I work in a field that is awash with experts.  Indeed, seems there are more experts in what I do,  than people.

I’m talking about social media but I probably could be talking about anything.

Roderick Low posted a good summary of the dilemma (along with some good prescriptions) in which he cites the blog Broadstuff that noted given current growth projections …

“by 2012, we would have as many as 30 million ’social media experts’ plying their trade globally.”

Wow.  30 million experts.  That is a lot of experts.  I wonder who they will be working for.

In fact, based on what I see a good percentage of today’s experts don’t have clients.  What are we going to do with all these experts?

Which brings me the second area of job title explosion:  commentators.

With all the new media out there we’ve got more than you can shake a stick at.  Actually a lot of them you’d just as soon hit with a stick not just shake it at them.  But given the explosion of everyday commentators you’d only end up playing “whack-a-mole” (how is that for tortured stream of conscious imagery?)

Just one thing about those commentators.  A lot of them never really have had any direct experience in what they are commenting on.  This is particularly true in politics.  Have Rush Limbaugh or Keith Oberman ever run for office?  Ever worked in government?  Ever practiced constitutional law?  No but they sure can comment on it all.

Experts with no clients … commentators with no experience.

Here’s a suggestion.  We follow our brethren in sports.  Watch a football show.  Maybe one or two laymen but they are always teamed up with former coaches and players — that is, people who have actually had experience in doing what they are commenting on.

Experts who actually do work.  Commentators who actually know from experience what they are talking about.

What a concept.