do not let it slip away by one careless blog post in which your readers know more than you and discredit any of your expertise. I am not saying that you have to be the smartest person in the room, but be able to hold your own. If you comment section turns into people correcting you, kiss your readership goodbye. They will gladly read the blog of the person that is able to correct you. So know what you are talking about before you talk about it factually. Because if you do not, the blogging community is too savvy to not recognize it and crush your credibility, thus crushing your social media platform. Social media is about community and sharing information. The information is expected to be correct information.

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