Which PR bigwig is saying he’d ‘never hire a social media expert’?

His statements have kicked up a little controversy in the industry, prompting one blogger to issue a post encouraging everyone to hire a social media expert.

I Will Never Hire a ‘Social Media Expert,’ and Neither Should You.”

The statement echoed one from author and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, who, in an interview with TechCrunchTV last week, said, “99.5 percent of the people that walk around and say they are a social media expert or guru are clowns” and “have no business sense.”

For his part, Shankman, a PR pro and founder of Help A Reporter Out (HARO), said:

“No business in the world should want a ‘Social Media Expert’ on their team. They shouldn’t want a guru, rock-star, or savant, either. If you have a ‘Social Media Expert’ on your payroll, you’re wasting your money.

“Being an expert in Social Media is like being an expert at taking the bread out of the refrigerator. You might be the best bread-taker-outer in the world, but you know what? The goal is to make an amazing sandwich, and you can’t do that if all you’ve done in your life is taken the bread out of the fridge.”

Social media, he added, is just another facet of marketing and customer service.

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