Another example is when I decided the get certified as an IBM Certified Professional plenty of doors open up for me… so do say that the certificate does not hold any real value I must disagree.

The certificate is not for other marketers just like degrees and computer certificates are not for techies it is for the non-techies it is for the non-marketers.

Now here is the only problem with the social media certification there is no standards…anyone can create there own certificate.

However, who has “adequate” experience when the major social media sites have been widely used for only about 2 years or so.

Also, the strategy of developing a portfolio of case studies to prove your worth as a social media strategist is great for those who already have experience. However, for those who are new to social marketing, the certification courses helps to give them a foundation — a place to start. Just like any credential, it has its place and purpose and shouldn’t be construed for more than it really is.

My only beef with newer types of certifications, in many “new” industries, is that they leave their holders vulnerable because there is no official consensus, yet, by the main credentialing organizations.

This is definitely going to be an ongoing conversation, just as Doug pointed out, similar to what has happened in prior times with prior technological advances.

There are no social media experts, I’m not, you’re not, your readers aren’t and neither are the household names like Seth and Anne or even Guy. How can I say this? Simple.

The industry, you and I and everyone else that makes a living selling social media, refuses to agree what a social media expert is. Until we do, no one is.

I am a veteran of the self-trained web wars of the early 90s and we had this exact same discussion then. There was a camp that believed that no one would ever be a ‘Certified Web Developer’ or a ‘Certified Systems Administrator’ but somewhere along the way the business community – the people signing the checks – demanded that the industry regulate itself.

The same has already started to happen in the social media arena. My clients are business owners and decision makers. They distrust anyone who declares their own skill set. Whether its technology or a new employee they must have a level of comfort that the product or person they’re buying meets a basic criteria. We hire by education and experience so a social media certification tells us a lot about the person, much more in fact than just a random string of numbers of followers or page views, when earned from a proven education provider.

By definition; certification requires the demonstration of a certain level of knowledge or ability. I think what you’re really rallying against here isn’t the act of certification but the complete absence of an educational foundation behind these so-called ‘social media certifications’. I won’t deny that this frustrates the hell out of me as well but to disregard the necessity of social media certification may be short-sighted.