Digital trade body launches education programme to cut through social media hype and facilitate real expertise within the industry.
The IAB Social Media Council (SMC) is taking steps to combat the hype surrounding social media and the current trend of self-proclaimed ‘social media experts’ by launching an educational programme for new starters within the industry, preparing them for the realities of working within the space. The Council – Europe’s largest group dedicated to the promotion of social media - has collaborated on the 5-month course to provide junior agency workers and UK marketing managers with a thorough social media induction.
The IAB understands that an effective introduction to social media is much more than a 1-hour presentation at a trade show, and is dedicated to nurturing new talent. Running from April – August 2010, the IAB SMC Practitioner Programme will feature bespoke presentations on definitions, research and measurement, privacy and how to effectively employ ‘paid –for’ and ‘earned’ social media tactics.
With some 16,000 people claiming to be ‘gurus’ or ‘experts’ on Twitter alone, the social media industry is currently suffering from a swarm of self-promotional consultants with little or no experience in the area. In order to provide some much-needed substance, IAB SMC members such as Tamar, RMM, Nielsen, We Are Social, Microsoft and MySpace have collaborated on the Programme, giving students learnings from the latest case studies and practical advice on how to execute successful campaigns.
All those attending the sessions will be required to complete coursework and blog about the learning process. All those who complete the programme will be awarded with an IAB SMC ‘One to Watch’ in Social Media badge.
Tony Effik, chair of the IAB Social Media Council said: "The IAB Social Media Council is not only about growing social media in the UK, but also about ensuring that, as it expands, we ensure its professionalism. We do this against the backdrop of continuously encountering people with little or no experience claiming to be experts in social media, who have now even become the focus of parodies on YouTube.
The IAB Social Media Practitioners Course is therefore about creating standards and best practice for people entering the industry, and those who also want to discover the full breadth of social media. The council has an unrivalled concentration of social media knowledge and this course should be seen as an investment back into the industry by members of the council.”
Amy Kean, IAB senior PR and marketing manager and manager of the Social Media Council said: “Social media boasts an exceptionally high profile within the UK, with there currently exists an overwhelming land-grab for authority and presence within this space. The IAB SMC does not exist as a platform for self-promotion or to generate revenues, rather our job is to ensure the discipline is ethical, effective, and the UK social media workforce boasts genuine knowledge and expertise. We’re extremely excited about helping social media beginners become practitioners, and intend for this programme to run every 6 months to become a core part of the industry’s foundations.”
