There is so much free information available to support your presentation of Social Media, that it may actually discourage your own creativity. After all, if you don’t have to “reinvent the wheel”, why would you. Somebody may have already created the content you need to present your case, make your point, drive your message.
The one argument I have against borrowing somebody’s material for your own needs, is the same as the disdain I have for forwarded email messages. Some of my contacts feel it necessary or normal to simply forward some clever email they’ve received. More often that not, I find myself wishing they had taken the time to add some original comment to the message. More than that, I find myself wondering why they don’t send more messages with their own thoughts and opinions on things, which I would highly value.
As likely as it is that I might share some (someone else’s) well crafted message for the benefit of those who may be reading my posts on Facebook, Twitter, or one of my blogs, I am always most proud of the posts I create myself. It may seem a bit pompous, however, my thinking and my ability to wrap words around my ideas is what drives my web content. All of the material that is freely available adds to my ability to provide a service. Amazing as it seems sometimes, this learning process is the very reason I feel compelled to post original material. I’ll always give credit where it is due, but the product remains the same. I learn, I share. It is as simple as that. You can do it, too.