Last week, I told a group of entrepreneurs that I wasn’t a “social media expert.” Then I told them, neither is anyone else, and if anyone attempts to make that claim to them, go screaming into the night. I called those self-described experts the “new snake oil salesmen of the 21st Century.”

Last night, I tweeted: “If you use Malcolm Gladwell’s definition of an expert having 10,000 of practice, then who can honestly claim to be a social media expert?” (Haven’t seen anyone raise their hand yet.)

Ironically, at the same time I was tweeting, two blog posts were making the rounds in the Twittersphere. Peter Shankman and Sarah Evans wrote a delightful piece with 25 “Ways to Tell Your Social Media “Expert” Might Not Be An Expert After All” while Ian Lurie at Conversation Marketing has an amusing “10 Questions to Evaluate a Social Media ‘Expert’.” My favorite way to spot a non-expert, from Shankman/Evans:

Everything they learned about social media they learned by reading blog posts (i.e. no application). You can learn a ton about sex from reading Kinsey’s manuals, but I’d still rather be with someone who has some practical experience.

For years, the most overused term in business has been subject matter expert. I’ve cringed too many times meeting people who’ve been too quick to play the expert card. However, in a new economy based upon relationships and openness, people now can see through the poseurs, whether we’re talking social media or anything else.

The truth is, there is a growing number of specialists and consultants who are now getting results for clients through social media. Those pioneers will be the first to tell you that their successes came after countless hours of experimentation and changes in direction. Those of us newer to the table are now benefiting from their lessons learned.

There are plenty of qualified people out there who can help a professional or small business create a social media strategy. There are plenty of people willing to work their butts off for you. Just watch out for the snake oil salesmen.