You are right. No two projects are ever the same.

When I was growing up – my dad always told me that learning how to learn was the best skill I could develop. He had foresight that most of my teachers lacked. They focused on the data at hand instead of the learning process itself.

Thankfully I had parents who knew enough to teach me the art and love of learning. And this has served me very well in the area of social media.

~ Joel

Thanks for the comment. I hope people aren't just groping in the dark. There are some great “expert leaders” who can help us get to already reached destinations. Some of these “expert leaders” really do know how to use Twitter, Facebook, etc. (Or where the stars really live).

True leaders (the kind that use machetes) appear to be groping – but they have a pretty good idea where they want to end up. I use the metaphor of the mountain in the distance. Sometimes they have to climb a tree and see where it is again – but they know the mountain is the goal.

~ Joel

Thanks for the comment. I would say some are more than participants. There is a group of people that “sees a mountain in the distance” and begins charging the way forward. They may not have all the answers, but they are leading others down a path that is exciting and challenging.

But they ARE leading. They know where they are going.

A group of participants really goes nowhere. Everything rises and falls on leadership.

Are leaders participants? Absolutely. They wouldn't be leaders otherwise. But leaders have something else that sets them apart from the crowd… they ability to motivate and inspire others and lead the way.

~ Joel

I am finding out the hard way, those promising to sell you their map to social media utopia and people selling maps of the stars homes in Hollywood have a lot in common. They both cost you money, time and at the end of the day, the person selling you the map didn't find it valuable either.