Oh boy, I remember the moment I came across the NextGen article titled Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25 for the first time (this morning). I saw the headline in one of my Hootsuite streams and immediately thought to myself, "Well, that's an asinine proclamation; I'm certainly not going to waste my time reading something with such a ridiculous title. I’m sure it's probably just someone’s lame linkbait, anyway."
But throughout the day I continued to see this stupid headline trending. So, after several of my “tweeps” shared, commented on or responded this gal’s post with blog entries of their own, I decided I simply HAD TO read this media-storm-provoking article. Just as I had suspected, though, I found the millennial author's logic flawed and her critical reasoning lacking. Sure, she had a few good points, but I believe the core message she intended to convey was lost in her inflammatory tone and poor syntax.
Just to be clear, I am also a millennial, so I write this primarily out of disdain for how this chick portrayed our generation so disgracefully.
Her basic argument is that her generation (of which, BTW, she excludes millenials born in the seven years before her birthday) is the only one capable of understanding and executing social media correctly, because they (Again, I say they, because I fall into the category of Gen Y who is above age 25) grew up with it. She goes so far as to say, "No one else will ever be able to have as clear an understanding of these services, no matter how much they may think they do." And because of their superior knowledge, they are the only people who should be managing social media commmunications.
And now, for a healthy dose of REALITY...
Poor communication is not generation-specific. I have spoken with sixth-graders who can articulate concepts more eloquently than some 50 years olds I know. Each of us – i.e., every human being – regardless of age, ethnicity, skin color, political or religious affiliation, sexual preference, shoe size, or favorite ice cream flavor will face challenges in communication. What really matters is that we are able and willing to work through those challenges when they occur.
Relationships don't exist without communication, and good relationships require time, effort and commitment.
Managing relationships within a community requires an aptitude for creating meaningful connections with fans, followers, viewers, readers, subscribers, customers and prospects – and a passion for consistently engaging them with content that leaves them hungry for more.
Community managers must speak in a voice that resonates with their community. In larger communities, this often involves reaching beyond the boundaries of the community manager's own age or generation. If a community manager is responsible for engaging multiple generations (more than likely they will be), it's only logical that they should be able to communicate clearly and monitor responses effectively, PERIOD.
Young community managers have a lot to offer. Yet, some might need more oversight than others – in order to develop solid writing and editing skills, to acquire the kind strategic marketing/PR smarts that result in audience-appropriate content, and to mature in any other matters of business intelligence that are necessary factors in one’s ability to accurately represent a Brand and all it stands for.
Just to be clear, I am also a millennial, so I write this primarily out of disdain for how this chick portrayed our generation so disgracefully.
Her basic argument is that her generation (of which, BTW, she excludes millenials born in the seven years before her birthday) is the only one capable of understanding and executing social media correctly, because they (Again, I say they, because I fall into the category of Gen Y who is above age 25) grew up with it. She goes so far as to say, "No one else will ever be able to have as clear an understanding of these services, no matter how much they may think they do." And because of their superior knowledge, they are the only people who should be managing social media commmunications.
And now, for a healthy dose of REALITY...
Poor communication is not generation-specific. I have spoken with sixth-graders who can articulate concepts more eloquently than some 50 years olds I know. Each of us – i.e., every human being – regardless of age, ethnicity, skin color, political or religious affiliation, sexual preference, shoe size, or favorite ice cream flavor will face challenges in communication. What really matters is that we are able and willing to work through those challenges when they occur.
Relationships don't exist without communication, and good relationships require time, effort and commitment.
Managing relationships within a community requires an aptitude for creating meaningful connections with fans, followers, viewers, readers, subscribers, customers and prospects – and a passion for consistently engaging them with content that leaves them hungry for more.
Community managers must speak in a voice that resonates with their community. In larger communities, this often involves reaching beyond the boundaries of the community manager's own age or generation. If a community manager is responsible for engaging multiple generations (more than likely they will be), it's only logical that they should be able to communicate clearly and monitor responses effectively, PERIOD.
Young community managers have a lot to offer. Yet, some might need more oversight than others – in order to develop solid writing and editing skills, to acquire the kind strategic marketing/PR smarts that result in audience-appropriate content, and to mature in any other matters of business intelligence that are necessary factors in one’s ability to accurately represent a Brand and all it stands for.
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