5 Reasons the Social Media Editor is Alive and Well

BuzzFeed's Rob Fishman created quite a stir when he blogged that the social media editor is dead. Here are 5 reasons he's wrong.

1. The "Traditional" Editor is Dead

A social media person without journalistic skills may be able to survive as a consultant, but a journalist or reporter without social media skills won't make it in the current market (not even if he or she works for the Columbia Journalism Review). 

2. Everyone Needs a Social Curator

Whether you're an obscure antique store or the largest news organization, there's no escaping the pervasive nature of social media. And you're going to need someone to curate and moderate your feeds (someone who knows and can dominate Facebook, Twitter, etc., for the different monsters they are). 

3. It's Science B*tch!

While editors, writers and reporters are busy creating high quality, thoughtful and beautiful prose, you need someone to keep track of traffic and social media analytics to report back to the team and maximize your site's reach, traffic and conversions. Who's your daddy?

4. Social Media Swag

That kid who "wasted" her time in college tweeting about everything (Justin Bieber included) now has a social media footprint that rivals multinational brands. And you want (need) to leverage these kids' klouts to put your brand on the map — not through impersonal and focus group-created corporate identities, but through the faces and hearts of real people who remain engaged with their loyal following.    

5. Facebook is Dead ... Long Live Facebook

While the press is now a relic of the past, social media feeds are not going anywhere for the time being (no matter how many MySpaces and Facebooks come and go during the next few decades). So, kill the social media editor at your own peril.  

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