Beware the Social Media Guru

Guru. Expert. Pioneer. There’s a surge of people who want to make a Twitter obsession their new job. But they’re not marketers, they haven’t built anything substantial, or they’re pushing one-trick ponies. Don’t fall for the hype. Here are six filters with which to examine would-be gurus.

Web 2.0 names that hurt

The rash of vowel-less product and website names just plain hurts from its lack of imagination.

ΓΕΙΑ ΣAΣ · UNDER DECONSTRUCTION

Techno-curious. And often, super early.

The Arpanet, the web, AI — almost four decades of showing up early to new technology, building with it, and helping people make sense of it. These days that means teaching, speaking, and writing. I'm based in Europe, and have spoken and lectured across the EU, the Mediterranean, South America, and Australia — with the occasional trip back to the States.

GUEST LECTURES

Teaching

What I've taught, where, and my value to a class.

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KEYNOTES & SOLO TALKS

Speaking

What I speak on, and where I've done it.

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WRITING & ANALYSES

Thinking

Where I think out loud. Mostly about AI: what it's good for, what it's not, and who it should be working for.

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PUTTING THE "FRONT" INTO FRONTIER TECH

Career

The full record: nearly 50 years at the front of every major online technology.

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The Pattern

When something new shows up, I tend to walk toward it…

1979ARPANET
1983First teaching role (programming)
1987GEnie
1994Web
1996Prescriptive AI
2005Podcasting
2007Social Marketing
2014Predictive AI
2020Logistics Tech
NowGenerative AI

As a kid in the late 1960s, I sat mesmerized in front of the TV, watching Captain Kirk and his crew exploring strange new worlds every week. Travel! Adventure! The coolest technology! What wasn't to love?

I've spent nearly fifty years doing my own version of that — boldly going past the edge of the world I knew, in technology and most everywhere else. Some of the promise really delivered. A lot of it didn't. I've had a front-row seat for both. The curiosity's still there, but with a much healthier dose of "who does this serve?"

WHERE I CALL HOME

I'm in Greece these days — a paradise with easy access to three continents. Best. Life. Ever.

Getting in touch

I love playing music in groups, exploring new tech, teaching others, and collaborating to solve big problems. Gimme a shout.

hello@ericweaver.com