Social Media is based on sharing and caring. So why are many Social Media Experts not providing much value to others -- or are even endangering them?

The word "social" has many connotations. One of the primary meanings is other-centric. To be social, one must be interested in the welfare of people who are not you. It's the opposite of misanthropic, myopic, hermit, egotistic.

Webster's New World Dictionary defines "social" as  (1)  of or having to do with human beings in their living together and dealings with one another (2) living in this way ... (4) sociabl: getting along well with others (5) of or for companionship.

For media to be social, it requires people who enjoy each other's company. Participating in social media involves being nice, helpful, interesting, and wanting to provide value. You may share your sense of humor, your political zeal, or your expertise.

 It stands to reason that if you exploit, deceive, or otherwise harm others, you won't be considered social.  In most cases, you'll be in danger of having your account deleted by site administrators.

So why are some Social Media "Experts" so anti-social?

Or, to put it in other words, why are they relentlessly self-obsessed, to the point of assuming that they don't have to provide much value to their Followers?

Delusions of grandeur? Egocentric flights of "Adore Me"? 

Many of these pundits persist in tweeting trivial details about their personal lives on Twitter, for example. They're allegedly professionals, but they don't behave that way most of the time. Not only are they spewing tons of irrelevant information, but they also engage in Unsafe Blogging practices.

It's bad enough that, instead of sharing their insights into social networking, they typically avoid that and tell you about their lunch, favorite sports team, or movie they just watched enthusiastically.

To make matters worse, they talk about such unenriching matters as what airport they're in, as though being in an airport implies they're important and exciting individuals. Their excuse is that perhaps some other bloggers or friends may be in the vicinity, and could hook up with them for a while, apparently to help them pass the time while waiting to board. 

Location Based Status Updates are potentially dangerous, especially for women and young people. Tweeting about your whereabouts sets a bad example. Stalkers, burglars, abusive ex-significant others, and other predators stand to benefit greatly from such information.

Aside from unsafe practices, this common behavior of self-proclaimed social media experts stands in stark contrast to what one would expect from them. 

Self-referential communications are not social. Sure, we like to know personal details about our friends, mentors, and colleagues. But when a networking pundit rarely shares any expertise, it makes you wonder just how "expert" they really are.

And when they recklessly violate Safe Blogging guidelines, they're putting their disciples and fans at serious potential risk.

Perhaps they don't fully understand the core values of blogging, which includes altruism and a desire to improve the lives of other people. It may also be that instead of giving free samples of their wisdom, which is good marketing for any organization or individual, they only provide their expertise in expensive seminars, conference panels, or books and CDs.

Social media has to endure the inappropriate behavior of trolls, spammers, bores, fanatic extremists, and...dubious social media experts. It's ironic that such individuals are so insensitive. They border on sociopaths, those who have no interest in, or awareness of, how their actions impact other people.

Let's demand that they get their act together. Or, better yet, rebuke them, then search for real specialists who have a long history of serving their clients and contributing rich experiences of value for all who pay attention to them.